I still have to re-skin my inner main door, and the inner vent door. I was considering a thin maple veneer overlay, but I am not sure of the longevity of such a plan....
i thought of that as well, but with the door literally exposed to the outside all the time, and the constant opening and closing, i thought the edges might start to lift.
my plan is to do the door in polished aluminum, and save the maple veneered 1/8" plywood for the interior (minus the polished endcaps). i think it will look great. hope it's not too much going on, though... 15 feet is a LOT smaller than you realize!
it was 60+ yesterday! how could i NOT work on the silver pickle? i sanded and installed the second to the last piece on the rear endcap (interior), then started polishing it. i'm about 50% through with it. the front is pretty much done, though i'll probably do a touch up polish before i move on to the wood paneling, so i don't make a mess later.
i'm not sure about the best way to protect the polished surface long term. it won't be getting wet, so i don't think it will oxidize much, if any. i am planning on maybe waxing it after i get the touch up polish done, unless anyone else has any other suggestions?
i'm not sure about the best way to protect the polished surface long term. it won't be getting wet, so i don't think it will oxidize much, if any. i am planning on maybe waxing it after i get the touch up polish done, unless anyone else has any other suggestions?
I believe the best way to protect aluminum from tarnishing is to prevent it from being exposed to Mercury. HG is present in the atmosphere in the form of pollution. I don't think water will really tarnish the aluminum... but pollutants in the water will.
There are lots of clear coats out there, but they usually end up peeling when exposed to the weather. However, on the inside of a trailer, I think they would last much longer... hmm... I kind of want to leave my interior aluminum bare... it looks nice!
Hi Jordon - thanks for posting this helpful step by step. I am in the process of replacing the floor on my 75 Overlander. What type of ply wood did you use and/or do you know what is recommended for the floor?
The slide show is impressive! At the very least this looks like it would be a great product for stripping off clear coat and other gunk on the outside. I wonder what is does to old silicon sealer? That would be great if it just happens to be able to strip if off too.
There are lots of clear coats out there, but they usually end up peeling when exposed to the weather. However, on the inside of a trailer, I think they would last much longer... hmm... I kind of want to leave my interior aluminum bare... it looks nice!
no clear coats for me! i'm hoping i can get it pretty decent with nuvite and rouge, then just spray it with motorcycle polish or whatever to give it a thin sheen. it is looking better every day! i tell ya, though... HARD work! i had to sand the last bits of the panels with 220, then used my buffing wheel to cut it back, and shine her up... final buffing (for now) was a regular orbital buffer. i'm planning on doing the random orbital thing before i get to installing the wood around it... if santa's good to me, that is! ha!
Hi Jordon - thanks for posting this helpful step by step. I am in the process of replacing the floor on my 75 Overlander. What type of ply wood did you use and/or do you know what is recommended for the floor?
Thanks much,
Toni Mac
i can't remember exactly, i think it was CDX? something like that... seal both sides with Polueurathane. i wish i had done that. i just did the bottom. DON'T use pressure treated wood. there's something in it that corrodes aluminum... plus it weighs twice as much.
i'm so close i can taste it! i tell ya... it REALLY strains the back doing the top bits! ug... who's stupid idea was this to polish the end caps? oh yeah....
that stripper looks great. I used the Removall, which is enviro friendly also, it worked very well on the clearcoat. I don't know if it would remove paint quite as well. I want to strip our older Chevy Truck, and that stuff might do the job well. Have to see if Benjamin Moore carries it here. How much is it, I did not see pricing on the site?
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Rallys twice a year..Lots of fun, food, and aluminum.
well, finally got the initial polish done on the rear end cap. i'm going to follow up with NuVite next, then Wenol, and i'm calling that one DONE! i also installed the first of the roof sections in teh rear, and started installing the new recessed lighting. it looks awesome! i can't wait to see it all together with the maple panel walls, as soon as i can get to it, that is! here's a few pics...
i finally got around to finishing the inner door this afternoon. a few days ago, i formed the outter skin at a friends with a 50" shear and a break. it looks exactly like the original... except no dents, and all new aluminum! no new techniques here... just the same ol same ol... line up the formed metal skin, 4 clecos on each corner... test fit... drill the rest of the holes and cleco-mania!
i disassembled it after all the holes were drilled, so i could buck in all the rivets on the hinges. the only bucked rivets on my original door were on the edge, with pop rivets on the rest. i'm guessing (if that was original) it was quicker than assembling the door with clecos, disassembling, bucking in the hinge, then reassembling the inner frame, and buttoning it up.... but, it really looks wierd to have half one kind of rivet, and half another on the hinge, so it was worth the effort.
then i test fitted it again, so i could locate the retainer tab for the bargman latch, disassembled the whole lot and bucked that tab in as well. re-cleco-ed, re-rivetted, and rehung the door. looks great!
the next steps on this door is i'm going to have to replace the top piece, since i put that one in a little askew. perhaps this week, if i get a free moment or 2 also left to do on the list is sealing the door, and installing the 2 remaining pieces of interior panel (top and bottom). one thing i have learned about these doors, in rebuilding this one is the interior top and bottom pieces are very critical to getting a good even close around the edges. the side pieces hold it really tight to the curve of the trailer, but the bottom and top pieces affect the way the door twists. originally, i put the one on the bottom without checking the fit, and lo and behold, the door was slightly twisted. i removed the lower panel, and the door closes fine. i'll post pics later of this fix, after i get the outter top piece replaced.
i love working on the skins on these things, but i HATE doing things twice... HOW MANY TIMES do i have to say the ol saying... "MEASURE TWICE CUT ONCE, STUPID!!!!"... i'm learning....
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