'67 Caravel Skin

[Pam]

We finally got the '67 Caravel trailered home. This was its first trip since '78, when it was purchased and parked on a wooded lot and never moved again.

We just power washed it to remove dirt and mold from sitting under the trees. The skin is near perfect! (I am doing cart wheels across the yard.)

But, this is my question. Is waxing alone enough to maintain the condition and look of the skin?

I am getting ready to order gaskets and seals for doors and windows. We are then going to clean up the bumper and hitch with POR15.

Anything else I need to do the exterior?

[RichardT]

I am always surprised how much cleaner I can get an Airstream after I pressure wash it by going over it again washing it by hand. If you have only pressure washed it go ahead and give it a good hand wash before waxing.

[Stefrobrts]

Congrats on your lucky find! You will probably need to reseal the seams of the skin panels. Look at them closely. On mine there were places where the old sealant had cracked and was coming off, letting water in. We did all the seams and the roof. Most of the horizontal seams are overlapped so water can't get under them though it could be forced in while moving down the road, so if they look bad do those too. We sealed those with par-bond. We also resealed the vent stack gaskets, and the seams around the roof vent with vulkem. That took care of most of our leaks.

Good luck with your new toy!

[Pam]

I agree that a good hand washing would do wonders. I found that I can still see some deep dirt. Once it is cleaned up another time I think we'll get a coat of wax on right away to protect the skin.

[AYRSTRM2]

Pam, since your in the '66-68 vintage, I'm always interested in seeing "new" pictures of these units-show us what you got! And please, since many of us have a LOT of experience fixing and restoring (I'm in the middle of plumbing and hood vent repairs right now) we probably can help you out with any problems.

John