Help me get JoyBug on the road!

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

Girasoledonn,

Looking back at your earlier post:

You wrote: "FOR THE TRIM WITH THE RACING STRIPE I AM REMOVING:"

For this case, it sounds like you just need to fill the holes left behind by the screws that used to hold this trim in place. Easiest option: Put in standard bucked rivets. They will be painted and probably not noticeable amonst all the other rivets on the trailer. More complicated: Use countersunk flush rivets--whether you make DIY flush rivets as I suggested or buy a bunch of specialty tools, this option is still probably overkill.



And then there is the second case:
"FOR THE RUB RAIL I AM REPLACING WITH VTS 1950s MODEL RUB RAIL

There are two sets of holes along the bottom of the trailer. The original holes from the trim with rubber racing stripe, and the second set of holes drilled by the restoration company. How should I fill the holes that held the old trim on? They will be covered by the new trim but i'm assuming they still need to be filled? "

This is the case I was thinking of in the earlier post. I would say here that you need to plug the unwanted holes in such a way that the surface remains flat so that you don't interfere with the installation of your new trim. Since nobody is going to see this anyway, and it doesn't really need a bunch of structural integrity, try getting a flat rivet set, and just bucking in your standard rivets. The heads will flatten out, maybe not completely flat, but probably flat enough. I would try it on a test piece first.

good luck!

——————————————
Hey thanks for your thoughts. I’m sure I could figure out how to counter sink the rivets but honestly it sounds like a major pain in the ass, and since I’ve never even bucked any rivets I have that learning curve ahead of me also, and think I’ll just buck the holes with the buck riveting kit I have. Not sure what size rivet- I’m sure I can figure that out too. I mean, yea it won’t be a straight line and MAY drive me crazy in the future, but with the windows and door frame polished, the trim polished on the bottom, and it yellow, I dunno if anyone is really gonna notice the 50 askew rivets? I could explore the countersink option more- but I def don’t want to make the rivets so I’ll look today about seeing if I can find flush rivets at an aircraft store as u said - tell me the names of the speciality tools I would need again (please forgive me if I’m repeating myself). I wonder if I can find a video on you tube of someone else who did this?

As for trim, no problem. Flat rivet set. Stupid question probably, but why can’t I just use a flat rivet set for the trim above? is it because they’ll be visible? can I get a flat rivet set at a hardware store or is that another special order item

[girasoledonn]

I know this is off topic but it’s another thing I have to get done before taking it to be painted.

I want to polish the window frames and door frame as a nod to the airstream despite it being a painted argosy. I think the framing will look nice

I’ve seen in videos for airstreams they use different grade compounds for polishing and buffing. What grade is recommended? I know Argosy Aluminum panels arenr as good as it could be.

Since the area is so small, a small dremel and small polishing wheel I’m assuming will work? I bought polishing compound at an automotive shop, but is there a specific one that I should use or will any work?

[HHPJ]

I would get an attorney and get most your money back...

[girasoledonn]

Not sure I can do that seeing how I already paid which in contract law means I agreed to the price given to me

[weirdstuff]

I have seen your posts on Airstream Addicts, and your other on line activities. I will only say here, that I'm sure there are two sides to your story of "being taken" by the restorer.

Good luck with your restoration.

[Belegedhel]

I doubt if there are any local hardware stores that would sell a flat set. If you want a new one, then a place like aircraftspruce.com, or theyard.com, should have them. I bought mine off of ebay for a few bucks.

The reason I wouldn't use a flat set on the rivets that are going to be exposed is that you would likely get nearly dime sized roundish flattened blobs that, even when painted, are still going to be visible unless you sand them down, bondo them, etc.. You could make them disappear, but it is more work.

As far as polish goes, the grades of polish are similar to sand paper. You start your sanding project with a coarse, agressive sand paper/polish, and then work your way down in coarseness until you are happy with the level of shine/smoothness. So start with a polish that is coarse/aggressive (and made for aluminum), and then go one or two levels finer and decide if you are ready to stop.

good luck!

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by weirdstuff

I have seen your posts on Airstream Addicts, and your other on line activities. I will only say here, that I'm sure there are two sides to your story of "being taken" by the restorer.

Good luck with your restoration.

Thanks for the well wishes, if they were in fact well wishes. Not sure what you mean by "other online activities" since this hasn't been discussed on my blog. When I post my review on yelp or google you can go and read it and then talk to the restorer if you wish, and determine for yourself the truth.

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by Belegedhel

I doubt if there are any local hardware stores that would sell a flat set. If you want a new one, then a place like aircraftspruce.com, or theyard.com, should have them. I bought mine off of ebay for a few bucks.

The reason I wouldn't use a flat set on the rivets that are going to be exposed is that you would likely get nearly dime sized roundish flattened blobs that, even when painted, are still going to be visible unless you sand them down, bondo them, etc.. You could make them disappear, but it is more work.

As far as polish goes, the grades of polish are similar to sand paper. You start your sanding project with a coarse, agressive sand paper/polish, and then work your way down in coarseness until you are happy with the level of shine/smoothness. So start with a polish that is coarse/aggressive (and made for aluminum), and then go one or two levels finer and decide if you are ready to stop.

good luck!

Thank you SO much. Your comments are so easy for me to get my head around. Ok, well I will get a flat rivet set off eBay (great idea) and use those for the holes at the bottom of the trailer. And for the ones along the body I will just buck in rivets even if they're a little cattywampus (haha i love the word) to the eye, just for the sake of moving things along.

As for the polishing, so ok - I'll go get a simple polishing kit from home depot.. I am assuming I can get the polish there as well or should I aim for it on amazon? I suppose I should mask the area with painters tape also, in case any compound splatters on the body - since it will be painted.. I will also tell the painter at the auto body shop to be aware that when washing it down they may need to degrease it in some spots. Unless it would just be easier to remove the windows and door altogether and work on them indoors.

[weirdstuff]

Originally Posted by girasoledonn

Thanks for the well wishes, if they were in fact well wishes. Not sure what you mean by "other online activities" since this hasn't been discussed on my blog. When I post my review on yelp or google you can go and read it and then talk to the restorer if you wish, and determine for yourself the truth.

Yes, they are truly well wishes.

[girasoledonn]

hey guy! Ok so i decided not to go through the process of creating flush DIY rivets and countersinking holes etc, as buck riveting itself was new to me and I felt it was a big enough learning curve.

So yesterday was my first try at buck riveting, and I'm proud of myself for learning another skill.

Below are some pics of the work I did. I am hoping since the trailer will be painted, that the occasional rivet out of place will disappear under the paint job, especially with the rub rail, door and windows polished up nice. I practiced for an hour before working on the trailer. Most of them came out looking really good but a few I did kiss the metal - oh well. Beginners luck.

[girasoledonn]

I ran into a problem on the back of the trailer on the right side however, in the 3 holes where the barnacle had be held in place. For some reason I didn't run into the problem on the left - I guess where these holes were drilled out they were just done in such a way that created bigger holes. Anyway I tried to buck them, but they were just not quite big enough rivets, and we ended up pushing through the metal, making the holes even bigger. Then I tried to "jimmy rig" the situation but cutting a small piece of aluminum and putting it up against the skin on the inside of the trailer, drilling a hole through it the size of the rivet, and then bucking to that pice of aluminum to sort of seal up the hole on the inside. But that didnt work either and made more of a mess.

Now I have these three holes and I'm not sure how to proceed. Someone suggested using a hammer and my bucking bar to tap from the inside and try to flatten out the metal to start.

Others have said to drill out the 8 rivets on the seam and put a patch over the hole area.

Others have said to get bigger rivets and just rivet those holes with larger rivets? Not sure where to get them but it would be great to not have to wait another week for supplies to come in.

Any advice appreciated as I'm really trying to get this thing up to the auto body shop by next Thursday for painting.

[girasoledonn]

Sorry I know one has been able to respond yet - but - is filling them with some kind of aluminum filler a good idea? and then sanding over it? Since it will be painted?

[mrfixit51]

hi! The joy to a vintage trailer is not owning it , but restoring it yourself. I would not consider a person who charges me by the hour a mentor. The trailer will never be worth what was put into it beyond parts. The labour and that includes yours or paid, is gone forever. I am on my sixth summer of restoring a 1971 Canadian aluminum trailer. Every part of the resto was done by yours truly. I realize some don't have the skills, so that being said, it is almost impossible to get a decent resto done for a fixed dollar amount, unless you have unlimited funds.That leaves the free market scammers a wide margin to play, with you and your money. To any newbies, forget the dream of a vintage resto unless you are equipped with either a lot of skills in family and friends or a lot of money. A resto on your own is a very steep hill to climb. You must realize this going in. Truth and free advice is all that i and many others on this site have a lot of. There is no right answer to any part of a resto, only advice, on the many ways to tackle a problem, one at a time. Hope you make it to the end zone intact, with your dreams and all. As a Canadian Red Green would say "we're pullin for ya" Take care!!

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by mrfixit51

hi! The joy to a vintage trailer is not owning it , but restoring it yourself. I would not consider a person who charges me by the hour a mentor. The trailer will never be worth what was put into it beyond parts. The labour and that includes yours or paid, is gone forever. I am on my sixth summer of restoring a 1971 Canadian aluminum trailer. Every part of the resto was done by yours truly. I realize some don't have the skills, so that being said, it is almost impossible to get a decent resto done for a fixed dollar amount, unless you have unlimited funds.That leaves the free market scammers a wide margin to play, with you and your money. To any newbies, forget the dream of a vintage resto unless you are equipped with either a lot of skills in family and friends or a lot of money. A resto on your own is a very steep hill to climb. You must realize this going in. Truth and free advice is all that i and many others on this site have a lot of. There is no right answer to any part of a resto, only advice, on the many ways to tackle a problem, one at a time. Hope you make it to the end zone intact, with your dreams and all. As a Canadian Red Green would say "we're pullin for ya" Take care!!

Hi! Ok... well...message delivered. I get it. I was a stupid woman who considered an expert a friend and mentor, when really he was a guy taking advantage and eating up every penny I had because he knew how much I had and that he could do it. I'm two years into this project, which you may not realize, and have done a ton of the work myself. The only reason it got sent to this company for work was because I got sick with EBV and was in and out of the hospital and wanted to keep it going. I also am aware that the trailer will never be worth what I've put into it, but seeing how I do have so much time, energy and love, and money put into it, I'll be seeing it through to the end.

I realize that I am the one who told my story and mentioned being caught in the crossfires of such a mess and huge customer dispute, and that I shared it publicly, but I'm starting to wish I'd just kept my mouth shut - because while I appreciate the experts on here trying to sort of scold me like they would a child, and tell me what I already know about my own mistake in going to this company in the first place, or even the absurdity of taking on the project, I also really just need advice on how to move forward. I get that I will receive a thousand different responses from everyone, and its up to me to choose the best one for each problem I face. I still want the thousand recommendations. I still need the advice.

let's just drop the whole restoration company fiasco, and move on ok?

As it is, I decided to just fill these holes with 1/4 inch rivets which will take a week to come in. It seemed a better bet than filling and sanding. I've been working on polishing now the window frames and door frame.

Thanks again.

[girasoledonn]

p.s. i'm sorry if i sound salty. the wound is still fresh hahah and im' still feeling like a pea-brain.

[rmkrum]

Dunk the rivets in a bit of sealant as you install them. Helps prevent leaks

[girasoledonn]

Originally Posted by rmkrum

Dunk the rivets in a bit of sealant as you install them. Helps prevent leaks

I was using tempro in the holes

[rmkrum]

That will work. Get some under the heads as well. Messy, but keeps water out better. Clean excess when the rivet is seated and tight.

[girasoledonn]

Hey guys and gals. Well I bought 1/4 inch rivets for the big holes and bucket those into place so that worked great. I cut, fit and pre-drilled holes for the new rub rail and the last step is filling the old holes from the pre-drilled rub rail along the bottom. Should i put pop rivets in them? Cause some of the holes are awkward size or larger... can i just put some tempro in them? There are tons of holes as you can see in the photo. Any thoughts here?

[Iansk]

I would buck rivet the holes. Pop rivets have a greater chance of leaking and just trempro will eventually fail.

This might be a good time to add counter sunk rivets to your skill set?

Rooting for you...

Ian