Polishing Again

davidz71 · 06-20-2002, 05:04 PM

My '77 Excella 500 had a nice polish when purchased 4/01 and has had nothing but Zip wash and wax and RV Gloss (I think) every 4 months. There is no clearcoat but it is not as highly polished as the mirror coaches I have seen on some sites. I did some work with my AC and rear bath fan cover and there were times my hands had contact with the aluminum skin. I see one faint handprint on a rear curved panel and there are a few areas with marks slightly darker than the shiny alum. skin. I do not see any outright white powdery corrosion present. What I want to know is what is the best gameplan at this point to polish her back up? Should I use the finest Nuvite or Rolite polish with a Cyclo Polisher or would something like Walbernize be used? I'd like to work on it now early in the a.m. or late in the evening before I have any oxidation problems. Should I use Parbond where the panels meet before I start the polishing process and where can I get it? I really can't see any sealer where panels meet now but it is my understanding that Parbond is soaked into the seam. Any help would be appreciated.

ALANSD · 06-20-2002, 06:34 PM

I suggest you go to search and put in polishing as the search word. You will find posted some good information here on polishing and links to more info. Good luck...it seems to be a tough but rewarding job, and one that you will probably be doing more than once.

davidz71 · 06-20-2002, 10:38 PM

Thanks Alan,
I've been to the perfectpolish website and several others. I printed out the info, punched holes in it and put it in one of the two 3" binders I keep on Airstream info. Info found on the net that I feel is directly related to my Excella and could be used later on is printed out, punched and put in alphabetical order. I guess this is why they call me anal retentive at work, everything in its place. I guess I was hoping for an easy answer but it looks like I have to review the polish material and try the final polish on the front aluminum rock guard to see if that will do the trick. It seems to be the worst area of all the skin. Thanks for your help, and by the way, nice motorhome.

53flyingcloud · 06-22-2002, 03:03 PM

Dave, I could be wrong but, everything I hear abt using Walbernize..is connected with the word. plasticoating...
If it's as good as you say, you might just need to use Rolite with the buffer..It shouldn't be too hard on you as your unit is in excellent condition...I hear you abt palm prints...lol..
Grrrr, can't avoid it`!
In my case..the hard work is just abt to begin..(sigh)
But...Hey~~ I stopped the small leak and, that was important~
I have to repair my bath exhaust fan as well..What did you do on your? Find anything out of the norm? (As if anything was normal in an A/S..lol)

davidz71 · 06-22-2002, 05:27 PM

Vern,
Last summer I pulled the stainless exterior cover off the bath exhaust fan and found silicone used to seal the edge of the fan. I didn't know it at the time but once silicone caulk is used, Vulkum will not stick to the aluminum. I cleaned around the area with gasoline, let it dry then sealed around the fan with the Vulkum. I then put a thin coat around the edge of the stainless bowl as I screwed it down. It has slowed down the leak which was coming straight down into a pan. When I start polishing later on, I will remove the cover again and polish right up next to the fan. Maybe that will get rid of the silicone residue. I also have to do this with my awnings. I found silicone there also so stripped it off and sealed with Vulkum. Same result as the exhaust fan. Oh well, live and learn.

53flyingcloud · 06-22-2002, 06:02 PM

Dave..Again we're onto something so very similiar..Instead of gasoline, I used alcohol and, believe it or not, pooof~vuklem sticks~~If you try it let me know how it worked for you..oh, another thing was I used an old toothbrush to rub the alcohol in.
ciao

davidz71 · 06-23-2002, 08:02 PM

Will do Vern. I found a site I bookmarked on my computer and completely forgot about. It is www.globetrotter64.home.com or www.globetrotter64.com, one of those. It had some great material on polishing with the Swift method.

53flyingcloud · 06-23-2002, 11:30 PM

Dave.
Yep, that's a site contents that so familiar to me..Actual URL is:
http://home.att.net/~globetrotter64/complete.htm
BTW, When I dug into my bath room exhaust fan, I found the plastic fan blades were dropping off from age or too much exposure to the sun's UV. Dropped by the local RV center just before closing time and, was told that wasn't made any more.Grrr, this was a big disappointment as, the replacement had a smaller shaft. Meaning that, we'd have to change out the motor in order to mate up with the smaller dia shaft. You may remember that the original fan blade assy had a 1/4" D shaft. (Much like the control knob shaft on olde radio or TV.) Well, I decided to replace the hardware holding the exhaust cap on as they'd gotten rusty. While in Home Depot, walkin down the bathoom exhaust fan aisle...I (poof) EURKA~~found that Nutone bathroom exhaust fan assy# 695, had a fan blade assy with a 1/4" D shaft and, it's exactlly like my 'original'~!! call 1-888-336-6146 to order it~So, to repair it back to new, I cleaned up the original motor (oil'd it) and, installed all new quick lock for the screws plus..I put on a rubber spacer under screw with a dab of vulkem.. to make it water tight Also, I lay'd down a new rubber strip all around under the exhaust cap to help keep dirt/bugs out while traveling..etc.
total cost to repair back to like new condition is abt 10$
Polished the cap and, then re-installed it...:-}
By my reckon'in..it should last at least another 15 yrs.

davidz71 · 06-24-2002, 09:17 AM

Vern,
Thanks for correcting the URL. I had saved the site by other than bookmarking it. I can mess up a computer and lose stuff in a heartbeat. The plastic on top of my fan blade assembly had started to fall apart but the vanes around the edge were fine. I cleaned the top area and placed foil tape as a temporary measure to keep rain from coming in. This has apparently helped but I will follow the cure you did so thanks for letting me know about it. I'm sure there are others out there with the same problem.

I have a question. You said you put a rubber spacer under each screw and a dab of vulkum. Did you use Vulkum around the entire flange of the exhaust cap or did you use a rubber gasket of some type? My service manual did not show parts for the exhaust fan so I'm wondering if a gasket was used or even available. I will check the Lowes in town to see if they have the same part and, if not, will order through Home Depot at the # you posted.

53flyingcloud · 06-24-2002, 07:13 PM

Dave, not a problem..You're always welcome~Like you, I lose em just as fast..
Let see..On the rubber seal, to tell the truth, mine was all but gone~! The only clue I had was the outline that something had once been there. What I picked up was this stuff called 'Frost King', rubber foam weatherseal self stick tape. 3/8"wide, 3/16" thick and 10' long. It's black and the part number is 338..Just perfect for the underedge area of the exhaust cap. cost? I'm thinking it was less than 3$ not bad. I wasted alittle of it because~!! "I didn't wait for the cleaning solvent to dry...lol"
I just this afternoon finis fix'in the awning...Oh my gawd~~WHAT A bear~! I had a heck of a time wrestling with the spring. Now remember, this was supposed to be a 30 min job..lmao..it ended up taking me 4 hours..The spring had somehow gotten beyond the stop..No way was it gonna come out like the instruction said..What I ended up doin was drilling out the other end and, pulling it thru that way. I also installed the new one from that direction as well..Then re-did the rivets..lol, my wife said I just wanted to play with my new rivet gun...lol BTW..one more thing, if ever anyone needs a spare part for the awning..I might have it..up to and, including a spring. (Seems that the only thing wrong with mine was the retainer that held the spring had SLIPPED..grrr. But, since i PAID 60$ FOR THE NEW inserts..I was determine to use them..broke the drill bit, so I ended up with a new drill bit for my efforts..:-}

davidz71 · 06-24-2002, 08:53 PM

Vern,
My Zip Dee awning on the curb side seems to be missing a part on either end. I have an open area appx. 3/4" from the end cap to where the roller roller starts. I can see the center shaft where it is pinned in place on the end caps. Was there a secondary lock with an arm coming out like I see posted on the Zip Dee awning site? I still have the wheel locks and they work fine but I was wondering why the space was there.

53flyingcloud · 06-25-2002, 12:30 PM

Dave,
From what you described..honestly, it sounds like mine also. I was concerned as well but, it's operational. so..??? Does your work okay as far as you can tell?
lol, wheel lock on the awning? what's that..~~BTW, I posted a few pictures of the bathroom exhaust fan repair project.

davidz71 · 06-25-2002, 08:00 PM

Vern,
My bathroom fan is different than yours. I will have to borrow a digital camera and take a few shot of it. The exhaust cap looks like a stainless bowl with wire mesh welded on the inside top, sort of like a strainer but heavier wire. The awning works perfectly but for some reason I feel that something is missing. I will post pictures on that as well soon.

53flyingcloud · 06-28-2002, 06:58 PM

Dave,
I'll keep a sharp eye out for your picture. Sounds like your well on your way to fixin it up nicely`