Polishing my Airstream

[ricker2]

Is it a good idea to strip the clear coat from my Airstream. And if so is it hard to do. The shine is not to bad but would like it to be better.
Hope someone can help.

[DEITZ645]

Ricker2,
Welcome to the forums. Yes you will have to remove the clear coat before you start into polishing. There are anvironmentally friendly stripers that you spay on, let sit, and wash off with water. Do a search and you will find an abundant amount of information on polishing. Good luck with your project.

[toastie]

Originally Posted by ricker2

Is it a good idea to strip the clear coat from my Airstream. And if so is it hard to do. The shine is not to bad but would like it to be better.
Hope someone can help.

Check this out POLISHING

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by ricker2

Is it a good idea to strip the clear coat from my Airstream. And if so is it hard to do. The shine is not to bad but would like it to be better.
Hope someone can help.

I assume you are talking about polishing for a high reflective shine, not just polishing to improve the shine of the clear coat?

Given you want to go for the reflective, stripping the clear coat is the quickest and easiest step. I use aircraft stripper, not very green but effective. You can strip the clear coat in 3-6 hours of work. Brush on, scrape off with a plastic putty knife, rinse with a garden hose (or pressure washer, but it can damage the seams). This is just the tip of the iceberg. Be prepared to spend many, many hours polishing.

Stripping will also make it more shiny in itself. Some folks are satisfied to stop there.

[PetesPup]

Carl, Elaine & Bailey Beagle,

Have you polished your '87? If so, how did it turn out?

[DEITZ645]

Originally Posted by PetesPup

Carl, Elaine & Bailey Beagle,

Have you polished your '87? If so, how did it turn out?

PetesPup,
We took the easy way out and had P & S Travel Trailer Service in Helena, OH strip, polish, and re-clearcoat ours. I asked them to make it look like it just rolled off the assembly line in 1987 and I think they made good on my request. Here is one before and two after pictures. You can also see others in my gallery.

http://www.airforums.com/photos/brow...?c=500&u=14487

[PetesPup]

I am Soooooo jealous! Mine looks just like yours did before you had it done. May I ask how much?

[DEITZ645]

Originally Posted by PetesPup

I am Soooooo jealous! Mine looks just like yours did before you had it done. May I ask how much?

PetesPup,
Check your PM.

[Uberphotos]

Last September I began to polish my 68 Safari... (link to blog posting)...I am still working on it now. If you check out my blog, I will be posting a quick video in the next couple weeks to give an update on my progress.
It is a process!!!