Started to polish my Motorhome!

[c_lewis77]

Originally Posted by bkahler

Marshall,

I believe that's what this thread is all about. Steve has been documenting all of the steps he's taken to polish his 345. He's done an impressive amount of work to get his rig to shine like it does.

Brad

Also look on the "vintage trailer supply" website, they have a step-by-step in their section under polishing.
That worked well for me.
Do some research on the newer Airstream skin before you get too far along. I believe the alclad is a different alloy that doesn't polish quite as bright as the older rigs.

[Keyair]

Hi Marchall and Welcome!

As the others have said, there is some good info both here, in this thread, and on the sticky page topper too...

Also look at the thread done by C_Lewis77 himself, and Darkspeed.

I believe(and maybe comeone can confirm?), that my Motorhome is not made with the Aluclad(this sheet has a layer of pure aluminum), altho I would love to confirm it.
I can tell you that the lower panels and drawer fronts are T6061 T6, as you could see it printed when I stripped the paint.


Came up good to my eyes!

[c_lewis77]

Key
If I am not mistaken, they are all "clad" panels. The difference is the composition of the cladding layer. On the older units the cladding is closer to pure aluminum, hence the sharp reflection/ crisp shine.
The newer units (from the late 80's/early 90's on?) The cladding had more alloy....so they will shine but not quite as "crisp"

[c_lewis77]

On my thread "finally polishing my 34'" soyboy posted a pic of his polish job on a 99. This may be similar to how a 2000's rig may turn out...
Looks good from the pics

[overlander64]

Greetings Marshall!

Welcome to the Forums and the world of Airstreaming!

Originally Posted by Sooners67

I am interested in shining my baby up
I purchased a 2006 airstream that I want to shine like the sun.
Do u have documented step by step approaches for handling this.
Thank you
Marshall Rea
Triathman73170@cox.net

While you are researching polishing your Airstream, you will want to keep in mind that the process for a late model, like your 2006, will vary somewhat when compared to the Vintage coaches that are 25 years old or older. Your coach has different aluminum alloy than the Vintage coaches that includes a pronounced grain that must be dealt with to achieve anything approaching the mirror polish that can be achieved on the Vintage coaches. In addition, you may need a stronger stripper to remove the factory applied protective coating from the aluminum . . . the Vintage coaches have a finish called Plasticoat that was applied when the coaches were built and it is my understanding that the Plasticoat yields to strippers more quickly than the factory applied finish on the more recent coaches. There are several threads dealing with polishing the more recent coaches, and the results can be quite comparable to the Vintage coaches, but the processes involved are different.

Good luck with your project!

Kevin

[Sooners67]

Kevin
What type of stripping agent would be recommended for a 2006?
I have contacted vintagetrailer supply and found the step by step approach for shining.
What is the amount of labor or time needed per foot for a 34 foot RV?
How much time can here be between the stripping and the application of the sealant ? i can't do it all in a few days.
Thank u
Marshall

[overlander64]

Greetings Marshall!

Originally Posted by Sooners67

Kevin
What type of stripping agent would be recommended for a 2006?
I have contacted vintagetrailer supply and found the step by step approach for shining.
What is the amount of labor or time needed per foot for a 34 foot RV?
How much time can here be between the stripping and the application of the sealant ? i can't do it all in a few days.
Thank u
Marshall

My experience isn't with the more modern coaches. The newest Airstream product that I have owned is my 1978 Argosy Minuet. What I can relate from reading many threads here on the Forums about stripping the late model Airstream coatings is that a strong chemical stripper will likely be required. The "citrus-based" and "echo-friendly" stripping products aren't likely to be strong enough to remove the modern finishes appplied at the time that the aluminum is manufactured.

Try reading through this thread: Clearcoat and Plasticoat Strippers -- it runs for several pages and discusses a fairly large variety of the products that have been tried with varying degrees of success by Forums members. You can also try a customized Google Search for Plasticoat Strippers or Removers -- this will give you a number of additional threads to examine.

Good luck with your research and project!

Kevin

[Sooners67]

It looks great!!!
Thanks for the pics
It is inspirational

[Keyair]

Took some stuff off the front to work on...


Front grill is all aluminum castings... it must weigh 40lb!


Started on the upper bar first, and its pretty crusty..


Sanded it out with 180, then 220, then 800 wet..



Half polished...

[Keyair]

Top bar done...

[Keyair]

Weekends progress...
Upper grill bar is done...
Here it is next to the yet unrestored lower...



Center grill is done...

[Keyair]

Almost done...
Just a little more painting to do...

[Keyair]

More stuff taken off to polish...

Headlamp castings..



Before..


After..

[Keyair]

Hood panel...

Before..


30 years of road rash...



After...

[desertair27]

Super nice!

[Keyair]

Restoration of the front bumper...

I guess, the MH was towed by the nose at some point... there were deep gouges in the surface, and chain marks on the lower edge.
Also, there were 2 coachbolts on each side that were not wanted, and holes for driving lamps.


After stripping and a good sanding with the DA, I marked the areas that would need welding..


My Welder is borderline on power fo this thickness, so I heated the back of the bumper to improve penetration..


That long deep gouge was first...


Then the others..



And the unwanted holes...


A lot of filing and sanding later...



Worked my way up the grits to 800 wet... then grabbed the polisher..


Still some work to do on the top and bottom faces, but she is looking good!

[c_lewis77]

Nice work!
It's coming together great so far!
Cant wait to see it in person sometime!

[Keyair]

Brief update...
I have been pretty distracted with my new business in the last few months, but have found some time...
My grill work that I posted before has proven to be a partial fail.
It seems that anything cast aluminum that I polished and left bare oxidizes VERY quickly.
I did the headlamp casting too, and got them looking good...





But with what I learned from the grill bars, I don't see the point in making it nice to have it corrode within months...
Have already stripped and sand blasted it again, and I plan to powdercoat this time, with black and then clearcoat..

[Mike Leary]

Don't park next to me, Bess will cry.

[Keyair]

Originally Posted by Mike Leary

Don't park next to me, Bess will cry.

Mine is the MH that is crying Mike... she wants to get out and about!