Strip and polish Argosy. can it be done?

[vm777]

can it be done? do the Argosy's have the right aluminum? anybody done it?

thanks.

[uncleneal]

Don't Argosy's have steel end caps? That would pose a problem. On the other hand, I've seen an Airstream painted silver that you couldn't tell from polished from across the street.
Neal

[Ken J]

Charlie Burke who is the parts person at American Way RV in Boise Id has done it. He soda blasted the whole trailer, sealed it and painted it. Came out incredible.

Ken J.

[Ken J]

Ooops I answered too fast - you want to strip it down and not paint it? That would not work because of the steel or fiberglass endcaps and as I understand it they used aluminum that was rejected or had inperfections for Airstreams

Ken J.

[gvanman]

Strip and polish Argosy. can it be done?
can it be done? do the Argosy's have the right aluminum? anybody done it?

I bought an Argosy Minuet that had been stripped. There are 2 end caps that are steel, but the rest is aluminum. The aluminum is covered in swirl marks which I thought had been done by the PO using an orbital sander. I have since seen another stripped Argosy which also has these swirl marks - maybe the aluminum was left 'rough' to aid the adhesion of the paint (?).
I have done some polishing and the aluminum does take on the 'shine' but it takes a lot of work to get rid of the swirl marks.
There are a couple of pictures of the Minuet on my website
http://www.dpharris.com/
Cheers.

[InsideOut]

Checked out the photos...what did you do to the steel end caps? Are they painted? Clearcoated? Do you plan on leaving it bare or painting it silver or ???

Shari

[Midamrail]

We had my dad's 1977 Argosy 28' stripped and painted at the railroad passenger car rebuilding facility where my husband works. It was fascinating.

The end caps are indeed steel, but it was more interesting to find factory-original body putty on the aluminum sheets. It verified for us the "urban legend" that Airstream used seconds or inferior panels for the Argosy line.

The trailer was sanded, wet sanded, primed, and painted with DuPont Imron. It turned out absolutely beautiful and, we hope, permanently erased my dad's urges to buy a newer SOB.

[gvanman]

Shari
The end caps are painted - not sure with what as that's how it came from the PO. My intention has been to polish the aluminum and see what it looks like when it's done. So far, the only finished bit is the top half of the door! Project is now on hold as I have just bought a 31ft Sovereign - we go on vacation in 2 weeks and there is a lot to do before we go.
Cheers.

[lynn]

The early Argosy trailers were produced in Versailes, Ohio. This was a seperate facility from Airstream, the materials were purchased new . The finish of the aluminum did not have to be the same as a non painted trailer and painting also allowed the repair of body damage that occured during production. The swirl marks on the metal are from a DA sander used during paint prep.

[Inland RV Center, In]

An Argosy trailer, in part, can be polished.

However, when you get to the front and rear caps, STOP.

They are galvanized coated steel.

Impossible to polish.

Andy

[COArgosy78]

Welcome VM777 - We have an Argosy Minuet and personally I like the painted look and not the two tone of the steel/aluminum stripped one. But, if and when we get the Forum photos back you might look at a couple of Minuets that were painted silver. They look very nice. One is "Chas" who has since sold it, and the other is "Mwilleford". I beleive they purchased theirs already painted. Just a thought to having the "silver" look, but more conformity throughout the entire body. Leigh

[vm777]

i've been picking up less than perfect trailers to turn into job site trailers and noticed the price point of the less than perfect Agosy's. Hence, the pondering of polishing.

ya'll answered any questions i had.

i still think there's no comparison with the romance and nostalgia that the Airstream taps into of the American subconcious. This romance is the very same that has spawned the boom of the Harley Davidsons. they represent and symbolize freedom.............


peace,

vaughn