1978 Sovereign Frame off

[dbj216]

Hi Bill: Yep, finish it. And be quick about it. I've polished two Airstreams and have two more to do. I didn't mean to suggest rubbing compound, I was referring to polish, aluminum polish. I have used Nuvite series of polishes before with good results. However, my 75 Overlander is struggling with Nuvite polishes. I don't know why, but I wonder if the aluminum 6061 T3 "mill finish" that Airstream switched to during the early 70s is a factor. Anyway, I've never met a piece of aluminum that couldn't be polished. Your Faith is a perfect example.

I purchased the Caswell buffing process instead of Nuvite. I have not tried it yet. Buffing may be a bit quicker that wool bonnets, but I really don't know yet.

My Sovereign friend is considering having a polishing crew come to his place and polish his trailer. Several experienced workers and the job would take about a week. He hasn't pulled the trigger though.

So hop to it. Here, I'll show the DW this photo to keep the pressure on.

David

[Bubba L]

My wife switched from Nuvite to Caswell. It takes a little practice, but works well. Good luck

[wcronin4]

David, Bubba

Will the buffing wheels from the Caswell System fit a regular sander/polisher, or do you have to purchase a special buffer?

[Bubba L]

Originally Posted by wcronin4

David, Bubba

Will the buffing wheels from the Caswell System fit a regular sander/polisher, or do you have to purchase a special buffer?

We use the Dewalt D849 variable speed buffer. It has a 5/8”-11 arbor. We fit the Caswell sewn wheel and the Nuvite wool pads. We cut the crud off with the Caswell bars (brown and black) then finish up with Nuvite C on the wool pads. There are several good videos on using Caswell. I know we have to add an adaptor to the Dewalt to go from one method to another. There’s also an extender for the arbor that gets the sewn wheel away from your knuckles. Whether they fit a regular sander depends on the arbor size. Good luck

[wcronin4]

I’m trying to get my head around tackling a buffing job on Faith’s exterior skin. I’ve learned that I have to use paint remover to take the clear coat off the skin before I can buff it. Older threads suggest Removal 220 and then Hydrostrip 502 neither of which are on the market any longer. The only serious paint stripper that works with aluminum is PPG Aerospace 5044 Neutral Peroxide Paint Remover, and it is the one Vintage Trailer Supply sells.
Like the Removall and Hydrostrip products, 5044 you can paint it on and hose it off. Anyone have any experience with the PPG product?
After researching the buffing options, I now understand why using abrasive compounds is not the best option where Nuvite and Caswell are better. I am looking at the Caswell product because it comes in a kit for Airstream. What is it clear from the Caswell site is how many buffing sticks are needed to cover a 31 ft. Sovereign. David or Bubba, have you any thoughts on this?
The other option is to let the buffed areas, where the stain was removed, revert back to no shine. What I am reading tells me it takes 12-18 months. Then the surfaces on Faith’s skin will be somewhat uniform if not dull looking.

Still chewing.

[dbj216]

Bubba L has a great idea: Let the DW do the polishing to her satisfaction. I might make that suggestion here in my house. Wish me luck.

I purchased the Airstream kit also. I tried Jestco years ago and found one bar of polish was plenty. I felt the Jestco process was a disaster for me. Learn all about buffing from u tube and the like as buffing can damage aluminum, where Nuvite is less likely to do so.

I believe one stick is enough.

David

[aaryno]

What have you gotten yourself into?! Afraid Linda had an eye for your beautiful polish job.

[Iansk]

Bill,

I’ve used the PPG stuff and it works well.
Just make sure you do it in the shade or even at night.
It likes cooler temperatures and lower humidity.
Clear coat sluffs off with a good hosing.

Ian

[wcronin4]

We have a month and a half trip planned in six weeks that will test Faith’s metal. This will be her maiden trip. I still have a lot of little things that have to be done before we are ready to go, not all of them AS related.
I want to get new window awnings installed on the roadside and new fabric in the main curbside awning before we leave. QUESTION: Will standard window awnings, with straight arms, work on an AS? Has anyone had experience with that? I want to put one awning over the two street side windows in front and one awning to cover the single roadside window towards the rear.
I needed to get an appraisal to get “agreed upon” amount comprehensive and collision insurance on Faith. I called around to several companies, and found less than a handful of companies that would under-right an old restore AS. All of them needed an appraisal before they would quote. I decided to go with Progressive Insurance since they did not require that I have my truck covered with them too.
With the inside done and the outside still in its “patina” finish, it appraised for $67,500. The appraiser said, with the outside polished it would be worth more and encouraged me to update the appraisal when that part of the project was completed. I must confess that I was a little surprised that it was this high. But, If you were to count my labor even at a paltry $10 an hour, the appraisal doesn’t come close to covering what I’ve put into it. And to replace it, it would cost at least $67K. But for a resale value my old pappy used to say, “Something is worth what someone else is willing to pay for it.” That is the real market value.
Ian. Received the PPG paint remover today and I have committed to strip all the old clear-coat off. I'll decide whether to polish after I see that what it looks like after the clear-coat is removed.

[dbj216]

I don't have experience with awings except the classic zipdee roll up type. I hope someone else can answer your question.

Congratulations on your appraisal. I showed my appraiser my receipts for all the major items I had spent renovating the Overlander. So my purchase price bill of sale, and my receipts is what we agreed to insure the trailer for. Seemed fair enough to me. Judging from comparables in AirForums Classified, I might, might come out a little ahead of the game. My labor hours are worth very little.
I will say a well renovated or restored vintage Airstream is a good buy compared to a late model Airstream. In my opinion of course.

David

[wcronin4]

In my last post, I was looking for input on how to protect the sewer pipes under the rear bumper. I felt that if the trailer were to bottom out unevenly that the plumbing could easily be damaged. I received several good ideas, but the welder suggested ¼” steel plate between the main frame rails. It ended up being the simplest solution with the least impact on already minimal ground clearance.
Here are the pics on the new skid plate.


Also this past week, I pulled the patio awning off, tore it apart and found that the RH torsion arm was bent and was the source of several issues with opening and closing the awning. The locking parts were also extremely worn. The awning is an A&E 8500 series and they no longer make the same torsion arm that came with the original awning, but Dometic found a newer model that was compatible – problem solved. That part just arrived, so that is the next project.

[SotR]

Bill, that's a very elegant solution to protect the plumbing.
Glad to hear the awning was a somewhat simple solution as well.

[wcronin4]

Thanks Jared. I don’t know what year AS switched from 3/4” plywood to 1/2” for a subfloor but my 78 has 1/2”. The C channel (or F channel as some call it) will only accept 1/2” unless route the edges of 3/4” to 1/2”. AS added some metal runners down the center of the frame walking areas to reinforce for the thinner plywood.

Having seen the devastation of water intrusion on subfloor, I expoxied both sides of all the subfloor to reduce the chance of rot. I also had to put all the decking outside so the expiry allowed me to do that without worrying about rain damaging the plywood. I rejected pretreated because of chemicals and the weight.

[dbj216]

My 75 Overlander 27' had 3/4" plywood subfloor. My buddy's 76 Sovereign 31' had the 1/2" plywood subfloor. The 76 had changes to the frame to help support the thinner plywood subfloor. I think Airstream changed back about 1981 and soon after went to OSB material.

Your waste water drain manifold is well protected now.

David

[wcronin4]

I have only two small items to complete before I can declare Faith is finished on the inside and out. But I consider this as the completion of Phase 1, because I have a growing list of things in my head that will improve usability. For example, I want to buildout the wardrobe closets to make the space more usable and I’m sure as we take Faith on our first trip, a new list of items will emerge that will add additional customization. There will be a Phase 2, and probably a Phase 3 and that is the great part of this hobby! So, I will not be closing out this thread. Faith will never be truly finished.
Things completed since my last post.
I ordered window awnings for the roadside windows. After much research, I decided on Zip Dee awnings. The installation instructions were bare minimum, so I was a little intimidated at first, but I took my time – slowed everything down to a step at a time – and they turned out beautifully.

I was most impressed with the quality in everything. They are not inexpensive; once I completed the installation and saw how well everything was made I was pleased that I went that direction.
The main awning was a bit of a challenge. The torsion bar (RH ratcheting end) was bent and the braking part totally worn out. I made a few phone calls to try to find a direct replacement and was referred to Camping World, who I don’t like to do business with for a variety of reasons mainly the inflated costs of their products. But, I held my nose, called the local dealer who got a hold of Dometic and found that a newer version was compatible. So, I had them order the bar for the RH side. It took ten days, four of which the bar spent in the back room at CW and I only found out about after making a pest of myself. It gets better.
When I drove the 50 miles to the Camping World store, and opened up the shipping tube that was clearly marked RH side, we discovered that it was not the ratcheting end. I told him it was not what I needed. He said that I probably got my left hand and right hand confused. He then told me he couldn’t get the LH torsion bar for several weeks. Mind you, Camping World was going to charge me $155 for the torsion bar. I went on the internet and found a LH bar for $80 with free shipping. When it arrived, it was not the ratcheting end, either. It became apparent that the shipping tube that was marked by Dometic as a RH from Camping World was packaged wrong. I returned the LH bar and found a correct RH bar for $78 with fee shipping, half of what Camping World was going to charge me. This is why I refrain from doing business with them, if I can help it.
This is just one of a number of frustrating examples of ordering parts on line or trying to go through dealers and what you get is not what you expected. When people bark about the cost of a renovated Airstream, they can’t see the hours that go into the work, and the wasted time chasing down materials and return shipping for incorrect or defective parts.
With a replacement awning and a new torsion bar, Faith’s A&E 8500 awning is working as it should.

Since I redesigned the waste tank drains in the rear of the camper, the stinky hose can no longer be stored in the bumper. I certainly did not want to store it inside the AS or in the back of my truck. So I ordered a hose storage tube from RecPro that I thought I could modify and use. I installed it underneath ad along one of the cross-members where I had to reinforce at the attaching point. You can see from the pics that it fits nicely there forward of the wheels and out of the way of gas lines.


So with this post, Phase 1 is completed. Look forward to posting about our first trip where our work will be tested.

[dbj216]

The new awnings will sure help keep Faith cool on your trip. And they look handsome. The awning materials on our 86 Limited need replaced as they are frayed here and there. I'm gonna have to learn how to do it.

You gotta "blog" the highlights of your first outing with Faith the Sovereign.

David

[wcronin4]

David - the awnings are not difficult to replace with help. The only tricky part is winding up the torsion bars.

[57Vintage]

Nice job Bill!

[Minno]

Looking good!

Definitely keep a pen and paper handy in the trailer. We always have a running list of things to improve, fix, upgrade going on.



Kay

[wcronin4]

Harold - thanks for the good words.

Kay - keeping a pen and my to-do book handy has become a way of life!

David - it is amazing how much cooler Faith is when awnings are deployed. Some time this summer I am going to paint a section of the roof white, which will round out all of the things I planned to do to keep the inside cooler.

See - An AS’rs work is never truly done.