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jbsails · 07-13-2013, 10:18 PM

I just purchased a nice 1977 Argosy Minuet 20 in nice original condition. This is my first Airstream project in awhile and thankfully, this little gem has good bones and will come together quickly.

Here are some photos of Day 1 after a good exterior power wash and some minor interior wipe downs.

I look forward to sharing along the way.

The biggest challenge are two "owwies" (as my kids used to say) on the aft back streetside corner as shown in the photo.

Anyone have experience pulling a dent like this out or a suggestion as to the proper, yet inexpensive fix?

JB

CaddyGrn · 07-13-2013, 11:28 PM

Congrats on your Argosy! Looking good! Sorry I can't tell you the best way to repair the dent... but, she looks like you can go out camping! Thanks for posting pictures, we love to see them!

79nTOW · 07-13-2013, 11:54 PM

Your Argosy looks to be in perfect condition. Your dent is very minimal, don't worry about it. Go camping and enjoy it. That's what its all about.

Predeta

rattlehead78 · 07-14-2013, 07:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 79nTOW

Your Argosy looks to be in perfect condition. Your dent is very minimal, don't worry about it. Go camping and enjoy it. That's what its all about.

Predeta

This. You hit a grand slam there. Sorry I don't have much to offer in the way of advice on your dent, other than it looks like one of the "wrinkly" kind that will likely not come out to perfection. But overall you got a GREAT trailer there, the interior looks sweeeet !! Have fun

overlander64 · 07-14-2013, 03:33 PM

Greetings jbsails!

Welcome to the world of Vintage Minuets!

It looks like you have found a very good 6.0 Metre. The Argosy Orange interior must have been one of the most popular interior color schemes for 1977 and 1978 Minuet 6.0 Metres.

The one possibility that occurred to me was that the dent appears to located in an area that is backed by the streetside wardrobe. If the wardrobe does back that damaged area it would be possible to cut out a portion of the interior wall over that damage and use a roller to smooth it out. Once finished the interior patch would be hidden by the wardrobe. The nice thing about an Argosy is that you can use body filler on imperfections as long as you plan to keep the exterior painted rather than polishing.

Good luck with your Minuet!

Kevin

jbsails · 07-14-2013, 09:20 PM

So today, I have been on the Argosy most of the day. The taillight extrusions were really ugly and in need of paint. Last night, I was perusing the forum and found that Duplicolor Wimbledon White seemed to be a good match for our mid seventies Argosy trailers.

I thought painting them would provide me with a good small project and identify whether this paint really was a good match, and if so...I might be more ambitious with other areas in need on her...rather than digging deep and getting a new paint job altogether.

Well, I can report that the Duplicolor really matches up well. There is no doubt that I will experiment in the coming week or two with painting the End Caps and perhaps another panel or two, and see how she comes out.

During the process of painting the rear taillight assemblies, I removed the lighting assembly, cleaned them up, cleaned the lenses up, replaced the bulbs, and cleaned the electrical contacts with electrical contact cleaner, and replaced all fasteners with stainless. I did the same with the porch light as well as the license plate holder.

I sanded the taillight extrusion with 220grit, then followed with 400grit. I wiped it off with mineral spirits and then primed each to ready for paint.

I then put two coats of the Duplicor .

I also removed the interior curtains to prepare for dry cleaning, cleaned and lubed all the window channels and glass, and wire brushed a few rusty exposed bolts and repainted.

All in all it was a great day of progress. I am astonished at how together and clean this Minuet really is...and I am stoked.

247stream · 07-15-2013, 10:19 AM

wow, that paint match looks great, I may have to try that on my repainted argosy to see if its a close match to it too.

congrat's on your find...she's a schweet looking trailer!

jbsails · 07-21-2013, 04:37 PM

So today I got started on my next project of removal of the running lights and the Argosy and Minuet Logo signs.

The old original running lights had very rusted fasteners but came off without too much effort. They were gummed up with silicone caulking that prior owners used to prevent leakage. The trailer skin beneath the lights had a coat of rust, due to the fact that the caps on the trailer are not aluminum, but steel.

The removal of the signs was also straightforward with a simple drill out of all rivets for each sign.

Now before installation of new running lights just purchased from Vintage Trailer Supply, I intend to sand the front and rear caps of the Argosy, and then prime and paint with the Duplicolor Wimbledon White. I figure it will not take too terribly long, and if it turns out ok...I will simply put off my plan of having the entire coach painted professionally.

I am not quite certain how I will paint the Logo Signs. The inset of red is pretty straightforward, but then doing the black outline will be a bit more of a challenge. I would love feedback if others have done this before.

The photos below show the removal process and then how the signs came out after stripping with Jasco Paint remover.

idroba · 07-21-2013, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbsails

I am not quite certain how I will paint the Logo Signs. The inset of red is pretty straightforward, but then doing the black outline will be a bit more of a challenge. I would love feedback if others have done this before.

My feeling and experience is to just paint the entire logo with one color (I used
the Blue that Airstream used, along with blue rub rail insert). They look very good a solid color. If you want the "silver" edges, you could wait for them to dry thoroughly and then run a belt sander lightly over the top edge, or a flat disk sander to remove the colored paint and expose the metal edge.

VTSafari · 07-21-2013, 05:36 PM

jbsails......looks you have a real nice Minuet there. Hoping to find something similar for a fixed location. Really looking forward to the progress you make.

jbsails · 07-22-2013, 09:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by idroba

I used
the Blue that Airstream used, along with blue rub rail insert. They look very good a solid color.

Idroba...by any chance do you have a photo of your trailer showing the Logo signs and the new rub rail insert? I would love to see how that looks.

Best,
JB

jbsails · 09-08-2013, 07:21 AM

I rolled the Minuet off to my painter today and am excited to get it freshened up. I would like advice now on "Originality"....

My interior cushions are original "Burnt Orange" typical of 70's mod cool. They are actually in pretty good condition...real good as a matter of fact with just a couple of areas that need attention and could be easily patched with any orange matching fabric...

However, my bride is not a fan of orange and wants to change the upholstery. I am not averse to that, but was wondering what thoughts you all have to modification as it affects originality and value. This trailer, although now will have new and fresh paint, is original in every other respect, and I am seeing fewer and fewer that actually retain this type of originality.

This could make for an interesting discussion....

Argonaut20 · 09-08-2013, 07:47 AM

The carpet is already 'not original' and I really wonder how much value you would lose by changing the color of the upholstery. We changed the upholstery in ours for two reasons: 1) The foam was old, and, 2) The orange upholstery was decent but not to my better half's liking. (Sound familiar?) Choosing a milder upholstery that compliments the interior colors isn't a value killer IMHO. Similarly, installing a laminate floor is a good idea because of the shortcomings of the aluminum sandwich floor. Someone interested in a functional Minuet is not going to be put off by modifications that improve the functionality while keeping the spirit of the Minuet. The trick is to keep the Minuet a Minuet.

As for the signs for the Argosy and Minuet, a little Rustoleum in red and black colors, patience with a brush, and you can get pretty decent results.

jbsails · 09-08-2013, 08:21 AM

All very good comments. It appears as though my attempt to "counter" my better half desires have diminished significantly on the upholstery haha! We had already decided to pull the carpet and install some nice wood flooring. As my kids say..."Go Big, or go Home"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Argonaut20

As for the signs for the Argosy and Minuet, a little Rustoleum in red and black colors, patience with a brush, and you can get pretty decent results.

As it relates to the plaques...although patience has never been my strong suit... but painting these will be my next upcoming project!

Argonaut20 · 09-08-2013, 09:36 AM

These were done some years ago. They were about the same as the ones you show. It doesn't take much time overall. Just care to keep the paint in bounds. A quick wipe with a cloth for a rare over run works well. As for the originality question, can't you picture someone wanting to remove the 'sunglasses' for the front windows because they are not original?