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mtbguy · 01-09-2013, 07:30 AM

Thinking of painting the roof and endcaps of my Argosy 26 metallic silver and polishing the rest. May be a good way to have a low maintenance trailer, and easy to reach the polished areas for annual polishing.

Can't find a photo of this- anyone have one? Would like to see what finished product looks like before I commit.

Thanks!

Rick

GeocamperAS · 01-09-2013, 07:51 AM

Here's one with the end caps clearcoated. I also say one with just the endcaps painted white, not the whole top.
I would post a polishing question to all who polish. I believe it is alot of work.

GeocamperAS · 01-09-2013, 07:54 AM

sorry here it is

mtbguy · 01-09-2013, 08:22 AM

Thanks Tiger. It looks pretty good!

idroba · 01-10-2013, 10:43 AM

Here are a couple of a Minuet that I did a long time ago now. The metal polishing was only done so so, the end caps were painted with rattle can spray AL paint, don't recall any special brand. The end result looked fairly good, but by no means great.

mtbguy · 01-10-2013, 03:04 PM

Idroba- that looks good, especially for a spray can. Did you make the metallic sun shades also- I like those.

idroba · 01-17-2013, 08:50 PM

The interior shades were made from the metallic bubble wrap insulation (Reflex .. spelling) that you can get at Home Depot or Lowe's. It was cut to fit inside the glass in the window channels. It helps against sun damage to the curtains in the summer when stored, and keeps the sun out when hot, and the heat in when cold in the in between seasons.

KAYAKAMPERS · 01-30-2013, 06:49 PM

Rick, There is also a guy with one for sale on Vintage-Airstream.com I think it is a 28'
Chris

mtbguy · 09-08-2013, 09:31 AM

OK, so its not finished yet (needs about two or three more grades of polish). Hope it will be really shiny when I am finally finished with the Nuvite polish.

Kelmac · 09-08-2013, 11:53 AM

That looks fantastic! Nice job!

rogerdodger · 09-11-2013, 04:57 PM

mtbguy, this is a great post. Also, how hard is it to get the old paint off, and what to use.? I tried that orange stuff on a small project, seemed like a lot of work.

Bex · 09-11-2013, 05:30 PM

I used several stripping agents on mine when I took off the vinyl paint that was peeling off the front segments. I started with an environmentally friendly product which was useless then progressed to ever more toxic stuff. I just ended up with a generic product from my local Benjamin Moor supplier, which did the job in a single pass (mostly). The thing I found was that the panels/segments are discoloured. They have green(ish) patches on them. I later found that most of our trailers were manufactured using imperfect segments. I notice on the above pics that there appear to be no imperfections. I am not sure if these patches can be polished out but I just bought a bunch of buffing and cutting supplies and was intending to try this weekend.

Bex

mtbguy · 09-11-2013, 11:49 PM

The green stuff on mine was zinc chromate primer. The paint came off easy but the zinc chromate was much harder and took a few attempts. A wire brush with stripper on it worked well as long as you dont get too aggressive and damage the Alclad surface under primer. The upper end caps had a thick chromate primer, on those you dont want to mess with it, but prime and paint over it. The metal on ends caps (upper sections) is steel and will rust quickly if left exposed for a even a few days.

tarnished · 09-14-2013, 05:42 PM

OK rhis is a bit of a rant. WHY, if you own an Argosy would you want to make it look like a "real" airstream? Argosys' are unique. Lets preserve them. Not try to change them into something they were not meant to be.
Paul

mtbguy · 09-15-2013, 06:51 PM

I like features of the Argosy but look of the traditional polished metal. I also stripped the paint off of my classic airplane. The next owners of both are free to paint them, I haven't damaged anything and have also prevented filiform corrosion from taking hold.

**Kevin245** · 09-15-2013, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarnished

OK rhis is a bit of a rant. WHY, if you own an Argosy would you want to make it look like a "real" airstream? Argosys' are unique. Lets preserve them. Not try to change them into something they were not meant to be.
Paul

Unless someone changed things that I am not aware of, an Argosy is a real Airstream. Neither paint nor polish does an Airstream make. I personally enjoy seeing an Argosy with a differing take on the conventional beige color. Our rigs should be as individual as their owners.

reinergirl · 09-15-2013, 08:46 PM

Anybody considered chrome wrap for an end cap?

Alsa Corp | Strech Chrome Film

Bex · 09-16-2013, 05:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tarnished

OK rhis is a bit of a rant. WHY, if you own an Argosy would you want to make it look like a "real" airstream? Argosys' are unique. Lets preserve them. Not try to change them into something they were not meant to be.
Paul

I tried the paint thing with results that were les than adequate. Now its time to try something else.
Bex

mtbguy · 09-16-2013, 06:27 AM

Bex- I painted the rooftop with two part marine (Interlux Perfection) epoxy paint. It is really tough, helps seal roof from leaks and also the light gray I used keeps it cooler in summer heat. I think its the best of both worlds for me.

Also since the roof is not readily seen (except for endcaps) you can use a roller and it goes fast. I did spend more time and energy on being careful with the endcaps so no flaws in paint job were obvious when looking at front or back from eye level.

mtbguy · 09-16-2013, 06:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reinergirl

Anybody considered chrome wrap for an end cap?

Alsa Corp | Strech Chrome Film

This might work! I love the concept. Haven't figured out how many square feet but could look cool to do the whole trailer. Matthew Mcconaughey is an Airstream guy and had one of his trailers covered in the film for a movie promo a few years ago. The neat thing is it is also reversible with no ill effects.