Mirror finish for all?

[Curtis-79MH]

I have a '79 MH and wonder if I should polish it to a mirror finish. The clearcoat is starting to show some wear. Are all MH's (until 1993) able to be mirror polished or did Airstream change the material at some time during production? It seems like I heard that some years could NOT be mirror polished. Thanks

[ALANSD]

Yours could be polished to a high level. Check out Leemo's 79 24' which is polished to "mirror" shine. The shine seems to last a ling time, with maintenance to keep it up. I would think having a cyclo and keeping the polish of choice around fo touch up would be the best bet after the intitial sweat breaking job of getting it to that point.
On my 82 I stripped the lower grey paint and polished lightly with a mild compound and sealed it with liquid Glass polish. It has held up well (although not mirror shiny) for over a year now. The shining does highlight any imperfection in the skin though.

[RichardT]

Originally Posted by ALANSD

Check out Leemo's 70 24'

(Typo)That should be 1979 24'

[ALANSD]

me get a typo? never

[Fred]

I did my a 81 29 ft. looks good . I need to post a pic.

[swebster]

I've polished the nose of my 86 and it looks good. Hoping to do the rest this fall.

[Chaplain Kent]

It is my understanding that Airstream changed the aluminum sometime during the production year of 1982. Prior to that it can be brought to a mirror shine after that it can not. I polished ours this spring, stripping the clear coat on the front panels only where it was damaged. I was able to get a shine but I did buff it down to match the remainder of the coach. One thing to remember as you start this project is that there are many "things" bolted onto the sides. Door catches, emblems, locks, trim, and lights all of these have to be detailed and it is time consuming. Plus there is a fair amount of painted surface so decide what you want to do with that area. I posted my project with pictures under a thread in Classic Motorhomes- titled "Exterior Completed" (I hope that's the title) If not e-mail me and I will find it for you.