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gregcomer · 10-10-2006, 04:41 AM

im greg comer in birmingham, alabama. im afraid that i've caught airstream fever! my parents are building a house in the GA mountains and wanted an rv to stay in during construction. being a mercedes dealer they looked to me to find a cheapie and deliver it to their site and hand over the keys... well after just a few hours of research i decided that an airstream would return their investment for certain. i started the search friday about noon and found a few candidates in far away places and planned to spend the weekend traveling to exotic destinations like chicken switch georgia and lizard mississippi. i awoke to the classified ads saturday morning and shazaam... there it was.. a 1976 overlander in my neighboorhood for 5700 bucks. i owned it an hour later! saturday was spent getting the trailer home and surveying the condition. monday the sofa was sent for re-upholstery, old carpet removed and the yellow tinted platic cabinet doors and header panel re-dyed. meanwhile my detail man was stripping the clear coat and starting the polishing process. it's a birthday gift for mom THIS SATURDAY! i called inland RV and ordered new tailight lenses, a level for the front, new light covers and a slough of other odds and ends. they are coming overnight to arrive tuesday.. today. being in the business of cleaning and restoring automobiles i find this endeavor exciting and actually it seems very easy! ive read a great deal about polishing and such which seems a chore for most, but its right up my alley! i'll continue to post updates and if this trailer turns out as i expect in only a few days time i am going to devote a staff member to airstream refurb and offer services to the airstream community. it really shouldnt be so darn complicated and time consuming. of course, i have the resources and staff to handle the project... wish me luck and ill keep you posted!! greg

**moosetags** · 10-10-2006, 06:53 AM

Welcome to the Forums and good luck on yout venture. Post some pictures of your finished project.

rebel beck · 10-10-2006, 07:09 AM

Welcome to the forums you will find all the needed advice you may need here. Not to mention all the great folks. We all love pictures of before and after.

CanoeStream · 10-10-2006, 07:19 AM

Hello Greg -- and welcome to the Forums! The Tuesday night online chat is as close as we come to a bauxitis support group.

Please be sure to search the Forums on 'Suburban recall' if that is the furnace installed. Come back often!

Ganglin · 10-10-2006, 07:08 PM

Welcome - can you please post your polishing procedure and let us know how it worked out for you - polisher you used? - polishing material?

Thanks...

gregcomer · 10-10-2006, 07:37 PM

hey gang... well.. day 1 is down! completed stripping the clear today. get a large plastic storage container and fill it with stripper. i used regular old home depot stuff.. strip ease gel. paint it on with a cheap broom. no need to sit for more than a few minutes. follow with a strong stream pressure washer. mine is a 5.5 hp gas honda.. dont really know the psi, but strong. blast the stripper off and repeat over entire trailer 3 times. then go over the trouble spots again. i also blasted off old caulk, etc. remover lenses and other plastics as it will discoclor them. i bought all new from inland. cheap. finally wash it down with soap.

started polishing too. going very well and fairly quickly. using a product from ardex called metal mania. 50 bucks a gallon. working it on with a dewalt variable speed buffer set on about 2000 rpm. the first cut requires a standard wool cutting pad and lots of metal mania. keep a damp towel over your shoulder and wipe the mud away as it forms keeping your pad cleaner. cut in this fashion for quite a while. the vertical marks in the alum almost cut away. follow with the same product but this final time use a foam polishing pad. make sure it is a polishing pad and not a foam cutting pad. voila.. swirl marks gone.

i know this may not make much sense, but any of these products should be readily available at your local automotive detail shop. of course you can order them from my detail product supplier and they will ship them to you. S & N Products in Ensley Alabama. Ill post their phone no. later. the pads are cheap.. like a few bucks each. the variable speed buffer im sure you could rent. you will need a velcro head adapter and velcro backed pads. dont use the bolt on kind as they are a pain in the buttocks (ass) to change.

as for the interior... im repainting plastic, tub and the like with elastomeric leather, vinyl and plastic paint matched to the lightest part of the wallpaper. believe it or not the stuff wont even come off with stripper. again... avalable at a detail shop or automotive paint supply house. you can spray or brush it. sent the sofa to the re-upholster guy. 250 bucks including buttons and fabric. capet guy that i found in the newspaper installing new carpet tomorrow. glue down commercial grade low pile stuff. no pad. for my trailer a 12X12 piece will do the whole thing incl bathroom walls. 160 bucks for the install, carpet price was 88 cents a sq. foot...

parts came in from inland today. about 300 bucks for every light lens in the whole trailer inside and out, bulbs, a large level for the front, tag bracket, 2 solar domes, several latch strike plates, curtain slides and a few other odds n ends.

whew... im pooped. ill continue to update ya. and ill shoot some pics too.

greg

tin sista · 10-10-2006, 08:58 PM

Now Greg you are an example of good home training!! Your folks did a great job!! What a nice son! Best of luck!

CaddyGrn · 10-10-2006, 11:20 PM

Welcome to the forums!

Sounds like you are well on your way! Post some "before" pictures if you can! You are a good role model for our son!!!! I think I will copy this thread and email him... hummmmmmm

Mrs. NorCal Bambi (traveling in S Tardis)