New Member - restoration begun

[harinan]

Hi all. I am a brand new member and a pretty new owner of a 77 Overlander that we have started to renovate. Getting cold feet about the stripping/buffing prospect...gulp. 200 hours? Oh my...maybe it doesn't look that bad! I do need to get a bunch of silicone calk off around the seams and have been looking through the threads for more info. I am also new to forums so please be patient with me! What is a tag?
Thanks, Nancy

[funkill]

Tag? I dunno - but I think Jennifer Aniston had a hot assistant by that name on Friends

Oh yea: (now that I look at the pic, he doesn't look quite as hot - time makes the heart grow fonder?)

I am definately not ready to take on the polishing. And I spent about 20 hrs thus-far removing gobs of silicone caulk. Boooo..

I did strip the clearcoat and it made an immediate improvement. But there are way too many other things that I need to finish before entertaining the polish job: replacing the weather stripping on the last couple windows & door, sealing some other windows (quit last year when I cried over my experience with vulkem), disassemble & clean vista view windows, replace copper lines. Oh, that doesn't sound too bad...

Guess that's because I've already nixed a number of things on my to-do list: replace axles, replace converter, new brakes, repack bearings, replace umbilical, sealed seams, repaired tongue/hitch coupler, rebuilt reverse light cans, powder coated stove, painted (bad idea), replaced faucet, added fantastic fan, rescreened windows, new upholstry. Man, going through that list makes me feel better. But it also reminded me of something on neither list - TIRES. I will need to dive into that sometime soon....

Post some pics of your trailer - love to see what it looks like!!! Camping season will be in full swing soon.

Laura

[Minno]

Hi Nancy.

Welcome to the forums! Yes, pics are always desired - we're all voyeurs at heart... but in a good way!

A tag as you're referring to (I think) is a link to something somewhere on the internet. If we use Facebook as an example, if you post a picture, one of your friends can tag it, and then it shows up on their facebook page, and their friends can now see it. So, it's a link or a bookmark to a picture, a drawing, another thread, another post, etc. Typically, a tagged picture actually displays the picture where you want instead of displaying a link to the picture that then must be clicked on to see the picture. That make sense?

Chris

[KL's 77]

Hello Nancy, I also own a 1977 27. Had it since 2003 and have slowly
been restoring it since then. "tag" could be slang for license plate.

Ken

[wasagachris]

I can't believe everybody missed this. A TAG is a keyword attached to each thread which when entered during a search will pull up that particular thread. The tag box is only visible on your own threads and you can add your own tags to it.

[Lance M]

Hello Nancy and welcome!
Most people will tell you to leave the polishing for the very last. As Laura has stated there are so many other things to tackle first. This is the best resource there is to help you along the way to having a completely restored vintage Airstream. We're all here to help each other out. Good luck and post some pics!

[Aviator]

I see a box labeled "Tags" below the last post in the threads on this forum. For this particular thread the "Tags" are; 1997 overlander, 27", polishing. Since I am not a moderator or anything, it is my expectation that everyone can see the "Tags" box. It is a nice feature to help in finding a thread again in the future.

[Kevin245]

Hi Nancy,

Welcome to AIR and good luck on your resto/reno.

Here's some information on "Tags"

Forums 101 - posting, accounts, basics - Page 2 - Airstream Forums

Regards,

Kevin

[driftless]

Hi Nancy, and welcome to the forums.

Top brings up a good "chicken or egg" point on polishing vs. attending to all the other details of restoration.

Like you, we have an abundance of extra sealant around all the windows, vents, seams, etc., which when combined with some corrosion on the upper sides and roof, make our AS look its age. We want the AS to be useable first, then we'll upgrade and make the remaining repairs as we go along. Since we plan to use it, we want it to look good on the outside. Polishing is included in our plans in conjunction with resealing.

I guess, like many other things, it's different strokes for different folks. Enjoy your AS!!!

[harinan]

WOW. I am sooo impressed with you guys! I know the forum is going to be a tremendous shot in the arm for our restoration project (BTW I edited my profile info - I put the wrong year - (ours is a 74 Overlander). Thanks for telling me to put the polish job on the back burner! We are still in the midst of the interior - have the carpet out, need to patch the floor but need to address the leaks from the windows/and or awning attachment before we get the new floor in...so there starts the stripper, caulk removal which makes you think about removing the clear coat and so goes the slippery slope.
Laura, you removed and repaired the vista windows...Got a thread on that one? Our upper and the curved ones in the front are all foggy and funky. How hard is it????
Any suggestions for caulk removal? I have used that goof off product on the bathroom and it works pretty well...any other product suggestions?
Thank you guys so much!
Nancy

[wasagachris]

Nancy if you want a perfect poilsh look do it before you seal the windows, doors etc. If you seal first while trying to polish you will drag out the sealer while getting close to the windows. Don't ask me how I know, I'm in the middle of poilshing now.
The vista views a/s made have two types. Look for an aluminium trim ring against the inside pane. If you have the trim ring the inner pane is plexiglass, if not the inner is glass. The plexiglass ones can be removed by removing the trim ring, the glass ones must be broken to remove. The plexiglass ones can be rebuilt as double panes and the glass ones must be converted to single panes. Can-Am Rv in London Ontario Canada has a new gasket for the conversion method. I have repaired my plexi ones and if you have the same type I can give you the link.
The curved ones up front you speak of, if they are on either side of the big front window are called wing windows. They can be repaired as doubles but the entire window frame and all must be removed from the shell. That repair is not easy and you risk breaking the glass during disassembly.
BTW the little windows below the living room front side windows are called Stack windows. They are of two types as well and the same methods as VV's is used for repair.
As to caulk removal different methods for different caulks. Silicone is the hardest to remove, use an old credit card or motel key card to scrape off as much as you can and then a non scratch scouring pad for glass if used gently will remove almost all of it. The original sealer if heated wiith a heat gun will make it much more pliable and scrape off as much as you can and finish with a soft cloth and a solvent to finish.
How bad is your floor rot? Remember that the floor is the main structural component joining the shell to the frame and proper repairs are needed to maintain that connection. Front and back around the curved section of the shell the shell sits on top of the floor but along the sides the floor is actually inserted into a channel inside the walls. Small patches can be done but if whole sheets need replacing it must be done right or you comprimise the entire trailer's integrity. Let us know how bad the floor is and we can guide you from there.

[Minno]

In addition to carb cleaner to clean up the original caulk, we also used silicone caulk remover (available at hardware stores) to remove the silicone caulk we had, and it worked very well. You don't want to use silicone caulk again, either! It will "eat" your aluminum. Our Little Girl Refurb thread has some pictures of that on our roof from a PO using silicone to install a TV antennae. We had to reinforce the aluminum there due to how much it had thinned.

Kay

[safari62]

Try 3-M Adhesive remover for the silicone mess available at Napa and many other auto supply stores. This is a spray can product and it does not take much to help degrade the sililcone. Let it work in awhile after spraying on the goo.

Use popsicle sticks or soft plastic scapers. HAVE FUN!

Save the body work for last....or even better, for the next owner!