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Gilmurr · 07-30-2013, 05:21 AM

Keven......I am happy with the look of things now so I will not be doing an extra sanding....you have to be very close to notice the difference, and for the most part I will be the only one that close. And yes it is hard to get things done when we are on the road....If we wanted to park it..it would not have wheels!

Splinter......You are right I did not take the awnings off. I taped them over so as not to get stripper or polishing crud on them. If is likely a bit more work as you have to get behind the awning arms by opening the awning etc and you have some small detail areas to do, but I think that in the end it is easier. Keven / Outofcontrol I think is removing his awnings...perhaps some thoughts from him?

Lance M · 07-30-2013, 06:56 AM

Glimurr,
Looks great. Polishing is a lot of work, but I think it is totally worth it. Taking on the challenge of polishing a newer trailer with mill finish can be daunting, but you seem to have no problems. Keep it up!

Outofcontrol,
You are correct. To get rid of the mill finish and deeper texture of the stretch formed panels, sanding with 320 grit on a DA sander then hand wet sanding with 400, 600, 800, 1000 will give you a surface that will shine like a mirror. However, if you get the end caps to look like that, you may have to wet sand the whole trailer.

Gilmurr · 07-31-2013, 07:32 AM

I was going to do some work on the end cap last night but the fog rolled in and things just got too wet to work. So as I walked around the trailer I was looking at the furnace and hot water heater covers. They really look awful...paint is discolored and splotchy. So I decided to see what would happen if I tried to strip and polish them. The worst thing that would happen is that I would ruin them and have to order stainless steel ones from Airstream. Anyway without too much work they both came out great...just some finish work to do. Now I feel that I am justified in ordering the stainless steel range vent from Airstream as the ugly plastic one really looks bad now that the polishing is done...so I just ordered it! I guess this will never end....but it is fun! More photos!

Gilmurr · 08-06-2013, 06:13 AM

Just back from 4 days at the Park. Got bored one afternoon and since I had the supplies in the truck, decided it was time to give Hensley a facelift...looks like new again. No polishing but thought a photo of an Airstream in its native environment was needed. Back to polishing this evening.

outofcontrol · 08-06-2013, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gilmurr

Kevin / Outofcontrol I think is removing his awnings...perhaps some thoughts from him?

I only took off one so far, and it's not too hard. I FOR SURE will need some help with the longer ones. It's easy to get them to slide out except for the last couple inches... I know that the spring is on the left side of the small one I did take off, and it's wound up 11 times.

I should preface this with the knowledge that I replaced the awning on my last Airstream and a SOB that I had, so I understand how they work (and the inherent dangers). But that experience lent some confidence.

I couldn't figure out how to get up underneath the awning without rubbing it. I wanted to detach the arms and just lay the awning over the top of the airstream, but the metal covers prevent it from going up past 90 deg. I do like the extra exposure around the awning, and I'll probably be enlisting my neighbor to help remove the other ones.... if I ever get there.

Looks awesome Gilmurr. I've been removing my pop riveted emblems so I can strip/polish underneath them. Not sure how I'm going work around the glued on letters on the top. I thought I read that you can just scrape them off and then glue them back on. I'm sure I'll want to polish all around them.

-Kevin

Gilmurr · 08-07-2013, 05:25 AM

Range vent came in along with the replacement LED tail light (one of the original did not work) Installed both while waiting for the skin on the trailer to cool down (hot day yesterday) New vent looks great. If anyone needs a set of tail light lens covers for 1994 or newer Classic let me know.

Gilmurr · 09-03-2013, 07:04 AM

Well folks, its been a while since my last post. Been busy with life....and some camping. Finally finished the first two cuts on the trailer and have started on the final polish with the Cyclo...yes, I decided that it would be worth the investment....Looks great, especially when you listen to the advice posted here that you are polishing for people to see 20-30 ft away. Any way we were at Keji last weekend and had one guy insist that we have a new trailer, with the polish and the LED taillights...nice compliment. I have also started buffing the lower half and it is coming up like new. I like the two tone look and may leave it that way...thoughts? Here is a photo from Keji last week and one on the day I finished the last section above the street side awning. It certainly has been a summer project and am very happy to get the last of the really messy part done.

David

Silver Otter · 09-03-2013, 07:57 AM

David,
That is OUTSTANDING work! Makes ours like yours look a little dull. Thanks for keeping us all in the loop and up to date. Congratulations!

Gilmurr · 09-23-2013, 06:25 AM

It has been busy....we have been at Keji every weekend for the past while and for the next weeks as well. We volunteer with the Blandings Turtle recovery program and it is time for the protected nests to hatch. As volunteer researchers we head out to the nesting sites and check for hatchlings, record data, notch code their shells, and some get radio transmitters for tracking purposes. Fun and we get to camp as well..Fall colors are just starting. Here are some hatchling photos and the Airstream..."outstanding in its field"

Roadrunner · 10-08-2013, 08:34 PM

David excellent job. Having polished two trailers I can appreciate all the hard work. Just wanted to tell you that I like the two-tone look. Great work!

Bob
Indiana, PA

TAC PA-5
WBCCI 4871

A W Warn · 10-27-2013, 07:48 AM

Nice looking trailer.
On the front and rear caps the clear coat on my 34' looks very similar to yours in your first post in this thread.
Thanks for sending the link to me!

Sylver Slypr · 11-01-2013, 12:40 AM

I used the same Smart strip I found at a paint supply outlet and it worked well for me. I am going the Caswell route with blk & wht and vented wheels. So far it has been a lot of work and mess just doing the first pass on the top and street side. I am doing this part time in direct sun on generator power so I am trying to cover as much area as fast as possible. I provide rush hour entertainment for Rt.1 south when I'm up top. I have to admit it gets to be grueling sometimes but every time I see my reflection I tend to be smiling. Can't wait to see it finished.

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Gilmurr · 11-01-2013, 07:15 AM

Looks good....yes a lot of work...but your reflection and comments from people passing by make it worth it! I did not do the roof as it has a white coating on it to help keep it cool....and you cannot see it from the ground. Keep it up!

Gilmurr · 12-02-2013, 08:33 AM

Just put this before and after pic together....really shows the improvement

Sandy Swede · 01-03-2014, 05:49 AM

Very impressive, Gilmurr. You should be proud.

I am curious, how many hours do you think you have into the project so far? Just for grins and giggles, if you were to do this job for someone else, what would you charge? Or alternatively, how much would you have to pay someone to do the job?

There is a severely corroded/oxidized 31' AS for sale which has a well maintained interior. I am trying to get an idea of how much time or money one would have to adjust the price.

Thanks much.

Gilmurr · 01-06-2014, 04:50 AM

I did not keep good track of the hours...but I started June 1st and finished what I have done now at the end of Aug. I would spend approx 3 hrs each evening and the odd weekend day (camped most weekends). So an estimate would be 250 hrs...keeping in mind I only did the top half as the bottom finish is in fine shape. Still have not decided if I will polish the bottom, but at this time I don't think so. Im happy with the result as it is...huge improvement as you can see. What would someone charge? Hard to put a price on it...a lot of time, messy work, and hard on the upper body. That said I don't think I would pay someone to do it.....just one of those things that if I can do it why pay someone else. Also the personal satisfaction of a job well done, and to my standards.

outofcontrol · 01-08-2014, 03:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy Swede

... if you were to do this job for someone else, what would you charge? Or alternatively, how much would you have to pay someone to do the job?

I've heard 8 hours per foot is pretty normal. 28' x 8 = 224 hours.

There's a few professionals out there that will do the job. They charge about $200 per foot. Example: a 28' trailer is $5600. The one I checked out had this quote, but it included repainting all the hitch and tail area and any pinstriping, plus installing all new lenses with LED replacement lights.

I've heard of $150 per foot, but I'm guessing you'd get less done.

If you figure $5,000 for 250 hours of work, that's $20/hr. And that doesn't include all the supplies, tools, power, or water.

-Kevin

Sandy Swede · 01-09-2014, 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by outofcontrol

I've heard 8 hours per foot is pretty normal. 28' x 8 = 224 hours.

There's a few professionals out there that will do the job. They charge about $200 per foot. Example: a 28' trailer is $5600. The one I checked out had this quote, but it included repainting all the hitch and tail area and any pinstriping, plus installing all new lenses with LED replacement lights.

I've heard of $150 per foot, but I'm guessing you'd get less done.

If you figure $5,000 for 250 hours of work, that's $20/hr. And that doesn't include all the supplies, tools, power, or water.

-Kevin

That sounds realistic. That was very helpful, Kevin. Thanks.

It is my understanding that Airstreams come from the factory with a clear coat finish? Assuming that is correct, if someone went to the expense or labor of a re-polish, would not you want to protect that with a clear coat?

Sandy

Gilmurr · 01-09-2014, 07:14 AM

Some do a reapplication of clearcoat.....but it is expensive and then can fail again down the road so you are back where you started. I intend to do regular clean and polish to maintain the look. This also allows you to go over every inch of the trailer to inspect for problems.

outofcontrol · 01-13-2014, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sandy Swede

It is my understanding that Airstreams come from the factory with a clear coat finish? Assuming that is correct, if someone went to the expense or labor of a re-polish, would not you want to protect that with a clear coat?

Sandy

What Gilmurr said.

And yes, they do come from the factory with a clear coat.

There's an inherent problem with applying clear coat to a polished surface. The polishing removes all the "tooth" or texture that promotes good and long lasting adhesion.

Secondly, who is going to clear coat it? and what product are you going to use? There's not really a proven product for this application, nor a professional that has had any luck making it "stick".

Third: like Gilmurr said, it's going to fail in 5 years. Then you're going to have to repeat the whole process again. It's much easier to just "touch up" the polish job than strip the whole trailer and re-clear coat it.

There is Dick McIntyre in my neck of the woods Aluminum Motorhomes, Trailer Refinishing | Monroe, OR That developed the Airstream clear coat, but that's $3500 and I don't think he'll put it on a polished trailer.

If you polish it yourself, keeping it up is easy compared to the first cut. But I only speak from repolishing motorcycle parts, as I'm mid-polish on my first (and last) trailer job.

-kevin