1967 22' Safari Double: Clear coat or no?

[Retired RN]

We are new to the Airstream family. We weren't looking it just fell into our laps! Go to bed talking, reading or surfing the web about Airstreams, wake up doing the same!

Question we have, is our 1967 Airstream clear coated? How do we tell?

Bathroom room floor ready to be cut out and new replaced. Hotwater tank removed as well as black tank. New ones to be placed.

Bathroom remains original, will attempt to replace carefully.

Replacing axel, tires, brakes. He wants new hub caps as well....

Will be replacing kitchen counter, floor throughout, needs front bed, cushions for side gaucho. Curtains all around.

Can't forget windows need to be replaced.

I'm sure there's more......

So fun reading everyone's posts!

[Atomic_13]

Put a bit of aluminum polish (or toothpaste) on a rag and find an inconspicuous spot on the shell. Rub around in a small circle. If you see black oxidation on the rag it suggests you don't have a clear coat. If you don't see much black on the rag you have clear coat that will need stripped if you want to polish the trailer.

[idroba]

Your rig was clear coated originally, but who knows now. Any previous owner (PO) could have removed it. As suggested in post #1, a bit of toothpaste rubbed on the aluminum panels with a finger or a rag will tell. If you get lots of black, it is not clear coated at that spot. If you don't get black, you have some clear coat left.

[cameront120]

Do as the previous posts suggests but clean an area with a damp cloth first so you don't confuse dirt with oxidized aluminum. I don't mean to imply that you are simplistic, but I've seen people get confused with this before...

[riverboat]

I have a '68 tradewind. i hired a pro to polish her. He did a great job. Found clear coat on one side but not the other. The theory is that she was parked for many years so that the sun burned the clear coat off of one side. He just polished through it and now you can use her as a mirror to brush your teeth in all around.

[dannydimitt]

our 66 came with a clear lacquer coating on it as did all the others of that era . Clear coat did not come about till much later .
Just like the factory lacquer paint that GM used on their vehicles in that era , the sunlight would would have a field day with the finish.

[ChelleZ]

Originally Posted by Atomic_13

Put a bit of aluminum polish (or toothpaste) on a rag and find an inconspicuous spot on the shell. Rub around in a small circle. If you see black oxidation on the rag it suggests you don't have a clear coat. If you don't see much black on the rag you have clear coat that will need stripped if you want to polish the trailer.

what ingredient in toothpaste should we look for to cause the reaction? just thinking since there are many kinds of toothpaste out there now

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by ChelleZ

what ingredient in toothpaste should we look for to cause the reaction? just thinking since there are many kinds of toothpaste out there now

It's not an ingredient in toothpaste - it's the mild abrasive. Any fine rubbing compound will give you the same result, but most people have a tube of toothpaste handy - maybe not rubbing compound.

Shari

[Hognutt]

Originally Posted by ChelleZ

what ingredient in toothpaste should we look for to cause the reaction? just thinking since there are many kinds of toothpaste out there now

I just purchased my Airstream and the previous owner stripped it to bare aluminum and it’s a beautiful shiny thing now. I’m trying to decide what I should do to the exterior in the future, clear coat, just polish, let it go patina?

I’m new here and found this 2016 post of yours and hoped you’d have some insight. Thanks in advance.

[Dingo Girl]

Originally Posted by Hognutt

I just purchased my Airstream and the previous owner stripped it to bare aluminum and it’s a beautiful shiny thing now. I’m trying to decide what I should do to the exterior in the future, clear coat, just polish, let it go patina?

I’m new here and found this 2016 post of yours and hoped you’d have some insight. Thanks in advance.

I'm stripping my trailer this week.
I will let it go natural patina.
Way too OCD to polish it. It would never get used if I polished it.
Mine is a 67 as well.