A/C Cover Color

[TomW]

I presently have the one-piece cover of my original Bay Breeze air conditioner sitting in the shop, and decided, for UV protection, that it needs a coat of paint. What color?

Searching Airstreamphotos.com, most of the only Airstreams I saw with original air were missing a cover altogether. I saw one example where the cover may have been painted an aluminum color, but could not be sure. With that one exception, all the covers I saw were white in color, and they all appeared to be replacement units.

From a "reflecting the sun's heat" perspective, white & aluminum color would be fairly close. But when the A/C is running, reflection would seem to be a moot point with all the condensor fan air flow.

I recall a post on another topic where the poster said he "went retro" when he painted his cover an aluminum color. Did Airstream used to paint A/C covers an aluminum color? My cover could have very easily been painted, and all the paint wore off.

If nothing else, what do you think, big picture wise, of painting the A/C cover an aluminum color? It seems like a neat idea, but since I can just barely pick out my blue jeans in the morning, I thought I would ask for help.

Thanks,
Tom

[flyfshr]

Seems to me all of the old Bay Breeze units I've seen were either silver or extremely faded silver. If you could find a durable silver paint that would hold its color then I think that's the route I would take.

FF

[Inland RV Center, In]

You can paint them silver, but be sure to clearcoat it.

Or you can paint it white, so that the sun doesn't do it's thing on it.

Andy

[mtpalms]

Ours is silver on the bottom and white on top (POs, what were they thinking?). It is also past it's prime and is being replaced. I am inclined to go with white, because it would be difficult to match the silver of the cover to the trailer, especially if you've got a nice shiny one, or are planning on polishing it. Our trailer is kind of matte, as opposed to mirror finish, so it wouldn't look too bad I guess, and we could always paint over it. Darn! Something new obssess over!

[Blackjack]

MT, that is one beautiful photograph. Where were you? I think your matte finish looks great. David

[uwe]

Tom,
I recently got a new A/C cover from InlandRV for my 1971. After fiddling with spray cans for a while, I decided to take it to an Autobody Shop and had it painted a metallic silver. They shot a coat of the metallic and then a clear coat on it. It looks great.
due to the dfferent shape and elevation, the match of silver color to the aluminum does not seem very crucial. I am very pleased of the outcome. i paid $$$ to get it done, but it's well worth it.

[Happycampers]

Hello.. My husband is going to paint the Argosy and we have thought about using Snow Roof on the top and was wondering about painting the A/C with it also.. Annie

[mtpalms]

Originally Posted by Blackjack

MT, that is one beautiful photograph. Where were you? I think your matte finish looks great. David

Creekside RV Park,
So. Fork Bishop Creek, 20 miles SW of Bishop, CA, 8500 ft above sea level
That picture was taken in mid May.

[pepper48]

My unit has the original cover and it is painted silver from the bottom up to the shoulder. The upper part is white. So far as I know this is the original paint scheme for 1972.

[TomW]

Originally Posted by tcwilliams

... Did Airstream used to paint A/C covers an aluminum color? My cover could have very easily been painted, and all the paint wore off...

When I started this thread, in addition to paint, my shroud also needed either serious repair or replacement. The issue was dropped while other, higher priority items were addressed.

I am now revisiting the issue. A new shroud is available. I believe it would need to be painted, as the delivered price makes me think it must be made of solid gold. So, I have set out to repair mine.

Apparently, my shroud was painted silver at the factory because I found silver paint behind the air intake grilles. So, I think I will proceed with restoring it to it's original appearance.

While I have seen spray-can paint for plastic at Walmart, I would rather spray this with a gun due to it's size. Can anyone with painting experience advise me of what paint to ask for at a paint & body supply store that works well with ABS plastic?

Thanks,
Tom

[john hd]

tom

when i have painted fiberglass motorcycle parts in the past, my local auto body supplied a two part (resin and hardener) primer made for fiberglass.

i used regular urethane with clear on top of that with good results.

if you cannot get good answers from paint supply places, perhaps find out what the boat guys use.

john