HELP New England Area

[s4misfaction]

Hey guys and girls. I'm in the New England area and I'm looking to get this 78 Argosy (28 ft) painted. I've already stripped it as you can see but I'm still getting quotes of around $10,000+ from shops I call, I can get a house painted for far less than that. Does anyone know anybody willing to paint an Argosy for less??? I'm in CT to be exact and I don't exactly have 10k
Any leads or help would be greatly appreciated. Can a maaco or comparible shop do anything with it?? All I hear are bad things about them.

[rickandsandi]

You might want to give Dave Baisley a call in Bethel. I can't do it for you he might be able to send you in the right direction. 203/300-7073.

[Dave Park]

I think you could do it yourself with good results for materials costs (about $800-$1600 depending on preparation, paint type, finish, color, complexity etc.)

A modest compressor, spray paint equipment and something to practice/test on: under $500.

[Foiled Again]

Originally Posted by s4misfaction

Hey guys and girls. I'm in the New England area and I'm looking to get this 78 Argosy (28 ft) painted. I've already stripped it as you can see but I'm still getting quotes of around $10,000+ from shops I call, I can get a house painted for far less than that. Does anyone know anybody willing to paint an Argosy for less??? I'm in CT to be exact and I don't exactly have 10k

As I understand, paint doesn't stick to bare aluminum without special prep and priming. I think the supplies themselves are quite pricey. You might have some luck with an aircraft shop. If they paint aluminum planes, surely you could just tell them the wings fell off.

Sorry about the startling quotes... I'm sure that you CAN'T get an Earl Scheib special, but $10K does sound excessive.

You might send a PM to Happycampers - they've restored at least 2 Argosies - and MR hc does the painting himself. I think he is a professional painter but he'd probably tell you whether it's something you could take on or not. PS: they call their unit "Costalotta" if that is any hint.

Paula

[s4misfaction]

Hey, thanks guys please keep the suggestions rolling in I just called Dave and he seems very friendly. I might go see him tomorrow and I'll post an estimate.

[Dave Park]

There are standard automotive primer/adhesion promoters that work great on aluminum, so this is not a problem or particularly expensive... They're commonly used on aluminum roof and body panels for many modern foreign cars.

[mutcth]

Another possibility: Chevy Avenue Restorations - they're in New York near Binghamton and have painted Argosys before. I've been told very good things both about their work and pricing.

I know you were told that it would be prohibitively expensive to polish the moho, but I wonder if a commercial truck polisher like the one discussed here would do the trick.

Tom

[biggoofball]

I found a truck polisher in Milford.

Aluminum Restorations L.L.C. - Aluminum Tank Polishing - Maintaining The Shine on the Oil Industry With 20 Years of Experience! Serving The Entire North East - Oil Delivery Truck Tank Polishing

Haven't called yet (and won't for awhile). But their site shows some very good work.

[Over59]

Buy a pipe shelter big enough to paint it yourself. Buy a good used compressor ect. Since you did a good job stripping it you such could tape it and take all the fittings off. Then paint it, sand it, paint it, sand it, paint it, sand it, clear coat it. Seel the compressor and keep the shelter to protect you work.

Why let aomeone else have all the fun and bragging rights and get the money to.

[jm2]

try PM'ing or emailing Mistral Blue (also from CT!) and ask who did his paint?

might have been Colin H up in Plattsburgh, NY.....


best,

[Chuck]

Originally Posted by jm2

try PM'ing or emailing Mistral Blue (also from CT!) and ask who did his paint?

might have been Colin H up in Plattsburgh, NY.....


best,

It was. But it was for a previous owner. (Rich L of Airstream Life).

[rickandsandi]

Polishing is not an option for this unit, the end caps are steel which for some silly reason are prone to RUST.

[ventport]

Originally Posted by rickandsandi

Polishing is not an option for this unit, the end caps are steel which for some silly reason are prone to RUST.

Polish all but the end caps and paint the end caps silver with a clear coat. I have seen pictures of an Argosy done like this and it looked great. The paint will not match the polished aluminum exactly but it still looks great

[Dave Park]

Or, do the roof and end cap white to reflect heat, and the rest polished!