It's a girl!!!

[uwe]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Hey Joe ~

We actually had a vent inside the shower that was just connected to the kitchen drain pipes. It was run on the inside of the shower against the panel separating the kitchen and bath. It vents on the top and there is a little cover over the opening (see below) that at first we thought was a patch...but we've since seen it on other trailers so we know it's not. We plan on re-using the same vent hole for the new tanks.

Shari

Great plan, Shari. Great progress, too. My 1958 has these cool little vent noses also,I prefer the look of them over the more bulky vent stacks.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by uwe

Great plan, Shari. Great progress, too. My 1958 has these cool little vent noses also,I prefer the look of them over the more bulky vent stacks.

Thanks Uwe! We have the windows all done - cranks, latches and all. Also all the drip caps are back on and polished with a "first pass". Our next project is to put the interior back together...but we've gone a little sideways because we took some time off to finish the replacement of Maxwell's streetside panel so we could get rid of the 4'x9' of aluminum sitting in our garage since spring. We took care of that a couple of weeks ago and are now ready to get back to work on Birdy. I have a bunch of pics of Maxwell's panel replacement, I hope to get them posted soon...did the whole thing in a day - not bad! I guess third time's a charm - Fred's GT, Birdy then Max - each got easier.

I like these low profile vent covers much better too! No worries about water leaking in - it just rolls off!

Shari

[uwe]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Thanks Uwe! We have the windows all done - cranks, latches and all. Also all the drip caps are back on and polished with a "first pass". Our next project is to put the interior back together...but we've gone a little sideways because we took some time off to finish the replacement of Maxwell's streetside panel so we could get rid of the 4'x9' of aluminum sitting in our garage since spring. We took care of that a couple of weeks ago and are now ready to get back to work on Birdy. I have a bunch of pics of Maxwell's panel replacement, I hope to get them posted soon...did the whole thing in a day - not bad! I guess third time's a charm - Fred's GT, Birdy then Max - each got easier.

I like these low profile vent covers much better too! No worries about water leaking in - it just rolls off!

Shari

True that. It gets easier with every panel, but, it's still a lot of work to do it right.

[66Overlander]

Originally Posted by InsideOut

Hey Joe ~

We actually had a vent inside the shower that was just connected to the kitchen drain pipes. It was run on the inside of the shower against the panel separating the kitchen and bath. It vents on the top and there is a little cover over the opening (see below) that at first we thought was a patch...but we've since seen it on other trailers so we know it's not. We plan on re-using the same vent hole for the new tanks.

Shari

I've definitely seen that "brow" vent cover on other Airstreams (usually in a rear bath setup), but had not noticed it on the '56 Safari's up front. The "pre-shower" '54 and '55 Safari's don't have it. I just went back to RJ's site and can barely make it out on a couple of the '56's, now that I know what I am looking for. If I add tanks and a vent to mine, that would be an easy enough peice to fabricate, rather than adding some sort of vent stack. Thanks.

[safari57]

I too really like that vent cover over the stack I have on mine now. I see a vent crafting and installation event happening this winter. I've not been happy with the little vent stack I put on the trailer and wondered what an attractive alternative would look like. Yip skips.

Barry

[InsideOut]

Seems pretty appropriate, being that it's Thanksgiving weekend...we are insulating! Got the electrical done (we changed everything from 110v to 12v) and are getting ready to re-install the existing panels & a new streetside (the old one was full of holes) interior panel!

Steps in the right direction...putting things back together! WooHoo!!

Shari

[InsideOut]

WooHoo!!! We ordered our Zolatone today!
Should be able to pick it up tomorrow - we are planning on shooting it this weekend.

We mixed up a custom color:

2 parts - Desert Camo #20-80
1 part - Gray Stone #20-64
1 part - Medusa Gray #20-45
over a gray epoxy primer

+ + + = ???


From the website... + =

So ours should look similar to but we're hoping a little lighter and more gray and less beige - I'm sure we'll be happy with whatever it turns out to be - nature of the beast is it isn't just a flat color.

We'll see...

Shari

[soldiermedic]

Nice color combo Shari. Can't wait to see it completed.

Steve

[InsideOut]

Well, we are definitely making progress!

We tackled one of the biggest "make a difference" projects so far...the Zolatone! The weather was decent this last weekend, so we decided to paint at home - even though we had the offer of a friend's heated building, we thought it would be much easier having everything here at home instead of trying to pack everything up to go an hour & a half away to work. The outside temperatures we in the mid-to-upper 40's and we were able to get the trailer up over 70 inside and the garage over 60 with several electric & propane heaters.

Friday, after work, we jumped in with making a temporary paint booth out of plastic drop cloths for painting the smaller removable parts. Saturday, we spent the entire day masking - boy, did that take longer than expected! We went through about 4 rolls of tape, 6 9x12 dropcloths, umpteen plastic trash bags and the better part of a roll of Rosen paper.

[InsideOut]

As you can see from the previous photos, we had several different surfaces we need to cover and even out:

• 53 year old intact Zolatone
• brand new aluminum (replaced panel)
• stripped oil-base paint over Zolatone
• Latex paint over oil based paint over Zolatone
• nearly bare aluminum
• plastic Fantasic Fan trim pieces

So we used an two-part epoxy primer. It came in white, grey or black, we chose the grey because we knew it would show through the Zolatone slightly and the Desert Camo color is too warm & peachy for our taste.

We also rigged up temporary heat & ventilation - we had two electric heaters blowing in warm air and a box fan sucking out and drawing the air through the trailer....this epoxy paint is stinky & nasty! It was kinda hookie, but it worked. Then Mr. InsideOut donned his stylish painters suit and went in...

[InsideOut]

About an hour & a half later, he came out and the primer was done! Once the air cleared, we could get an idea of what it looked like ~ and it was on to the bits in the garage.

[InsideOut]

The primer only needed 15-30 minutes to cure and it has to be covered within 72 hours or you have to sand it down before proceeding. So, next it was off to mix up our concoction of Zolatone. This stuff is really weird! In the can, it looks kinda psychedelic - especially after the epoxy paint fumes!

[InsideOut]

By now, it was late Sunday afternoon and we had to finish at least the first "fog coat" of Zolatone - or else be facing sanding everything down - and that was NOT going to happen! So, I don't have pictures of the interior - it was too dark when we finished. We woke up to 6" of snow this morning - so I didn't venture out before work to take daylight pics...maybe tomorrow. These of the bits & pieces will have to do for now...so far, we are happy with the results. We did save out 2 quarts of the Medusa Gray to add to the top splatter coat - it should lighten things up a bit and make it look a little more gray and less beige. We may end up buying some more of a lighter shade (Apollo Gray) to add also, we'll see once I've had a chance to check it all out in the daylight. Regardless, we have one more coat with the heavier splats to go - then it's done! I'll post more pics later ~ The result after one coat looks just like beach sand. With the second coat we will turn down the air pressure and turn up the paint volume so the splatters are a bit bigger - although it looks nice as it is...we may decide to keep the subtler look too.

So far, we have used about 2/3's of a gallon of the primer and just under 2 gallons of Zolatone. We have 2 gallons & a pint or so left. We really want to paint the last coat in the daylight to assure even coverage - but we will be out of town next weekend and me for the next weekend too. It really is easier as a two person job, so I'm not sure when we will finish - it may not be until the end of the month - but the end is in sight!

Shari

[InsideOut]

BTW, the Zolatone is not nearly as stinky and it doesn't vaporize like the epoxy primer. Which is a good thing! We were able to keep the door open most of the time while applying it...

Overall, this project has gone much easier than we thought it might...coming from 1st time folks who have never used a spray gun painting before , let alone such a quirky product like Zolatone. The only drawback is the the expense...it's not cheap, but the effect is definitely worth it - we'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Shari

[Silverhobby]

Looking good. I think the look of Zolatone is better than any other product in the vintage trailers. I plan to refinish my older trailers in the same manner.

[Aerowood]

I can't wait to see the results

[flyfshr]

Outstanding!! Now that you guys can begin putting things back together the process should move right along. Looking forward to seeing Birdy in person.

Brad
FF

[3Ms75Argosy]

So Shari, can you break down the equipment needed to do zolotone? Did you have a compressor already? Did you rent? I heard one needs an in-expensive paint gun to fire? (I think I remember a "texturizing" gun?).

How much were the epoxies?

Thanks!

[Ken J]

Shari

Outstanding - you guys did much better than me - when I researched Zolatone, I pretty much concluded it was beyond the average non professional to apply. I even called a bunch of paint companies (ie professionals) and they would not touch it. You have proven my research incorrect, and I regret that, this makes me want to remove my interior and repaint.

Ken J.

[InsideOut]

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

So Shari, can you break down the equipment needed to do zolotone? Did you have a compressor already? Did you rent? I heard one needs an in-expensive paint gun to fire? (I think I remember a "texturizing" gun?).

How much were the epoxies?

I'll have to answer your specific equipment & cost questions in more detail from home tonight when I have receipts & model numbers. But I can tell you, we got one paint nozzle from Harbor Freight (primer) and the other (Zolatone) from someplace online. I don't think either was over $75 - there are much more expensive options, but we are looking for one or two time use and didn't feel the need to "go there".

However, I can tell you the approximate total cost for the materials - 2 part epoxy primer, Zolatone, clean-up chemicals, drop cloths, jumpsuit and the respirator was about $750. (Sidebar: we decided this morning to lighten the color a bit with another quart or two of a different color (#20-11 Apollo Gray) for the final coat so that will add a bit more to the material cost)

As I recall, the Zolatone is about $115 per gallon - and quarts were more "per gallon". We had to buy 4 quarts of one of the colors (Medusa Gray) or wait for a gallon to come form the manufacturer...we didn't want to wait, so we paid more for it. We started off with 4 gallons and will be adding either 1 or 2 quarts for the final coat which goes on heavier - it's the splatter coat.

In addition, we had to buy an air compressor (we had a smaller compressor that worked fine for riveting but wasn't large enough for the Zolatone.), an air pot, two different sprayer nozzles, a box fan & an additional heater...we figure it was around $1300+/- total. We haven't tallied it up...

We were willing to buy the tools & equipment for use on additional projects in our future - Birdy's cabinetry and a plane. We may have been able to have it done professionally for less (possibly not - didn't look into it) but we now have the tools & limited "know how" for later.

Shari