F.A.Q.'s
Exterior Skin
Q: Can dents be removed from an
Airstream?
A: The basic method is to replace the panel by drilling
out the old rivets. This is not cheap. With vintage trailers (25 or more
years ) parts might not be available. Consider this when buying an old
trailer. Some parts like Banana Wraps (lower rocker strips) can easily
be bumped out. Larger shallow dents in between seams can be removed with
an auto-body suction cup tool, all the online and catalog tool places
carry them. If the dent is more a crease or sharp dent, then access to
the back side of the panel is obtained by either removing the panel, or
loosening up the edges to gain access. Then using an auto body spoon or
such tooling, the dent is bumped out from the backside, then the panel
is re-riveted back on using Olympic
rivets.
Q: What about hail dents?
A: Tough one. Dry ice does not work on aluminum, so until
someone adapts automobile Paintless Dent Removal technology to Airstreams,
they will be considered unavoidable beauty marks.
Q: The aluminum shields over the windows on my 1960 trailer are
all dented up. What can I do?
A: Replacement drip caps are still made, and are available
in all the sizes Airstream used from RV Dealers. They come in 1 inch increments
and are measured from the outside of the flange.
Q: How do I remove the old WBCCI numbers from the front and back
of the trailer?
A: Use a hair dryer for newer stickers or a warm iron
over a wet towel on a hot, sunny day for old dried out stickers to soften
the adhesive, and they peel right off. A little Goo-Gone, Goof-Off or
lacquer thinner will remove any remaining adhesive.
Q: How do I maintain the Clear Coat (Plasticoat) finish on my
trailer?
A: Walbernize is a type of wax that has been used on
Airstream Plasticoats since the first trailer was coated. Should be applied
two times a year, more if you want. It was first used by Airstream when
they were transporting trailers. They applied it to the front of the trailer
so that when bugs and dirt got attached to the trailer in transit, they
could easily clean the coach when it arrived at the dealer lot. Walbernize
also helps keep the Plasticote clean of things that will damage it, and
is available from Airstream dealers.
Q: A prior owner sealed all the seams and windows with clear Silicone
Sealant and it won't some off. How can you get it off?
A: Short of sanding it off, try an expensive material
called SU100 Silicone Sealant
and Adhesive Remover. It is only available online in larger quantities.
It softens the sealant so it can be removed with a non-metallic scraper
or Popsicle stick. Other than that, Acetone will work OK, but will attack
any plastic it comes in contact with.
Q: Is there a way to restore the paint on the metal plate of the guy pulling
the Airstream on a bicycle?
A: This works on other metal plates with too fine of
detail to mask off and paint. Remove the plate by drilling out the rivets
as necessary. Clean off all old paint with lacquer thinner. Don't use
steel wool or any thing abrasive as you need to retain as sharp of relief
in the lettering and design as possible. Spray the entire placard with
a very light coat of Royal Blue Krylon spraypaint or equivalent. As the
paint begins to dry, it will reach a point where the paint on the high
spots can be rubbed off with a blunt wooden dowel (1/8 inch or so). It
may take some practice to find just the right degree of drying to rub
the thin paint off without peeling up adjacent paint. If you mess up and
need to start over, just reach for the lacquer thinner and a rag. After
all has dried for a day or two, spray on a thin coat of clear "epoxy"
enamel. Don't try clear coating the Krylon with lacquer, or the solvents
will just lift up and destroy the paint. Reinstall the plate with Olympic
rivets.
Q: How do you take the cast nameplates off the skin for polishing
the skin and re-chroming?
A: They were attached before the interior skin went on.
They are held on with studs cast into the back and capture from the inside.
The accepted procedure is to use a putty knife placed behind the nameplate
to cut the studs. When reapplying them, drill holes with a drill-press
in the piece that correspond to the old studs and reattach with stainless
screws.
Q: Should I cover my Airstream with one of those RV covers to
protect it from the elements?
A: As opposed to painted trailers, an Airstream should
never be covered. The action caused by the tarp moving against the skin
will cause black marks very quickly. On plasticoated trailers, it causes
the finish to become milky looking. Best bet is store your trailer under
a carport type roof.
Q: The heater vent cap on top of our 1950’s Airstream has
been damaged by a tree. What can I do?
A: The top roof vents used in the 1950’s looked
more like smokestacks, and are still available at better home centers,
hardware stores, and plumbing/heating supply houses. They have both the
4" round capped ones, usually used on the heater vents, and the long
oval one, usually used on the refer's. Both have storm collars, made of
aluminum and look much like the ones from the 1950’s, only now made
in Mexico.
Polishing
Q: Will newer vintage Airstream skins polish as well as old skins?
A: Yes. The pure aluminum alclading that allows the skin
to take a high polish was used up until the middle of the 1982 production
run, when the finish was changed to a satin finish.
Q: How do I remove the clear-coat from my trailer exterior?
A: Use a stripper designed for aircraft use on aluminum.
One such product is SV-35/AC or RemovAll 210, manufactured by Napier Environmental
Technologies. It is easy to use – you just paint or spray it on
and hose it off. It's classified as non-hazardous. One supplier is Aircraft
Spruce. Napier also privately brands this product, and it is marketed
by ICI Paints as Hydrostrip 502, and also under the Crown label. It's
available in 1 and 5 gallon sizes.
A little more toxic alternative, and not as effective, but available from
auto stores and home centers, is "Aircraft Remover". The blue
& red can has an aircraft on the label.
Q: Why should I polish my trailer?
A: No single thing can add as much appeal and value to
a trailer. It is considered the crowning touch to a restoration. The Airstreams,
when delivered from the factory many years ago, had the natural polished
finish of the aircraft aluminum sheets. The owners then used a metal polish
available from Airstream dealers to annually maintain the finish.
Q: When did Airstreams first get clear-coated to protect the finish?
A: Clear-coating was first offered as an option in 1963
for those who did not like the prospect of annually giving their trailers
a once-over. It became standard the following year. Clear-coating still
requires annual applications of "Walbernize", available from
Airstream dealers.
Q: Is there more than one way to polish a trailer?
A: Yes. There are about four techniques in general use
if you count hand polishing, but they all involve many of the same processes
- using a compound and mechanical force to move it around. Aluminum oxide,
the stuff you want to get rid of, is almost as hard as a diamond, and
is chemically inert. It cannot be washed off. It must be abraded away.
The bare metal must then be polished to a mirror bright finish ( or nearly
so). A final clear-coating to prevent future oxidizing is optional.
Q: Can I polish my own trailer?
A: Yes. Polishing an older Airstream is the single most
important thing you can do to increase its value and beauty. The time
required is 140 hours and upward depending on the length and condition.
The work is physically demanding, so many people may prefer to pay a contractor.
They charge in the neighborhood of $120.00 per trailer foot.
Q: Can I re-apply the clear coat finish to my trailer?
A: Unfortunately no. The 2 part material is a special
application process that is only being commercially done by the factory
or:
P&S Trailer Service
4702 W US6 Helena OH 43435
419-638-6261
OasisRV
2111 E. Benson Highway Tucson, AZ 85714.
1-800-658-5863
Richard McIntyre in Oregon
888-912-9572
Airstream plans to build some regional service centers in the future that may be able to do this process too.
Q: Can you acid wash the external skin instead of polishing?
A: Any Airstream that has been acid washed, has the potential
to be a perpetual leaker. The acid gets under the rivet heads and can't
be rinsed off properly. The acid will repeatedly reactivate and will continue
to eat away at the aluminum underneath the rivet heads.
Q: Once polished, can I seal the aluminum to keep the polish?
A: There seems to be three camps on this subject. One
thought is to use a wax sealer, such as Eagle 1 ("waxes as you dry”).
Another is to do a light touch-up polish every couple of years, and the
other is use a wipe on/wipe off sealing polish, such as the one available
from Rolite. All methods have their supporters.
