[A/S] Re: Outside shine

["overlander_64" <overlander64@xxxxxxxxx>]

Greetings Woodsie8

Depending upon the Vintage of your coach what you are seeing is 
either the natural tarnishing of the raw aluminum or the "fading" of 
the Plasticoat coating process that can be found on coaches produced 
after 1964 - - but a previous owner may have had it added to about 
any Airstream to protect a new polish job.

If the problem is a milky-white surface you likely have failing 
Plasticoat and the only remedy is to strip (using a chemical paint 
stripper)the Plasticoat, polish and then re-Plasticoat if desired - -
 the Plasticoat is a proprietary product to Airstream and there are 
only a very limited number of shops who do this work.  I had P and S 
Trailer Service of Helena, OH polish and Plasticoat my Overlander a 
little over two seasons ago - - the entire process runs 
approximately $125 to $175 per linear foot.  You can learn about P 
and S Trailer Service at:

http://www.pandstrailerservice.com

If what you are noticing is a gray-to-charcoal gray appearance, you 
are likely seeing the natural tarnishing of a raw aluminum surface.  

It is possible to strip a Plasticoated coach and polish the coach 
yourself, and many have done just that.  I chose to have mine 
professionally polished because I simply do not have the time to 
invest in the extensive annual maintenance required of a non-
Plasticoated coach - - for a 26' coach, the annual maintenance of 
the polished surface is said to take in excess of 60 hours annually -
 - Walbernizing my Plasticoated coach twice a year is about 16 hours 
total for the process.

Good luck with your projects!

Kevin D. Allen
WBCCI/VAC/Free Wheelers/Computer Club #6359
1964 Overlander International/1999 GMC K2500 Suburban (7400 
VORTEC/4.10 Differentials)
1978 Argosy Minuet 6.0 Metre/1975 Cadillac Eldorad Convertible (8.2 
Liter V8/2.70 Final Drive)