Painting the Interior

Considerable research went into the decision about painting the interior of the Airstream.   My final decision came about after reading internet blogs and actually visiting Airstream owners' vintage trailers to see examples of paint jobs.  My research indicated that I highly desired to have "Zolatone" paint back inside the Airstream.   ( https://www.zolatone.com/finishes/ )
My Airstream was produced at the factory with Zolatone paint.  It is still by far the most durable and attractive finish for my 1959 Airstream.  However, color is a matter of choice.

Recalling the harsh sanding requirements that were needed to clean the fiberglass end caps and aluminum interior wall skins, it was necessary to choose a quality paint to achieve good coverage over the many imperfections.

Here I am sanding the aluminum roof panels.  The Airstream Factory applied Zolatone paint to the entire interior and it was still very durable.  However, the previous owner painted over the Zolatone.  These roof panels needed enough sanding to remove the secondary paints, but I did not want to remove all of the Zolatone.  

This picture shows the brown fiberglass end cap, the beige roof section, and the silver side panels. These side panels behaved differently when sanded.  All of the paint came off during the process, but these awful looking sanding marks were left behind.

Hopefully, the new Zolatone paint will cover many of the sanding imperfections in the final process.

Next, a primer coat was needed to prepare all surfaces to receive the new Zolatone paint.

I chose this Sherwin Williams brand for durability.

After taping the windows and trim I applied the primer using a 1/2 inch nap, 9-inch roller brush.

The application process proceeded very well until painting the end caps.  Since they are very curved it was necessary to revert to cutting in with a brush and using a 3/8 inch nap, 2-inch roller!

The trailer is 28 feet long with an inside dimension of 25 feet.

It took less than two gallons of primer to cover the surfaces.

This particular primer was thick in nature and covered very well, but it obviously did not look like a finish coat of paint.  As there was some primer left over, some surfaces like the entry and baggage doors received a touchup coat. 

Overhead Kitchen Cupboard

The Airstream factory produced overhead cupboards made of wood or aluminum.  My1959 Airstream Ambassador was equipped with an all aluminum cupboard.  I wanted to preserve the period look and reinstall the cupboard as original.  The piece was originally painted with Zolatone paint similar to the inside walls.  It was painted over a few times during it's history.  A cleanup was necessary and required some complex work. 

Paint stripper was used for the initial cleaning, but the end result was less than desirable.

Most of the old paint was removed, but the inside crevices and shelf were hard to access.

The next step was to take the disc sander to it to remove everything left behind.

To my chagrin, the results were not to my expectations.

Most of the old paint was successfully removed, but the rivet heads were badly

ground off.  The paint around each rivet was untouchable.

The only other option was to dismantle the piece for better access and do a thorough job of sanding.

Each rivet had to be drilled out to free the parts.

Individual pieces could then be sanded and detailed satisfactorily.

Access to all the surfaces was much easier. A proper sanding was achieved on each individual piece.

Once sanded and cleaned, the entire piece was buck-riveted back together.

Proper sanding and brand new buck rivets made the piece look much better.

Having the cupboard out in the open and taking the trouble to clean everything was well worth the effort.

Looks much better.

Once complete, the cupboard was deserving of a new coat of zolatone paint.

Wheel Well Covers

New wheel wells were fabricated to replace the previous wells.  They were severely damaged in the dismantling process.  

Wheel well covers are used to encapsulate insulation placed between the outside and inside wells.

The wheel well covers were originally constructed of a thin gauge galvanized steel and were coated with several coats of paint. 

Minor repairs and sanding was all that was needed to ready them for reinstallation.

The angle grinder with 80 grit sand paper did the trick.

  

New 2 1/4 batt insulation was installed between the outer and inner wells.

The wells were screwed to the floor and riveted to the sidewalls to hold them into place.

After several small details were completed it was time to think about paint!

Window Trim

During dismantling process while removing the window trim I decided that new window trim would be necessary to improve the finished look of the windows.

New heavier gauge aluminum trim would eliminate the need to clean off the many coats of old paint, eliminate misaligned rivet holes and blemishes.  

I had my aluminum supplier make up some new stock.

I copied the profile of the old trim using a slightly thicker material.

The pieces were made in four-foot sections.

They were later cut to lengths appropriate to fully trim out all of the windows and some small door openings in the trailer.

Using the same method as the factory process I made 45 degree cuts at the corners and attached the pieces using 1/8 inch pop rivets.

Even spacing of the rivets and true 45 degree angles made clean looking trim.

Once completed the look was very acceptable for a 1959 Vintage trailer.

The roof vent was also trimmed out using the new material.

New paint and an insect screen is all that is needed to complete the look.

Lower Inside Wall Skins

Once the ceiling panels were up it was time for the lower skins to be installed.

The lower skins needed to be stripped of many coats of paint and glue.

Paint stripper followed by harsh sanding was the preferred method to clean the panels.

The stripping process and hard sanding left the lower panels devoid of any paint.

The sanding marks were visible but will be covered by new paint.

The plan is to use Zolatone Flex roll-on paint plus a primer.

The paint should hide all the imperfections very well.

After several days all of the panels were installed.

During these steps all of the pop rivets that hold the ceiling in place were replaced with a larger 3/16 inch pop rivet for better service.  The lower panels were also attached with 3/16 inch pop rivets.

The Assembly Plan

It was time to call in the reinforcements for the next step.

We planned a cookout with my two sons and daughter.

 Hopefully, some work would get done as well.

The crew and the grandkids were ready so let us get started!

The end caps were installed with those assistants not assigned to fix lunch.  

No pictures were taken of end cap installation. 

The first ceiling panel was carried to the trailer.

It was the smallest of the two and was more manageable.

It was rolled up and tied with a bungie cord.

My boys held the panel in place with the aid of some wooden props.

The holes in the panels from previous rivets were matched up with holes in the ribs of the trailer.  Even though the process looks hard it was obvious where the panels were previously fastened.

A manual pop rivet gun was used to attach the ceiling panels.  Hard work and persistence allowed the crew to mount the panels where they belonged.  Not every rivet was replaced during this process.  Enough rivets were installed to hold everything in it's proper place.

The second ceiling panel was larger and more difficult to manage.

The panel was gently folded in half and started through the door.

Almost in there!

Yes.  It fit!

Once inside the trailer the panel had to be maneuvered into place.

The wood props and muscle helped to coax the big panel into it’s proper place.

This picture shows the end caps and ceiling panels in place.  The center holes for lights and fans were already cut into the panels.  The new refrigerator vent hole on the left was cut after the panel was up in place.

We accomplished a great day's work.

 Everyone had a good visit and plenty to eat.