Part 3: Getting started- Off comes the paint, and the one (and likely only) pre-teardown camping trip
Overthinking things as usual, I reasoned that, while I'd normally save cosmetics for last, it made sense to strip the paint from the aluminum skin prior to disassembly. The stripper would undoubtedly attack the new putty tape if I waited until after reassembly, and chasing loose skin around a shop floor sounded like zero fun. Unfortunately, I had to choose between stripping in my driveway (blistering direct sun and breezy, this time of year) or inside our rented storage space (no water). I'd planned on using aviation stripper, which is generally water-neutralized (that is, I'd have to hose it off), but given the weather, fear for my enviro-credentials, and fear of invoking the wrath of my fellow enviro-neighbors, I finally decided to do it inside the storage space, which means no bad fumes, and no water rinse. I bought a test jug of Citristrip, an environmentally-safe stripper which per conventional wisdom generally does the job, has no bad smells, neutralizes with odorless mineral spirits, but takes much, much longer to work. I figured I'd paint a test area on the trailer, leave it to cook overnight, and see how tough it was to scrape off in the morning. Folks I talked to online often spoke of leaving it on overnight, so I figured this was what I was in for.
Well, heading out after work to do my test strip I discovered the wife's minivan had a flat tire. Great. I inflated it with the compressor, and discovered a nice fat screw making a nice fat leak. I estimated I had maybe 30-45 minutes tops before it was deflated again. To make things even better, the minivan was parked behind my Mustang (it's a single-car wide driveway), and if I moved it onto the street my airline wouldn't reach, leaving me effectively stranded until morning. Ah, well. First thing in the AM I inflated it, ran out to get it plugged, and continued on out to the storage building about 18 hours behind schedule.
My father stopped by, I painted a few square feet (seriously, no bad smells at all out of this stuff), and we got to talking before heading back home. About 45 minutes later I was treated to the sound of paint falling off the trailer and onto the dropcloth in sheets. Wow, this stuff really works.
Given the very hot weather and the lack of breeze indoors, I'd work a few hours a day on it with the help of my wife and father. My father didn't even bother to wear gloves, and the odd splash on my clothes and skin did zero damage- this stuff is incredibly gentle, considering how well it works. After a couple of weekend's work we finished just prior to Labor Day weekend. I decided to take it on one quick camping trip up to Portland International Raceway for the All-British Field Meet and historic races, likely the only trip I'd get to take in it before disassembly.
Getting the paint off made a dramatic difference in the trailer's appearance. The shadow of the original two-tone scheme is clearly visible, as are shadows of the original headbadge and other decals.
The skin has such a great patina as it sits, I'm sorely tempted to leave it as is (minus a bit of stripper cleanup around the J-molding, etc.). I did discover a handful of dents in the skin that a previous owner had filled with some sort of putty and sanded prior to painting- they'd actually done a decent job, since they were completely undetectable until the paint came off. The only one of any concern is dead-center on the curb side, and appears to be damage from the door hardware. I may end up riveting and bonding a patch over that, we'll see.
I was surprised at how much attention it received it ABFM, had a couple of folks ask to take pictures of it. Amazingly, one gentleman stopped by and asked if it was a '57 Cardinal! Apparently he'd owned one, which he said he gave to his sister. While it didn't occur to me at the time, afterwards this got me to thinking- the woman I'd bought it from mentioned that it had changed hands between she and her brother a few times. Given the number of folks who come down to Portland from the Seattle area for the ABFM, it's entirely possible that this is actually his old trailer, unrecognizable without the paint.
My brother parked his Lotus behind it, and we had a couple more requests for photos of the pair together. Definitely an interesting juxtaposition.
Well, heading out after work to do my test strip I discovered the wife's minivan had a flat tire. Great. I inflated it with the compressor, and discovered a nice fat screw making a nice fat leak. I estimated I had maybe 30-45 minutes tops before it was deflated again. To make things even better, the minivan was parked behind my Mustang (it's a single-car wide driveway), and if I moved it onto the street my airline wouldn't reach, leaving me effectively stranded until morning. Ah, well. First thing in the AM I inflated it, ran out to get it plugged, and continued on out to the storage building about 18 hours behind schedule.
My father stopped by, I painted a few square feet (seriously, no bad smells at all out of this stuff), and we got to talking before heading back home. About 45 minutes later I was treated to the sound of paint falling off the trailer and onto the dropcloth in sheets. Wow, this stuff really works.
Given the very hot weather and the lack of breeze indoors, I'd work a few hours a day on it with the help of my wife and father. My father didn't even bother to wear gloves, and the odd splash on my clothes and skin did zero damage- this stuff is incredibly gentle, considering how well it works. After a couple of weekend's work we finished just prior to Labor Day weekend. I decided to take it on one quick camping trip up to Portland International Raceway for the All-British Field Meet and historic races, likely the only trip I'd get to take in it before disassembly.
Getting the paint off made a dramatic difference in the trailer's appearance. The shadow of the original two-tone scheme is clearly visible, as are shadows of the original headbadge and other decals.
The skin has such a great patina as it sits, I'm sorely tempted to leave it as is (minus a bit of stripper cleanup around the J-molding, etc.). I did discover a handful of dents in the skin that a previous owner had filled with some sort of putty and sanded prior to painting- they'd actually done a decent job, since they were completely undetectable until the paint came off. The only one of any concern is dead-center on the curb side, and appears to be damage from the door hardware. I may end up riveting and bonding a patch over that, we'll see.
I was surprised at how much attention it received it ABFM, had a couple of folks ask to take pictures of it. Amazingly, one gentleman stopped by and asked if it was a '57 Cardinal! Apparently he'd owned one, which he said he gave to his sister. While it didn't occur to me at the time, afterwards this got me to thinking- the woman I'd bought it from mentioned that it had changed hands between she and her brother a few times. Given the number of folks who come down to Portland from the Seattle area for the ABFM, it's entirely possible that this is actually his old trailer, unrecognizable without the paint.
My brother parked his Lotus behind it, and we had a couple more requests for photos of the pair together. Definitely an interesting juxtaposition.
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