OLD Paint Fading - How to Paint the Sunline?

[gmcc]

The paint on my Sunline is fading and I can see the aluminum color coming through in places.

Any suggestions on how to paint and touch up the bad spots and or has anyone painted large sections?

My camper is an 02 T320SR

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by gmcc

The paint on my Sunline is fading and I can see the aluminum color coming through in places.

Any suggestions on how to paint and touch up the bad spots and or has anyone painted large sections?

My camper is an 02 T320SR

You may be able to find Krylon or Rust-Oleum spray cans in a color and gloss to match. Any home improvement or hardware store will carry those products.

Depending on the percentage of degradation, you may want to consider painting the whole trailer or at least one or more sides. That's not something I'd tackle in the driveway. I've seen some beautiful restorations of older trailers that include complete new paint. If there is one in your area, talk to the folks at a shop that repairs 18-wheeler trailers. They do that sort of thing all the time. The bulk of their work is repairing/restoring the walls of these trailers. There happens to be one across the road from our favorite restaurant in Amsterdam, NY. There's always a big fiver or motor home there for repair. Failing that, I'd talk to an auto body shop or even an RV shop.

There are other threads here for the reading on this repair.

[mainah]

I painted a large portion of mine with a Warner electric paint sprayer. My biggest problem was the match. I ended up removing a rear tail light and cutting a small section of aluminum out for a sample. Spot painting probably will never match due more than any thing else age. Both ends of mine are painted it's fine at 15 feet and I am not likely to enter in a concour d'elegance any way

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by mainah

I painted a large portion of mine with a Warner electric paint sprayer. My biggest problem was the match. I ended up removing a rear tail light and cutting a small section of aluminum out for a sample. Spot painting probably will never match due more than any thing else age. Both ends of mine are painted it's fine at 15 feet and I am not likely to enter in a concour d'elegance any way

What brand and type of paint did you use?

[mainah]

This thing was covered with decals Good Sam etc. I had to sand most of them off nothing would remove them tried just about every product. I used primer and then paint all exterior house paint from Home Depot. The match is very close slightly darker I'm guessing because of the sun fading of the old paint you can see a slight de-mark if you look for it. The finish is not smooth but the factory paint was not either. I did the roof in plan white it was a worse mess than the decals and had suffered a water leak at some point and the "fix" was roof tar all across a seam that could not leak by design because it really was not a seam it was where the roof folded over the edge. That was a project just getting it clean. The primer and paint was applied with a roller and a stick it actually does not look bad! Just noticed your call I'm N3LYT I run HF in the camper usually 60 meters at night it's a good 200-300 mile band even when conditions are poor. I'm on just about any night from home 40-80 meters give a shout maybe we can have a QSO.

[Steve Collins]

Originally Posted by mainah

This thing was covered with decals Good Sam etc. I had to sand most of them off nothing would remove them tried just about every product. I used primer and then paint all exterior house paint from Home Depot. The match is very close slightly darker I'm guessing because of the sun fading of the old paint you can see a slight de-mark if you look for it. The finish is not smooth but the factory paint was not either. I did the roof in plan white it was a worse mess than the decals and had suffered a water leak at some point and the "fix" was roof tar all across a seam that could not leak by design because it really was not a seam it was where the roof folded over the edge. That was a project just getting it clean. The primer and paint was applied with a roller and a stick it actually does not look bad! Just noticed your call I'm N3LYT I run HF in the camper usually 60 meters at night it's a good 200-300 mile band even when conditions are poor. I'm on just about any night from home 40-80 meters give a shout maybe we can have a QSO.

I'm guessing you had to thin out the house paint a bit to use in the sprayer. But it is a good solution, and easy to match the color for the future.

I'm strictly 2 meter and 70 cm for the moment but I'll get an HF rig some day. My wife is still kinda reluctant (read adamantly reluctant) to let me put antennas on the new (to us) house. 2 meters is ideal for campground connections with other hams, but I've yet hear anyone on the calling channel.

[mainah]

Most paint now is latex the Wagner gun is a high pressure gun and will spray any thing. I use it to apply Fluid Film that stuff is as thick as mud. It's hard to get any one on simplex any thing I have a couple of 1 1/4 meter radios and even from a top Mt Washington I have never made a simplex contact and I know full well I can be heard in Canada. I am the tech for the radio club W1MWV in NH we have 3 repeaters one VHF and two UHF one is on top of Mt Washington up at 6288' and they too get little use. I guess they are too glued to their iPhones.