Fiberglass exterior restoration and care?

[bob_okc]

I have a 1998 Winnebago Brave. The decals are fading and there is a lot of oxidation.

I would appreciate real advise as to products and methods for restoring 'my pretty' to like new condition. There are so many selections and claims to sort through. I am hoping to get some straight talk and direction.

Thanks,  Bob

[Oz]

Although fiberglass is a great "canvass" for paint designs, the unfortunate aspect, especially with older models, is the oxidation.  Actually, this is simply going to occur with whatever paint is used on any base material after years of sun and weather exposure.

There are many restoration methods, but we owners of vintage RVs particularly seek the ones that cost the least.  Sure, repainting is the obvious, best fix.  But, that's an expensive proposition, unless you can do it yourself.  And, the original paint has to be either stripped or prepared anyway.

If you simply want to start by restoring the gel-coat finish and the oxidation isn't very bad or widespread, WalMart sells 2 types of gelcoat restoration products.  These are found in the boating section of the sporting goods department.  They are simply buffing compounds in a liquid form.  One is for medium/heavy oxidation and the other is for light oxidation.  I recommend these products because they work every bit as well as the much more expensive brands found at marine stores.

It works the same way as buffing out a car.  No different.  You'll want to use a ruler every once in a while and spin the buffing pad over the edge.  This cleans out the residue of the gelcoat from the pad.

I worked in a fiberglass component manufacturing plant and did work from start to finish.  Mold prep, gelcoating, fiberglass layup and finishing so I have extensive experience with this process.

For large scale work, I recommend searching the net and locally for commercial automotive bodywork product suppliers.  I used two forms of finishing compounds, again, one for heavy treatment to remove the oxidation and a lighter form for finishing to a shine.  I don't recall the brand, it's been almost 10 years now, but they are available in one gallon, concentrated jugs.  You can get a ketchup squeeze bottle and mix the compound with water in the specified am out and just squirt enough on the area you are working on, approximately a 2' x 2' area at a time.

The results are very pleasing, so long as the gelcoat isn't so bad that the process actually wears through it.  In that case,it still needs to be done, but you can just paint over the original gel coat.  See the message search for exterior painting options.

For you decals, I suggest contacting Tina Paul (tiinytina).  She has a friend who does custom decal graphics, including those for RVs. 

(OMG!  I actually found a question I know something about!)

[bob_okc]

Thanks Pharaoh, I had tried to contact you this morning for help on posting. I don't know if you did something or if with the help of others on line I was able to start a new topic (as you can see) Thank you for your response. That is exactly the kind of help I was hoping for! Simple and honest!

[Oz]

Glad you were able to get rolling.  The thanks goes to Tammy Pratt and anyone else who may have given assistance.  It's a team effort and I love being on this team!

In addition to the info I gave, there is are a lot of good topics on the boards which talk about surface prep and paint options.  I'm sure you can also find a wealth of info even better and more detalled on the web than I gave.  Anything you find which is helpful would be greatly appreciated if you share it with us.

[bluebird]

I use Collinite 870 fleetwax on mine, purchased on ebay. First time I did mine it took 2 coats and a lot of rubbing. I just do it yearly now. I wash it with super clean car wash and wax it in the spring.

[Mississippi Winne]

Red Max Pro works well and doesn't require buffing.  You can buy it at Lowes.  Four coats on a heavily oxidised coach should do it.  Then once a year after thant. 

Brian