The Old Conservationist : WILLY'S FACE LIFT

Willy is looking good!!

This blog was delayed by a couple of days because of weather. The day I am relating is actually Monday, March 2, 2015. I started this blog that evening but had to return quickly to Evansville to get packed for our cruise because there were storm warnings - 8-12" of snow. I am writing this on Wednesday evening. It is good that I did. I returned to Madisonville at 6am this morning. We now have 4-6" of snow on the ground and it is showing no indications of stopping. So let's just go back in time and pretend that it's Monday. - - - - - - - - - - - -

After the roof wash.

The arthritis was really screaming at me today. Thank goodness for $4 knee pads. The day started with washing the roof with a super strong solution of TSP. I was told not to not to get the roof sealer near the AC seal. If you're ever in this position, you might try my solution. I put the AC seal in position and marked slightly outside of the seal. Then I put down a strip of paint tape so I couldn't accidentally get too close to where the seal will be. Another thing I did that I felt made the surface better prepared for the sealant, I mixed the TSP about 50% stronger. I applied the cleaning solution with a cotton shop towel and wiped the surface. To be sure that I did not leave a dirty residue, I wiped the surface with paper shop towels. (I bought an 8 pack at Lowe's). This way the final product was a surface as clean as possible.

First coat of roof sealer finished.

I finished the wash job about 11:30 and put on the first coat of sealer after lunch - about 1:00 pm. I used a 3" brush, because it is what I had. A gallon bucket will obviously permit at least a 4" brush. It was not hard to apply and went on like a slightly thick oil base paint, but it is water soluble and cleans up easily with water.

Refurbished handle

After the sealer was applied I turned my attention to windows and other items that had to be replaced. When we bought Willy he had a horrible looking dead bolt. I took the original handle and lock set to Felts Lock in Evansville and they made me new keys. I installed the new lock and handle, It looks so much nicer. (When it comes to trailers, locks are for honest people. We got locked out one time and I went in through a window.) Willy has one of the older style of hand grips - to hold on to while entering. It redid it with chrome paint. Ours was actually made so that you could have a light. They are now making reproductions of the original lens. I did not do that because the wiring was not nearby.

The windows required a lot of cleaning and good ole elbow grease. I had already removed all the butyl tape. On the inside - i.e. the side to which the butyl tape is applied - I sprayed with Goo Gone and wiped. Later I sprayed the area with 409 just to remove any greasy residue and allowed it to dry. On the front side of the window - i.e. that which you see standing outside the trailer - I used Marvel Mystery Oil and steel wool. Marvel Mystery Oil has been around since the early 1920s and is used as an automobile engine upper cylinder cleaner and lubricant. Take a look at how it makes Willy's 30 year old aluminum window frames shine.

I was able to put all but two windows back in place. I ran out of butyl tape. As far as I know, and from the looks of things, this was the first time in 30 years these windows had been removed. I am one of those people who worries about putting screws back in the same hole. Since the screw goes through, and thereby gets coated with, butyl tape putty they are generally sufficiently tight. Nevertheless on the corners I used a 8 x 1.25" screws. The rest are 8 x 1".

Window screws before cleaning and replacement

At this point the only things that remain are a second coat of roof sealer, fenders, replace spare tire holder, install new vents and re-install the remaining two windows. It should only be a couple of days work.