PinnacleAutoCT
09-01-2016, 11:21 PM
Hey guys, I haven’t posted in a while due to the nice weather in CT, I figured this set of pictures might be worth sharing since it’s a little out of the ordinary. Like the title says, this trailer was manufactured in 1999 by Holiday Rambler, it has an aluminum frame IIRC (hence the Aluma-Lite name), and was finished with a white gel coat, which was in poor shape to say the least. The owner had been storing this trailer in Florida, splitting his time between the two states, resulting in the trailer accumulating a solid amount of mold and mildew buildup while no one was there to maintain it. His standard procedure for removing the buildup had been to spray it with bleach, scrub it with a large, long-handled brush and then pressure wash the bleach/grime mixture away. Needless to say, the finish was heavily scratched, oxidized and dulled by this form of cleaning. According to the owner, this trailer had never been polished in its entire life because he never trusted anyone to do it. After detailing the interior of his Suburban, and correcting the paint on his 65 Malibu SS, he brought this beast out and told me to go to town on the paint. The moldings would be replaced and the roof painted, so there was no need to clean those areas. The work was completed over the course of a week (the owner was in no rush), since I had a busy schedule with my normal clients during the day, and would typically start work on this project late in the afternoon or early in the evening.
Hopefully the pictures will demonstrate the poor starting condition of this trailer. In these first two pics you can see a couple bright and reflective spots where I tried a couple different products to remove the oxidation:
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7515/28051174726_2f2465171d_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JJMAXy)DSC04778 (https://flic.kr/p/JJMAXy) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7327/27471383144_c3be0ce939_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRy27Y)DSC04779 (https://flic.kr/p/HRy27Y) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7300/28085501355_ed3025a97f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMPx4Z)DSC04780 (https://flic.kr/p/JMPx4Z) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7330/27983035112_c567396572_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCLnqC)DSC04781 (https://flic.kr/p/JCLnqC) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7350/27471359614_4f4b8ba607_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRxU8h)DSC04783 (https://flic.kr/p/HRxU8h) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7395/28085483145_57eb90a38e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMPrE2)DSC04785 (https://flic.kr/p/JMPrE2) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7331/28051647326_3c3369a445_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JJQ2rQ)DSC04787 (https://flic.kr/p/JJQ2rQ) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7525/27470770513_2e99e29bef_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRuT1n)DSC04789 (https://flic.kr/p/HRuT1n) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7493/27804841420_c010d23730_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn25DA)DSC04791 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn25DA) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
Here you can see the heavy staining of the window moldings which necessitated their replacement (full strength OPC wouldn't touch the staining):
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7459/27804869780_4240ea9524_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn2e5y)
Black streaks were apparent in many locations:
DSC04798 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn2e5y) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7110/27982950592_bb26a1def8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKWio)DSC04794 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKWio) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7282/28085413065_72188cfc27_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMP5PK)DSC04795 (https://flic.kr/p/JMP5PK) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7394/27470712433_d1e4e56ffc_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRuzJZ)
The odd staining of the vinyl graphics seemed to be a result of the bleach washes:
DSC04804 (https://flic.kr/p/HRuzJZ) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7438/27804794730_7165af342e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1QLA)DSC04797 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1QLA) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7570/27982690012_5874e9cae6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCJAQC)
This area of the trailer has probably been shown before in other pics, but this one does a great job of capturing how dull, oxidized and scratched the paint was. The reflection and color was really terrible compared to how it would be upon completion:
DSC04799 (https://flic.kr/p/JCJAQC) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7275/28051363356_27e6b3f1a6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JJNz2N)DSC04886 (https://flic.kr/p/JJNz2N) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7417/27471203754_3f59e68fda_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRx6N3)DSC04882 (https://flic.kr/p/HRx6N3) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7742/27982896832_8936b02dbc_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKEju)DSC04881 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKEju) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7319/27470645783_6f29307af8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRueVR)DSC04887 (https://flic.kr/p/HRueVR) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7487/27471212884_b3352f5200_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRx9vs)DSC04889 (https://flic.kr/p/HRx9vs) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
The process:
-wash (didn’t remove much dirt or staining)
-compound twice with the Rupes and the rotary using Meguiar’s #49 on LC light cutting pads, then LC black finishing pads
-polish with the Rupes and HD Speed
-hand apply Meguiar’s #45 to add extra oils to the gel coat and hopefully preserve the finish for longer
-apply Sonax PNS via microfiber towels
After:
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7439/27982925382_77613d443a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKNNJ)DSC04856 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKNNJ) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7319/28085335255_a5cf653a8e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMNFGc)DSC04858 (https://flic.kr/p/JMNFGc) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7417/27804853780_5f2264c077_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn29jG)DSC04861 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn29jG) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7450/27470452213_dda5a0bb04_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRtfor)DSC04862 (https://flic.kr/p/HRtfor) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
The wide array of pads, products and equipment at use during this project:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7515/27982905732_2d7101f289_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKGXW)DSC04877 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKGXW) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7411/27804677950_f20ef6ecae_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1f49)DSC04912 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1f49) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7379/27982768932_a0e89b3793_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCK1ij)DSC04971 (https://flic.kr/p/JCK1ij) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7444/27804650530_9c1d707850_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn16Uo)DSC04973 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn16Uo) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7441/28085175325_b56ec7e238_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMMS9M)DSC04976 (https://flic.kr/p/JMMS9M) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7412/27470510043_f641868e1f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRtxzv)DSC04985 (https://flic.kr/p/HRtxzv) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7394/27471064084_74d7924e45_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRwogW)DSC04987 (https://flic.kr/p/HRwogW) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7292/27471096954_ff85c7442b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRwy3E)DSC04991 (https://flic.kr/p/HRwy3E) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7419/27804598130_2c31891ba1_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JmZQjW)DSC05006 (https://flic.kr/p/JmZQjW) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flick
As always, thanks for looking, and feel free to comment or ask questions!
Hopefully the pictures will demonstrate the poor starting condition of this trailer. In these first two pics you can see a couple bright and reflective spots where I tried a couple different products to remove the oxidation:
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7515/28051174726_2f2465171d_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JJMAXy)DSC04778 (https://flic.kr/p/JJMAXy) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7327/27471383144_c3be0ce939_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRy27Y)DSC04779 (https://flic.kr/p/HRy27Y) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7300/28085501355_ed3025a97f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMPx4Z)DSC04780 (https://flic.kr/p/JMPx4Z) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7330/27983035112_c567396572_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCLnqC)DSC04781 (https://flic.kr/p/JCLnqC) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7350/27471359614_4f4b8ba607_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRxU8h)DSC04783 (https://flic.kr/p/HRxU8h) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7395/28085483145_57eb90a38e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMPrE2)DSC04785 (https://flic.kr/p/JMPrE2) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7331/28051647326_3c3369a445_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JJQ2rQ)DSC04787 (https://flic.kr/p/JJQ2rQ) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7525/27470770513_2e99e29bef_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRuT1n)DSC04789 (https://flic.kr/p/HRuT1n) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7493/27804841420_c010d23730_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn25DA)DSC04791 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn25DA) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
Here you can see the heavy staining of the window moldings which necessitated their replacement (full strength OPC wouldn't touch the staining):
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7459/27804869780_4240ea9524_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn2e5y)
Black streaks were apparent in many locations:
DSC04798 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn2e5y) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7110/27982950592_bb26a1def8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKWio)DSC04794 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKWio) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7282/28085413065_72188cfc27_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMP5PK)DSC04795 (https://flic.kr/p/JMP5PK) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c2.staticflickr.com/8/7394/27470712433_d1e4e56ffc_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRuzJZ)
The odd staining of the vinyl graphics seemed to be a result of the bleach washes:
DSC04804 (https://flic.kr/p/HRuzJZ) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7438/27804794730_7165af342e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1QLA)DSC04797 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1QLA) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7570/27982690012_5874e9cae6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCJAQC)
This area of the trailer has probably been shown before in other pics, but this one does a great job of capturing how dull, oxidized and scratched the paint was. The reflection and color was really terrible compared to how it would be upon completion:
DSC04799 (https://flic.kr/p/JCJAQC) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7275/28051363356_27e6b3f1a6_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JJNz2N)DSC04886 (https://flic.kr/p/JJNz2N) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7417/27471203754_3f59e68fda_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRx6N3)DSC04882 (https://flic.kr/p/HRx6N3) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7742/27982896832_8936b02dbc_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKEju)DSC04881 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKEju) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7319/27470645783_6f29307af8_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRueVR)DSC04887 (https://flic.kr/p/HRueVR) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7487/27471212884_b3352f5200_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRx9vs)DSC04889 (https://flic.kr/p/HRx9vs) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
The process:
-wash (didn’t remove much dirt or staining)
-compound twice with the Rupes and the rotary using Meguiar’s #49 on LC light cutting pads, then LC black finishing pads
-polish with the Rupes and HD Speed
-hand apply Meguiar’s #45 to add extra oils to the gel coat and hopefully preserve the finish for longer
-apply Sonax PNS via microfiber towels
After:
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7439/27982925382_77613d443a_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKNNJ)DSC04856 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKNNJ) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c8.staticflickr.com/8/7319/28085335255_a5cf653a8e_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMNFGc)DSC04858 (https://flic.kr/p/JMNFGc) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7417/27804853780_5f2264c077_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn29jG)DSC04861 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn29jG) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7450/27470452213_dda5a0bb04_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRtfor)DSC04862 (https://flic.kr/p/HRtfor) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
The wide array of pads, products and equipment at use during this project:
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7515/27982905732_2d7101f289_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCKGXW)DSC04877 (https://flic.kr/p/JCKGXW) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7411/27804677950_f20ef6ecae_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1f49)DSC04912 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn1f49) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7379/27982768932_a0e89b3793_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JCK1ij)DSC04971 (https://flic.kr/p/JCK1ij) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7444/27804650530_9c1d707850_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/Jn16Uo)DSC04973 (https://flic.kr/p/Jn16Uo) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c6.staticflickr.com/8/7441/28085175325_b56ec7e238_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JMMS9M)DSC04976 (https://flic.kr/p/JMMS9M) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c4.staticflickr.com/8/7412/27470510043_f641868e1f_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRtxzv)DSC04985 (https://flic.kr/p/HRtxzv) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c5.staticflickr.com/8/7394/27471064084_74d7924e45_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRwogW)DSC04987 (https://flic.kr/p/HRwogW) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7292/27471096954_ff85c7442b_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/HRwy3E)DSC04991 (https://flic.kr/p/HRwy3E) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flickr
https://c3.staticflickr.com/8/7419/27804598130_2c31891ba1_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/JmZQjW)DSC05006 (https://flic.kr/p/JmZQjW) by Mike Donoghue (https://www.flickr.com/photos/48678828@N04/), on Flick
As always, thanks for looking, and feel free to comment or ask questions!