Airstream did not use Zolatone for very long and ended up replacing it with a vinyl covering applied to the aluminum skin. If you’re tackling a non-Airstream restoration, your camper may have aluminum or plywood/lauan interior walls. Either way, once the major interior components are removed, it’s time to address the interior walls.
In some cases, it might be easier to replace panels with new aluminum then to strip and prep for paint. Before deciding what materials and products to use, visit a painting specialist for recommendations on products and techniques. Painting and prepping vinyl-coated walls (there are special vinyl paints, if the vinyl hasn’t started to peel) differs greatly from prepping for a Zolatone topcoat.
In the case of the Cruisette, the owner wanted the walls stripped and repainted with a modern, low-volatile organic compound paint. With the panels in place, I began the time-consuming and hazardous task of applying automotive paint stripper to work through many layers of paint accumulated over the years.
Keep in mind that this was only a preliminary stripping and panel prep. You’ll be removing the interior panels to address electrical issues and to replace the insulation, so it is not vital to perfectly strip the panels in this step.
Paint Removal
1 The many layers of paint applied to this little Airstream were stripped with aircraft paint remover. This was a first step to prep the walls for removal. Roughing up the paint with a low-grit abrasive helps work the stripper into the paint. While a mask would have been preferred, once the stripper has dried, gassing is reduced and the open shop doors and windows provide adequate airflow.
2 Letting the paint stripper penetrate for five minutes helps it lift the old paint. The many layers and durable Zolatone coating proved to be difficult to remove on this job. Laying plastic over the applied stripper helps prevent it from drying too quickly in an arid climate and allows the stripper to better do its job.
3 A plastic body filler applicator was used to scrape the peeling paint off the walls. The scrapings can be cleaned up with a dustpan or vacuum once they’re dry and should be disposed of in a proper container.
Panel Removal
Once you have a good portion of the old paint removed, it’s time to start removing individual panels. This vintage Airstream did not have blind rivets. While the technology existed during the camper’s production, blind rivets were a relatively new technology and also required assembly, which would have slowed manufacturing. Instead, basic slotted sheet-metal screws were used. By the late 1950s and early 1960s, however, blind-rivet fastening became ubiquitous with Airstream interior assembly.
Lap joints are the simplest method of assembling aluminum panels; they simply overlap one another and are fastened with rivets or screws. You can see the lapped seams of this 1960s land yacht by the door (also visible is seeping mold and dirt from water intrusion). These lap joints indicate that the lower panel was put on first and the top last. So, for disassembly (once the interior is gutted), you start removing the upper panels.
The Cruisette’s wall panels terminated at the bottom, meaning the lower side panels were the last ones to go on and will be the first to come off. That might not be true for your camper, however. Some vintages and models finished skinning the campers with the topmost panel. By focusing on the lap joints, you can locate the last panel installed and remove that one first.
As with gutting the interior, you work backward from the factory assemblers. When drilling out rivets and removing screws, note what was used and where. You may find non-factory fixes throughout the disassembly, and if anything is out of the ordinary (e.g., weird fasteners, out-of-place materials, or panel damage), it should be earmarked for future attention to return to original.
You need to remove hundreds of rivets. Be careful not to let the drill bit walk and damage the panels if you plan to reuse them. To prevent the bit from walking, use a center punch and keep a stock of sharp bits and cutting fluid handy. If you need to go larger than a 1/8-inch drill bit, use a 5/32-inch, as those are easy to find from suppliers. Cutting fluid helps lengthen the life expectancy of your bits and enhances drilling.
This rivet on a 1940s Spartan Manor is one of many that need to be removed to replace a damaged panel. Specific rivet removal tools are available for shaving the head. While these help prevent a drill bit from walking, they’re not necessary to pop an old rivet. A center punch, appropriate bit, and a steady hand is all that’s really necessary.
The Airstream endcap is a defining feature of the brand and a time-consuming, yet essential, piece. This Cruisette has a 13-panel endcap on both ends. The left and right panels are close mirrors to each other and can be easily mixed up. Masking tape or a paint marker helps to keep track of which panels go together. If your plan is to remove all the panels, which can make prep for paint or polish easier because they lay flat, you want to use a 1/8-inch bit. Be sure not to wallow out the holes too much. As rivet hole tolerances increase, you run into problems such as tenting (peaks in between rivets), a loss of roundness or proper shape, and panel wandering during reassembly.
Panel Cleaning
Once you’ve accumulated a pile of interior panels, the next step is to clean them. I used a degreaser, medium or stiff bristle brush, and good water pressure to remove all fiberglass insulation and many other unrecognizable substances that accumulated on the Cruisette’s panels. Take your time to do a good job removing all the dirt and grime from both sides. Also, knock down any sharp edges with a file, sheers, or hammer as you encounter them.
The rivets on this camper already have a recess in the center, so they did not need to be punched. To cleanly remove the head, you need to use a bit that’s the same size as the rivet tail (usually 5/32 or 1/8 inch). If you’re worried about damaging the panel being removed, masking tape can provide a protective boundary around the rivet.
It’s easy to wash off any important markings, so be sure to keep track of (photograph) what you’re doing and to go back once they’ve dried to remark and organize.
It can be easy to crease large panels when handling them, so make sure to have a helping hand within earshot.
Aluminum rivets are pretty soft and the drill burrows quickly into the head. Because you’re using a bit that’s the same size as the rivet tail, giving the drill a slight rotation helps wallow the hole, separating the head from the tail. At this point you can remove the rivet head and move on to the next hole. Before a new rivet can be installed, however, the remaining tail in the rib hole must be removed with a punch or drill bit.
Washing old insulation and accumulated dust and grime from the aluminum panels is essential because you’re