I've searched and searched and pretty much know several coaches on here by exterior sight alone. I have not been able to find what I'm looking for exactly. BTW is there a way to filter searches by date?
Here's my questions.
Has anyone done a FBP exactly like an original design? White with colored "graphics". Say 1998 to 2000 vintage. The advantage being able to seal everything up, renew graphics and have a smoother finish.
Or has anyone done the same but with a different base coat. Like a silver or such. Then gone back with "classic" painted graphics rather than something original or a copy of another style? That would give it an updated classic look. I think...
We really like the classic look but some of our graphics are severely sunburned. And I have evidence of past water entry that I'm hoping a FBP would curtail with all of the sealing.
Here is a pic of someone's coach that had the jell coat buffed and the original look stripes painted on. I think it looks good and is a lot cheaper than a FBP!
In my experience (and I could be completely wrong), I have never had stress/spider cracks in the gel coat leak into the underlying lamination.
You are right. Sorry I was not clear. I wasn't referring to leaks from stress/spider cracks. Although those telegraphing through a FBP are a concern. I was more thinking about leaks at trim strips, the stupid fake air inlets, etc. Doing a true FBP where everything is removed, trim strips are filled/caulked and everything is reset was the advantage I was thinking about. The coach I just bought shows signs of water leaks at the wall/floor connection on the subfloor, bad leaks at the fake air inlets and when I was running the AC I had a bad leak under the driver's area from water running down the gutter and behind the vertical trim strip at the front. There is evidence that this trim strip was caulked at one point (with what appears to be silicone) but the PO is not aware of it... Sticking with a gel coat and painted stripes is my preference but I also don't want to be chasing ghosting (as I would not put all the graphics back) and I really want to make sure I have no leaks. Thanks folks.
Extreme quoted $9K for my 34' to clean up the coach exterior and paint the factory graphics back on the coach. It was $24K for a FBP with a standard design and goes up from there. Their web site has many great example projects.
We are the owners of the coach pictured above. Buff and painting the stripes $8500. Which included the roof, repair of a small delamination area in roof, gray bedliner for lower stripe, and painting all the storage bay handles which they surprised us with.
We were very happy with the results and with Xtreme Graphics
Bill/Jan Velting
Our coach had some gelcoat checking under the dark green stripes as well as some ghosting. Originally, I was just going to have Xtreme do the headlight conversion and remove the graphics and buff it out. I figured that the blank canvas look would give us a chance to mull over what we wanted. I already knew that I didn't want a FBP because, the 20+ coach bucks aside, nothing would be as easy to keep cool as the white gel coat or be as resistant to scratches from low hanging trees etc. Upon reviewing the ghosting and the gel coat crazing left from the mid body dark green stripes and swoops up on the side, we decided that we needed to do something but didn't want to duplicate the original stripes and colors in paint. James graciously granted us a couple of hours with their graphic artist and we came up with something we liked with a color scheme that suited us.
Xtreme called what we wanted a modified stage one, with stage one being a decals removal and exactly recreating the stripes and other graphics in paint (which is something that Xtreme has down to a science). We left the bottom of the coach naked where some ghosting can be seen in certain angles when the light is right, but they don't bother us and I figure some wet sanding and or compounding with a buffer will make them go away completely. Since the front headlight conversion with addition of the foglight relocation from the generator hatch and the addition of the license plate recess meant the gelcoat on the bottom half of the front cap was all new, no ghosting could be present along the bottom edge where it might be very noticeable. To us, it worked out as good as we could have hoped. I read on the forum that somebody was told by Xtreme that they weren't doing the modified stage one anymore. I don't see why that would be, since it was the ideal solution for us and we paid a slight up charge over the basic painted graphics replacement, but I suspect it is just that they are so booked up with the high dollar work like full body paint jobs. I suspect that James Stallings would be open to it on case by case basis as long as he felt that the customer's expectations weren't unrealistic.
All looks nice. Question, has anyone seen either a clear, or white bedliner material that could be tinted and sprayed on the front end? The front usually takes the worst beating from road wear, bugs, etc.
I did see a write-up from someone who had the front of his motorhome (not a FT) sprayed with bedliner then painted over. But seems that would defeat the purpose of having a more protected front end.
Sorry for the thread drift.
You might consider spraying it with plasti-dip. Google it for thousands of references. It lasts a few years, is diy, and is completely and easily removable provided you follow the recommendations, i.e. sufficient coats. Lots of new high end cars sprayed with it for effect, and when it's time to trade remove it and original paint job is pristine.
I have watched a lot of videos on plasti dip. Great look and diy. But not sure it would be the best choice for the front of the coach. It will be impacted by the constant crap that will hit the front. A good paint and wax might be better. There is a good you tube video of a couple spraying their live in camper van with plasti dip and their review after a year or two. Lots of dings but all in all they were very happy with it.
Here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r70i3wwnlN0)
Sure, paint would look better but then you've got....paint. I want to stay with the easy maintenance and repair ability of gelcoat. Plasti dip is cheap, easily removable, and to my eye the matte finish on lower front cap would look great. Half dozen spray cans, done in a couple hours. Don't like it, peel it off. Low commitment type finish for sure.
Yeah. I like plasti dip. want to do my car with it. Just not sure of the front....