Anyone know what's on the lid?

[flyu2there]

Sent two men out this morning to wash and wax the bus. They started with the roof and as the pressure washer was doing its thing, I noticed sheets of clear coat in the wind. OK, understand, bus is about to be ten years old and the clear coat or whatever was shot on at the factory over the "bare" metal on the very top of the bus has decided it is time to leave.

Here's the question, again not a paint issue per say, but what is the best "stuff" to recover the top of the bus? My quick peek tells me wax and to blow off shooting some form of clear...............Ideas and suggestions would be sincerely appreciated.

John

[sawdust_128]

I just had a conversation with a painter. I am doing some touch up work and consulting with him about paint and clear coat. He was very firm in regards as to how clear coat applications must be made because of the potential to delaminate the clear with a presure washer. He stated that people using presure washers don't understand the limitation of clear coats and that he has had to reapply clear to parts of his boss's coach because they blew the clear right off of it. That coach is 2 years old.


I know it's too late on this one, but it's a tidbit for consideration in the future.

P.S. Not 100% on this, but I thought that there was a roof coating spec in the body section of the Maintenance manuals.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

John,

Are you sure there is not a painted surface beneath the clear coat?

My roofs have been painted and then clear coat applied.

If it was my roof and the peeling did not propogate to the sides or caps I would ignore it. If there was a risk of the peeling migrating to a visible surface I would get the bus to a paint facility to take preventive measures.

[flyu2there]

JON,

No paint on this lid....looks to me like 1/4 or greater aluminum butted up against the caps and the edges. Someone cleared the thing and obviously that clear has failed. I was looking at shingles as a viable solution (:D) but do not know if GAF Timberlines, 30 year, would be wise because the roofing nails might be tough!

Seriously, looks like clear over metal, not good. I am thinking of a clear again after I wash, blow or sand the remnants............ I think it might polish very well with carnuba, not sure if it is even an event. Not really sure what a clear over bare metal was doing there in the first place...............but, hey, its a Country Coach.

John

[flyu2there]

Wood Shavings (:D),

Thanks for the reply. I know that pressure washing is kind of a no-no but, at the end of the day, it did show that the clear over metal had failed. As I mentioned to Jon, my first thought is to grind it all off and go with Carnuba however a two part clear, not to be confused with two stage, may well be the answer. The first coat of whatever (probably an aging can of Man O War) lasted ten....I'll be lucky if I last another ten :D

John

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Aluminum is a tough substrate to coat. It requires a suitable pretreatment if there is to be any hope of adhesion, and any lapses in the quality as you are well aware will result in corrosion beneath the surface.

As a plane guy you are very much aware of that. Aluminum is also lousy when it comes to corrosion. Untreated aluminum gets covered with white corrosion fairly soon. The only solution is frequent polishing.

Finally, if you live in a warm part of the country, bare aluminum will absorb heat while a white coating will minimize that heat absorption.

You have some hard decisions to make John.

[Joe Cannarozzi]

I do not think it is necessary to have the coating sprayed on.

I would get one of the numerous products available that can be brushed on.

Jon what was that product I used on EriCs it was clear, also sealed seams and is a way more durable coating than clear coat. You would never blow that crap (:rolleyes:) off with a power washer.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

That was a flowable sealant available at Camping World.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/proflex-brushable-sealant/21208

It will peel off. If you dig at it with a fingernail and start peeling it you can pull it off. I cannot do that with paint that has good adhesion, such as a well applied clear coat.

[sawdust_128]

So Jon, are you saying the sealant is no good or good in your opinion? Would you use it again?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I would use it again and without fear. I limit its use however to roof seams and around roof penetrations. This stuff will not loosen without physical effort, and a lot of effort at that, but once you get a bit of it peeled up a little you can pull it and break the adhesion.

If comes off about as easy as the label on a jar. If a leak occurs in an area previously coated I would try to lift the old sealant off before reapplying it. It cures to about 1/64 to about 1/32" thick and doesn't really harden, but remains flexible. It does flow to an extent so it will not show brush strokes. I suppose it could be used on an entire roof surface but if the aluminum beneath it were to begin getting corrosion it would be a mess.

[Petervs]

I would suggest you paint on the pick up truck bed liner material. It can be done in white to help keep the coach cool, it sticks like mad, will insulate because it will be 1/16 or 1/8 inch thick. Tough as anything, can be dyed to any color if you don't like white, and is not slippery if you ever have to walk on it.

You could have it professionally sprayed or brush it yourself.

It is not necessary to simply repeat the mistakes of the past. Anytime I do a project I always try to make the end result better than it was before, much more satisfying that way.

[phorner]

My experience painting typical bed-liner materials is that they are quite heavy. Would the weight of this material be a special consideration for application on a bus roof?

Otherwise, it sounds like it may be a good material for the job....

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

I think you are close to the point of doing it right. (the top is almost clean)

Clean off all the old crap get completely down to bare metal and properly prepare the aluminum for paint, just as you would an airplane and apply clear coat to that if you wish. I would paint the roof white.

If you decide to do something else, realize that you will be doing it over and over, again and again.

Did you ever have an Airstream?

JIM

[sawdust_128]

I saw this stuff at one of the shows and like it a lot. I also believe that it is manufacturer approved for aliminum and fiberglass.

Insuladd e-coat

http://www.insuladdstore.com/ecoat.php


I also like Peter's idea about the bed liner. I guess my concern would be about getting that stuff off of the roof if you needed to make a repair. I don't know much about it Peter. How does that stuff come off? Is thgat even a reasonable consideration?

I know that with at least a few of the bed liner suppliers, if you order 5+ gallons, they will custom color it. It takes 5 qts for an 8' truck bed. Is the coach roof more than 5 beds worth of area? Probably. They can be applied by roller and are fast drying.

[dale farley]

I too am surprised your top was not painted before the clear coat was applied. As can be seen in the photo below, mine has gray paint on the roof. I always assumed all the 99 CC models came that way. I've waxed mine twice just to keep it clean and shiny.

[garyde]

I don't remember who, but some time ago someone posted their coating of their bus roof and it looked great.

[gmcbuffalo]

Sawdust what repairs would you be doing to the roof after appling truck bed liner? The stuff is never going to leak. I did my 4107 with the Camping World stuff and then covered it with white enamel and it looked great, wore I well also.
GregM

[sawdust_128]

Buffaloe Breath:

How about WATCH OUT! Low branch. Oh crap!!! I can't help it. My Mother's maiden name was Murphy.

[sawdust_128]

Here's the link to a previous roof paint thread.

http://forum.prevostownersgroup.com/showthread.php?t=2763&highlight=roof

[flyu2there]

Thanks for all of the suggestions. To be honest, I just took a quick glance at the roof yesterday... as one, I was not dressed for the occasion and two, the temperature was a bit over 100 degrees....not condusive for a close examination. As I mentioned it looked like "cleared" aluminum plate but I most certainly could be in error; could well have been painted steel

I have used the bed liner coating before however the finish really is not too smooth, hence it becomes a bit of a dirt magnet, not that it won't clean up becuase it will, it just grabs dirt and dust.

My thoughts now are to go up there a re-clear the lid with one of the newer coatings. Although at this point it is just a guess, I am thinking that CC didn't do much, if anything, to the roof when they converted the coach save cut a few holes and do some touch up.............so, what I am looking at is what Prevost sprays on at the factory. I would have thought an acrylic industrial strength enamel vice a base/clear system.

I'll post an update and a couple of pix......

John

[Jon Wehrenberg]

No matter what you do John, It can't look any worse than a bike rack on the back or a plastic shield on the front.

I cannot figure how to work Crap into this, but maybe someone will.

[truk4u]

Fly Dude,

I have the answer for you... I'll get a picture of my roof today and post it. Brian had the green machine roof coated when he had it painted and I think the product works well.

[truk4u]

Here ya go John...

4917

This stuff is great in the heat and I'm sure keeps the bus cooler. Brian will probably jump in here. I don't know the name of the product or any information, so Brian is your man.. You won't need OTR with this stuff!:D

[Petervs]

Well John flyu2there, as Czar of Crap I hereby award you a POG demerit. Wear it proudly.

It is not cool to mine the collective knowledge of the POG gang if:

A. You have not made even a cursory examination of your problem yourself first.
You said you looked at the roof in your jammies on a hot day, then dashed off and posted on the POG site for help before really seeing what your situation was. We do not want your excuses, we want the facts, nothing but the facts please, sir. (Sergeant Joe Friday,Dragnet)

B. You do not accept the findings and suggestions of the POG group.
In this case you seem to have rejected our collective wisdom and are just going to go do what ever the heck you want anyway, in spite of all the stellar advice provided at no cost to you. You can lead a horse to water, but.....

[sawdust_128]

Well John flyu2there, not to worry. You are in good company. I am resisting assimilation into the POG collective as well. I'm definitely hanging crap on my coach, I'm using the vinyl carpet protectors, I'll get a platic sheild and I'm driving 65 mph if I want. Damn the Czars!! Enough of their crap.

Lew is a capitalist and has moola named Lew Bucks.

Peter is a Czar and has Crapola.

Next thing you know, Peter will be insisting on labeled soap for all coaches.

[gmcbuffalo]

How are you guys securing your awning lanterns? Mine don't roll up well with the awning.
GregM

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

Greg, Barb hangs them with velcro.
When I try to stop her I get crap up to my chin.

Peter, you can lead a horse to water and you still get crap.

[flyu2there]

Well John flyu2there, as Czar of Crap I hereby award you a POG demerit. Wear it proudly.

It is not cool to mine the collective knowledge of the POG gang if:

A. You have not made even a cursory examination of your problem yourself first.
You said you looked at the roof in your jammies on a hot day, then dashed off and posted on the POG site for help before really seeing what your situation was. We do not want your excuses, we want the facts, nothing but the facts please, sir. (Sergeant Joe Friday,Dragnet)

B. You do not accept the findings and suggestions of the POG group.
In this case you seem to have rejected our collective wisdom and are just going to go do what ever the heck you want anyway, in spite of all the stellar advice provided at no cost to you. You can lead a horse to water, but.....


Boy, you guys are tough! Dutchman, first of all do not confuse a business suit with "jammies"...........although I have slept in a suit more than once, but that a different story.

I am going to add this issue to my "carry over" list. The only place where I can attack this with any real room is my hangar once we clear out the airplanes. I used the thermometer gun today at 10 a.m., at 18 feet it was 137 degrees......that's way to hot to live, much less to sand, mask and paint. No, I didn't spend a whole bunch of time analyzing this issue however I doubt few amongst us would, make that could have done any better :D As it was, my toupe went straight and my eye make up and wrinkle cream was running...........:eek:

Jon, by putting this on my "carry over" list until the summer heat passes, it will allow me time for the design of a new plastic shield, ladder, bicycle and lawn chair carrier, and my favorite, a holder for one of those blue portable tanks to haul poop away :p I am also considering curb feelers, porta-walls, replacing the muffler with a glass pack, and a bright orange bug reflector on the front. ot to mention the possibility of turning 6 "full Moon Disks"...that will test your. pardon the expression, metal!

While there were several suggestion to use pick up bed stuff (dura-liner or equivilent) that will add way too much parasitic drag...for the aviators amongst us. Whatever is up there is simply going to be repainted or polished, whichever takes the fewer man hours to complete...and no, I am certainly not going to do this one myself, that's what I pay Hose A for.

John

[Jon Wehrenberg]

John,

I am looking forward to the design upgrades you intend to add. Heaven knows this group can use all the class it can muster and you apparently will have us all outclassed.

Give some thought to a rear display window with the doggie and the bobbing head, said window outlined with what we used to call dingleberries.

[sawdust_128]

"....putting this on my "carry over" list until the summer heat passes, it will allow me time for the design of a new plastic shield, ladder, bicycle and lawn chair carrier, and my favorite, a holder for one of those blue portable tanks to haul poop away :p I am also considering curb feelers, porta-walls, replacing the muffler with a glass pack, and a bright orange bug reflector on the front. ot to mention the possibility of turning 6 "full Moon Disks"..."


John: You are my hero!!!;) I think you just became the POG Czar of Smack Down.

P.S. I know you really got into it and all. but you forgot to mention adding the other soapdish holder. Maybe you're already up to speed on that. :D

[lewpopp]

Sawdust,

Peter has already come up with a name for his soap...."PETERSOAP"

Now don't use too fast.

[sawdust_128]

Lew: Is that first hand knowledge?

[flyu2there]

I too am surprised your top was not painted before the clear coat was applied. As can be seen in the photo below, mine has gray paint on the roof. I always assumed all the 99 CC models came that way. I've waxed mine twice just to keep it clean and shiny.


Dale,

Finally donned a jump suit and climbed up. Top is just like yours save it appears to be a silver rather than a grey...........

The clear coat has failed in a couple of spots however not in the usual sense. Base/Clear systems, when they come off usually leave an ugly half washed out primer look behind, suppose this is due to the reaction between the two coatings after they catalize when the clear is applied. This one looks like someone, most likely CC, applied a clear coat over the original paint which looks all in the world like a silver acrylic enamel. Looks like the best fix on this roof would be to apply a two part urethane single stage grey or silver, perhaps white after a little scuffing and a thorough wipe with Prep-Sol. There is not very much to mask so it looks like a fairly easy job however it cannot be painted until the temperature around here drops into the 80 range, even then the slowest reducers tend to gum up the gun. Guessing at three gallons of paint to do the job.....

John

[dale farley]

John, I'm glad to hear you had some real paint under that clear coat. It would definitely have to be cooler than around here to do painting.

I just noticed it is 106 on my front porch in the shade. Must be 112+ with the heat index factored in. Makes me wish I was back i Yellowstone for the summer.

[truk4u]

John,

Here is the link to the roof coating on my bus that Brian provided:
http://www.tapecoat.com/tc_pdf/TC_Roofseal.pdf

The cost for the product when Brian had it done was $260.00 for a 5 gallon pail. One pail should be enough to do your bus.

Sounds like your heading in a different direction, but thought you would want to check it out.

[GDeen]

Got the same problem. Camped in N. Arkansas this week while up here for work related stuff. Survived a severe storm with 60+ mph winds and 15 minutes of intense marble to quarter size hail without visible damage - however, next day in the dry wind and sun I had large flakes of clear coat from the roof laying all around the coach. :eek: Haven't had time to climb up there yet but I know the roof is painted underneath.

I guess the clearcoat on the roof is prone to failure because the sides of the coach look great still thankfully.

[MangoMike]

Just received an email from Parliament Coach in Florida on ceramic roof coating starting at $39 per foot.

[BrianE]

Mango, Spending $13k plus probably works for you PP dudes but I'll take the ceramic coating that the Sheepman posted.

The current price for TC Roof Seal: http://www.tapecoat.com/other_pages/roofseal.html, is still around $300.00 for a 5 gal. pail (enough to do a 45' coach).

[flyu2there]

While the top coating on the coaches that Truk, Brian and others have advised is probably a very viable solution, I am going with re-clearing the top with a two part clear.
I spread the white stuff on the lid of another motorhome and although the job, at very least is messy, it worked well; my complaint is that it did not go on smoothly and was difficult to work. The stuff is a dirt magnet and probablly induces skin friction (drag), not that it really matters, however the upshot is that it probably adds R something to the lid.
A good two part clear can be applied in a very few minutes and should last 5+ years without anything. Scuff the lid up a bit being careful not to penetrate the base coat and let her rip.......... It's cheaper, more appealing, and keeps things looking stock.

John
.

[flyu2there]

Well after paste waxing the bus with carnauba, beating on rub rails for a week followed by incessant polishing, I went up on the roof. What a mess, it was too hot when I discovered the issues (peeling clear coat), but now, thanks to a half dozen or so more pressure washings and a little more time......looks like someone with a really bad sunburn, say a week ago, and it is peeling everywhere. Looks like my only option is to pack several lunches, by about 1500 disc sheets of 320 and see if my air compressor and dual action sander can handle the job. I do not see any way to apply anything to the roof unless it has something to stick to and, peeling clear isn't going to be it!

The lid is made of sheet metal, not stainless and obviously painted well in a gray finish by Prevost. It was CC, who squirted the clear over every thing, at least that is my guess. A gallon of clear out to do the job and the finishes are a bit better than they were ten years ago, nevertheless, do not let anyone power spray your roof...lesson learned, or about to be:mad:

[BrianE]

John, Remember the lid is aluminum (it's been almost 6 months since this thread started). I think you'd agree that not scratching through to basemetal would be advisable as long as the base paint is bonded well. Agree that single stage poly is the way to go if you don't like the idea of a thicker coating like Tapecoat. Wouldn't color pigmented paint add to its durability?

[GDeen]

John,

I have completed the repair of my "lid." Had identical problems as you did - namely the clear coat was peeling off everywhere. Once the failure started, it kept on coming. Seemed like the more UV exposure it got with every trip, the worse it became.

Biggest problem for me was that Marathon had caulked the roof penetrations over the clear coat. This caused a leak where the clear coat was peeling up under the caulking. I believe Prevost cleared these as we now have my Marathon, your CC, and Brian's Liberty that had the problem.

Here is what I did. Pressure washed off the loose stuff and everything that would come loose just with that. Then did quite a bit of sanding around the edges such that there was not any more unbonded clear coat.

I bought 2 cases of the Tapecoat material that Brian had his roof (now Truk's) done with - 8 gallons total.

My secretary's husband is a professional independent painter. I invited him out to check my prep job and also confirm my plan. He volunteered to do it for me for a reasonable fee (I was not looking forward to applying the tapecoat).

Ended up using 4 gallons (1 case) of Tapecoat in 4 coats. He suggested a short nap roller rather than an airless gun which would have globbed it on more. The result is a very smooth looking surface with what we think is plenty of mill thickness to protect the seams. I also hope to gain some reflective value out of the coating in the sun.

I have an unopened case of the Tapecoat product I will sell you at the cost I got it for (or anyone else for that matter). Paid their wholesale price so it is pretty reasonable.

[truk4u]

Gordon,

You did a great job and looks like a new roof!;)

[gmcbuffalo]

Gordon is your bus lid seamless? My 1991 XL have rivits and sheet seams.
GregM

[flyu2there]

Gordon,

I read about tape coat and that is what I will be using....let me know if you still have it. Did you use their tape as well? My plot is a bit thicker because I have three roof air's up there as well as the rest of the "stuff" and, it looks to me like CC shot a clear over everything. I have pulled the covers off of the a/c units and they are getting sprayed with acrylic enamel with hardener to match the original color. The covers had failing clear on them as well but it certainly appears not to be a base/clear combo but rather clear on top of enamel or poly....someone was very cunning indeed with the clear. I am quite certain that my roof is sheet metal with a nice assortment of rivits rather than my original aluminum guess....just not looking forward to scuffing the thing up with sandpaper, especially around all of the "stuff".

[GDeen]

Thanks Tom - I am very pleased with the outcome.

Greg, I have the one piece roof with rivet seams at each end. Attached is a photo towards the rear where you can see that seam.

John, I still have the unopened 4 gallon case of Tapecoat. Let me know if you want it and I will get your physical address and get it on the boat Monday. I did not use the membrane tape per Brian's recommendation. A copy of the invoice is attached as a PDF - $45/gallon.

The caulk around my Fantastic Fan was not sound so my son and I scraped it off and re-caulked it. The caulking on the other penetrations was still in pretty good shape, so we just went right over it with the Tapecoat.

[BrianE]

Gordon, Fantastic job. Would never have thought you could get such a smooth job with a roller. Will copy your technique if/when I need to do our Royale. We didn't use the Tapecoat membrane tape because the joint seals on the Liberty were in good shape. Would think if you used the tape you would want to remove the old joint sealant to reduce lumps and bumps.

The Tapecoat job will be more of a challenge on a roof air coach. Not having had to remove the A/C covers yet, am not sure if an adequate job could be done without removing the A/C's and their related drain lines.

John, some pics of your project would be appreciated.

[tdelorme]

Gordon, while I would much prefer to jerk your chain in some inane way, I'm going to just be a bigger man and say, outstanding job on the roof. Didn't think you had it in you, I was wro wro wro wrong.

How bout this, my Liberty is several units older than your M brand bus and my roof looks like new. What's with that?? Actually, I haven't taken time to climb up there and look around. Puttin that on the to do list.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I might be wrong and will put my flame proof suit on if I am, but the two conversions in which peeling of the clear coat is discussed I believe are two of the conversions that do not use factory paint jobs.

I do know Liberty does not put paint jobs on their coaches but gets them finished by Prevost. I suspect the same holds true for Royale.

[Alek&Lucia]

Jon you are correct. Our Royale has a Prevost Factory Paint job,

Alek

[flyu2there]

I might be wrong and will put my flame proof suit on if I am, but the two conversions in which peeling of the clear coat is discussed I believe are two of the conversions that do not use factory paint jobs.

I do know Liberty does not put paint jobs on their coaches but gets them finished by Prevost. I suspect the same holds true for Royale.


Jon,

I have the build sheet from Prevost and it shows that my shell left the factory painted in Indian Silver Metallic. I think that CC just perfumes the pig a bit and squirts it again when they are finished with the conversion.....

Pretty well convinced that the pressure washer guys are the perps but, what the hay, 10 years on paint that got very little attention is probably close to term.

[garyde]

I have some clear coat coming off now on my top front Cap. the majority of the roof has a white paint sealer, I'm not sure what was used.

[Reagan Sirmons]

John,
As a street rodder of some years and having refurbished our coach from the metal up, I think you are going to have a mess on your hands. The proper preparation of the metal is essential for a successful finish. This might be a good time to examine the sealant used in all areas of the roof. The process of removing the old sealant, replacing it with current aircraft sealant products, preparing the roof for a primer and then painting / clear coat to match the coach will not be as expensive as you might think.
If you are near a Freightliner truck body shop, I can assist you in getting good price treatment. Keep in mind, this is not a computerized paint job on the roof. For the record, their paint and body shop business is at about 30% of 24 months ago and they have labor willing to work after hours on specific projects. I may be off base but I am thinking less than $3000 to $3500.
Just my thoughts,
Reagan Sirmons
Pres

[GDeen]

I might be wrong and will put my flame proof suit on if I am, but the two conversions in which peeling of the clear coat is discussed I believe are two of the conversions that do not use factory paint jobs.

I do know Liberty does not put paint jobs on their coaches but gets them finished by Prevost. I suspect the same holds true for Royale.

Jon,

I believe Brian's old coach that had this problem was a Liberty. None the less, whoever did it, Marathon or Prevost didn't use proper product or technique for longevity. The paint job Marathon did on my body is truly excellent and still in great shape. If they did the roof, they did a crappy job. Like John, my build sheet shows the coach delivered from Prevost with Indian Silver metallic, so who knows? Maybe Steve Bennett can weigh in since he has seen so many conversions. I see pics of roofs like on Dale's coach and how nice it looks still and wonder what was done differently.

Ted, your Liberty is just an exceptional example of the finest craftmanship out there. :p

Mike the painter who actually applied the product has quite a bit of experience with elastomerics (sp?) from industrial work, and also is experienced in auto body work. We discussed re-doing the automotive finish but we both decided this would be the best solution IF I didn't care about an automotive looking finish on the roof, which I didn't care about.

His main concern was proper prep of the surface for good adhesion. He came in behind us and did some additional sanding and used some type of solvent to ensure he had a clean surface to bond to.

My total cost in the deal was roughly $800 plus my labor which is very cheap! (Edit - should say total Labor - add in the $190 for Tapecoat). My main concern was a smooth finish that would not hold dirt and I could keep clean, plus obviously a good seal. I feel like we accomplished both.

[BrianE]

Tom's Liberty did indeed have failing clearcoat on the roof. The coach was delivered from Prevost with the complete paintjob. If Liberty applied the clearcoat on the top, I agree they did a lousy job. Mike Wilson did the strip and paint on the coach as well as doing the Tapecoat on the roof. Mike applied the material with a notched spreader because he thought it would be more effective (cost wise too) to accomplish the job in one coat. Mike charged me $1300 for the roof job including prep and resealing around penetrations.

To review his bonifides, Mike http://www.willyscustomconcepts.net/ worked with John Stahr at Marathon for many years before going independent, as has Stahr.

[flyu2there]

Reagan,

You are absolutely correct. To be done correctly all of the junk on the roof really should be removed and the surface stripped, prepped and painting begun anew, from primer to finish coat. My exterior paint is nearly perfect and unfortunately, that process could well jeopardize the entire existing paint scheme.

I am by no means an expert on these elastomeric paints but I have used it....and yes, it is not very pretty, but it really does the job. Here in Arizona there are companies that spray the stuff right over existing roof's on homes....yeah they spray the roof with a hose and knock down any leaves and large pools of dirt, but it is applied over very unsavory looking materials, be it rolled roofing on the flat roofed southwest style homes or even shingles on the more ranch style homes. At the end of the day, the product really does stick, and stick to anything I might add. We used the stuff on a hangar, no prep, no nothing......5 years and its still there!

I have not seen too many coaches with what I would call a pretty roof. The best of the best, they are still up there at the factory squirting Sikaflex over every screw head, every component on the roof.......it is functional but certainly not "professional" in appearance.

My original plan was to strip (carefully), sand and re spray, not with a base clear but with a single stage urathane with a hardner ( I gave up early on the thought of respraying just the clear)...what we use on airplanes. It is durable, long lasting but still requires regular attention.
I did some research on what Brian E used and made the call....

Gordons coach looks terrific and hopefully we can achieve close to the same results. Plan on scuffing it up, touching up caulked areas, and after a wipe with a chemical, applying the white coating.

[flyu2there]

Brian,

Pulled the covers off the roof air and found stress cracks on two of the three at the screw holes, might be something that one wants to check every now and then. I have re enforced all of the holes with resin and glass and will paint them tomorrow. I lost a cover on a previous coach after tangling with the Santa Ana's, took a while for the replacement to arrive not to mention that a rain event might have caused serious grief sans cover.

I see no issues with the coating and the roof air's other than the fact that there is going to be some ladder work. They are all pretty well gooped up with caulking at the base and some masking will be in order.

[Steve Bennett]

We have seen failing clear coat on a variety of coaches. I have seen some flaking on virtually every XL coach we have had with a clear coated roof. It is generally only a cosmetic problem, as the silver base coat holds up well. It would be wise to check for leaks were the sealant around any roof penetrations is applied over the clear as there is a possibility of water getting under the clear coat like Gordon may have experienced. On coaches without a clear coat (my 92 Marathon is an example) the roof looks great with no pealing or other failure. The problem is that the silver metallic finish exposes the aluminum flake in the paint to the elements. When we get runoff from the roof it leaves a residue on the sides of the coach were the water drips down. My guess is that it is caused by the oxidation of the exposed aluminum metalflake, and the paint material. Gordon did an exceptional job on his coach, and we are considering a similar option. I would probably like to tint the material to a light grey, as I think the white finish would stand out to much, although the lt. grey would heat up much more in the sun.

[BrianE]

Thanks John. I suspected this might be a problem area. I have a very small leak near the outlet for the forward AC. Will check for cracks. Wobbling up and down on the ladder isn't much fun and can visualize an old pair of Levi's and teeshirt with a pile of broken bones inside......ugly.

[hhoppe]

My first coach got a new white paint job on the roof when it reseived the total exterior paint job. It made the interior of the coach much cooler than the previous aluminum finish. I think adding white to the roof while holding it away from view along the edges is very beneficial. I'm looking forward to doing the same to my Liberty. On a hot day put your hand on a aluminum roof and then on an aluminum sheet painted white. Big difference. Or test with your hand in a parking lot between silver cars and white cars on a hot day.
Of course with the Superior Over The Road AC on Liberty's little help is needed on the road. It's when you are parked in Arizona the white roof results kicks in.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Good one Harry. If you keep that up you may get your own fan. Personalized.

[flyu2there]

Electrolysis? I found a large number, well over 100, of small dime to quarter sized areas of impending clear coat failure on what I can now confirm to be 030 aluminum skin found on the roof. These crop circles appear to be the cause of the clear to lift and it is noteworthy that they appear all in the world like an old smallpox vaccination scar. Large dot in the middle followed by a number of smaller dots surrounding.

I am familiar with the dis-similar metal thing and also with all of the electricity running around in these coaches.......... To remove all signs of the scars I had to cut to the base metal, it was not just a surface imperfection but rather one appeared to start from underneath. It is also interesting to note that my clearcoat failures were all in the field, nothing close to any of the holes in the roof. I sprayed zinc chromate (hard to find anymore) over all areas that became exposed, followed by primer.

I will post a couple of pix tomorrow, just curious if anyone else has noted these, even if the clear is intact...... I suppose that a sacrificial zinc, screwed somewhere to the roof would be the test.

[BrianE]

Thanks for keeping the info coming John. your trailblazing reports are much appreciated. Am not looking forward to doing the job on a roof air coach where drain lines and seals make it much more onerous than with cruisairs.