Argosy-Post 4 Removing Interior Skin

My decision to start blogging my restoration process happened about 6 months after purchasing my Argosy. The previous posts were to get caught up and new posts should get into more detail. If you have purchased one of these and decide to restore it, you will find out that they come apart relatively easily. It's time consuming; removing what seems like a million pop rivets, but the pieces come apart little by little. In terms of resources to learn about what to do; the Airstream Forums provides and enormous amount of information. Often the best way to search is using Google and not the internal search engine. The other resource, which I appreciate a bit more is the Argosy Facebook Page. Folks here are positive and encouraging and provide both feedback and moral support.

Once you have most all the interior cabinets, partitions and "things" removed, it's time to start taking out the interior skin. The bulk of these are long strips of aluminum. The longer the Argosy, the longer the panels. One of the biggest challenges for me was removing the very top course. It wasn't really riveted in place but secured between two aluminum J-channels. Under this panel is where the wiring runs live. This panel curves to fit the ceiling. To get this out, I had to create a reverse curve and try not to kink the panel. I started at one end and used a 2x4 inserted between the panel and structural ribs to do this. It took time. I did have to "open up" the J-channel in places but by and large, the center panel came out relatively unscathed.

I'm doing this renovation by myself so finding ways to manage the bulky items can be challenging at times. I rolled the panels up to get them out of the camper door. Thinking ahead, I don't want to deal with cleaning when I put things back together so, after removing each piece of skin, I cleaned them. On the back of each, there is a coating of paint. My Argo was filled with critters, there were mouse tunnels EVERYWHERE. So, the back of the panels had mouse pee stains which needed cleaning (and sanitizing). In reading the forums, 409 seemed to be a favorite cleaner. Bleche-Wite was also recommended by one poster. I bought both to compare. I was hoping the BW would clean up the discoloring on the interior surface. Both worked equally well at cleaning. The BW did nothing to brighten the ambering of the interior skin. I used the 409 mostly due to it's disinfecting properties.

As my Argosy sits out in a field, away from formal power and water, I bring over a few jugs ( I use the 3 gallon cat litter jugs) of hot water each day to wash as much panelling as I can. I use a bristled brush as the sharp rivet holes eat up scotch brite pads. So, I have a panel or two on the ground that gets washed as I am working to remove another. When both sides are clean and dry, I roll them up as tightly as I can and secure them with cord.

Removing the insulation is by far the worst experience I have encountered. Not only was my Argosy infested, the insulation is old fiberglass and disintegrates on contact. Expect to be itchy. I did not want this stuff, any of it, in my lungs or eyes. Goggles fogged up with the respirator so I used safety glasses. Gloves were mandatory. It was too hot for long sleeves. I tried to roll it up as I took it out of the walls. Insulation came out of the walls and right into a plastic trash bag for disposal. Once insulation was removed, I used a small shop vac to clean out each "bay". It did a great job of getting most of the rest of the fiberglass.

I have run out of storage space in my garage/workshop and I needed a place to keep things that would keep out rain and snow. I used mostly scrap wood to build a "tarp shed". I am lucky that a local farmer has a saw mill and I used rough cut lumber for the wood pieces I was lacking . Pallets make up the floor.