The Unveiling

"It changes color!" Colin told me as I downloaded the latest pictures. "In very bright light it can even look sort of green!"

Yep, the new paint job is done and wow, does it look great. The metallic color varies according to the ambient light, from a deep dark blue to a bright blue, with overtones of green. It seems to pick up the color of the sky and whatever is in the vicinity.

Before we unveil it, here's a "before" shot (which actually makes the original paint look sort of OK). The paint was chalky and weak, with many blemishes. We had already removed the "ARGOSY" emblem at the top and the middle beltline rub rail when this photo was taken last November. Note also the faded clearance lights and rusty tongue.



And in this "after" shot you can get the full effect. New paint, new LED clearance lights, cleaned-up tongue, new entry step, and more. (We still need to install the black beltline insert near the bottom.)



We also painted the A/C cover (although that's not shown in these photos) and other vent covers on the roof, to minimize the "rooftop junkyard" look. Only the Fantastic Vents and antennas were masked off.

Here's another photo, showing the rear. Imagine seeing this on the highway! (Of course, you'll need to envision the big AIRSTREAM LIFE logo above the clearance lights.) I'll have more photos on the pbase gallery by the end of the weekend.



I've said it before, but I'll say it again: THANKS to the guys at GSM Vehicles for their very hard work. They went way above and beyond the minimum requirements to make sure this job turned out right. We are extremely happy to have them as official sponsors of Project Vintage Thunder!



The axles arrived today too -- FedEx freight. The guys at Axis really came through for us. The axles are powdercoated and ready to go. I'll have pictures of the installation coming soon.