1979 Burro - Help needed

[Dave Mac]

Good day all! And Happy 4th!
I am a new owner of the 1979 Burro sold on the Fresno Craigs list last week. I am starting to clean it up and have a few questions.
First off is there a Burro "expert" on the forum somewhere I could corispond with?
Ok... Whats the best way to get the outside of the old egg buffed up and looking better. I imagine I will need some sort of machinery for this but wondering what is the standard practice and products used on a buffer of some type.
Also on cleaning the interior what have you all found to be the best off the shelf type cleaner on the fiberglass.
I am going to have to replace the all the wood storage covers and cabinet doors. I imagine any good wood would do. I am wanting to use something solid instead of the particle board or MDF any suggestions would be great.
And here is a picture of my heater. Is this thing missing the front cover? The guy I bought it from said no that this is the way it comes. Hmm... Could not get the picture in I will try adding it as an attachement.

Thanks for any help
Dave

[Dave Mac]

Here is the second picture of my heater I wanted to place on the message
Dave

[Frederick L. Simson]

And here is a picture of my heater. [b]Is this thing missing the front cover? The guy I bought it from said no that this is the way it comes.

It is an Olympian Wave Catalytic Heater, and yours looks complete to me.

[Gina D.]

Its an older version of a Wave 3 or 6 from Olympian. Probably rebranded for after market or ? A cover is optional, but not required unless you are a dustophobe.

And it will heat your rig nicely. I had one in MY 13 foot Burro and was quite pleased with it.

I use 409 for cleaning the walls in my 17 and also did the same in my 13. If it isn't damaged and discolored somehow, it shines up nicely.

Doors and cubby covers.. let your imagination rule! You can do whatever you want!

[Roger H]

There are a bunch of different ways to "restore" the gelcoat finish. Most involve various grits of rubbing compound and a compound buffer. An easier method is to use Gel-Gloss available from most department stores, RV stores, and marine supplies. Your Burro may not look new after the first coat, but it'll remove a lot of the chalk, the shine will improve with each coat, and you don't have to worry about buffing through the gelcoat.

Roger

[Dave Mac]

and you don't have to worry about buffing through the gelcoat.

Roger

Ok... the Gelcoat... SO what I have is fiberglass with a gelcoat over the top? And if I buff I need to know destroy this gelcoat...is that what I am hearing? Let me go grab a picture to show you just what I am getting into...
Yikes!...forgot it was 103 out there today!
Ok put a couple pictures on (hopefully remember I am new here). I certainly know what you mean by the chalk. I gave it a first wash with some car wash soap and a mop and sponge. Lots of chalk in the gutter out front when I finished that. Still needs more washing. I am a little leary of hitting it with my preasure washer but if I set it on wide spray which is the least pressure I may be ok I think. Then I need to get the shine back on it somewhat. I don't want to start waxing it untill I get the best shine I can on it.
Any more thoughts?

Thanks
Dave

[Donna D.]

I don't want to start waxing it untill I get the best shine I can on it.
Any more thoughts?
Thanks
Dave

Yes, don't use a power washer... or if you do, stay away from the windows. It's possible you'll break the seal of the window to body and if you didn't have a leak before, you'll have one when you're done.

Know to, that no matter what you do, you will not get the shine that the trailer had when brand new. A good cleaning and wax will certainly help, but if you want that very high gloss look you're better off thinking of painting.

[Dave Mac]

Ok... here's the pictures... I forgot to compress them to smaller files.
I'm learning.

[Dave Mac]

Yes, don't use a power washer... or if you do, stay away from the windows. It's possible you'll break the seal of the window to body and if you didn't have a leak before, you'll have one when you're done.

Know to, that no matter what you do, you will not get the shine that the trailer had when brand new. A good cleaning and wax will certainly help, but if you want that very high gloss look you're better off thinking of painting.

I guess I'm still wondering if there is some off the shelf "compound" for buffing that I can try to apply with the cheap car buffer my son has that will get me a fairly nice no chalk looking somewhat shined egg that I can then wax.

Thanks everyone for the help.
I CAN'T WAIT to take the Burro up the hill to huntington lake and beyond.
Huntington Lake

Dave

[Gina D.]

Dave, is that foil around the edges of the roof vent?

If so.. you'll need to attend to that as a BIG potential leaking spot.

I had a leak emergency with my 13 a couple years ago, and I did an on the fly fix EXACTLY like that. I used foil tape with butyl backing..

It actually worked very well, solved my immediate problem, but it really should have been removed, the vent removed and sealed up properly.

That said, I sold the trailer with the temp repair in place 1 1/2 years later. Still not leaking.

The new owner did it properly. (Yes, I told him about it before he bought it )

[Gina D.]

also, what is that vent next to the door?

Thats an add on.

[Dave Mac]

also, what is that vent next to the door?

Thats an add on.

Next to the door lower right is a vent that vents the space where the battery and converter are. Unless your talking about the original AC unit in the window.... thats an old on ethere! and I would think a potential leaker too!.. Good thing we don't get much rain here. Ihave plenty of time for these repairs to the roof vent and what not. Pluss with my experiances in building homes I should be able to take these apart and get them sealed right. although I am noticing that the edges of the plxiglass pieces themselves are not set into the frames in little spots. Pluss the plexiglass is old and scratched and I would like to find a way to replace them also....someday...

Dave

[Kevin A]

When we had our Burro last year, we had the same problem with dull, oxidized finish. I first washed the Burro with a diluted bleach/water mix to get rid of the mildew spots on the top. Next, I gently buffed it with a hand buffer using an RV wash from Cabella's (can be obtained lots of places). Finally, I used Gel-Gloss to finish it up. Looked really nice when done, but not like new. Only new paint will do that. Keep using the Gel-Gloss and it will stay nice!

[MyronL]

Congratulations on the new acquisition. I have a similar heater in my '81. No cover. Don't know if there is supposed to be one. Don't think so. I replaced all my cabinet doors with 3/4 plywood I custom fit myself. I added rabbetted framing for all the doors, for extra support needed because my molded cabinets were in pretty bad shape. Did a lot of fixing up, including to the heavily oxidized and discolored exterior. Being cheap I refused to go the paint route. Instead, I investigated the fiberglass boat industry and settled on a product called Vertglas, which did a great restoration job for me.

You'll find many solutions, many options previously discussed on this forum. Go for it! Great fun.

[Rusty01]

Dave, I was able to replace all the wooden things in my Burro with one 4 x8 sheet of 1/2 inch birch plywood. I did reinforce the table top with some oak strips. I layed all of the old wood on the plywood first, making sure to get the grain on the cupboard doors going the proper direction and then figured out how to cut to maximize the use of the wood.

I used spar varnish on anything that might get wet - the storage covers. On the table top and cupboard doors I used a clear water based polycrylic. Congratulations. I hope you like your Burro as much as I like mine.

[Dave Mac]

Dave, I was able to replace all the wooden things in my Burro with one 4 x8 sheet of 1/2 inch birch plywood.
(snip)

Looks nice in there. What did you use for the wood look floor? And what have you got on the top of your counter? Send some more pictures please I'm gathering ideas.
Dave