I have repaired and painted many plastic items - including the external
Airstream plasitc vent covers and small interior fittings. (Not to disuade
you from your project Daisy, but I would not consider any major painting to
be a "reverseable" process!)
For painting plastic, there is a primer product made for priming flexible
auto bumpers that I highly recommend. This product is made by many
companies and is available in aerosol form. I like Bond Aid made by Kleen
Strip (Part # EPD456). It is available at Autozone. I have also seen this
same product sold under the name Bulldog. This stuff REALLY makes paint
stick - and to just about anything.
I have found this to be an excellent product for priming aluminum too. I
used an acrylic clear coat to refinish the exterior name and data plates on
our Globetrotter. I was rather disappointed to find that the clear rather
easily peeled off by fingernail. I carefully stripped them. I then gave
them a very thin coat of of Bond Aid, followed by a coat of clear acrylic
finish. The Bond Aid clouded the finish slightly, but it is now VERY well
adheared. I now use Bond Aid as a primer on aluminum trim pieces too -
whether finished clear or painted.
For plastic repairs, I use a product called Devcon Plastic Welder (part #
S-220/22045). This is a 2 part adhesive like epoxy and comes in a twinned
syringe dispenser. Unlike epoxy, it sticks incredibly well to almost any
type of plastic except polyethelene type plastics. This stuff is GREAT for
repairing cracked interior plastic on later model vintage Airstreams, and it
is even a pretty good (off white) color match too! You have to work it
quickly as it has a very fast gel and set time. It sands and trims nicely
when cured. It is widely available, but Walmart is the cheapest source that
I have found by far (about $2.50). I buy several at a time. If you are a
general putzer or repairaholic you will soon be swearing by this stuff.
Arlen
http://globetrotter64.home.att.net/