B29 Bomber Detailing and Restoring Elite Project

It’s a good thing Avi Cohen, owner of Luxury Royal Detailing & Royal Car Care isn’t afraid of heights, ladders, booms, harnesses, scissor lifts, and cherry pickers. Those are the job requirements for being a high-end detailer these days; especially if you are one of the best detailers in the world, handpicked by your mentor as an elite member of the 2011 WWII B29 Bomber detailing team

During the summer of 2011, Royal Car Care Miami president Avi Cohen joined an elite, handpicked team of 30 high-end automotive detailers to help restore two historic paragons in U.S. aviation history: the original Air Force One presidential jet; and a rare WWII B29 Bomber known as T-Square 54. Both planes are on exhibit at the Seattle Museum of Flight.

Boeing B29 Bomber

WWII B29 Bomber Detailing Team

B29 Bomber Detail Project

The B-29 Superfortress revolutionized World War II-era bombers, enabling long-range missions over Japan. This Museum's B-29, known as T-Square 54, fought in the pacific during World War II, flying 37 bombing missions with the 875th Bomb Squadron, 498th Bomb Group. The bomber was later converted to an aerial refueling tanker for the Korean Conflict.

Boeing B-29 Bomber Interior

Boeing B-29 Bomber Machine Gun

Boeing B-29 Bomber Bombs Selection

Made completely of aluminum, the Bomber, although located on display inside a hangar, was exposed to Seattle’s brutal weather and had never been cleaned since it was abandoned in an Arizona desert in the early 1950s.

“I have a military background, so I don’t have a fear of heights,” Avi explains. “I stacked a ladder on top of a ladder up on the B29’s wing in order to reach the top of its tail because the angle wasn’t right for the bucket lift and we were afraid we would crash into the plane.”

Heavy Acidic-Like Oxidation to the Aluminum

Used Over 200 Polishing Pads

Destroyed Over 200 Polishing Pads!

Restoring the Shine on the Aluminum Tube

WWII B29 Bomber Detailing Team

Restoring the Shine on the Aluminum Tail

Clean aluminum is like a mirror. You can literally see your reflection in its surface; however, unpolished bright work, especially when it hasn’t been cleaned in 60 years, turns dusty black and cloudy from oxidation. Avi and the team used a heavy-duty metal polish and rotary buffers to restore the shine in what was in many ways, more amazing to see in “Before” and “After” pictures than AFO, due to the extreme results.

Once again … see the magic!