EPHRATA - Basin auto detailer Bill Quinn is gearing up for what's easily going to be his biggest project to date.

Quinn, the owner of Bill the Buffman Inc. in Ephrata, said he's spent decades detailing cars, trucks, boats, RV's and even small planes. But his latest assignment involves detailing something much larger, he said.

Quinn begins work on Monday on the first presidential jet plane, a 1958 Boeing 707, at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Quinn will spend five days with 31 other detailers from around the country preparing the historical plane for display at the museum.

Only three detailers were chosen from Washington state to work on this project, he said. Quinn is the only detailer from Eastern Washington.

He said he belongs to a network of auto detailers and the founder of the group helped decide who would get to work on the plane.

"He handpicked each individual person based on their abilities, their knowledge and their expertise," he said. "I was really hoping to get picked."

Quinn said he received a text last week, notifying him that he was selected to work on the project.

"I was teary," he said. "This is a critical job because it's a real priceless piece of history."

The plane is also known as SAM (Special Air Missions) 970. It was delivered in 1959 to replace President Eisenhower's Super-Constellation, according to information from the Museum of Flight.

SAM 970 carried presidents Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon. The plane was replaced by a newer model in 1962, but the SAM 970 continued to carry vice-presidents and other VIP's until 1996.

The plane is on loan from the National Museum of the United States Air Force.

Quinn said he heads to Seattle Sunday. He and the other detailers will work from Aug. 5 to 10.

He said none of them are getting paid to do this.

"All the detailers are donating their time, it's really an honor to do this," Quinn said. Several sponsors will be providing materials, shirts and meals for the group while they're out there, he said.

Quinn said residents can visit his company's website and Facebook page for updates on the project throughout next week.

"They said there will be about four or five opportunities each day to snap photos of the plane and our work so I'll be doing that," Quinn said.

Quinn said the link to the company's Facebook page is on the home page of their web site, www.billthebuffman.com.