Since I had everything out of the inside, I decided it was time to attack the trailer's worst blemish. It had a huge dent in the right front. They have short tongues and someone probably jack knifed into it. Almost every Spartanette I've seen had similar damage.
I removed the interior window frame and front wall panel which needed to be done anyway to locate a couple window leaks. I'm sticking to my "keep it original" plan and will refinish the original panel vs. replace it.
I have to say I'm pretty happy with the results. The dent went deep into a corner and also smashed an aluminum stud. There is still a 2" skin puncture that I'll have to deal with but overall it worked out well.
Before.
You can see how hard it was to get in and work that corner out.
After...
I still have a puncture to deal with and there is a sand paper scar where there was a nasty scrape from impact. Not perfect but a whole lot better!
My secret tools are a dead blow hammer, hand dolly, a cast iron spring equalizer off an old trailer, (had the perfect shape and length to work out the corner) a couple large crescent wrenches, (the curved jaw is an excellent way get into hard to reach places and work out curved areas) a half deflated mini basketball to roll out and stretch larger areas, and a tennis ball.
Since the aluminum is stretched, it is likely to pop back in so I fit a shimmed section of 1/4" plywood very, very tightly behind the skin to keep it rigid. Once I get the interior wall panel, new insulation back in, and the window frame polished, this little phase of the project will be done.
