Those dents at the back don't look too bad and will be easy to burnish out when you have interior stripped out.The dent at the front are in the belly pan which you will remove if you replace the floor.It looks like formed aluminum in that area which is different from my '61.On the later models they called them banana wraps.
There are some threads in the archives on dent removal. The ones in the shell should work out rather well. The key is to start from the outside and work around and around the dent, working towards the center, pressing gently with a tool that will leave no marks. I found that the head of a rubber mallet to be just right.
Never, ever, not ever strike the aluminum with a tool of any kind. Use only pressure and patience.
You may not get it perfect, but if you then polish the exterior it will be very hard to spot where they were.
Stretched aluminum cannot be made to shrink by any process.
The window sheet does not look that bad, but the only way it can be removed is either install a splice or replace the entire window sheet.
The banan wraps are no longer available in metal. We had some made from fiberglass, which is far more resistant to the small rock dings and dents.
It looks like your entrance door may be sprung.
It also looks like your axles have seen better days. You can easily check them out yourself. Go to inlandrv.com Click on articles and then click on the "Dura-torque axle."
Stretched aluminum cannot be made to shrink by any process.
Andy
Not true. But this is not a DIY project, even for a competent do-it-yourselfer. Shrinking hardened aluminum sheet requires precise work with a torch, hammer and dollies. Not a job for the local bodyshop.
The dents in the front by the hitch can be beat out with patience. You will have to remove the bellypan though. It is even easier if that section of the floor has to be removed. I have done it and you can't tell.
It is now ready for new dents.
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-BobbyW AIR# 123
-Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is more cowbell!
-"You want to make it two inches - or, if you're working in centimeters, make sure it's enough centimeters for two inches."
-Red Green
I'm assuming the priority list on rehabbing a trailer is: wheels/tires/axles (to make it safe to tow to where it's going to be rehabbed), tear out all, fix structural, systems and wiring, and shell problems, then do the interior remodel. It'll be a long time before I can pick out curtains, but I can plan, right?
I'm not too worried about the dents, since they are cosmetic problems right now (right?). Just nice to have some links and posts saved for future reference, and to get an idea of what we're in for in the long run.
The floor is damaged in two visible places, by the entrance, and around the refrigerator. We may or may not have to replace the floor, maybe just cut out and replace parts. One can always hope!
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ingrid
1967 24' Tradewind #19104 ~ Forums #4449
Andy, do "sprung" doors need replacing, or just fixing? My husband uses that term for our home refrigerator door. I have never understood what it really means.
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ingrid
1967 24' Tradewind #19104 ~ Forums #4449
A "sprung" door is almost the same as how some people get, sometimes.
That phrase I am sure you heard before, and it's "bent out of shape."
Your door has a cast metal frame, that has become "bent" probably by flying open when in transit, or flying out of someones hand when a gust of wind came by as they were opening the door, and then slammed against the side of the trailer. You can confirm that if you look for a dent in the side metal in the area that the door holdback is at.
Unfortunately, a cast frame cannot be "sprung back" into shape.
Assuming the frame is not cracked, it will have to be cut in the right place and rewelding to it's original shape. This means taking all the metal off before you start the process.
Usually not a job for a DIY.
The bent door frame will allow water to come in around the door. That may be the reason some of the floor is bad, at the door.
A "sprung" door is almost the same as how some people get, sometimes.
That phrase I am sure you heard before, and it's "bent out of shape."
I see...so when my husband comes home late without calling, I get SPRUNG! I like that.
The door frame problem is probably fixable by a metal fab shop in our city, it sounds like. Here is another picture of the frame (I believe it's what you mean, you mean the frame on the trailer, not the edge around the actual door?) and it looks like part of the frame is missing anyway.
Thank you for all of your help. By the way the owner of my trailer says the axles seem OK and he's going to send me some pictures. We will, however, be stopping in for a visit at your place of business eventually...it's a bit of a tow south of us, (we're up in the SF Bay Area) but I'm dreaming of a Baja trip as a maiden voyage. We'll take a side trip.
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ingrid
1967 24' Tradewind #19104 ~ Forums #4449
Although that piece requires attention it is not the sprung door.Andy meant the door itself and the frames inside the door itself that give it it's shape.
In viewing your dent damages, I don't think my comments will apply to you. However, with that said, yesterday I had a shallow dent which was about the size of a man's head removed from one of the curved end panels on my trailer.
My airstream dealer happens to also own a new car dealership that uses paintless dent repair people on a frequent basis to remove dents from used car trade-ins on their lot prior to reselling them. I had taken the trailer in to have a few minor repairs made and asked them to give me an estimate on the cost of replacing the panel. They called me back and asked if I might be interested in allowing their paintless dent repairman to try his hand at removing this dent with his glue on suction cup technique. If successfull, they said the cost would be about 1/20th of what it would be to replace the panel. Also, if successful, removing the dent would allow use of the same panel therefore negating the fact that a replacement panel wouldn't match the other panels and the fact that a replacement panel might leak. I agreed to allow them to try this technique and they were successful. There is now simply no way that you can tell there was ever a dent in that panel. As I said earlier, my dent was shallow and there were no creases to the metal. This probably wouldn't work as well where the dents are deep or where the metal was significantly strethed as looks to be the case with your unit.
Andy, what do you think? Will the dent stay out? It sure looks good right now. By the way, Andy, this is a unit that you repaired many years ago for the previous owner following the Bismark hail disaster. You and your employees do outstanding work! I've seen pictures.
GStephens
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