Where do I get it?

[Hamb7]

Where do you buy material for a patch on the skin?

[overlander63]

You can get a piece of sheet aluminum (I think it's 2023) at most any metal supply place. You'll have to check your local yellow pages for one near you. If you want vintage stuff, you can find an rv salvage yard and have them hack off a hunk of it for you.

[davidz71]

When I blew the sidewall out of a Carlisle tire on my '77 Excella 500, there was damage to the outrigger and almost 2' of aluminum behind the wheelwell. I went to Lowe's Home Improvement and purchased Steelworks .025 sheet aluminum in 24" X 48". When I finished with the repair it looked like factory. I had numerous people who couldn't believe the area had be bashed in, torn and insulation pulled out. I also cut out a 4" circle to cover a CB antenna ball mount hole the PO had installed. It looked sharp with about 6 Olympic rivets just inside the circle. It polished up just like the rest of the trailer.

[LLB21]

Any Airstream dealer probably has the aluminum in stock and maybe even a scrap piece depending on the size you need.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Hamb7

Where do you buy material for a patch on the skin?

Your Airstream was built with 2024 T 3 aluminum, that's .032 inches thick. It is also called Alclad.

The underbelly metal is very different from the sides and roof.

The segments appear to be the same material as the sides, but it is not.

Andy

[GreatPumpkin]

All good ideas so far. I didn't have any of those options available locally, but we do have a boat repair shop that had plenty of whatever type/thickness I needed.

[Tim A.]

If a local supplier is not satisfactory, I have had very good luck ordering sheet and other aluminum from OnlineMetals.com. They have the 2024-T3 .032 inch thick aluminum Andy mentions.

[Safari-Rick]

This is why I love this forum !

It is wrong to get excited when a fellow forum member gives out a great piece of information such as Tim did with the OnlineMetals website?

Rick

[Mel]

I also had great luck with Online Metals. They're based in Seattle, so I was able to pick up my order - nice folks, too!

[48_liner]

We're in the process of reskinning our '48. I have a lot of pieces of the original skin that could make up patches. We also have scraps from the new skin. .040 for the outside and .025 for the belly pan. We're purchasing our aluminum from Air Parts Inc. They ship rolled up 12 foot sheets by UPS.

[koltys]

I am replacing the pan beneath the black tank on my '64 Globetrotter. I see from the forums that Aluminum 3004 .024 thick is specified, but the closest Air Parts Inc sells is 2024, the type used on the rest of the trailer. Is it OK to use .025 thick 2024 for the belly pan, or is there a compelling reason to find a supplier that sells 3004?

[The Flintstones]

Here is another source
http://www.aircraftspruce.com/menus/ep/airfilters.html
James

[koltys]

I just talked with Mark at Air Parts Inc about the various kinds of aluminum he sells. After asking about 3004 aluminum, which he doesn't sell, and explaining the application (soft alloy for trailer belly pan), he recommended aluminum type 5052. This alloy is made to better withstand corrosive situations (specifically gasoline) and is still bendable like the softer aluminums, such as 3004. The finish is brushed, not shiny like the alclad 2024, but underneath the trailer, who cares? When I get it installed, I will report here on the results.

PS James, thanks for the reference on Aircraft Spruce.