'96 Excella 25' Need to tap into your wisdom re project

[BarPilot]

I picked up a 96 AS Excella 25' for a very low price. The trailer is completely covered in zillions of fine scratch marks in the clear coat and aluminum exterior. It looks like some one drove thru thick brush and along the bottom of both sides there are gouges that look like the trailer panel went one on one with a very thick sturdy branch that created these gouges. Ive read quite a few of various people's comments on this forum and I am confidant that I'm at one of the right places to receive informed input.

This trailer is going to be a project or its going to be sold right away. I would love for it to be a project but some of the other things I've been told are that the repairs will require the complete replacement of at least 3 large side panels and they are supposed to cost $5,000 each etc. I am just concerned about the exterior of this coach and I know that to fix it I will have to strip off all of the old clearcoat then buff and buff and buff to get past those surface scratches and then re clear it. Like some others I naturally assumed that those gouges could be easily pounded or suctioned out but not I'm not so sure. Any insights you all can share with me will be most appreciated and won't go to waste. I've uploaded 4-5 pics of the trailer somewhere near my profile ...if there is somewhere else I need to post them please let me know Thank You!

[Belegedhel]

Welcome to the Forums!

I did find your damage pictures in the gallery of your profile--most people would just load them directly to the post so that viewers don't have to go hunting for them, but it wasn't a big deal. Anyway, you have a few options in terms of making repairs:

In general, it is up to you. You can spend the time and money to repair these essentially superficial blemishes, or you can go camping and put up with the uglies. These shouldn't compromise any structure, though when the gouges cross a riveted seam, you may want to add some sealent to make sure you don't have a new leak started.

Now, if you do want to make a big project out of this...

The little scratches: I would worry about these later, I mean way later--you are right, to get rid of them, you are oging to have to strip the clear coat and polish forever to buff them out.

The gouges: You aren't going to be able to pull those gouges out from the outside, and working them out (ie., pounding or rolling) from the inside will not result in a "like new" appearance, and will require so much disassembly that you may as well do it the right way. The best way to fix them would be to remove the interior opposite the affected panels, remove the gouged panels, buck rivet the replacement panel into place, and then reinstall the interior. The good news is that these all look to be flat sheets of aluminum, meaning the materials are fairly cheap (NOT $5000). But the labor will be intensive (expensive). If you do the work yourself, then it is just weeks of labor, if you hire it out, then it is going to be thousands of dollars, as you surmise. Now, there may be the options to just "double" some sections of your exterior skin with a fresh sheet, but not remove the original sheet (sort of like very large patches). You may end up with some new rivet lines this way (use Olympic rivets), but you might be able to affect the repairs so that it is quick and dirty, not readily noticeable, and won't require disassembly of the interior. Downside is that doing it this way, using the Olympic rivets, you create new holes and new opportunities for leaks.

Does this trailer have a salvage title? Was this some kind of insurance auction?

good luck!

[BarPilot]

Yes it will have a rebuilt title and was an insurance auction buy. My theory on the title brand on as trailer is this: It's not like a car at all ...if a tree falls on your house and damages your roof you don't have a totalled house or a salvage house ...you get it fixed and then you have a house with a new roof. Salvage vehicles are much different because it usually involves them crashing and after you tweak the frame etc ...they are never the same. I personally could care less if a trailer or towable RV has a title brand so long as it was put back together correctly ...which is what my plan is and I really appreciate your input and advice Thank you

[Belegedhel]

I was only asking about the status of the title, first because I am always curious to see what it takes for an insurance company to declare a trailer a total loss, and second becasue it may influence what approach you take to fix it.

I agree with you that a repaired trailer can be a lot different than a repaired vehicle, but my word of caution is that if your aim is to fix it up and then sell it, you may be surprised that you have trouble breaking even on the deal, because most people think of a salvage or rebuilt title as having stigma associated with it.

If your aim is just to make the trailer nice and then to use it, with no immediate plan to sell, then that is a different story--puts you in the same boat as all of the folks that completely rebuild some field find vintage wreck.

good luck!

[rvb]

You need to do some research into the status of salvage title trailers in your state. Check with your state insurance board or your insurance agent as a starting point. Each state is different. In Texas a salvage title is indeed a negative stigma. You can only get liability insurance so your investment in repairs can not be insured.

In many states you can find a trailer that has been sitting in a field for 40 years and completely rebuild it and end up fully insured with a normal title, but, a $50K trailer with hail damage and a salvage title can't be insured.

[AlinCal]

Title issues aside, For me to want to proceed with fixing this damage the rest of the trailer would need to be in great condition and an interior that I really like. If the rest of the trailer is to your liking and everything works then it might be worthwhile, if appliances don't work and the interior finishes, counter tops, upholstery, drapes, etc. are not what you like then you could easily spend more money and time on this than you will ever be able to recover.
Hows the sub floor? any water damage?

[JCWDCW]

Some years ago ASFactory had to handle serious corrosion or clearcoat finish issues on Brand new Trailers. They took them back and painted them. The look is pretty close to clear coat, and it has lasted 20 years on the trailer I know. One of our members let his motor home for an advertising shoot. The decals they added damaged the clearcoat and the front of the vehicle was painted to cover the damage. I was not aware of the difference between the new finish and the original side wall clearcoat until it was pointed out. Benefit of paint is that you can do normal body work on the damage
I'm considering a similar approach on my '96 that has peeling decals and skin flaws under the clearcoat
Are you sure your trailer is 96...looks like 95
JCW

[sgschwend]

From my point of view, this trailer looks pretty easy to fix.
1) Purchase and install the two side panels; in my experience the work goes a lot faster than you would think. I could remove a panel, the edge wraps and external hardware in one day. I have only removed dents from skins so I don't know if you can just order the skins ready to go (my guess is you need to order and cut a new skin). Then install it.

2) Unless you want a polished trailer stripping the clear-coat is a one day job, another day to finish the stripping and mask and shooting the new clear-coat. It takes about a gallon of stripper, and less than one gallon of clear-coat.

[jucsb]

Originally Posted by sgschwend

From my point of view, this trailer looks pretty easy to fix.
1) Purchase and install the two side panels; in my experience the work goes a lot faster than you would think. I could remove a panel, the edge wraps and external hardware in one day. I have only removed dents from skins so I don't know if you can just order the skins ready to go (my guess is you need to order and cut a new skin). Then install it.

2) Unless you want a polished trailer stripping the clear-coat is a one day job, another day to finish the stripping and mask and shooting the new clear-coat. It takes about a gallon of stripper, and less than one gallon of clear-coat.

This got my attention- what clear coat product are you referring to here? I Haven’t seen this suggested in other comments before.