Fixing this Dent - How about this approach?

[mello mike]

The previous owners put a nice little crease on the streetside rear just to the left of the taillights. In order to make pulling this dent out easier than removing the entire bathroom and interior panels, I was thinking about removing the taillight fixture and pulling the dent out from the hole. What do you think?

[InsideOut]

Do you have a picture of the dent? I might help us understand your therory...

If it is really a "crease" there may not be much you can do because the aluminum is very soft & stretches easily, making a hardline crease almost impossible to remove.

Shari

[uwe]

Originally Posted by mello mike

The previous owners put a nice little crease on the streetside rear just to the left of the taillights. In order to make pulling this dent out easier than removing the entire bathroom and interior panels, I was thinking about removing the taillight fixture and pulling the dent out from the hole. What do you think?

To remove tailllights:

remove all bathroom fixtures and lower rear interior skin panels.....

If it is a blunt dent, and not a sharp crease, you might get results with a suction cup type dent puller. I pulled out and massaged a basket ball sized dent on one of the curved roof panels on my tradewind a few years back, and it worked very well. Some said I got lucky.

[Road Ruler]

I pulled out most of my dents with the "Dent King" product. With practice it works quite well in most cases. Cost is about 35. CDN.

[mello mike]

http://www.airforums.com/photo...p?i=9746&c=504

[Cedars]

OUCH!!!!!

You may have to learn to love it 'cause I don't think this one is coming out clean.....

Elizabeth in Iowa

[mello mike]

more opinions on this idea.

[Cedars]

Mello Mike..... hummmmm. Doesn't seem like you like our answers! Don't blame you, its not nice to hear is it? Seems like there are only two viable options; learn to view it as a character mark, or completely reskin the area. Creases this deep do not come out. Period. Dents are one thing, but creases such as this, are entirely something else!

Elizabeth in Iowa

[SafeHarbor]

Hi, Mello Mike,

This winter past I watched a tech at Woodland Travel Center just finishing up a repair to a newish slide-out by replacing the same panel. I looked at the old parts, and they looked an awful lot like your damage except that the crease was centered to the right of the taillights, more on the corner curvature than your's.

Technically, I'm still a licensed aircraft mechanic (the license is good until suspended or revoked). Although I haven't touched an airplane in years, I have done my share of sheet metal repairs. My opinion is that your dent is not a "fixer." It's panel replacement city.

[George]

Mike,
I have to agree with the others,
What you have is more of a crease.
After you removed the moldings, tail lights and worked the area ,you would find that the aluminum was streached and there is no way to repair it so it would look presentable.
I have hammered out a few collision's in my day, if it was a steel body panel it could be repaired and brought into shape and then filled with body filler, then painted.
On this type of collision, we would just replace the panel as it would be cost efficient.
But we are talking aluminum here with no filler/paint.
yes, you could hammer it out, but the end result would not look any better than what you have, probably worse
Me thinks the only correct repair, would be panel replacement.
(or live with it as is)
ol'George

[blnfuse]

Hey I believe that just like humans dents (or rubs and creases) are a sign of the wonderful lives that our trailers have lived.
If it becomes to great a repair just love it like you would love yourself if you earned a new scar.
Each coach tells a new story of it's life.