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Old 06-06-2012, 03:40 PM   #1
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1973 27' Overlander
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Help! Big Dent bumper

My 73 Overlander trailer got a huge dent in the bumper. Can it be pounded it out? Can it be fixed? Is the bumper aluminum. Any advise would be appreciated. Check out the pick

I just noticed the picture is turned sidways. I can not get it to turn clockwise. Just lean your head to the left and look.

Brian
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Old 06-06-2012, 03:44 PM   #2
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Yep. I just did mine, but you will need a porta power or a jake you can get in there to push it out with. And a bunch of pounding. It won't be perfect but you can get it with a bit of work
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Old 06-06-2012, 03:48 PM   #3
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Originally Posted by Lothlorian View Post
My 73 Overlander trailer got a huge dent in the bumper. Can it be pounded it out? Can it be fixed? Is the bumper aluminum. Any advise would be appreciated. Check out the pick

I just noticed the picture is turned sidways. I can not get it to turn clockwise. Just lean your head to the left and look.

Brian
Brian.

All you can try to do is pull or push out the dent.

If the bumper tears, then you will know what you have to do.

Use caution, as the bumpers are not very cheap.

Andy
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Old 06-06-2012, 04:00 PM   #4
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It can be made to look much better but I would remove it from the trailer to do it. That looks to be a twist and end type fold. I've had sucess straightening steel auto bumpers with this type of damage. It may never be perfect, but you can sure make it look much better with a bit of massaging. I had good results straightening the one on our 76 a few years ago.

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Old 06-06-2012, 05:06 PM   #5
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At least you had the bumper take the hit, and not the body panels! The newer Sport models, with no bumpers at all, would make me very nervous to move around.
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Old 06-06-2012, 05:23 PM   #6
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My 73 Overlander trailer got a huge dent in the bumper. Can it be pounded it out?
Yes it can be pulled out and straightened to a degree. My bumper was messed up when I bought my AS. The previous owner caught it on something and it pulled the bumper out and twisted it slightly. I called all over town for body shops that work with aluminum - yes it is aluminum and found one who had me bring it over. When I walked in with just the bumper (there are only four screws that hold it on) they laughed at me. The owner said that it was twisted which was very difficult to get out but any repair would have to be done with it on the trailer. He also stated that aluminum is hard to work with because it does not bend back like steel and will continue to go back in a wrong shape rather than return. So, we beat it with a body hammer and worked at it by sight and improved it considerably. It is not like new but a vast improvement. Yours is pinched in a tight area. It can be pulled out then pounded to a close position as it was. The roller machines, I was told, would not work with aluminum. The center bottom of my bumper still has a slight appearance of being pulled out. I hope this is encouragement to fix it but also sets a bit of realistic outcome expectation too.
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Old 06-06-2012, 06:36 PM   #7
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Good luck bending the other side to match
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Old 06-06-2012, 06:46 PM   #8
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Thanks guys. I am inclined to live with the fix I do. I think I will ge a body hammer and pound it back in place.

Brian
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Old 06-06-2012, 07:00 PM   #9
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Mine was pushed in right in the middle when I bought my 02 Safari. I removed the bumper and used a large rubber hammer to pound it back in shape. Yours is damaged worse than mine but I believe you can improve it considerable with a little effort. But I would remove it from the trailer to do the work.
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