I Can't Believe I Did This!

[Frank&Mike]

I backed into a pole. Now what? I did this 2 weeks ago ... finally I'm ready to accept I made a stupid mistake and transition into "repair mode" ... I wonder if I can even straighten this thing out. OR am I just going to have to purchase a new bumper? How much do these cost?

[CRH]

That wrinkle is gonna be tough to get out. You can probably get it back to about 90% .

[Al and Missy]

I bent the bumper on my Safari 25 pulling forward. A friend with some good tools and I straightened it to almost invisible. Yours is worse than mine but you might be able to get it to the point you would be comfortable with it, kind of a badge of honor, LOL.

We used some soft plastic and clamped the short end in a vise and pulled on the long end until it was close to straight. We then used a hydraulic press to straighten the wrinkles.

Al

[J-Dog]

I think you may be able to salvage that. Hopefully you have a shop near you that can perform their magic and save you the cost of a new bumper.
If it was mine I would beat it down to about 90% fixed, like CRH said, and call it good. Although my wife might not agree with that....

[ROBERTSUNRUS]

Hi, either buy a new bumper or find an automotive bumper repair place.

[wulfraat]

I wrecked my rear bumper as well

The chrome bumper itself is $435.73. The lid (if needed) is another $150.00.

bummer.

[ShinyPete]

Frank &Mike-

Shoot - this has all kinds of great story possibilities..........Tell everyone you backed INTO the T-Rex before you pulled AWAY from him. Tell folks that the Bison WERE fighting when you camped on the plains....... Right?

I'm with J-Dog. Fix it pretty good and tell stories!

[rmkrum]

Never let the truth interfere with a good story....

[rstull12]

The good news is you didn't dent the Airstream panels as far as I can see. Sorry for the accident!!

[jrporter7702]

Hopefully, you will have this repaired before this weekend's rally!!



Sorry this happened. See you tomorrow!

[AtomicNo13]

Sooner or later you'll smack the other side for a matching set!

[drairstream]

As above, beat it and stretch it out s--- happens!

Above all, caulk that area against the back of the trailer where the bumper storage connects, looks like it has spread some and could lead to a bad leak/rot in time.

[Jim Flower]

Take the thing off the Airstream, heat the affected area with a blow torch, and then press out the affected area. You can "press" it with a sludge hammer or with a "press". Make sure that you have a block of wood in the mix. I used my jack with the bumper placed on the concrete under the frame of the airstream. Slow and easy, add heat. Came out almost perfectly. Nice afternoon project. Jim

[MickeyC]

There are a few auto bumper repair shops here in Oklahoma. I am sure there are some in Texas. That would be the cheapest route unless you're handy and try to fix it yourself. I would try it myself first, you can't hurt it.

Good Luck

[greenflag]

Backed mine into a boulder. Damaged it in the same area. I tried to straighten it myself. The bumper is stronger than it looks.
Buy a new bumper $400-$500 installed. The holes on new bumper may not line up with holes from old bumper. Mine didn't. Dealer had to drill new ones.

[The Twinkie]

Take it off , straighten as can, cut a slit in the middle of each bend, straighten/level, TIG weld it, grind smooth, re-install.

[Frank&Mike]

First, I apologize for the delayed thank you. I was out of town attending an Airstream group event and then work has had me occupied. Thank you for each of your recommendations.

A friend of mine has an extensive shop and tools (a hobby for him ... would be overwhelming for me) and he's going to give it a try to see what he can do to salvage a repair. I guess it doesn't hurt to at least make an attempt to fix this one. If it doesn't turn out good then I'll purchase a new bumper.

It's probably going to be a few weeks until we get to it ... once we do I'll post some photos of the results.

Thanks again.