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Old 06-05-2009, 05:58 PM   #1
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Basketball Dent - What do you think?

Airstream got a basketball dent in the driveway. Grandkids - can't live with them and can't live without them!

What do you think?

Repairable by amateur? How would you go about it?

Other suggestions?


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Old 06-05-2009, 07:29 PM   #2
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It might be repairable , hard to tell without trying . It won't be perfect , depends on what is acceptable to you.
First stage , try your local body shop and see if their suction puller will pull it out
Second stage , remove the interior plastic end cap and massage it out from the inside.
Stage three , have the panel replaced , about a grand.
Check with your insurance.
Good luck
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Old 06-05-2009, 07:36 PM   #3
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Yeah I would try the suction puller first. Make sure the aluminum is good and hot. I will work better than if it is cold.
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Old 06-05-2009, 07:56 PM   #4
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My brother pulled out a much deeper dent than this one using a Product called Dent King from an auto parts store. Get it warm out in the direct sun and give it a shot.

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Old 06-05-2009, 10:31 PM   #5
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Suction cup or story?

Hi, I would try the suction cup method first and if that doesn't work then it could be a good campground story. "Yah, me and the grandkids were playing basket ball and........................................"
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Old 06-05-2009, 11:56 PM   #6
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That dent was created by a basketball traveling at warp speed! Were the g-kids having a slam dunk contest?
Neil.
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Old 06-06-2009, 07:31 AM   #7
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That's Ding King. The same product is available under the name Pops a Dent. It should reduce the dent quite a bit. You can do the same thing with some short 2x2 lumber, a hot glue gun and a hair dryer.
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Old 06-06-2009, 09:29 AM   #8
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Don't delay if you are going to use a dent puller. The sooner you pop the dent,
the more likely it will return to normal. Wait and the dent is a lot harder to pull out and get it looking normal again.
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Old 03-12-2010, 10:33 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumatic View Post
That's Ding King. The same product is available under the name Pops a Dent. It should reduce the dent quite a bit. You can do the same thing with some short 2x2 lumber, a hot glue gun and a hair dryer.
Any pictures of how this works. Thanks Susan
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Old 03-12-2010, 10:50 PM   #10
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Huge Suction Cup

We had a dent about the same size but deeper almost right in the middle of the back of our 1974 Tradewind.

We popped it out with a huge suction cup with a little lever that you flip once you create a seal-less than ten dollars. No hot glue necessary. We did it on a 90 degree day and it litterally popped right out.

You can see the dent in the image below or click on our "Images" for a larger image. It was taken one day after we purchased our trailer.

Good luck and please let us know how things turn out!
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Old 03-12-2010, 11:01 PM   #11
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Any pictures of how this works. Thanks Susan
Hi, my friend DG at work, at the Jackson Rancheria Rally. Not perfect, but a lot better.
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Old 03-16-2010, 07:18 AM   #12
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...can you provide any addl info on DG's expertise, Bob? I tried a Harbor Freight cheapo puller, no luck, went the Ding King - hotgluegun route, no luck... any insight is appreciated..
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Old 03-16-2010, 11:48 AM   #13
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I contacted a local *paintless dent removal* company who did a good job of pulling out my dent (of similar size and location, though mine was at a seam) for a really reasonable price. See my post for pictures: http://www.airforums.com/forums/f381...hit-59265.html post #11 for before, post #30 for after pics

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Old 03-16-2010, 11:50 AM   #14
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Hi, my friend DG at work, at the Jackson Rancheria Rally. Not perfect, but a lot better.
Watched a guy in a campground trying this technique of pulling out the dent himself, using a double handled suction device. But he was standing on a ladder. Yikes. First good pull and he about yanked himself off the ladder.

Laura
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Old 03-16-2010, 01:05 PM   #15
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I can't stand this guy, but even though he is dead, his voice lives on. Here is a Utube video showing how the DingKing works:
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Old 03-16-2010, 02:08 PM   #16
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...can you provide any addl info on DG's expertise, Bob? I tried a Harbor Freight cheapo puller, no luck, went the Ding King - hotgluegun route, no luck... any insight is appreciated..
I have about 6 different size suction cups. some with handles some used to hang stuff on the fridge.
Funny the ones in the pic that Bob provided are harbor freight cheapies. I've had good success with them.
problem with aluminum is that once it stretches it kinda stays that way.So therefore it's easier to get a better finished product with a shallow dent on a flat surface, compound curves are another thing.Anytime there are 2 sheets riveted together it becomes more difficult to smooth things out. I'm thinking that the next time I run into an overlap I'll drill out the rivets and see if that will allow the panel to move a little.Then rerivet. My aircraft experience has shown me that a very small size will make a difference.( usually when fabricating - join up the panels with #40 bit and cleco- then go back and drill#30,). And I would have no problem drilling a few new holes. but that's me.There are a lot of good sealers out there to close up any space between surfaces. It's always best to remove the inner panel also. Gives you a lot more options. I've used basketballs, softballs. dowels, beer bottles, well you name it, on the inside surfaces with very good results.
It's already messed up, how much more damage can one do to it??
If you're the kind of person that could get both hands caught in a vise do not attempt any of the above. seek help
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Old 03-16-2010, 02:53 PM   #17
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Watched a guy in a campground trying this technique of pulling out the dent himself, using a double handled suction device. But he was standing on a ladder. Yikes. First good pull and he about yanked himself off the ladder.

Laura
Did you find someone to replace the rivets on your roof repair? or at least the right answer to making seam waterproof.
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