Bumps and bruises

[LezlieG]

Hello all--
Attached are a couple of pictures of dents in the skin of our '69 Overlander.
Do we have to take the whole thing off or can you do sections (and how much do you think that will run?), or is there a way to "pull" these out by ourselves (meaning I will fetch tools and glasses of iced tea while my husband does the real work)?
Thanks,
Lezlie

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by LezlieG

Hello all--
Attached are a couple of pictures of dents in the skin of our '69 Overlander.
Do we have to take the whole thing off or can you do sections (and how much do you think that will run?), or is there a way to "pull" these out by ourselves (meaning I will fetch tools and glasses of iced tea while my husband does the real work)?
Thanks,
Lezlie

There are 7 panels that use 2024T3 aluminum, which is tempered, stress relieved.

They are the panels below the fronat and rear windows and all of the metal on the sides.

The rest of the metal which is called segments and the 4 quarter panels, are all soft aluminum.

The hil dents in the 7 panels, for most part will simply go away when they are exposed to enough sun, and may take months or years, depending on the exposure.

The segments and quarter panel dents, are ther to stay, as that metal has been stretched.

You cannot pound out those dents or shrink them.

There are three things you can do.

1. Replace those panels, that ball park run about $ 1000.00 each installed, unless you do the work, and then they average less than half that amount.

2. Ignore them.

3. Wear very dark sun glasses when around the trailer, so that you can see them.

Andy

[NJtoNC]

Oh boy. Did u get this trailer free or really cheap?

[LezlieG]

Is $4000 really cheap? I thought so...! You think we bought a lemon?
It is really well maintained on the inside. Mostly cosmetic changes to be done, but Rick still needs to go over the AC and wiring (both work). Good thing he's handy!

[LezlieG]

Thank you so much, Andy, for your response! I will pass it on to my spouse.
Best regards,
Lezlie

[Globie64]

Honestly, my first glimpse of the end panel and I think it looks kind of cool- I've had panels of copper beaten for that kind of finish. If it was a big dent it would be ugly, but... lets see more pics. That is unusual, more of a texture than a blemish. If you hate it, then you should fix it, but I'd do whatever other stuff needs to be done (the easy stuff) and then see how you feel, THEN tackle it if you need to.

[Belegedhel]

Just my 2 cents: I have my trailer completely stripped to the outer skins on the inside. I just replaced one of the front quarter panels. It cost right at $500 for the new panel + shipping. I thought I was being darned careful with the new panel, but if it catches the light just right, you can see a bit of a ding in it. So $500, and lots of hours of work, and the new panel still isn't perfect. I've a ding or two in several of the other panels, but I have concluded that it just isn't worth the grief or expense to replace them.

The other observation I've made is that on my trailer, a rear quarter panel had been replaced as well as both of the front wing windows. The seams are all very marginally sealed since they were done using olympic rivets without removing the interior panels. I'm convinced that this marginal seal job contributed to leaks and floor rot that I found all around the perimeter of my trailer.

So if your shell isn't leaking any more than you'd expect, and you aren't keen to invest thousands of dollars into it with the risk of creating problems you don't currently have, I'd recommend leaving it as is. Get everything working, replace the items that are needed to make it safe and functional, and then use it for a while. You may decide that this isn't the particular trailer you want for the long haul, in which case you pass it on and hunt for "the one."

[Silverflames]

If its functional with no major issues $4000 is a fair price. If you were hoping to have a perfect polished show trailer, I would start with a different trailer.

My trailer pretty much would need all the panels for the front, or a donor front end. My goal is a functional usable trailer so I'm ok with a dented up front end. I like to think I'm keeping my trailer out of the scrap yard.

Outdoors mart and inland RV have the panels listed on their web site. If you want to get a feel for a price. Changing then would be a lot of work. The prices at the very bottom are soft metal and can be taken off and worked back into shape.

Another option is to have a body shop bondo over them and then paint the panels. Of course this is highly debatable, and goes back to your sense of taste and what you want.

At the end of the day it really boils down to what you want out of an AS? I think all those dings would look cool all polished up!

[Luigi123]

My 30 ft Classic 08 just experienced hail damage on the upper right rear panels two of them and a few on the front. Can these external panels be replaced by a certified Airstream dealer and not experience leaks down the road? Too much pride of ownership not to repair them. I called Airstream service dept and was quoted about $2,000 a panel and twenty hours of labor on each. Awaiting the adjuster to write estimate this week.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Luigi123

My 30 ft Classic 08 just experienced hail damage on the upper right rear panels two of them and a few on the front. Can these external panels be replaced by a certified Airstream dealer and not experience leaks down the road? Too much pride of ownership not to repair them. I called Airstream service dept and was quoted about $2,000 a panel and twenty hours of labor on each. Awaiting the adjuster to write estimate this week.

Pictures would help.

Segments do not cost that kind of money.

Andy

[Luigi123]

Just spoke with the AS dealer about 100 miles away from me and he quoted $1,500 a panel compared to the $2,000 quoted at the service center in Ohio.

[Inland RV Center, In]

Originally Posted by Luigi123

Just spoke with the AS dealer about 100 miles away from me and he quoted $1,500 a panel compared to the $2,000 quoted at the service center in Ohio.

Segments take 6 hours to replace.

If 2 segments are joined then it's 6 hours for the first segment and then 5 hours for each additional segment thats joined.

How do I know?

I wrote the Airstream "crash book" in 1970 for the Insurance Division of Airstream.

Most segments cost about $ 400.oo each except the top one for the wide body trailers, which costs a little over $ 500.00.

Maximum price on Olympic rivets is 60 cents each.

A single segment uses 110 of them and an adjoning segment only uses 90 because of the common seam.

It would appear that your dealer is way over charging for their body work.

It really would be much cheaper, if you replaced the entire front shell.

Andy