Is this repairable?

[mhutchinson]

I've just dropped the {'63 globetrotter} shell back on the chassis and removed all the inner skins. With the inside of the exterior skin exposed, I'm now focused on sealing and dent removal.

My questions:

Is this repairable or should I just bite the bullet and replace the panel above the door and windows? You can see there there are creases at both top and bottom of the dent and the door frame is just a little deformed. The awning channel is also bent a little but could probably be straightened or replaced without too much extra effort.



Also, what's the best way to repair this. There is a wide scrape (not really deep) in the smaller circle and a large oil canning in the larger circle. When I push from the inside I can get the oil can out and the panel is pretty smooth but it won't stay - just pops back in.



Lastly I have a bunch of minor dimples from BB's and a 4-5" dent on an endcap seam {BB dents not shown}.



I've had poor results with bumping dents in the past but mainly because I don't know what I'm doing. I'm willing to try to do these and a few other areas myself but need some advice on technique.

I'm not a perfectionist but don't want things to look amateurish either. I'd be willing to pay someone local to do if I could find and trust them.

Any advice or links are greatly appreciated! Thanks very much.

Matt

[overlander63]

Matt, I used a 2x4 that I trimmed the corners down so it wouldn't make bulges, and shoved it between the inner and outer panels to keep the oil can dent out. I have done this on several trailers, and of course told the owners what I did. It sounds unprofessional, but works, and kept from having to replace those segments.
The BB dents I would leave alone.
The dent on the seam, you can try pushing it out, but if it doesn't leak, I would leave it alone.

[HowieE]

Unless you are going for Show Grade I agree that the 2 dents can be pushed out. This is limited on the one over the door as to what caused it, If it is a dent from a HIT push it out. If it is a dent from Body Stress you may have to support it from coming back. As find the point of weakness that caused it.

The seam dent is downwards to water flow and it is highly unlikely it would leak and harder to correct so let it be. Inspect the seal itself and add sealant if you see an opening.

[mhutchinson]

Thanks for your responses. I'm not working towards show trailer but I want to do all I can while the inner skins are out.

The large dent over the door is from a tree branch that fell on the trailer many years ago. I'll see if I can find some videos.

Thanks,
Matt

[Frank's Trailer Works]

I will give a slightly different response...
The one above the door, I would replace. You have the inner skins out, so it will be easy to do. Ones eye always goes to the door so that one will always be very obvious to you(and others) The one in the rear I would probably replace also. The reason for that, is by doing so, you will also get rid of that patch around the water heater. The rear dent could also easily be banged out and no one would really notice it. Get a sand bag or a sack filled with bird shot and have someone hold it over the dent. You can then gently tap it out with a body hammer. The BB dents will never come out. They are an extreme stretch. If you use a bag and hammer on them, they will often pop out in reverse and become nipples.

I really like Terry's trick. It is down and dirty and sounds like a great solution. If the inner skins are out, replacement is a good solution.

[panheaddale]

Find someone in your area that is a top notch body man and all those dents can be repaired without taking off or redoing outer skins. One over the door might have to be taken off but can be repaired and replaced so you have the original skins. I dont know where you are from but if you want to come to east tennessee I can give you the name of a place here that restores street rods and is going to repair some dents in my 1964 overlander. Not cheap but definitely possible to fix. I just hate to see an old girl not be original on the outside.

[mhutchinson]

OK, thanks for all the opinions. I think I'll be replacing the section above the door and leaving the dent above the seam (or trying to find someone to bump it out). I have another panel to replace where several vents are that are no longer needed so I'll probably start with a 12' sheet of AL2024-T3 ALCLAD and see where it takes me.

Thanks again!
Matt

[Eagle & Bear]

Matt - In 10 years you will still hear the echo of "I should have done that when I had the interior skin out." There is a lot you can do. Replacing the panel at the top of the AS is tedious (removing all the rivets) but is doable. I agree with panhead - get a local sheet metal or body shop man to work on the other dents. It should not take more than 4 - 6 hours to get things right. Since aluminum shrinks when you heat it you might want to heat the BB holes (up to 900F) and then work them. I don't think that loosing the temper in a 12" area will do any harm. Welding shops carry a "crayon" that will melt at different temperatures. Use one that melts at 800F. It will give you a margin of safety that you can live with. Find a sheet metal shop that has a 12' - 15' shear for all of the long cuts.