Removing rear skin due to dents

[IPM]

Howdy,

I'm removing the rear skin, lower right panel on an '81 classic motor home to "bang" out some dents. If there's a cheap replacement panel, I'd rather install it. Anyone know of such a part? Otherwise I'll live with an imperfect, but less dented surface.

Thanx in advance,

Mike Rosendale

[j54mark]

Airstream will sell you a new panel for something on the order of $500. You may be able to find one in a RV salvage yard for about $200.

If you are not going to replace the panel, there is no way I'd remove it. It will be far easier to get at it from the inside. Even if you have to remove a bunch of built ins to get at it. The interior panels are installed with simple pop rivets and no sealant. The exterior ones use bucked rivets and LOTS of sealant. It will be very difficult to remove the panel without further damgage either to it or an adjacent panel.

Mark

[IPM]

I'll check the interior panels. They seem so hard to remove, but I've never done it. The exterior rivets are is just so darn easy to get to. Is the interior not that hard to take apart?

thanx,

Mike

[jaiman]

IM all for removing the inside panels first. Id hate to think of all the potential problems with not getting that end cap back on correctly. I had a pipe leak in the rear bath and had to remove and replace my rear bath closet with a great deal of ease.

[74Argosy24MH]

The only sealer on my exterior panels was on the inside where the rivets were through a rib or adjacent panel, nothing between the panels or rib and panel. The windows had double sided tape behind the frame. Pulling an exterior panel was easier from the outside than it would have been to pull cabinetry and and then the interiror panel. Could just be an Argosy thing.

John

[IPM]

any more removal tonight.

thanx,

Mike

[j54mark]

Perhaps the motorhomes are assembled differently, but the trailers have lots of sealant - Vulkem, I suppose - between the panels. I have had two apart, and seen photos of others and they were all the same.

Perhaps someone knows a better way, but I could only work them apart by using sharpened putty knives between the panels. I can't begin to tell you how well they were glued together! I dented adjacent panels pulling mine off a salvage unit, but that did not matter, of course.

The inside panels are simple. Once I had the bed out, it was just 15 minutes with the cordless drill and I had both the upper and lower corner panels out.

By the way, I assume that "bang out" is just an expression. You can't bang on aluminum like you can steel. Everyplace you strike will leave a mark and it will look worse than what you started with. There are a couple of threads in the archives on working out dents in aluminum.

Good luck!

Mark

[PeterH-350LE]

the right rear lower panel on a 81 28' MH with rear bath is pretty much not accessible from the inside. Unless you want to remove sliding door dividers and the shower stall
Removing the panel for reinstallation would require some very precise drilling out of the old rivets.

[IPM]

I'll sleep on it and decide tomorrow evening.

best regards,

Mike

[flyfshr]

Wow Mike, how big is your driveway or do you have everything in the garage?

FF

[IPM]

And one shop 60' x 20', 1 small 2 car garage, 1 large 48' x 30' carport, and lots of open field, 7 acres. No restrictions - I'm in the country. I'm working on the airstream in the driveway; It's usually the only vehicle left uncovered.

regards,

Mike

[IPM]

whole panel. I removed the rear bumper and plactic bumper surround, and also the bottom aluminum trim piece (holds blue plastic trim). Drilled out all the rivits below the "dented" or pressed in area. It then was possible to slide slim pieces of steel behind the dents and press them out. It's not perfect, but only a new panel would be. I plan to later wet sand the panel to remove scratches and dimples or "pimples" created while pressing the more stubborn areas.

The bottom plastic bumber surround was in terrible shape; broke into 3 pieces. I used harbor frieghts' cheap plastic welder to put it back together. I found the "rods" that come with the plastic welder not to be useful for the surround. Instead I used the plastic tops fropm spray cans (paint, wd40, primer, carb cleaner - they all stick well). Once I had the surround fused back together, and gaps filled; I ground it down with an angle grinder. Then added more more "filler" to low areas and small holes. Then rough sanded with an orbital and 80 grit. For final smoothing I used standard body filler. It worked.

I painted it with sears tool box grey. Very nice match.