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Old 07-15-2010, 01:43 PM   #1
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Repairing Hail damage on Bambi 2004

Just had 19,000 dollars of hail damage on my 2004 Bambi. Insurance will not pay for all the damage so I decided to take what they give me and fix it myself. I don't care if the repairs are 100% perfect and don't know absolutely anything about repairing an airstream. I feel am pretty handy so hopefully I'll be successful.

Here are the 4 options I was thinking off to do this job.

Option 1. Drill the rivets and pull the panels out. Once once the panels are removed straightening the bumps by pushing from the inside. Replace the panels to original position.

Option 2. Not sure this can be done but it would be my favorite. Remove cabinetry from the inside. Drill rivets of inside panels, remove the panel and push from the inside to straighten the bumps (don't know if insulation will prevent me from doing this but I would feel more comfortable as I wouldn't have to worry with sealing the outside panels and cutting the sealant which seems a good way to scratch the panels).

Option 3. Buy new panels and replace them. I am not sure I want to spend that money and then worry for the next hail storm or tree branch.

Option 4. Pull panels with hot glue car suction method. I pulled one big bump in the front but the drawback is that I couldn't clean the hot glue spot were it attached to the panel.

Here are the photos of the damage. I have mostly big round bumps. Only a few per panel but most of the panels have been hit.


Any suggestions? How hard is it to do this?
Thank you much!
Paolo
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Old 07-15-2010, 01:48 PM   #2
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Don't screw with it at all. You are planning things that will get you way in over your head. Take the money and enjoy your Bambi as it is...war wounds and all.
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Old 07-15-2010, 01:52 PM   #3
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I have had success on a car with Dry Ice. I am not sure if it would work on an Airstream, but on a hotter than heck day you apply dry ice to the dented area. The rapid cooling to the already expanded metal makes the dent pop back.

Would be worth a try during the middle of summer and it would be a heck of a lot easier than your other 4 options.

I think for $5 in dry ice you would know if it would work. Maybe someone else has expirence with this.

ginder75
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Old 07-15-2010, 02:16 PM   #4
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Dry ice what you can and live with what you have. At least you dont have to worry whenever a storm appears now.
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Old 07-15-2010, 02:20 PM   #5
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I have had success on a car with Dry Ice. I am not sure if it would work on an Airstream, but on a hotter than heck day you apply dry ice to the dented area. The rapid cooling to the already expanded metal makes the dent pop back.

Would be worth a try during the middle of summer and it would be a heck of a lot easier than your other 4 options.

I think for $5 in dry ice you would know if it would work. Maybe someone else has expirence with this.

ginder75
Dry ice, "will not" shrink stretched aluminum.

The severity of the dents as seen in the photo's, require metal replacement.

Andy
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Old 07-15-2010, 02:38 PM   #6
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there is nothing about those divots that "requires panel replacement"

option 5...just leave it as is...

((can u SEE of the dents from INSIDE the stream?))

option 6...or ADD MORE DIVOTS...

in some creative pattern...

that is what makes golf balls sail so fast and far...

while they might affect RESALE value they sure don't impact utility...

and a crappy repair job could alter resale, looks, leaks, usage and da'wallet.

cheers
2air'
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Old 07-15-2010, 02:51 PM   #7
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metal replacement.

Paolo.

Metal replacement is not difficult, for a shop that has been there and done that.

When metal replacement is properly done, the only way you can tell is by closely looking at the rivets, to see that they are Olympic rivets.

There are a few shops in the USA, that do tons of Airstream metal replacement and accordingly, have an outstanding reputation for doing so.

The hardest part you would have, is to find that top rated shop. Scratch non Airstream shops off the list.

Andy
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Old 07-15-2010, 03:11 PM   #8
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I had success with taking a suction cup and connecting it to a vacuum pump. Not perfect but it did a reasonable job. The only problem is the vacuum pump. You will need an industrial grade pump to do the job. See if you can borrow one or find a used one.
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Old 07-15-2010, 03:15 PM   #9
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Clean the hot melt off by heating it with an electric hot air blower they use for paint stripping or electrical shrink wrap. Then absorb it into a towel. Be careful not to get it so hot it wrecks the clear coat. Work slowly and you can get it. Some hot melts are also softened with charcoal lighter fluid but do not let it set on the clearcoat too long. The hot melt puller will not be able to pull out some of the greatly stretched dimples in the picture but can take out the bending of the aluminum. Otherwise it usually about $1,800 per panel.
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Old 07-15-2010, 03:20 PM   #10
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I agree with myself on this one. Leave it as it is, and give it a suitable name. If you can't live with the damage, your best bet is to sell or trade it for whatever you can and get another unit for yourself. It really is a $19,000.00 repair job, any way you slice it.

Hoping it all works out,
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Old 07-15-2010, 04:47 PM   #11
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Character.

There was a mini rally going on in the vicinity of BTCampers a while back, and there was a early Bambi that looked like a golf ball. We were told the owner wouldn't trade or repair it for the world.

Having been down to a panel on ours, I can tell you it would not be hard to fix, but it would take a LONG time doing it yourself, and I doubt "working" the dent out would look much better. I think if you HAVE to have the new panel look, you have to have new panels. If you don't have to have the new panel look...

Character. don't do squat. smile, raise a toast to her when you tell the story.
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Old 07-15-2010, 04:53 PM   #12
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I cower at on coming hailstorms and have yet to be hit (save for pea sized hail) which does not seem to dent like the bigger ones. But I really DO cower at hail. I would like to add that the other day I was sitting in a Pharmacy getting some supplies, and looked over and noticed this 25 dollar 'handle' that featured suction cups- made for handicapped assist anywhere slick, one day I will get one as a dent puller/popper. I tell you now --that whoever is out there that can invent an ingenious method for removing hail dents will be a billionaire!
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Old 07-15-2010, 04:55 PM   #13
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For 19k you can buy a nice used AS and sell the Bambi.
Just a thought.
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Old 07-15-2010, 06:40 PM   #14
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Dry ice just isn't enough concentrated cold to do miracles, the aluminum pulls the heat and cold away fast - I've done the heat gun and dry ice trick (several pounds worth) and it will ease slight ripples and perhaps pull some of the hurt out of the hail strikes but is just slightly better than doing nothing. Dry ice is also somewhat abrasive and will strip clear coat where it has been stretched and then severely dull the aluminum to a flat cardboard looking gray.
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Old 07-15-2010, 07:42 PM   #15
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I would: 1. Visit the two nearest authorized Airstream repair outlets, 2. tell each how much you have to spend (what the insurance will cover), 3. choose the one you are most comfortable with and/or you get the most bang for your buck at, 4. fix what you can with the money you have and 5. leave the smaller, less noticeable dents as is.
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Old 07-15-2010, 09:26 PM   #16
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Agree

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Originally Posted by RG Coleman View Post
I would: 1. Visit the two nearest authorized Airstream repair outlets, 2. tell each how much you have to spend (what the insurance will cover), 3. choose the one you are most comfortable with and/or you get the most bang for your buck at, 4. fix what you can with the money you have and 5. leave the smaller, less noticeable dents as is.
Money is tight now now so business are cutting rates big time.I just was sold 3 tanks I was going to buy at retail last week at wholesale this week.Someone who repairs Airstream will work with your budget rather than turning away 19k in this climate.Just be clear no short cuts are taken up front.Or look at it as battle scars and take 6 months in Europe on the money.
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Old 07-15-2010, 10:27 PM   #17
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I would: 1. Visit the two nearest authorized Airstream repair outlets, 2. tell each how much you have to spend (what the insurance will cover), 3. choose the one you are most comfortable with and/or you get the most bang for your buck at, 4. fix what you can with the money you have and 5. leave the smaller, less noticeable dents as is.
A well experienced shop, can establish a good ACV, and sell it to the insurance company, coupled with an appropriate proper estimate.

Insurance companies have very little experience with Airstream ACV's as well as Airstream estimates.

That same shop, can do amazing things with an insurance company, all for the benefit of the insured.

Andy
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Old 07-16-2010, 02:19 PM   #18
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Thanks for the replies you guys. I am surprised almost everyone suggests to keep it the way it is and deal with the bumps. Don't we own airstreams because we love looking at them? Maybe is just me but that's why I own one, to look at it and be proud of it when light shines on it just right... and of course camp in it. If it was just an utilitarian camping vehicle there are millions of travel trailer for a 1/4 of the price that function just fine... In truth the damage is 19,000 but the insurance will probably only give me 9,000 as they called it a complete loss and if I want to keep it they will deduct the salvage value of the vehicle from the $19,000. The salvage value of the vehicle is about $10,000 in the state it is now. So, is not looking good. To go back to my original question. If I really can't live with it the way it is now and I will not have enough cash to have someone fix it what is my best option of the ones I listed? BTW, I was told that the dry ice will really damage the surface and you really want to stay away from it.
Thanks again!
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Old 07-16-2010, 02:54 PM   #19
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Sell me your Bambi for $8,000. Add your $9,000 settlement. Buy the 2003 Bambi listed in the classifieds today.

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Old 07-16-2010, 08:20 PM   #20
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Option 1. Drill the rivets and pull the panels out. Once once the panels are removed straightening the bumps by pushing from the inside. Replace the panels to original position.
You will find that you can't fix the worst of these, and you might make them look worse. That's after completely disassembling your Airstream.

Option 2. Not sure this can be done but it would be my favorite. Remove cabinetry from the inside. Drill rivets of inside panels, remove the panel and push from the inside to straighten the bumps (don't know if insulation will prevent me from doing this but I would feel more comfortable as I wouldn't have to worry with sealing the outside panels and cutting the sealant which seems a good way to scratch the panels).
Same problem as option 1, with less work before you find that it won't be satisfactory. The worst of those panels will never look really good again. some smaller dents could be made almost to disappear, but the worst ones would require panel replacement.

Option 3. Buy new panels and replace them. I am not sure I want to spend that money and then worry for the next hail storm or tree branch.
If you are ready to bite off a project of this size and difficulty you will probably be best served by doing a combination of option 2 and option 3. Strip out the interior, fix everything you can to your satisfaction, then pull the panels you decide are not keepers. Replace them with new ones, and put it back together. What would be a big job for a professional restorer will be a labor of love for you, so it will seem easy, and time will fly by. You will know as much about your Airstream as a lot of us vintage enthusiasts do about ours. I don't know if that's good or bad, but you'll be able to decide when you are done!
Don't waste your time with option 4. Once you can get to the back of these panels you will be able to really get something done. If you post your progress as it comes, you can and will get help with things you might not even imagine now, such as how to make a dent roller to roll the minor ones out with.

Option 4. Pull panels with hot glue car suction method. I pulled one big bump in the front but the drawback is that I couldn't clean the hot glue spot were it attached to the panel.

Still, you might come out ahead by selling or trading it.

Keep an open mind. The answer will come to you, grasshopper.

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