The dent, another question...

[Kistler]

Apparently I backed into a post and put a dent in my Airstream at the upper belt-line. The belt-line, one of you people told me, hides rivets. My neighbor has a collection of suction cups for dent repair and he looked at the dent and suctioned it and the skin will move BUT the belt-line metal is holding back the skin.

My question is: does that belt-line strip have a chromed plastic insert. It seems to be continuous around the whole trailer. If it is an insert, maybe it could be removed--the insert--and a couple of holes drilled and pull the belt-line metal back into shape????

Any ideas? It would be cheaper for me to try that and buy 70' of belt-line insert than to get repaneled.

I removed the tail light lenses and the black whatevers but the wires are so short you can't really get them very far from the pot metal surround. BUT again maybe a hole could be bored in the pot metal (it could be filled and would be hidden when the lights are put back.

Is this workable?

[Pahaska]

The chrome insert will come out and can be reused. Start at an end and pry up the center with something like a dull table knife. Once you get it started, it will pull out fairly easily by squeezing it close to the metal. I watched them replace a peeling piece on my door under warrenty.