sallyssalon
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Post by sallyssalon on Oct 28, 2015 12:23:28 GMT -8
I am trying to figure out what to do with the aluminum on a good size dent ...6 inches long with a hole in it on the back corner of my Avalon....of coarse some one globbed some silicon on it. I have some smaller dents and marks I don't want to tare all the skins off to put new one on.. I know you can get a body man to suction some of them.....any suggestions ? Also the aluminum roof needs a few leaks around furnace pipe on top....etc...I want to make sure nothing is leaking before my next move on fixing it up. Would that eternabond tape fix the trick or is there something less expensive? I would show pictures but this page won't let me post them. Thanks a bunch!
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Oct 28, 2015 13:13:08 GMT -8
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sallyssalon
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Post by sallyssalon on Oct 28, 2015 18:03:21 GMT -8
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Oct 28, 2015 18:13:03 GMT -8
This will help others with more experience than me see the damaged areas. Small holes on my polished camper I filled with JD Weld. It's tough, can be sanded and it is a dark gray. It stops water leaking in but it is not a perfect match. I'm sure others will have different suggestions.
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sallyssalon
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Post by sallyssalon on Oct 29, 2015 5:44:40 GMT -8
Thanks for that info.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2015 16:44:34 GMT -8
I don't know if this would help anyone but it's worth a shot. We do paintless dent repair on cars for a living and it's been said that aluminum is the most stubborn metal for removing dents. That being said, what we do is actually go behind the metal and massage it out. A GOOD dent guy can do this near perfectly on aluminum even. Make it like the dent was never there, if metal isn't stretched beyond repair. May be worth a shot to see if you can find a reputable person in this field and ask him if he could help. Aluminum in these are no doubt thicker, but you never know. Big benefit to paintless dent repair is of course no filling or repainting, since the dents removed from behind using tools that push it out.. just a thought and wanted to chime in and say that!
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nccamper
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Post by nccamper on Nov 10, 2015 18:34:00 GMT -8
"Go behind and massage it out..."
Explain that?
Push it out or less force?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 10, 2015 19:07:22 GMT -8
Haha. Wasn't very specific was I. Well mind you of course I am not sure if it would work on camper skins, but with our vehicles we have these tools that are basically rods with different endings on them, maybe soft tipped, maybe very sharp tipped you can Google pdr tools if you haven't seen them before. But basically we methodically get the rod of choice, behind the panel and push the dent out from behind with it while looking at the reflection in the metal at the same time to see what you're doing. It's quite an art. Because you have to know how hard to push in order not to damage the metal but also where to push so you will end up with a smooth finish. The other part is methodically tapping down the highs you make in the metal from pushing, alternating pushing and tapping down till its out. Depending on dent you could push hundreds of times.. tired arms! But totally worth it if body work is not desired. Good paintless dent repair guys are hard to find, it takes years to master it to the full degree. I've been training 2 years. Whew!
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Post by vikx on Nov 10, 2015 23:05:09 GMT -8
Thank you so much for the great info, Rich!
Half of *us* does the aluminum eyebrows with great success, very tedious work. I'm amazed at the beautiful results.
Also, we were tinkering with a large dent in our rounded canned ham Bellwood, tapping and pushing from the outside. A bit of access from the inside, but not much. The heat gun helped and all of sudden POP! no more dent. Might help someone else.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 11, 2015 8:10:49 GMT -8
Awesome that's great! So you can definitely appreciate what goes into it! Glad to share what I do know, it is so rewarding to be able to save any damage without extensive body work. Well wOrth the extra time and energy.
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