My understanding is that such repairs aren't commonly made. If it's a shallow, smooth dent, they can try to pull it out with a suction cup. If it's crumpled, they look to replace the segment which is a very expensive operation. Now I'm not sure why... it's a fairly thin guage of aluminum which might have something to do with it. It used to be, after all, that people would hand-hammer aluminum car bodies. But then I guess you need the forms on which to do that (and the car bodies were much smaller scale).

- Kurt
350 LE MH

-----Original Message-----
From: Blair's Mom [mailto:blairsmom@hotmail.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 28, 1999 1:55 AM
To: airstream@airstream.net
Subject: RE: [airstream] To J.Weston: Repairing dents in skin

Hi Jim, I think I've already said that when I grow up, I wanna be a  Airmark kid, i.e. I'm gonna have you guys bring my future 28 foot  Ambassador up to shining splendour. Question: the trailer has been in
one (shudder) accident, that I was witness to. A semi passed us on a  narrow highway in Northern Ontario. My dad valiantly fought to keep the  'stream on course (no H****ley), but bottom line: airstream and vista  cruiser met and kissed each other - hard. The Oldsmobile came out  looking better than the Airstream. 20! years later, there is a sadly  crumpled panel on the front end of the trailer. My question to you Jim - is this sort of thing repairable without having to carry out a skin transplant? I'm learning how to capture video to disk and when I've mastered it,I'll send a picture. In meantime, would welcome any thoughts you might have about it. Also, I'm embarrassed to say (but feel I'm amongst friends, so I will) - maybe we don't have an Ambassador, as I thought. Certainly, it's 28 feet, has a rear bath, bunk beds mid-ship, all of which I thought fit with the Airstream History I'd read re: different models in different years. However my dad mentioned the other day that at somee point after he bought the trailer (second-hand in '71 or '72), that he found literature indicating it was a Landyacht. I thought Landyachts didn't enter the Airstream family until the 70's, and that they were ?motorhomes (maybe its an Overlander?). Any comments from you Airstream Addicts would be most welcome. In meantime, I'm workin on those pics to send ya! Thanks.

Denise
hopeful future owner/customer/lottery winner
67 28' ??Ambassador