[SilverStreak] Tree Dent

["Eddie" <EddieHuffstetter@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

> Tom Pierson,
> I have some experience. You can and must do it as you describe from the 
> inside. Forget anything but removing an interior skin or skins panels as 
> needed. Forget the painless guy if he is just going drill holes and pound 
> on it.
>
> Usually a rib is involved so your straightening sheet metal and structure. 
> I don't know about the clipper, but it could be like a Streamline and have 
> a full continuous one piece rib depending on the rib. Streamline ribs are 
> a one piece horse shoe across the top and down each side. Spartan is not 
> like that and a lot of Silver Streaks are also like that. The rib must be 
> slowly straightened with the skin if involved. Do everything a little at a 
> time from the inside. If you are careful, you do not have to remove 
> anything on the outside. Don't beat on it direct with a beater. Take the 
> time to find blocks of wood to hit on and not the skin as it will dink 
> everywhere you hit it. Just take the time and don't directly hit it.
>
> Just get out your skill saw and cut up a bunch of 2x4 pieces and political 
> or tomato stake pieces into little sized pieces and shapes, Keep them 
> small. As you use them they will form into sort of rounded pieces that 
> will help in shaping. Use pieces cut to nicely fit a straight section of 
> rib, then use that piece, C clamps, vise grips, whatever, as inside and 
> backing to straighten the rib as you straighten the skin panel. Go slow, 
> little gains at a time then go back and gain more. Don't attempt to 
> straighten one area and then on to the next as you will only stretch the 
> metal and make a new problem.
>
> If you wind up with a stretch wrinkling, use a heat gun with instant cold 
> to shrink back the metal. This too takes a lot of patience, slow process, 
> and trial and experience to make the metal smaller, pull tight, and draw 
> out the wrinkle or wave in the metal. You cannot create a dent without 
> stretching metal, so the metal of a dent straightened is ultimately too 
> big when finished. Your pain relief guy should know and be experienced in 
> the technique.
>
> Clippers were made by Airstream, Silver Streak, and Streamline. You did 
> not say which yours is, but you wrote the SS list so I presume SS. SS and 
> Streamline were a separating of one into two. The construction of both is 
> superb and often by the same persons switching companies. I have never 
> worked on a Clipper, so my experiences are limited to Vagabond, Spartan, 
> Silver Streak, Streamline, Boles Aero, Schult, Curtis Flagship, Holiday 
> Rambler aluminum rib, GMC, Argosy, and Glider Albatross. I don't like 
> Airstream so I hate to admit working on those.
>
> I for one would like a description of the rib piece-meal like Spartan or 
> solid rib construction of your Clipper so please let us know what you 
> experience with yours and we will all learn. If you have to remove 
> exterior rivets, there are Olympic rivets and a shaver to replace those 
> rivets back to original look. Just use pop rivets for now and then later 
> it is easy to drill them out and replace with the Olympics. Hope any of 
> this helps you.
> -Eddie-
> Houston, TX
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Tom Pierson" <howdy1954@hotmail.com>
> To: "silver streak" <sslist@tompatterson.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, February 26, 2008 8:50 PM
>
>
>> Hello fellow streakers,
>>  I'm writing from upper east Tennessee.  My name is Tom Pierson and I own 
>> a
>> 1956  Clipper.  21' single axle.  I've had it for about 3 years now and 
>> am
>> getting ready to do some restoration work this spring.  It has a dent in 
>> the
>> roof just above the rear window from a tree limb falling on it back in 
>> the
>> 60's.

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