Re: [VAC] Outer skin repair

[Lashway <rlashway@xxxxxxxx>]

For what its worth.  I am assuming the damage is on the roof only  and  
consists of dents or depression on  the outer  skin only .  You might do 
a couple of things.  The indentations may be able to be  pulled out using 
a simple toilet bowl plunger- stick it on, get a grip and pull up. I'd do 
this after it sets in the sun and the skin heats up a bit.   If that is 
not succcessful try a similar tool that is used by body shops to pull out 
dents. 
This is a more powerful tool.   If this doesn't work you can consider 
that perhaps the horizonatal (front to back) framing   members under the 
skin have been bent and as long as they are bent and the skin  it is 
riveted to them will not pop out.  Understand that many of support 
members  running from front to back exists only to support the widith of 
skin riveted to it. They  not connected to any vertical structual 
members. It is riveted  to the outer skin only  to provide backing 
support  to sheets of aluminum.  It is not riveted to the inside skin.  I 
should also say some inside skins have  that the same feature and are 
only attached to inside skin to provide support. 

If you cannot pop out the outer skin it may mean you will have to remove 
the inner skin so you have access to the "backside" of the outer skin.  
You can then see what you are realy dealing with.  If some of the suports 
are bent take them out by drilling out the rivets.  Replace them either 
with some factory material or get some aluminum angle form local hardware 
or whomever and rivet it back in place after  you get the skin  popped 
out or pushed out .

A number of folks on this list have delt with begger dents then I have 
and hopefully will jump in with their suggestions.  Last but not least 
don't panic over problems of removing an interior panels.  All the rivets 
holding panels can be drilled out and panels can be replaced the same 
way.  

Enough for now.

Roy