Trailmanor Exterior Shell Needs Repair

My trail manor in Castle Rock, CO experienced some pretty bad hail damage. I know The Car Show in Colorado Springs recently closed its doors. Does anyone know of a business that can do this repair in the Denver area?

Thank you

Richard

[Kidkraz]

If you can provide some pictures it will help.

[BrucePerens]

Originally Posted by rcopera

My trail manor in Castle Rock, CO experienced some pretty bad hail damage. Does anyone know of a business that can do this repair in the Denver area?

Your best alternative might be not to fix it, except for the few dents that make the roof leak.

Does anyone know of a business that has ever repaired hail damage on a Trailmanor? I got mine as salvage because the insurer wrote off a hail-damaged TM as totalled, and I believe Tom Clarkson got his the same way. Other folks here have bought their TM back from the insurer after it was totaled for hail damage.

The skin of a Trailmanor doesn't come off the way the skin of a conventional RV can, and conventional fiberglass repair doesn't work on it. The wall and roof panels are a laminated foam sandwich.

The alumium skin is coated with a polyester glaze called Krystal Kote which in general won't be replaced after any repainting operation. In theory a professional could spray it, but it's two-part and sets in 15 minutes in your spray gun if you're not careful.

I have a theory that a lightweight version of Bondo containing glass spheres filled with air could be used to fill dents, but I've not tested it yet.

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Originally Posted by rcopera

My trail manor in Castle Rock, CO experienced some pretty bad hail damage. I know The Car Show in Colorado Springs recently closed its doors. Does anyone know of a business that can do this repair in the Denver area?

Thank you

Richard

Why bother. Yes like Bruce said, mine was a hail yes write off that I got for cheap...and it did have some problems but nothing a little ingenuity wouldn't fix. My TM had a big hail stone hit the roof right on the seam upfront about half way between the front edge and the first popup vent and caused it to leak...so I fixed it all right, and if you want to see what I did go to my website (yes I'm pushing it again) http:/www.trickmytrailmano.com under "The Roof" page 9. If there are no leaks then don't bother...hey you might even get better mileage from the "golf ball affect" of the dimpled skin.
Tom

[Bill]

You can't replace the skin of a TM. As BrucePerens mentioned above, the walls and roof are formed by gluing the inside and outside metal skins to a foam-slab core. If you try to remove the skin, it will pull the core apart and destroy it.

The TM factory might be willing to replace the entire shell, but that is wildly expensive. That is why hail damage usually results in an insurance declaration of total loss.

Although I've not heard of anyone doing it, it seems to me that it might be possible to use something like an automotive dent-puller, to grab the skin at the site of the damage, and pull it back out until it is nearly flat with the surrounding skin. You still have to seal the hole where the dent puller was used, so I'm not sure you are ahead of the game.

Bottom line is probably what has been posted above. Seal the dimples so they don't leak. Then call that good enough, and enjoy your TM.

Bill

Thank you everyone. I sincerely appreciate everyone's input.

Richard

[mecicon]

If you would like to coat the areas to cover the bare aluminum use a White Thermoplastic Patch like APOC 505 Eterna Patch.

[ferdoh]

They don't replace the skin, they put another layer of skin over the original. Our 3124 had a dent in it and they fixed it by laying another skin over top and you can't tell that it was ever touched.

[LoveToCamp]

What about using the "paintless dent repair" outfits? I believe they use a heat gun, then dry ice or liquid nitrogen, so the skin shrinks back to smooth. I have not used it myself, but it may be worth a shot. Also, it would let you, and the repair folks, know if it works on aluminum. I believe most car bodies are steel, so it may respond differently to the process.

[wwoley]

The person who had the skin replaced--where was that done?