Aluminum Dent Repair

[argjose7]

I just bought a 76 LaGrande with some medium level dents. Initial thought was to do some body work on it and paint it but before I commit to this I wanted to ask the group if there is an alternative that would preserve the aluminum exterior. Some pics attached

[KYAvion]

Do you plan to paint the entire trailer, or just paint the panels with dents?

[argjose7]

The entire trailer

[KYAvion]

To do the entire trailer will probably be expensive, but it will look great and clean up easily. The top rear quarter panels and center panel were dented on my 1984 30R by the previous owner. I looked into replacement panels, but the cost and labor was high and the new panels wouldn’t match the rest of the trailer. Thus, I opted to have the dents repaired and the panels painted, and the sheen and color is a closer match than if I’d purchased new panels.

[Overdrive]

Be really careful painting aluminum. You usually need to prep really well as most paints tend to de laminate after a while.

You can try a paint less dent repair but aluminum stretches differently than steel.
You can try a slide hammert uses a hot glue tips rather than the typical old school screws. There may be a aluminum stud weld kit out there for rent. You will need to sand and refinish the area.

[avionpete]

There is paint that is specially made for aluminum. Used to get it from airports and such but like every thing the EPA rules have changed many formulas. I have located so again from a boat repair material supplier. I was thinking if purchasing a quart and tring it on my AL boat and see how it works.
The thing I am dealing with now is how to clean the surface of my trailer to get the mineral build up off so I can permacoat my trailer.