Can a Dent Be Removed from an Aluminess bumper?

bighodad808 · 09-28-2012, 12:23 PM

I rolled out of bed this morning to move my van out of my driveway as I'm having the driveway widened. Unfortunately, while parking it I backed into the tongue of my boat trailer [b][u]REALLY HARD. [b][u]Now I have a big dent right in the middle of my Aluminess bumper. Anyone have any idea what it entails or how much it might cost to repair a large dent. Its the type of dent, that if it were in sheet metal could be easily popped out but I have a feeling that it won't be so easy with aluminum. This really bummed out my day!

carringb · 09-28-2012, 07:13 PM

Best fix is to fill is with glazing putty and paint over it. Pounding it out will weaken the bumper, and welding will weaken the area around the fix.

bighodad808 · 09-30-2012, 01:19 PM

I think that the putty is a great idea and would repair most of the dent. Unfortunately, the dent occurred almost dead center in the rear and has caused some upward deflection of the lid and lock of the storage compartment. There was already minimal clearance there with the van's rear door bottom. Because of this, I am unable to open my rear doors without taking the lid off of the storage well. Not sure how to go about addressing this. I'll try to post some pics later today.

AndrewST · 10-01-2012, 12:43 AM

You can try to unbolt the bumper from the frame and see if there is place to lower it a little to clear the door.

Other option you have a body shop put it back in shape or you hammer it down and out, then putty and paint.

witoke · 10-01-2012, 07:45 AM

Aluminum becomes brittle very rapidly. You can't pound out deformations like you can with steel.Trying to re-shape a dent like that will give you a serious weak spot, assuming it doesn't crack when you try. I think the best thing would be to fill it with something strong and repaint.

BajaSportsmobile · 10-01-2012, 02:25 PM

I would remove it and put it in the Press at the shop and push it back out. Short of that, you can remove it, put it on the lawn or an old piece of carpet and use a very big "Dead Blow" hammer - if you can hit the spot. Not much else you can do that isn't just cosmetic.

Don't worry about "weakening" the aluminum with heat or bending - how do you think the bumper was made.

witoke · 10-01-2012, 05:27 PM

I started to make this a treatise on the effects of work hardening or cold forming on metals especially Al, but ultimately all this information is available to you if you go looking for it. I would short circuit all of our opinions and call Aluminess. Ask them what they do and what they recommend as best for you to do.

If that doesn't give you the desired answer, take a small piece of Al sheet or bar stock of similar thickness to the bumper and bend it over the edge of a vise. Then bend it back again. Examine the bend, this is your bumper under the paint.

BajaSportsmobile · 10-01-2012, 08:06 PM

He will not be bending it more than a few degrees. Bend your aluminum sheet in your vice 5 -10 degrees and bend it back - then inspect it.

From someone who has "bent" a lot of sheet.

Jeffrey · 10-01-2012, 08:40 PM

Baja's got it right. Remove it and use a hydraulic press to get it close to normal.

Greggd · 10-01-2012, 09:00 PM

First check that your Bumpers Frame Mounted Brackets are not deflected , having worked for FEY Bumpers for a number of years I saw a good number of bumpers that pivoted in an upward direction that people only needed to adjust and not replace ! and Baja is correct with some good sense and and proper tools you should be able to remove the dent without affecting the structural integrity of the Aluminess bumper .
Greggd