Outside compartment door construction

[KennHC130]

Hi Y'all, so my arrogance got the best of me and I turned down my wife's offer to guide me out of our friend's driveway...you know where this ends up. After fixing our friends mailbox, I now have a shallow crease along one of my right rear compartment doors...didn't even take the paint off. So, can I remove the white 1" thick panel on the inside of the door and pound out the dent from the back side, or??? Any advice would be appreciated. Oh, it's a 2015 XL 352 QS Thanks!!

[Walte1fr]

I don’t know if I would pound it out but I would sure give it a shot. I would probably more “massage” it with a rounded metal spoon. YouTube it. It’s something like paintless dent removal

[KennHC130]

Thanks for the advice. I was going to try dry ice first, but am a little skeptical since it's more of a crease/line type dent. Pound was not the right way to describe what I was thinking. The skin is so thin, it will take very little to move it. Once we removed the mailbox paint, the damage is hardly noticeable. Just trying to get it that little bit better.

[CC Traveler]

You didn't indicate had large of an area it is, but if you don't find an easy solution you might contact a local auto dealer and ask who does there superficial dent removal. Usually all dealers use a local company that uses dry ice process to remove dents. Good Luck! I know it hurts.

[KennHC130]

Thanks Mark, the dent is about 3 feet long and less than 1/8 inch deep. I mean it's like a line down the door. I'm going to try the dry ice and talk to a local auto body guy I know in our small town. I'll do it myself. This is so minor, like I said, I'm just trying to make it as perfect as possible.

[Walte1fr]

Oooo yeah I have heard the dry ice method works sometimes. Completely unsafe but Also I have heard that propane works too just don’t light a match while you’re doing it hahha

[Locky]

If you do decide to tap out the crease just make sure to use a piece of wood on the outside against the crease as you gently tap from the inside.

[KennHC130]

For sure Locky

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by KennHC130

Hi Y'all, so my arrogance got the best of me and I turned down my wife's offer to guide me out of our friend's driveway...you know where this ends up. After fixing our friends mailbox, I now have a shallow crease along one of my right rear compartment doors...didn't even take the paint off. So, can I remove the white 1" thick panel on the inside of the door and pound out the dent from the back side, or??? Any advice would be appreciated. Oh, it's a 2015 XL 352 QS Thanks!!

This is going to be difficult. The metal is stretched. It's hard to make it go back to the original shape. (See the definition of "entropy.")

The metal is also likely to be bonded to the foam center of the door. You may have to separate them with a wide putty knife.

A couple of alternatives are:

• New door from the manufacturer
• Fill in crease with Bondo, sand smooth, and re-paint
• Get a sheet of white aluminum, cut to match, and overlay the door face
• Visit the local body shop

Larry

[old40ford]

Originally Posted by Larry-NC

This is going to be difficult. The metal is stretched. It's hard to make it go back to the original shape. (See the definition of "entropy.")

The metal is also likely to be bonded to the foam center of the door. You may have to separate them with a wide putty knife.

A couple of alternatives are:

• New door from the manufacturer
• Fill in crease with Bondo, sand smooth, and re-paint
• Get a sheet of white aluminum, cut to match, and overlay the door face
• Visit the local body shop

Larry

X2, if it is creased, you will not get it out with dry ice, working it from the back or casting a spell. This will require filler and paint to be perfect. Good luck

[camaraderie]

I've always thought that the cargo doors are a sandwich of FRP,gelcoat and foam...which would not be amenable to a mechanical solution. Am I wrong about how they are constructed? Have any of you actually had them apart?

[HemiCamping]

Originally Posted by old40ford

X2, if it is creased, you will not get it out with dry ice, working it from the back or casting a spell. This will require filler and paint to be perfect. Good luck

X3. Good luck and keep us posted with some pictures.