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Bay Door Damaged
Hello , seems even without a toad the coach is no pick up truck . I put myself in a bad way and failed to check my surroundings and ended up smashing the plumbing bay door and unfortunately bending the metal where she seals .
Looking for some ideas on where to take the coach for repair . i would rather deal with more of a full time body shop than one of our do it all places . Any ideas ? I would also rather be on the East Coast . Thank you in advance .
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20 Replies
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It’s very likely that East Tennessee Luxury Coach can get you fixed up but I only base that on the fact that I haven’t seen anything yet that they cannot handle. I am sure others will chime in here. Prevost in FL would also be a good (and expensive) choice. Where are you now?
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And Provost Nashville. I’v seen them work on some severely damaged coaches when we were there in 2019.
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If I needed work similar to what you need I would go to Donnie Meyers RV service in Sanford. His body and paint department is excellent. Further, he know Vantare’s inside out.
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All excellent suggestions.
Depending on what metal is bent you might find you are able to push the bent metal straight using bottle jacks or a port-a-power.
Don’t underestimate your abilities.
I think Jim and Chris repaired some damage to a bay door and the bay structure themselves and the savings was substantial.
Check your insurance also to see if it is covered and how much.
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I have a extra bay door frame if yours is damaged. The skin is easy to get.
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Donnie Meyers — his body and paint shop are awesome and he is just around the corner from you!
2000 Featherlite H3-45
2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee
Leesburg, FL -
Thank you All for the great Ideas. My only issue with using our do it all guys would be time . Donnie would be close as we are in Fla however from everything I have ever heard if i ask him how soon he will say try another shop lol
Jon, there will be no pulling this door apart she is crushed . I have a lead on a door from vision RV parts however that door will need to be polished .
Has anyone ever used Walter D Andrea Bodyworks ?
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Al: Post a picture of the damage. I think the rub rail and stainless steel skin comes off the frame. A good fabricator should be able to straighten out the frame and you can get polished stainless steel replacement panels from Steve Kolb at International Bus Parts in Florida
Have you talked to Tradewinds Coach & Marine in Deland, FL? People seem to be happy with their work.
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Al, Internally a bay door beneath the skin is mostly angle iron framework. Depending on where and how much damage it is not unusual to find cutting out bent parts that cannot be straightened and replacing them with new pieces of angle stock restores what is under the skin.
There are numerous sources for outer panels, including junk yards, and offers such as Bob’s very generous offer.
Sometimes the angle or channels at the bay opening on the chassis also get damaged but those pieces can either be pulled straight or cut out and replaced with new parts.
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Dick , this phone might just as well be a flip phone . Please send me a number and i would be happy to send you pictures . Or just tex me .
Jon, after I replace the door I will donate the damaged one to you for your future metal shop projects 🙂
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Al, in times past at a rally a former tin knocker like myself took one of Mango Mikes damaged rub rails, hammered out the dents as good as possible, and then went on to demonstrate the multiple steps to restore a mirror polish.
You may laugh, but guys who routinely do similar repairs can demonstrate methods to restore some bent metal to original condition.
I was not a hands on metal guy, but I watched over a 40 year span how guys in my companies or the companies I worked at could fix damaged metal and make it look so easy a cave man could do it. I remember a very expensive stainless steel counter top that was 16 feet long, was completed and it got a belly in it from the man belt sanding it to make a brushed finish. He hesitated in one spot and the heat created the defect. It was for a hospital.
The choice was to start all over and remake it or repair it. One of our highly skilled welders said he would fix it. He used a cut off saw in a die grinder to cut a slit right across the depression in the counter top and then used TIG welding to close the slit. The welding had the effect of shrinking the width of the slit that pulled the depression right out of the counter top.
It was later belt sanded to provide the needed finish and it was as flat as could be. My point is things that appear difficult often have simple solutions.
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Not laughing at you Jon , sorry if it sounded that way . No doubt you are a man of many talents. I think in the end this will be another product that becomes cheaper to replace than repair . For me that is . I have a call in for a used door so i should know soon . I did send the pictures to Dick so maybe he can post them for me .
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Al, no problem here and I think if you can get a used door complete you are goiong to save a lot of time, plus it will not have any evidence of damage. You are making a right choice.
Fixing damage, either by the owner or a body shop is both hard and sometimes not so cheap. My point was that depending on the extent of the damage sometimes an owner made repair is a good choice.
All of us who have needed repairs, especially if new parts are required the availability of parts is a long time coming and sometimes the prices are insane.
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Al, send me the pics I’ll add them to your post.
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Al’s pictures.
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