| Author | Message | ||
     Clydesdale6 |
I laid my bike down last fall and have been slowly piecing it back together. Last but not least is the the right side of the frame. Its pushed in pretty good, even though I had a damn puck on there, and I'm wondering how to best go about this. A friend of mine has used aluminum putty for smaller dents but this is big. I just want to run this through ya'll before I go any further. Thanks in advance for any help.    | ||
| Joesbuell |
Quick fix, Buy a tuber frame Buell  | ||
| Dooley |
Wow thats a big dent!! I dented mine hitting a cinder block wall, dent is only half of what yours is, I just slapped another puck on the frame....Was gonna use that aluminum putty but I got lucky and the puck hid it. That aluminum putty is the only stuff that I've heard of that seemed like it would work well. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
Can the frame be pressurized and use a suction puller to pull the dent part way out? I think the difficulty is going to be where it is. | ||
| Clydesdale6 |
The problem with the putty is purely cosmetic. After application and sanding, and then applying the puck, I'm afraid there is still going to be a huge gap showing. Thats what I'm concerned about the most. Didn't report this to insurance cause I think they'd totally it out and the dent was the only major damage. I didn't want my rates to go up. | ||
| Clydesdale6 |
I'm going to ask about pressurizing the frame. Thanks ft bstrd. Those are the ideas I'm looking for! | ||
| Fastxb12r |
you can finish that dent with the aluminum glaze and get a flawless finish one that unless you had a well trained eye it will not be noticable.The only problem will be the less fuel you can hold.I could make that look flawless and ANY good body man could also.Report it it shouldnt total it if you think it will price it all out first basically do the diagnostic/priceing/estimator yourself first. | ||
| Fastxb12r |
OHHH you could also push the high spot down a little and put on some of those carbon fiber frame covers then it would look flawless with little to no work???? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Carbon-fiber-frame- covers-for-Buell-XB_W0QQitemZ220385255617QQcmdZVie wItemQQimsxZ20090327?IMSfp=TL0903271210005r8810 | ||
| H2owerker |
 That is a nasty dent. I just finished repairing the frame on my 9s over the winter. Here's the link if you haven't been watching. The aluminum putty works great, it surprised me how strong it was when I used it to improvise the 'Redneck Dent puller'. I had gotten some suggestions to have a body shop weld rods onto the dent and pull it out but didn't want to spend the $ to have that done. I needed multiple layers to fill the dents. Sanding to shape didn't scuff the areas that were low so I made sure to sand into any depressions before adding additional layers. The biggest difficulty will be the area that got pushed out/back.  It doesn't look like it from the outside but I'd suspect that there is a sharp crease on the inside. It will be susceptible to cracking if it's moved to far from it's current state. One of the dents on my frame was quite similar but not as severe. I used a non-marking hammer to pound back what I could. I paid particular attention the the direction I hammered, and when it began to require severe blows I stopped. I didn't want to fatigue the aluminum to the point of failure. You can make it look better. But it will never be the way it was before. | ||
| Bads1 |
Ryan did a great job repairing his frame. I followed his thread and his bike turned out well. I think he may agree if his bike went down on that side again. The Putty would probably break free I'm assuming. What would hold up.... probably nothing. So heres my idea for you as I thought about it. Sign Foam..... it withstands heat,is reasonably strong. You can layer it on and sand it to shape very easily. After its shaped you can prime it with a filler primer,wet sand the primer. Then put your base color on. I've worked with the stuff and it work's great. | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
bodyman here you need special tools and equipment to fix aluminium.and its a fuel tank. i suggest either going insurance route and get new frame,or just run with dent in frame. options: disassemble and boil tank to remove gas and fumes have dent cut out and new metal tig'd in and finish and re paint frame if you pave over the dent,use regular bondo.the short strand fiberglass will do,and so does the aluminium filler.but they all are near the same thing,just cost difference is there.bondo will do and incredibly strong. if u want to repair...see if a tractor fuel tank repair shop can fix ur frame.(the dent)those guys do awesome tig work.all tehy mainly fix is huge diesel aluminium fuel tanks.worth a try scott | ||
| Froggy |
A new frame is $1300 for the part only. Just some food for thought. | ||
| Ourdee |
I have a question: Is the tank lined with plastic on the inside? It would be a concern when welding. | ||
| Ochoa0042 |
highside? | ||
| Pogue_mahone |
things peculiar to aluminium repair annealed(hardened) will crack during the dent or as it comes out. you can warm it with a torch as you fix the dent and it will relax and move,but if u mess it up,it will crumble and fall out onto the ground. your steel tools should be specific and only for aluminium repairs( steel contamination will cause it to corrode and leak) audi parts has a special soap compound to ease the loading up of ur grinder discs with metal. wear a respirator when grinding ..it is a health hazard.very bad for you. i bet the tank part is unlined.so cutting out the dent and having it patched would work.then do the bodywork and smooth it all out,and paint.also could use eastwood's fuel tank paint to coat the inside where it was welded.and keep ur fuel clean. you could cut and make ur own patch and fit it,but pay for a proper tig welder to weld it in for you.since it is a load bearing frame as well,make sure a certified/pro is welding it.in fact, depending on the dent,you could make patches and just have them welded over the dent and and not cut at all.then bondo shape and paint.dont sweat the few ounces of fuel capacity lost,not worth worrying over. | ||
| Bikertrash05 |
What about a new/used frame on ebay? Find a 9 frame with a clean title and have a 12 with the insurance rate of a 9. I personally wouldn't think about repairing that. | ||
| Figitt |
If it were me... I would attempt to fix it somewhat... just for the fuel capacity mainly. Clean all the fuel out... build a pressure tap and add air slowly... just enough to push on it a little from inside. then i would employ an acy/air or propane/air torch, and heat the area and carefully watch it. The metal will soften with the heat applied properly, and it just might start to ease out some. Its a big job, with lots of what ifs... You can easily heat it too much and ruin it... develop cracks, etc... You could apply too much air and pop it out in other places that you dont want. Plus as i mentioned, getting the frame torn down and cleaned out is going to be alot of work. And when i had it down for this repair, I would find a home town expert Aluminum welder and put a big, thick patch over the area. Put one on the other side too. 1/4 inch thick aluminum, heat and form it, then weld it on the frame. (what should have been done from the factory) When this is all said and done... you will have spent about the cost of a new frame in time and labor. | ||
| Clydesdale6 |
A lot of great advise and ideas, and I appreciate all of it. I'm going to run with some of the ideas and keep ya'll informed, so check back if your interested. Thanks again my fellow buellers.  |
