No Other Place in the World

(The story of the torn panels on the side of the RV continues.)

Two metal panels and the metal strip.

I texted Faith sending her a picture and telling her I might have to just cut the dangling panel off in order to drive. Before I could get parked in an auto body parking lot she had called Jim. I called my insurance company. I told the claims representative where I was. She suggested that I see if they could help make the vehicle drivable. A quick look and he told me they could not do anything with it.

Faith called instructing me not to cut anything. Just wait. Jim was picking up Phil and both were on their way to Benson. They arrived about two hours later.

With the tailgate of the Ram down Jim backed up to the damaged side. Within minutes Phil was drilling out all of the rivets that broke loose from the frame of the RV but were still imbedded in the metal molding holding it to the two metal panels. It was a tedious process that took longer to do than to write about.

When the rivets were out Jim and Phil had to lean heavily into the bent metal panels getting them remarkably smooth considering how wavy and crooked both of them were. Then Phil used screws to fasten the molding and panels back to the upright frame post. Phil also found a second upright post 14 1/2 inches to the right to drill and screw into.

It was even more difficult to bend the belt molding back into position at the bottom of the lower panel. At one point Phil used the trailer hitch to leverage the bent strip like you would use a conduit pipe bender or a vice.

 

Moulding fastened into vetical post where rivets failed and more fastening to a second vertical post 14 inches to the right.

He used screws on each side of the two panels where they came together advising me to drive no more than 45 mph on the way home until we could seal it up completely.

 

Phil slid this strip of metal under each of the top and lower panels then fastened them together every 4 inches.

 

Sealed, fastened into both panels

Within a day or two Jim observed, "If that would have happened anywhere else on your trip it would have been real trouble." It was a thought that had ocurred to me. There is no other place in all the world that the side would have been fastened back within hours of the damage, the RV made driveable.

I am very thankful for my nephew Phil. The list of his skills is long. The proficiency mastered in each skill is superb.