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Adding and removing "character"

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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 05:22 PM
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From: On a tiny compound in Montana
Adding and removing "character"

Well last night I added some "character" to my rear bumper by backing into a short post. I would like to remove the character from said bumper.

Anyone have any tricks to removing a dent, other than a hammer and block of wood? It does not look bent or creased, just a round dent. So I am thinking I can hammer it out, but don't really want to make it worse either.

On a somewhat related note, my passenger side tow mirror housing also had some "character adjustment"....

It was not my day. Tell me again how much I spent for this truck.
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 05:42 PM
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I feel your pain bro.. we got some icy roads here now, and I slid into a rock post thing, and dented my bumper last night. I think a hammer ought to do the trick on mine, and Im assuming yours is about the same. By the way, your avatar cost me $90.00 the other day
Scott
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 06:57 PM
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From: On a tiny compound in Montana
Inevitably the truck is going to get dinged, but the self inflicted ones are the worst. Especially two in the same day.

No $90 fillups for me yet, but I'm sure that day will also come.
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 07:17 PM
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a decent size dead blow hammer is the way to go
doesnt leave any small moon shape marks!
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 08:51 PM
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I found some "character" on my roof today at the car wash. I think it was from a windstorm on Dec 27 with all of the branches blowing around. Anyone know if I can get there but just pulling the headliner back?
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 08:51 PM
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Originally Posted by BigHornCTD
No $90 fillups for me yet, but I'm sure that day will also come.
You guys should try some $120 fill ups....oh yeah thats just our play money
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 09:13 PM
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From: McKinney, TX
Originally Posted by BigHornCTD
Well last night I added some "character" to my rear bumper by backing into a short post. I would like to remove the character from said bumper.

Anyone have any tricks to removing a dent, other than a hammer and block of wood? It does not look bent or creased, just a round dent. So I am thinking I can hammer it out, but don't really want to make it worse either.

On a somewhat related note, my passenger side tow mirror housing also had some "character adjustment"....

It was not my day. Tell me again how much I spent for this truck.


If you can afford it, it sounds like an excellent time to put a REAL bumper on the back of your truck. (Ranch Hand, Road Armor, Buckstop etc.) Those flimsy chrome bumpers will dent if you just look at them hard.
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 09:22 PM
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From: Lake Arrowhead, Ca
Originally Posted by BigHornCTD
Inevitably the truck is going to get dinged, but the self inflicted ones are the worst. Especially two in the same day.

No $90 fillups for me yet, but I'm sure that day will also come.
$90 is one of the cheaper fillups for me. It was $2.99/gallon when it cost that $90 to fill up. Before it dropped to that, it was at $3.10/gallon.. Good news is, its going back down.
Scott
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Old Jan 13, 2007 | 09:30 PM
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I would just go for a new bumper whenever you can. You could hammer it out to look ok but you're always gonna know it's there even if others dont notice and that drives me crazy
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Old Jan 14, 2007 | 02:24 AM
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I paid 2.46 a gallon Yesterday. Where do you guys live? My truck cost 60 to fill. But mine always stops at 28 gallons even though I have the 34 gallon tank. I can never burn down that extra 6 gallons
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Old Jan 14, 2007 | 03:13 AM
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I've got the 35 gallon tank, but a couple of weeks ago managed to stuff 40 gallons into it at a station west of Memphis; must've been more than fumes left, since I drove into the station under my own power and left it running...


Oh yeah, you can straighten out your chrome pretty well if you hold it on some sand with leather or even heavy cardboard on top, and hammer it straight from the back with an appropriately shaped tool. Get someone to hold the bumper while you reshape it and work your way from the outside of the character into the middle.
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Old Jan 14, 2007 | 08:55 AM
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From: Fort McMurray, Alberta
I am currently paying 1.03 a litre for #2. Which I think is around 4 bucks a us gallon. Which is so stupid, seeing as we seem to supply most places with all this stuff,,, lol. Oh well what are you going to do

kevin
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Old Jan 14, 2007 | 01:54 PM
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From: On a tiny compound in Montana
Originally Posted by XLR8R
Oh yeah, you can straighten out your chrome pretty well if you hold it on some sand with leather or even heavy cardboard on top, and hammer it straight from the back with an appropriately shaped tool. Get someone to hold the bumper while you reshape it and work your way from the outside of the character into the middle.
Thanks for the tip, that is kinda what I was looking for. I will give it a whirl, but as 3500lly said, I am sure I will always notice it. I will probably end up getting a replacement bumper at some point. Heck, if I get enough ambition I may even fab up my own. Well see...

As far as the mirror housing, I think I will try and glue it back together for the short term until I can find a deal on a replacement. I really don't want to go to the dealer for that.

Our fuel here has been up to 2.99 a gallon (currently around 2.75), but so far my driving patterns don't ever get me below a quarter of a tank.
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Old Jan 14, 2007 | 09:23 PM
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From: San Antonio, Texas
Get a vent reloc kit...

Originally Posted by XLR8R
I've got the 35 gallon tank, but a couple of weeks ago managed to stuff 40 gallons into it at a station west of Memphis; must've been more than fumes left, since I drove into the station under my own power and left it running...
There is a big "expansion" hump on the rear of the tank that I think is meant to allow for fuel expansion in hot weather. I bought a vent relocation kit last year the mounts in the hump and allows for a quick fill-up of the ENTIRE tank. The station I use is about 16 miles away from home and have never had any problem with fuel expansion even in the 110'F heat we sometime get here.
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Old Jan 14, 2007 | 09:31 PM
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From: Pattonville, Texas
I figured it was that, but I'm waiting to mod the vent/filler tube until I decide what to do with the stock fuel supply.
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