Fixing Deformed Lexan?

[LTO_Dave]

I just received a Trinity Eldorado dirt oval body, and the one side/rear corner is bent in. It's not creased, just slightly deformed like it was sitting on something.

I tried using a hair dryer to heat and straighten it, but it didn't work. Should I try a heatgun on low and keep it moving so it won't get too hot? Anyone have any tips for fixing deformed lexan?

Update: I tried heating the area again with a hair dryer for longer, then laying a flat weight on it until it was cool. It helped a little, but not enough. Most of the deformed piece should be removed after some careful trimming if I ever decide to paint it.

Pics:

[Charlie don't surf]

I'd be really careful. It does not take much heat from a heat gun to destroy a shell

[Kayne]

A heat gun even on low could destroy it really quick.

[GJW]

upload a youtube vid of ya actions on it

[scr8p]

this is the reason why god gives us used lexan bodies to practice on first.

[LTO_Dave]

I'm not sure why everyone assumes I'm going to use a torch and go nuts.

I actually did practice using the hair dryer on some old lexan first. The sides of the body are super thin compared to the top...thinner than any other body I've owned.

Anyone have any actual suggestions?

[THEYTOOKMYTHUMB]

I'm not sure why everyone assumes I'm going to use a torch and go nuts.

I actually did practice using the hair dryer on some old lexan first. The sides of the body are super thin compared to the top...thinner than any other body I've owned.

Anyone have suggestions rather than criticisms?

I'd try an iron set on the lowest setting with a towel wrapped over the edges of the lexan. I'd definitely test this first too though. Not that I would know how to use an iron...

[realoldschooldude]

I'm not sure why everyone assumes I'm going to use a torch and go nuts.

I actually did practice using the hair dryer on some old lexan first. The sides of the body are super thin compared to the top...thinner than any other body I've owned.

Anyone have any actual suggestions?

Being as we're all sometimes our own worse enemies, they were trying to keep you from doing something really stupid (which is what us guys usually do).

The great thing about lexan bodies is that they're disposable, bad thing is that some aren't as readily available as others. And the problem with lexan is that to get it hot enough to do anything with it, the entire piece tends to deform and the body will collapse. Kind of what people were trying to warn you against.

I've had some limited luck with, if it's a flat-sided area that's deformed/bent, making a frame out of wood that fits how the body "should" be that holds it rigidly, then heavily (10 minutes maybe) heating the deformed area with a hair dryer, and then immediately putting the whole contraption in the fridge or freezer for a few minutes. Basically "training" the body to be like it used to be. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.

My suggestion would be to post a pic, so people at least know what you're dealing with.

[SteveK]

I was going to suggest something similar, making a backing or brace of some type to the Lexan doesn't 'sag', then heating it until soft and clamping it with another flat dolly until it cools. You're changing the chemical makeup of the Lexan with each heating and cooling cycle, so it may not even work. I once filled a Lexan water bottle with hot was from the coffee maker at work to clean it, and it softened the bottom, then when it cooled it was rock hard.

If it's just a flay part that's bent, then simply trim it off and make a patch panel for it.