How do I fix a pushed in decorative metal beam.

Submitted by 8bitpandaking t3_zrwdzt in DIY

When parking my car I accidnelgy came to close to the front of my house and it bent inwards. I need to fix this. I plan on getting ratchet straps to pull it with the car. Is this a smart way to go about it or should I do something else. Any advice would be helpful! Edit: metal beam might not be the right word but I can’t put a picture on without it deleting my post and I can’t find the right words to describe it. It’s like. Basically a ladder but instead of bars in the middle it’s like leafs connecting one bar to the other. Edit two finally got images to work!

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agate_ t1_j18ipud wrote

Don't use your car. Don't pull, push. The brick wall behind it is an asset.

Cut a board slightly longer than the distance from the metal pillar to the brick wall of the house behind it. Wedge the wood between the pillar and the wall at the same height the car hit it, and tap it with a hammer. As it gets closer to horizontal it'll push the pillar outward. Go a little past straight, since the beam will spring back a little when you pop the board out.

You'll never get it quite straight, but this is an easy way to get it close enough that nobody will notice, without risk of damage to the house or your car.

Then go to the home improvement store and buy a new gutter downspout, there's no way to fix that nicely.

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j18rudh wrote

Thank you very much! I cannot tell you how much I appreciate the clear instructions. This might be the best way to go about it. I was considering that I’d have to buy some expensive clamps l/vices and wood and hope that it’d work over time but you idea might be the best way to go about it.

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j1au8gd wrote

Thanks you again! This is the method I decided to go with. A bit of rotted wood feel from the top when it’s connected but nothing came loose so I’ll call it a win. I’m going to leave the board there for a chunk of time and then pop it out.

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anacreon1 t1_j152mhe wrote

You realize that if you attempt to pull it out with the car, as it is only as secure as the mounting points…the whole unit may very well give way?

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j152rge wrote

That’s exactly what I’m afraid of and seeing if anyone knows ways to fix this? It’s mounted into the cement below and into the roof above.

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Alwayssunnyinarizona t1_j156oen wrote

Get a pair of 2x6 boards and a BFH. Put a board on either side and pound away with the BFH.

If you want to use ratchet straps, use them to secure the boards to the beam like a sandwich.

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j156wls wrote

Just to make sure I understand what you saying 100% basically make the area flat with a think board so that when I go ham with a hammer it doesn’t dent the metal but should cause enough force to move it?

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Alwayssunnyinarizona t1_j157k79 wrote

Yes, aim for the bend to get it to bend back. Not too thin, you want to keep the whacks from damaging it.

Biggest concern would be you knock the whole thing from its ground connection. Might have someone on the other side to keep it from moving towards the street. Or use your car to brace in 😂

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Alwayssunnyinarizona t1_j157y1b wrote

You could also use the board sandwich approach and then try to put a vise on them and force it straight. It'd be heavy, but that would avoid any back and forth movement from hammering.

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j158mwu wrote

What do you mean by “it’d be heavy”

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Alwayssunnyinarizona t1_j1597pi wrote

My vise weighs about 25-30lbs, it would be awkward to lift and try to use it vertically.

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j15dwf7 wrote

Okay got you. So should I put two boards and then use two vice grips each or will that not be enough?

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Alwayssunnyinarizona t1_j15frjr wrote

I think you'll need something fairly heavy duty, like a 4-6" bench vise rather than simple grips.

How soon do you need this fixed? If you've got more than a few days, I'd sit on it and think about it before going out and buying a bunch of tools unnecessarily :)

A bench vise is expensive if you don't have one already, there might be easier/cheaper ideas that take a bit longer to think of.

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8bitpandaking OP t1_j15i14s wrote

I don’t need to fix this asap but the sooner the better. And if me saying that “pulling it with a car slowly” was the first and best idea I had right off the bat I don’t really know if I’ll come up with better the grips and 2x4.

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Alwayssunnyinarizona t1_j15jxra wrote

Cheapest option with items you can probably get easily is a couple 2x4s and a heavy hammer. Secure the boards on either side, and then hammer. Make sure the bottom of that fixture is secure and isn't moving (much) when you hammer.

You'll get it pretty close to original, though may risk knocking the bottoms out.

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