Today I got into an accident.Luckily noone was hurt. I was making a left turn when I saw nooone was coming but I was mistaken and I couldn't stop in time. So the fact that I was turning left it was my fault and I got my first ever ticket. I couldn't even believe it alll I could do was cry and say my car. I called my dad becuase I didnt' know what to do and he couldn't understand me through my crying. I got out of the car and the police entered the scene I was currently in the middle of the road sideways with my license plates and headlights all over the road. I dropped to my knees in the middle of the road screaming my car!!!! The bumper was hanging on by a thread and the whole inside of my engine was showing through the cracks. The tow man cut my bumper off and the car was towed. I got one picture before it was towed away.
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/kiekie124/l_b3f65c12bf8440e3b3c1c9a220c56aae.jpg)
Hopefully it can be fixed.
There was basically no damage on the other car except for a dent.
Like you said,no-one was hurt.As far as the Cougar,that's just a flesh wound.Easily fixed.Gather the parts,a little paint,good as new.Just watch those left turns.LOL.
I just hope they can put it back together right like the grill with the cougar on it and everything
check the local salvage yards,here in the classifieds and even Ebay.You'll find the parts.Are any of the lights still in good shape?Every piece you can salvage is one step closer.I'll look around as well.
glad to hear your ok
Cars can be fixed, people not so easily. As long as the frame isn't bent it can probably be fixed easily. Sometimes shiznit happens but don't worry things will be taken care of.
I just saw a grill,headlights,and a driver side corner light on Ebay.There's also a whole Cougar like yours (except it's white) in new Jersey for $500.00.Not bad for a whole car.
Make a list of each part you need and let me know,or,just post it in the parts wanted section of our classifieds and I'm sure between you and all of us,the parts will show up.
My dad is going up to the tow place where my car is tonight and is going to make a list.
like i said i love the grill that was on my car and thats what i want.
oh and its just my luck that yesterday i got my car back because i got my transmission rebuilt.
So that was a grand and now looka t what happened!
bad luck right there.
Like I said,just a flesh wound.Replacing the header panel,bumper cover and a fender (maybe some lights) is easy stuff.
Samantha, First off we're glad no one was hurt...and as for your Cougar this forum will be the best place for you to locate those parts you'll need to repair it back to good as new. LOL ;)
Sam, that really bites...I'm glad you're okay though. Doesn't look to be too badly damaged. I know it looks horrible now, but just a few parts and you'll be back in business again.
*Waits for Ric's phone call...*
OMG!!! Id be blowing fuses everytime i think about it. This will be the first thing you think of each morning when you wake up.
Im glad your ok and nothing more serious happened.
Wow. Glad to hear you're ok. The kitty took a good knock in the nose but she'll be ok too.
Just be more careful behind the wheel. We don't want to lose you like that.
I'm almost positive I have some Cougar lights in my garage somewhere. If I find them you can have them. Sucks about the car, but atleast everyone is fine.
Wow. I saw the picture and got instantly saddened...but as it's been said....good thing nothing happened to you. A testament to the safety of a lot of steel around you even if we don't no fancy new-fangled "ayyyyyr-baaygs" or "launch controlll" (wait huh? :hick: ) and...yeah if the frames fine that's what bumper header panel lights grill. Done. I suppose I'll throw it out there that I have been starting to stockpile headlights so I've got a couple real nice ones too. Would be happy to part with them on an occassion like this!
The grill...definitely shouldn't be a problem finding one of those..on ebay all the time...then ya just gotta get it painted like the original one was. :D
I may also have a few parts around. Just post what you need.
Glad your OK. It's just a small repair. It'll be alright
I'll tell you guys what. You're alright. Helping Samantha out like this is great. That's just one of the many reasons I love this board. There are so many great people.
Like the other guys said Sam, I'm really glad that you're alright. Like Vinnie said, your Cat just suffered a flesh wound. It won't take much work to get it back together.
Sorry your car was whacked, but good to hear you're ok
Claude (aka CougarSE) has a header panel, grill and lights for ya. He can't get online right now but your dad should have his number. Or I can Pm ya with it if you need.
That sucks. I know how you feel I wrecked my car once and it was painful to see it all crumpled up...but as everyone else has said, at least you are OK.
glad your ok, nows the time to try some custom work on your front end.
The important thing is that everyone was ok. The car is no biggie in comparison.
That sucks to see ur kitty like that :( glad everyone is ok!
The main thing is, like everyone has said, no one was hurt in the accident. Cars can always be repaired or replaced.
it brings a tear to my eye to see everyone so helpful to help a fellow thundercat owner in need. -sniffles- group hug?!
lol!
i'm glad you're alright. if i had extra parts, you'd be welcome to 'em.
i'd say its fixable, i hit a 200lb deer which proceeded to tumble down the right side. the only thing that got bent was some mounting brackets for the headlights or header panel. but it all buttoned up easy and straight. everything infront of the core support is made to crumple.
Thanks to everyone! I did have to go to the doctors because as the day progressed and my adrenaline calmed down my back hurts so bad but nothing a few pain pills that they gave me can't fix!!
But in regards so my baby car my dad went down to the shop to take a looksie and said it is really bad. The passenger front side is banged up pretty good. And he said the prices on the repair and most likely going to be more than my insurance will pay. So I'm still waiting on the call to confirm that.
I'm just so upset that my new car may be gone forever.
I do have some money sitting in the bank that I was thinking about using if my insurance don't cover it! I can't give up on my car.
I should get the call about the appraisal friday or Monday.
buy it back from the insurance company. if i had known then what i know now, i'd have bought my first car, an 85 turbocoupe, back from them.
Samantha, Try to get more pics on here to let us check out the damage....To see what the other members can come up with (as for parts that is). :)
i got a header panel and bumpercover off an 88 LS
Boy, if you could get that car to my house, I've got extra fenders, hood, Rad. pretty much a whole front clip off the parts bird. extra cougar bumper cover. the only thing I don't have are Header panel, extra lights and grille.
I'm sorry I don't have any more pictures that's the only one I could get before it was towed. I do know that the radiator was smashed though because radiator fluid was everywhere after.
I'm pretty afraid to drive my dads today but I have so many errands.
Hopefully my insurance calls today so I can figure out how much this is all gunna cost me.
Thank god for full coverage insurance!
Here are the pictures that my dad took yesterday at the yard
:eek:
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/kiekie124/0053.jpg)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/kiekie124/0063.jpg)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/kiekie124/0083.jpg)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/kiekie124/0093.jpg)
(http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i225/kiekie124/0073.jpg)
The grill and all headlights except my drivers turn signal seem to be intact.
As you can see we hit pretty good.
My ticket for improper left turn was 136 dollars what bulllshiznit.
Sorry to say, your front frame is a little out of whack
i wish i could just get some what of a quote on how muchthis may cost. i hate waiting for my insurance to call i just wanna know what needs to be done.
Yeah, judging by the messed up front door gaps, it does seem like there is some frame damage. As others have said, cars can be replaced, but people cant. However, I can completely understand how you feel. I'm the same way since my Tbird is my first car and its been with me through many times; I would almost go as far to say that it's an important part of my sanity (well, what's left of it hahahaha)! It's my getaway from everything. Worse comes to worse, find another Cougar just like it and get it fixed up the same way.
The radiator core is twisted, and I'm sure everything is shifted to one side due to the impact...but it's entirely fixable. I think it's worth saving if possible. A frame puller will work magic on all of that.
If you can get the frame pulled, It's just a matter of bolting it back together and re aligning everything, with some new stuff added
lets hope insurance covers most of it and doesnt pr0nounce it dead. because i have all my savings that i am willing to put that thing back together no matter what.
and as my dad said to me today "what did i do? i raised a monster"
lol
but im sure he would do the same.
replace the horn, whether or not the old one works or not. it's such a beeyotch to get to. :P
even if they total it, wich they probably will, if the value is close enough to what the damage was you can still have them fix it. id probably buy it back from them and fix it myself if i were you. it looks like it was a really nice one.
that car has 78 thousand miles with basically no rust and the interior is spotless.
im gunna have to go with really nice too.
lol
I think that's exactly what his comment was referring to ;)
So I've decided that waiting for the insurance company to make up their mind about if they are gunna fix my car or no is killing me. And also that I'm most likely going to fix my car no matter what becaue I don't want any new fancy car I love my cougar....
Is it expensive to buy back a car after they say its a total loss and is blue book high for my car? Anyone knows?
I bought one back once. (hail damage total) They wanted more than what any yard would have paid. But I think they totaled the car for about 4700 and I bought it back for 12 or 1500. In my case it was well worth it, cause it was just some lite, but widespread hail damage and the car still ran perfect. (440 Six Pack under the hood)
I can't imagine that they will charge you much for it to buy it back, cause my GUESS is they aren't gonna want to give much for it as a total anyway. But it's just a guess
Good luck, and I hope they treat you right
My blue Thunderbird on the banner washiznit twice in two weeks.The first hit busted the driver side lights,bumper cover and fender,the second hit crushed in my driver side door.I got a check from both people's insurance company and proceeded to rebuild the Sport.They didn't total it for me.
your policy states the coverage.
To buy back a car,...
-the insurance simply estimates the damage.
-they will total it (parts no longer available)
-they will look up the value
-they will likely say its worth 500
-subtract that amount from the damage
-new total is what your check will be if it does not exceed the policy.
my 84 was total and i bought it back for 300.
my check was 1800.
I ended up parting it out , selling the engine and trans, all told in the end that total made me an additional 1200 bux on top of the insurance check.
Your car needs a front clip to include the rad box frame for the lower / upper rad supports. Its not all that bad and if you know someone who can weld it back in, its just a matter of bolting body parts back on.
My recent experience with my 88 T-bird in Washington State, was similar to this of Vinnie's.
They didn’t brand the title, they wouldn’t fix the car, they just bought me out for $1200 and let me keep the car, told me to get it fixed myself if I wanted it fixed.
ps. There was some sort of "buy back" offer, but they waived it and said "Just keep the car" becouse I was not pleased with the $1200 offer.
Make sure you read anything carefully that they want you to sign.
My daughter signed some papers without reading them, and ended up giving her car to the insurance after they said it was totaled. come to find out, if she didn't sign the papers, she could have had her car fixed for $200 in parts. they scammed her into signing. then I'm sure they parted it out. or fixed it and sold it
it will be totalled. laybor allone will probably total it but parts, storage and towing will ad up quickly as well. i would be really suprised if it was more than 600 to buy it back. im betting 300-400. i would deffinetly get it on a frame machine asap and start looking for parts. im sure you can source the parts easy out in there in cougar/tbird epicenter of the world!
i forget the math but when my car was wrecked (the red mustang below) it totaled out. the cost to repair was almost exactly wat they booked the car out as. i could have made them fix it but i figured id be better off totaling it. it cost me 1600 to buy back. this figure was what a salvage yard would typically "bid" to the ins. co. for the wreck. they cut me a check for the cars value, plus tax, minus deductable and minus the buy back. it ended up being about unough to clear another car with a little searching around.
just make them understand right away that you dont want to give the car up. a tow yard has it now so once the ins. co. makes a decision and cuts a check thing will happen fast. if they cut you a check for the full ammount they will sell the car to a s/salvage yard and you wont get it back. i had the tow driver tow the car right to my house because i knew i was going to keep it and paid him for the tow. if i were you id at least talk to the tow yard and work out a deal and either try for a reduced rate or id square up with them and get the car out of there. its racking up a fat storage bill sitting there.
first of all, its your job to get the frigging car off the lot. pay the bill and get it out of there fast. there is no law that says it has to stay there and its stupid of anyone to do so. Your not sure what the daily storage rate is and that will eat up most of the insurance.
second off, dont volunteer information. Insurance adjusters are typically going to do thier job and do it well. All my encounters with them have been honest and well informed meetings. He/She will look over the car and comb through it doing a good job to make sure thier opinion of damages are documented well.
Once this is done, you will be notified of the estimate of damages , or, you will be offered the chance to suggest a mechanic who will fix it. The check will then either go to you or them.
Only at that point should you mention you would like to buy the car back.
A better and more forward thinking solution is to tell the insurance company that you would like to discuss the cost of damage and how that effects the policy you are on now. Lets say the car has 4k worth of damages to include labor / materials. Inquire how this dollar amount effects your premium over the next policy period and what would your policy cost if you covered half of the damages.
The effect of paying a higher premium later for many years vs eating some cost now may make better sense. Lets say you cover 50% of the bill, how would that effect your policy until your 26 vs letting them pay the whole bill.
Right now they are paying to fix the other guys car so your in thier pocket so to speak as it is.
most people leave the car there untill the ins. co. does their thing. more so if its likely totalled. i wouldnt leave it there but not everybody can store wrecked cars.
my ins co. out sources the actual car inspection. the adjuster never sees it. i agree, once you hear back from the ins. co. itself than let them know you plan to keep it (assuming they tell you its a total loss).
Hate to be the possible bearer of bad news, but something I haven't seen mentioned in this thread, just assumed is...
Samantha, did you have full coverage insurance on the cougar?
20 year old car is more often than not only going to have liability, in which case this is your problem, you are at fault (were ticketed) in the accident, there will be no pay off, no buy back, and the Tow/Storage bill is also yours.
Now in the case that you had full coverage insurance on a 1988 car, I believe (not sure) you would have had to have it appraised in order to get full coverage, in that case you should know what they will be paying you for it.
hadnt even thought about that. i have full coverage on everything, as i believe everyone should.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Samantha (http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/images/buttons/viewpost.gif) (http://"http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?p=248129#post248129")
Thank god for full coverage insurance!
;)
Ahhh Sweet, I even read back through this and still missed that.
state farm told me I have to have some sort of special appraisal of my 20th in order to justify anything beyond 800 dollars.
I guess thats what she did. I dono how much her car appraised for or is quote unquote valued at with the insurance company.
When I had my cougar on the road, I had full coverage on it.
It was in mint condition until I put it away.
They would want a picture of it every year.
Just send them the pic in your sig. They should be fine with that:D
My car was appraised at 3900. The estimated damage was 3724.66. I am getting 1510.64 minus the 100.00 for buying it back from salvage. So i'm getting 1410.64. As you guess they totaled it but my dad is currently talking to a man about having a whole front clip of my car is pennsylvania. Which is basically what I need.
Go look in the wanted section for parts needed.
huh. if they apraised it at 3900 and totaled it at 3700, why are you only getting 1500?
because they are dumb lol. I have no clue. All I know is that how ever much it costs im fixing this car.
And everyone thinks im crazy for doing it because i suppose i could buy a new car but I LOVE THAT CAR!
Who is the insurance company? Who appraised it at $3900? If the insurance company said the car is worth $3900 then that's what they owe you, minus your deductable and the buy back cost.
Standard insurance companies...ie State Farm and the like...don't deal well with older/classic cars. When I had my '69 Mach I with full coverage, an appraisal, and stated value ($7500+10% annual appreciation) back in the '90's State Farm still wanted to argue with me when I totalled it as to what it's "value" was. You just have to fight with them to get what your owed. It took me 5 months to get paid the amount I had paid insurance on for 9 years without a single claim! They will always start off low-balling you hoping you'll have to take the money. Even though you love your car, that's no reason to let them screw you over on it's value.
Ray
this makes no sense.
appraisal of 3900,, you should get the damage costs in a form of check minus buying it back.
On another note,, I cant believe they even appraised it at that high. You must have been paying additional on your premium to get the appraisal up that high.
You need to ask the insurance co if they can replace the car ,, its thier job to either replace or repair. You cant replace a car like that for the measly amount they offered. THat is the story I rolled with on my coug that got smashed by a tree. I produced reciepts less than a year old that showed valuable replacement parts to add into the value.
Dont take the first offer they toss out.
Was it your insurance who said it appraises at 3900? if so, thats the dollar figure they are legally suppose to work off of.
You need to ask them questions, or they'll take you for a ride if you don't speak up, Did you sign anything before they gave you that amount?
My daughter does this for a living... If your insurance company appraised your vehicle for $3900 and they feel that it should be a total loss because of the amount of damages they will owe you. Regardless of who is at fault for the accident your insurance company will owe you the cash value of the vehicle minus your deductible and what ever amount they are deducting for you to buy back the vehicle.
I may have heard the guy at the tow place wrong because it doesnt make any sense .
sorry
dont appoligize. Were all trying to help you. Its an insurance company's job to screw you. Its how they make money. Everyone here is trying to help you out. However some times you have to get in there face a bitch at them. Everyonce in a while thats all you can do. There telling you the insurance company owes you 3900. SO you should be getting 3900. Dont sign anything till you get at least 2000 out of them.
more like 3 grand if the car had no special insurance other than book value.
Either way, she needs to keep a close eye out and get on top of whats going on. I hate the ins. co.
What does the tow guy know?, Did you have collision ins.on it?
I think i had up to 80% of collision repairs on it.
Well its sitting in my driveway on wood blocks my dad is also going to spray it down with wd40 so no rotting happens and it also wont start which makes me nervous but we cannot get the hood open to see how the battery or anything is.
could be the inertia switch....probably nothing serious.
Tell your dad to just cut the bracket that the hood latches to.I have a replacement you can have in mint shape.Then you can check under the hood.
Well I put the salvage title on it and my dad took pictures when he popped the good off and we found a guy to do the repairs as long as I find the parts. Its looking to be a couple grand .
All that's left is to find the parts.
It should be able to be done cheaper than that.Check all the local salvage yards,and even cars as a whole.Sometimes you can buy a whole car for parts cheaper than the parts alone,then sell off the rest of the car and parts to get some money back.
Thanks I just wish all the holidays weren't her they keep getting in the way you know? I just hope everything can be done for under 3 grand because I bought the car originally for 2 grand then put an 1100 tranny and oil change and all the other misc items . I don't want a new car but if its over 3500 I'm gunna have to get another car.
For a grand I could make it look the way it was.
It's not that bad.
I was also thinking the same thing.
How?! I need my car done cheap...but they wanna charge a lot. I need help lol
I'm sure with everyone willing to help, that you should be able to get all the parts you need for well under 200. If you or anyone you know has the ability to replace the panels, then all you would really need is to have someone pull out the frame or replace the upper support. It would only take a couple of days to replace everything and re-align the panels.
Looking inside the engine bay would take the guess work out of the situation though.
Like I said, If you were about 300 miles closer, I would give you a hand at rebuilding it.
The guy I'm taking it to to get it out back togethe wants about 2 grand to put it together without him buying parts.
you are over a barrel.
just make sure whoever repairs it remembers to unplug the eec while they do any random welding. I'll be up in akron late jan into feb if you need parts. I can see about locating a header panel from my last resource in beckly wv. They came up with a perfect oem match for 125 bux new. Im not sure who made it but it is now on the white coug.
Ill bet when the upper rad support tac welds are drilled out, the front sides will flex right out where its suppose to be. Next I would use a come along on the frame to pull the further distance needed. I had to pull my first coug frame by the front bumper mount. I parked along the street and ran the cable around the tree next to the car. I then cranked until the wheel was snug to the curb and then i was able to get some pulling power. I pulled the frame about 1/2'' past where i thought it was needed. WHen i released, it flex'd back a little but was perfect. two years later a tree fell on that coug and that i couldnt fix.
Dont worry about the fenders rubbing the doors. Look along the mounting bolts under the hood and you will see where the fenders have shifted back. They are made to do that so you can adjust them during assembly and alignment. Risking opening the door only bends the fender / door so hold off on that as long as possible.
eff that. like said before, you should have the body racked on a frame machine to make sure its withn spec. if the radiator support needs to replaced, a body giy would probably be able to bang that out in short time. other than that, assembaling the nose isnt all that hard. i wouldnt pay someone to do it if i could help it. then, if the pannels and what not need to be painted prep it yourself and have it squirted. i have a feeling you will easilly find help out in your neck of the woods.
looking back at the pics once again, it appears you only need one major body part and that would be the header.
here is what i would do......
-remove pass fender(repair & shape)
-remove driver fender (repair & shape)
-remove bumper (inspect and repair with fiber glass kit)
-repair bumper cover with that fancy smansy platic welder kit/fiber glass
-remove header panel remains and stow lights away
-drain/remove radiator (presure test with air compressor)
-remove air condition system behind radiator(test for leaks with air compressor)
-remove battery
-pull headlamp wiring out of the way
Once all of the above is done, you will have a wide open area to see what exactly is going on. Also you can now see what a repair guy has to do to simply see what the heck is going on and that time is worth money.
If and only if you had all the tools and parts for the job, this is a weekend job. I have been through this situation twice with my white coug, its not my first shooting match making things line up. I dont know everything but what i do know is im looking at a fairly simple project given the header panel is available. You already have the rest.
Ill donate old lights and a good enough grille
Also, i am guessing that you were pulling out and a car was coming from your pass side towards you? correct?
That mark never goes away.... mine has to wear that mark for the rest of forever:mad:
Yeah, having such a clean original vehichle turned into what alot of people wrongly perceive as worthless sucks.
Salvage titles on a vehicle as old as ours don't scare me. As long as you carefully inspect the car before you buy it, a person should be able to catch any nasty surprises.
I have reflected on this statement several times and I have yet to figure out what exactly you are saying here....
However that kind of mindset is exactly how our country got into the buisness of outsourcing.
do you even understand what this type of talent is worth?
Its called T&E (Time and Expense)
His time, his talent, his tools all going to work just for you in a 40hour week at 50$ an hour shop rate assuming that is the shop rate. If thats the case, he made you a good deal. Will he have a helper? Maybe he will and maybe he wont but still, that hourly rate puts two men on one car with all the labor burden on the shop not to mention the liability and risking his reputation as a shop owner.
Woman up and understand this is just the price you pay for services. If you want it done cheap, use ducktape, bondo and super glue and spraypaint.
Id suggest you and your dad take the front end parts off and let him focus on frame shaping and pulling right off the bat. His time spend on mundain tasks like bolt on items is a huge waste of your hard earned money. the quicker he is able to get to the meat of the matter , the quicker he can get your car fixed.
sorry, just had to say that because there are many people who forget how much it really costs to do a job and do it right and still maintain a good buisness relationship by word of mouth.
just remeber one thing,,, just because you dont like a dollar figure does not make it incorrect. It may be out of your budget but nevertheless, it does not mean the individual is not due his or her valued service.
Do I think I would pay 2grand for the service? Nope because i can do all that myself. If you cant, then pay someone else who can.
You could always tear into the car yourself. I didn't know a thing about cars when I was 16, but my dad said if I could fix the car I could have it. First thing I did was a new brake disk and caliper. I also did a full tune up and changed out a bunch of stuff I didn't have to, not knowing I didn't have to.
The paint would be the only thing I would actually have a shop do personally. You know what the car should look like, and you'll take your time and do it right. Not alot of people seem to take pride in there work anymore. Well around here I guess.
Doesn't look too bad, though I can definitely see it costing $2k to fix. Like others have said, if you can minimize the work for the shop you might save a little. You can have the entire front clip off with a couple of dozen bolts and an hour of your time (maybe a little more if some are stuck and you need to squirt some WD-40 in there). Too bad it's not a T-Bird, or I'd give you my old silver header panel. It's sitting in storage, and someday I need to get rid of it. I could donate my old turbines, too, but I'm way over here in Philly. It looks like yours survived, though, thankfully. Good luck with it. It definitely looks fixable.
:mad:
:evilgrin:
:beatyoass:
:evilgrin: :evilgrin:
:mad: :evilgrin:
Those pics break my heart.... it looks exactly like my car.. just smashed....
That really is sad.:( I hope you and your dad can fix/or get it fixed, for a reasonable price.I think if you can do alot of the work yourself,it can be done at a price you are comfortable with.
I hope it all turns out ok for you.
Here is some motivation for you!, again im just trying to help. I went out and got a few decent reference points and treated this as though it were my screw up i would have to fix. This is what i come up with on a really good start.
Let your dad stew on this and see what he thinks. All this can be done right there at home if only you had a few warm days in a row. once the pulling is done, its a matter of getting the car inside where its warm to finish up and fit test.
the primary objective here is to get the window trim to strut tower measurement taken. If these pass, your car will drive perfectly straight no problems. Just pay attention to the sway bar down below, it may be a little tweeked but usually those big U clamps down there bend first.
remember to use non metalic hammers as much as possilbe when shaping the metal back. When you beat on the metal, paint comes off. If you use regular metal objects to beat with to shape ect, just dont forget to have a couple cans of primer and some spray paint of a good quality. Most of your skeletal work will be out of view so touch up inexpensive paints will be better than no metal protection at all.
Let me know what you two come up with because I really think more and more all you need is a good header panel. or, you can sell the car to me:evilgrin:
Most likely me and my dad are going to attempt taking the front end off and ahve the frame straightened by the mechanic lol.
And then we can put a new front clip on by ourselves.
that would at least save us a grand
a front clip is ...........
torch used to cut the entire front end off a car from the front side of each strut tower.
sounds like you are talking about bolting on body parts,, either way it sounds like progress to me:D good luck.
Share those measurements with the mech, he will have no idea what is goal is unless he has another car to compare to.
Can anyone else measure the same points i did? Its just two measurements.
This will help the mech and save him a ton of time trying to figure out what the mesurements were before the crash.
Just bring it in and have them do a 4 wheel alignment, or atleast a front end alignment. The results he'll get can tell alot of things about what got tweaked and what didn't. Keep in mind, plastic parts make it look alot worse than it really is. I'll come up with some measurements....once it gets up to 10F.
The trick is to reverse the direction the damage occured. Then bolt on body parts and plastic.
Here's the measurements for the Cougar.
I'll post additional measurements for the upper front later tonight.
If they're hard to read, let me know and I can email you a full size copy.
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/img018-1.jpg)
Did you spend the whole day doing that, Now thats crazy+
wow, is that Mitchell or all-data? I've been looking for that for my Tbird for quite awhile.
1987 Ford Shop manual.
I'll post a large size tonight.
It has the Mark, mustang, cougar/bird and continental. I'll post them all tonight
thanks that will help out a lot
Thanks! Just hopefully it will get warm outside eventually.
Chin up gurl:D It will get warm eventually, and your honey will get resurrected.
Sorry I don't have any parts to donate to your cause....
I got parts , but I'm to far away.
How are you involved? besides the pics.
I think thats her dad...
Your correct Haystack he is her dad !!! :poke:
I have most all parts from an 87 XR7, but I'm quite a ways away. bumper cover is maroon (with the XR7 grey?), etc...sold the lights already though. Been hanging onto these for long enough...I've got most of what I want for my car now.
Here's the measurements from my car. It's never been in an accident, and should be the correct measurements.
If you need more for the front end (top to bottom) let me know.
These are "on center" measurements
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/frame%20specs/enginebayfrontmeasurements.jpg)
This one measures from the front center of the oval hole, to the inner center side of the bolt.
Both sides are the same.
(http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee79/daminc/frame%20specs/enginebaymeasurements.jpg)
Looking at the pics again, you should be able to pull it back by yourself, if you have some time to do it. It really doesn't look that bad. You'll see better when the fenders come off.
If you wanted bad, it looks like this...
I do not recommend attempting to repair the damage when it is this extensive, your car will never be right again.
(http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/1840/2541/29598770018_medium.jpg)
(http://memimage.cardomain.com/ride_images/3/1840/2541/29598770008_medium.jpg)
yeah but she is good to go. a little tweaking and it should be set for re-assembly.
[drunk ish post]man, an absolutely mint, mint, mint 70 or so k mile red cougar just like hers was for sale for like 2200 not all that long ago in town (i think i posted pics at the time). the kid that ended up with it reved on me like a ricer at a stop light not too long ago. i schooled him but i was still jelous. its funny to me, i like the tbirds much more than the cougars, hate that color red but if i were to ever own a coug like that it would have to be that red, on grey or raven (or black) just like that.[end drunkish post]
I was hoping you could post the measurements of the areas I pointed out in my pic/drawing. That was the comparrison I was looking for.
the one reason i did not post sturctural layouts from the shop manual is because they always give a great structural perspective , but, we cant always get to those areas when the car is damaged ect or even with an engine in.
I was looking at it, but there's no real point to measure to at the window corner. The moulding flexes to much. Not so sure I would trust that measurement anyway seeing that one of my fenders had about 1/2" of shims on the top and the other didn't. the strut I didn't trust either. If each one is off in any direction, you could be making the car un-square when it really was. parts that are permanently welded are the best points to measure from. the lower frame itself is the part that needs the most checking to make sure its straight. the upper supports can be close seeing that you can get an 1'' of play with the fenders themselves
I will get your measurements also as another reference point though. I didn't have anyone to help me get those yesterday anyway. It's a long reach by oneself.
My project car washiznit in the right front as well, so my measurements are probably off a little too.
Sorry to read this... glad everyone's ok.
I hope everything works out and you get behind the wheel of that car again.
Good luck and good skills to you!
Yes blknredcougar is my dad lol. How do you think he got pictures. So here's an update. Monday my dad is calling a part place in south Carolina that has a front clip for my car for 650 I hope its not a lot to ship!
no biggie, no sense in wasting time on this plan since its not going to be used. A clip might be best but the welding will be the costly part.
Samatha;
Did you get my PM??
just pmed you back sorry it took so long.
Back to U
Update::
Today I bought a front clip+radiator.
Now I just gotta wait.
gotta love being impatient
:D
Congrats! Make yourself a Hot Toddie, kick your feet up, and relax.
I finally received my check totalling 1406.68.
My claim is finalized.
And I just received my front end clip for my car today.
Pictures willl be up soon.
All thats left is putting it back together and then i'll be happy!
That's all you need to make you happy. What kind of woman are you. What about all the other stuff like Jewelry, clothes, shoes, etc, etc.
Haha well yeah I need that stuff too. :D
But I need my car back my dads car is killing me!
Any Updates??
I'm pretty sure its all fixed now.... maybe I'm mistaken.
... I've been away for awhile... in another thread perhaps??