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Okay, a little over a week after I got her out of the shop for a differential rebuild, some eager, wonderful young "lady" decided she had more right to turn left in front of me... needless to say, she had no insurance.
So, I've started the teardown. Everything looks replaceable so far, and the engine Is intact, thankfully, but I found the front of the frame like this (images).
Can you guys tell me if these frame ends are repairable? Maybe cut off and reweld new donor ends? Is it even salvageable?
All advice is most appreciated!!
james Before teardown Removed most of the damaged front end. Left front Right front
Damnit that sucks. I would sue her for every dollar.
If she doesn't have insurance, chances are she doesn't have enough assets to even cover court and lawyer costs when the OP does win.
To the OP, there are two options with that frame. A good frame shop can pull that out with a frame machine. It's not something you can do at home. Alternately, you can cut and weld a new frame horn onto the frame. Either method will work fine if done properly.
This does not give her a pass. This needs to be recorded so she does not get off scot-free.
I would assume that there's already an accident report, so it's recorded. A civil suit to try to get damages is a waste of time and money if the person has no assets. You'll be even further in the hole financially after paying legal and court costs.
Thank you all for the great advice (as always! It's great to know I can always turn here for advice!)
I knew I was screwed when four little kids also piled out from her car at the accident, none were injured, thankfully, plus she wasn't married, so wasn't any use in trying a civil suit..
I'll look into a nearby frame shop, hopefully they'll be able to help!
I am sorry about the damage that the OP encountered from this obvious winner of our society. Apparently, good choices and logic are not strong with this one having a whole litter of new geniuses in tow also while driving uninsured and turning in front of people.
I have been hit twice by uninsured drivers, both had questionably unsafe cars and should have been checked by the police at some time and pulled for no insurance... luckily, I had uninsured motorist coverage both times, but having a $1,000 deductible still sucked.... but one time a car was totaled, and the other time was $7,000 in damage.
An agreed value insurance policy with uninsured motorist coverage is something that we all should have on our old cars here, so I hope that you are covered on this.
As already stated, a good frame shop can fix it and should straighten it and check it thoroughly before even attempting to replace the horns if needed. I would guess the frame from the front of the doors forward is pushed up/down and over, also possibly diamond. You can check this pretty easy with a tape measure. Suggest you be selective on the frame shop to make sure they are familiar with older full frame vehicle. I've seen some bad work done on frames from shops that don't understand what they are doing. Some may want to pull it around and weld on some new horns before getting the rest of it squared. Good luck and hope you can get it back on the road without too much trouble.
November 21st, 2021, 11:46 AM
