I broke it good this time | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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I broke it good this time

Well, there I was minding my own business, gruvin with the newly fixed AC vibe.

It felt so good, I decided to treat the Turdle to an oil change, and get some lightbulbs for the house. A good shakedown run I thought.

So, off to wally world. I got some general tsao's chicken from the deli, some synthetic oil, a brand new Motorcraft filter, found some 67 watt bulbs, man, everything was going well. Even the check out clerk had wit this time.

I had just washed The mounty and was thinking how good it looked as I walked toward it.

I noticed a new Van had parked next to me, so, I carefully backed out.I continued backing , making a reverse u turn so I could go the other direction out.
I checked to the right, nobody coming, gave it some gas and BAMM!!!

Yup, I drove right in to a stop sign pole.:( My pillar gauges had created just enough of a blind spot I didn't even see it there. To be honest, I was in an area of the parking lot I never use, so I didn't know it was there. I sat there wondering WTF, and tried to get out. Aw fudge, the door did not open good. Once I was able to get out, I saw liquid on the ground, and a folded over stop sign.

And yeah, I hit it hard. I do think my junk is totaled. I was probably doing 5-10mph, not so fast, but the concrete pillar was just high enough to inflict serious pain.

It folded in the bumper, the header panel, fender, hood , and crushed the battery. The grill and corner light is broken .

The hood will not open, and battery fluid is in a puddle. I checked to see if it would be drivable, and saw a bent tie rod, with yellow Paint on the lower control arm also.

We do have insurance, so hopefully with a little luck there will be enough going on to fix it resourcefully.

Pics as soon as I can. I didn't have the camera with me.
 



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Well holy crap! I hate to hear this Jon. I think Turdle has a special place in everyone's heart here on the boards.
 












...I must say this is sad news and, it hasn't been a good month for vehicles on this board...The saddest part is, none of them have been damaged off road or having fun..:(
 












Doh! Sorry to hear about that Jon. I can't imagine it would be totalled. Maybe it's time for a real front bumper to avoid this type of thing. I'd maybe keep insurance out of this until you survey the damage...unless you owe somebody a lot of money for a stop sign.
 






Sorry to hear this, but look on the bright side, if it was still lowered it probably would have had more damage.
 












Ahh F! So sorry to hear this! After all that blood and sweat poured into the Mounty. :(
 






Dude, that blows. :(
 






That blows goats man. I wish you the best. :salute:
 






Dang! I love that mounty. Keep it goin' Turdle!!
 






Wow Jon, I hope Turdle is going to be fixable... Turdle is a forum mainstay! This does suck lately. I'm almost ready to park Snowball in the garage and leave her there for a spell. :(
 






Oh Jon man I just dont know what to say. I cant believe this has happened.


I hope your able to fix it and have it running soon. I wish I was closer cause I could give you a helping hand.
 






OK well
The front bumper came right off just fine, no frame damage.
The hodd did not want to open though, as it got shoved back in the mounts. It took a bit of adjustment to get the hood to release and catch again.

The water on the ground was from the car wash , the bumper held a bit of water I guess. Radiator is full, and so is the battery. I was worried about battery acid damage but feel better now.

In trying to remove the inner tie rod, I had the outer still attached. I guess I threaded it out against the tension of the steering or something, maybe I am wrong, however the steering rack threads seem to be whacko--but so do the threads on the inner tie rod I grabbed from my bin.
I have a few spare inners, we will go back to attempt this tomorrow.

I may just use the insurance towing and get this thing home if the rack is fubbed. I have a spare rack, however I don't want to change it away from home. It will be drivable with a new inner tie rod.

So, looks like

Header panel==radiator core support
bumper
grill
corner light
fender
hood
headlight mount panel

That is what I can tell so far. I'll upload pictures tomorrow.

Just in case I have issues--
does anyone know the thread size for the inner tie rod--steering rack connection?
 












Jon, if you get that custom hood w/dble scoop prepped, I will paint it for you when I come up in 2 weeks.

I also have a spare front bumper valence if you need it. Square fogs though. I have a lower control arm as well, your welcome to it.
 









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Isn't amazing all the pride you take in you take in your vehicle and its capabilities when you are out on the trail, and then BAM! Screwed by a renegade stop sign, (which from your post seems to have been installed with an ungodly amount of concrete).
Good luck with the rebuild!
 






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