so much for going accident free...

[thegoon543]

well, today i was sideswiped when i was pulling out of a parking lot. accident free for 16 years down the drain.

it still drives the same and its not too bad a hit, but i can't open the driver door. i was hit on the right front fender and front driver door (looks like it grazed the tire). im really hoping my insurance company does not total my truck . it is dented pretty bad, but looking at it from the side at about 10 feet it doesnt "look" so bad. but i had to get in and out dukes of hazzard style until i took it to the body shop for an estimate. if my insurance does total it, im planning on buying it back and fixing it myself. i have put so much energy into it into making it last as long as it has. it does have 178K, but everyone that has ridden with me tells me how incredibly smooth it drives.

one thing that was bothering me was when i turn all the way to the left (and left only) when im moving, there is a light grinding noise now coming from the front axle (sort of like 2 gears grinding on a manual trans). the tire is not rubbing anything, but i can't see what it might be. otherwise, it drives just like it used to. if i could only have a door that closes and an axle that doesnt grind, i would be more than happy. anyone know what could be making the grinding?

 

[pope_face]

Ouch... sucks... hopefully it won't get totalled and your settlement will include enough for repairs plus a few extra toys... but, have you checked the door latch? When my old car was hit by a truck it pushed the trunk up against the latch, preventing it from opening. As for the grinding... I'm likely not going to be much help. However... when you checked to see if it was rubbing, did you do so with someone in the driver's seat? The extra 150 or 200 lbs could affect the steering/suspension components enough to cause a little rub at full turn, but without the weight in the car you may not notice. Not sure if it'll help, but it's worth a try and it won't cost anything. Good luck with the fix though.

Fil

 

[thegoon543]

yeah i turned it standing outside and saw no rubbing. oh well...as of 9:00 this morning still no word on what the body shop will say, but i have a pretty good idea of the news ill be getting. i don't want to be pessimistic but reading several other threads of the same nature it wouldn't surprise me now.

 

[Minivek]

Sorry to say this man, but there's a 99% chance they are gonna total it... it sucks I know, same thing happened to me last year. when they that old, a broken window could total it its ridiculous. But if your lucky, they'll still give you something ok and not put any VBA on it, get a good shop that will do the job for what your offering, maybe offer to helo him out with the repairs...

 

[adamhc]

Man That bites. About a year ago I let a friend borrow my 93 to go camping (never again). He hit a deer, the only thing it did was some minor buckling of the fender and front quarter panels. The frame was perfectly fine. However, the body shop told me that if I reported it to the insurance they would total it. My friend went to the salvage yard and for 85 dollars he replaced all the damage. compared to the body shop that wanted 950 dollars for the same work.
What a wonderful fouled up world we live in.
Good luck I hope that it can be repaired. no sense in throwing away a good vehicle for a bit of repairable damage.

 

[thegoon543]

well, the unofficial word is that it is totaled, according to the body shop. the estimate is a whopping $3200 to fix. im pretty upset over this and its a little overwhelming. i thought the insurance company would have contacted the body shop by now because that is where they told me to take it, but they haven't yet, so im debating on what to do at this point.

the body shop guy said the front quarter panel and front door (obviously), but he also said the back door needs replacing. however, i opened and closed the door just fine with no alignment issues to speak of.

here are pictures of the damage:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2061445&l=46542&id=29702941

to me, it doesn't look that bad.

since it drives just fine ill probably pick it up tomorrow and drive it home (only about a mile away) until i figure out what to do with it. for now, im just trying to go through options of fixing it myself. i know the doors are heavy but i think i can round up some help. parting it out is not an option because im sure it would cause a fuss for my condo's HOA.

ive put way too much effort into making this truck last as long as it has to just be thrown to the curb. it would just pain me to see my beloved truck end up being junked...

 

[thegoon543]

btw, im already looking in the parts forum for a clean door.

i dont care so much about the front quarter panel, but if someone has it, ill take it.

if anyone has one in white, pass that thread on to me. if white isnt found, ill take whatever it is.

 

[ekufirefighter]

if you ever make it down to charlotte...there is a place off I85 that sells body parts (doors, bumpers, quarter panels, etc) cheap as hell....when i wrecked mine i bought a brand new door and a new quarter panel for only $350 bucks....they might not have it in stock but they can get anything...its called keystone.....if you want the info let me know and ill get it from my dad....he wrecks his company car all the time and gets parts from there really cheap....quarter panel for $20 one time....and the parts are only primed so you can paint them any color ready to go!!!!

 

[thegoon543]

i have a few matches for a white door and fender around here. i don't make it down to Charlotte much anymore, but i appreciate the tip.