Wrecked front end - Fixable/Worth fixing?

[Po1nt-Tak3n]

Hey folks,

My Fiancee pulled in front of a sedan doing ~40MPH and it gave her 98 sport a big kiss on the cheek. The shop wants $3k to fix it like new and I'm not up for that. The damage looks like fender, headlight, bumper, grille replacements, and repairs on the opposite passenger side fender (holding pass door shut right now) and hood. Plus a couple of steering bits (control arm) and misc items (splash guards, etc). All of those things don't worry me too much, but the shop's estimate also lists "Unibody allignment". I haven't talked to the shop since they e-mailed the quote, I'll be doing that this afternoon.

The car was in good shape and ran like a champ before the hit.

My questions for you folks: Would you fix it, or scrap it? I'm mechanically inclined, and I don't much care how the car looks after repairs, as long as it's safe and legal, but I'm not well versed in body work. What do you think, and what should I look out for before/after I decide to dive in?

Photo album: http://s1012.photobucket.com/albums/af242/Po1nt-Tak3n/1998 Explorer/

 

[myowngod]

Fix it.

I mean.. my ex was given to me because it had been in a wreck, the whole front was toast. $150 at a junk yard later, I have a new front end, albeit it doesn't match... I had never put on a front end... wasn't too hard to figure out though (both fenders, bumper, front supports/surrounds/lights/etc).

 

[BradR]

Definitely check the frame if it's tweaked, I don't know then...

I say that because the body shop said "unibody" alignment, and from the pictures it looks like the FRAME could be tweaked...

 

[shadowless127]

I was involved in a similar accident with similar damage. 2 shops quoted me 3K, both said frame was bent.

If the frame isn't TOO bad, paying someone to align it and then doing the rest yourself isn't a terrible option

 

[waskly]

if the chasis is not damaged / bent then fix it.

 

[Po1nt-Tak3n]

The shop said there's some slight frame damage, but it's not major. He's putting it in the garage to really measure it out and get me an estimate on fixing that and the control arm so I can drive it away and bang the body stuff out myself. He wasn't surprised when I suggested that and said he'd do the same thing if he were in my shoes. If he can get it drive-able and the frame decently straight, looks like I have a good chance on this one.

Thanks for the input everyone. Tips from somebody who's done this kind of repair would be uber appreciated!

 

[waskly]

how bad is the chassis damaged? since that trucks rides on the chassis, and repairs get expensive on straightening etc, i would really look at cost of repair vs replace.

also if not done right, it will never drive right again. just some thoughts.

edit: from the way i see this, from the hit, if anything only thing i see touched if that is the left front bumper support, by which it does not even look that bad..... and looks like it has more body sheet metal damage then anything.

 

[bobflood]

IF the frame is OK, then that is very fixable! Lots of these vehicles in junkyards/pull a part yards due to C4C. Especially if you don't mind mixing colors!!

 

[vroomzoomboom]

it looks like the rad cradle may have possibly taken some of the hit to. i say that because your fender on the pass side is out so far, and not allowing the door to open. as well as (the obvious) the frame horn got it where the bumper mounts. have them do any uni body, and frame stuff. the rest is simple to replace.

 

[my98nnj]

I worked as a manager & estimator for a body shop.

That truck is an easy repair. Don't worry about the frame, the frame racks can easily pull them right back into position, right back to the factory measurements.
The front end is swayed over a bit, nothing major and it may even be just sheet metal that's swayed, not the actual frame.

The rest is just sheet metal replacement and a few other parts, most of which will be aftermarket or LKQ. The shop should give you a life time warranty on the job as well.

Good luck, pick your repair shop wisely and all should be just fine.

 

[Po1nt-Tak3n]

Thanks for all the input everybody.

The shop took a pretty good look at it and determined the frame is pretty bad. On both sides of that front corner, it's bent both in, and up. I didn't notice initially, but apparently the whole structure shifted so much that the wind shield cracked. He thinks (and I agree) that it will probably never be safe again, after this stress on the frame, if we ever got hit there again the damage would be very severe +dangerous. We "could" fix it, with some pretty major effort, but it really looks like it's not worth it at this point.
The guy seems to know what he's talking about, and doesn't seem to have any unseen motives (didn't even have a junk yard to recommend).
:thumbdwn:
Anybody near southern NH looking to buy a donor? It's got less than 90k on it.

P.S. I would love to believe bending the frame back and moving on would be a great option, but I'm super skeptical of the safety aspect, seeing as how it's my wife-to-be's DD.