How bad is this?

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MexDartSport

MexDartSport

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Joined
Dec 31, 2014
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Location
Denton, TX
Really hurts me to post this, but I want to get a better idea of what I'm up against.

Last night some drunk moron clipped my bumper and tried to flee. The police and I eventually caught up with him, but that doesn't help the fact that my car looks really bad. And I just spent all summer getting it in good running shape, too.

I hate even looking at it right now, but I took a picture to see what you guys thought about my chances of getting it looking normal again. It's a '74 Dart Sport. I understand there's probably more damage that I'm not able to see, so I'm ready for that much. I plan on taking it to a local body shop to see what they say (I'm in Dallas/Fort Worth area), but any help or advice would be much appreciated.

ughh.JPG
 
Well that sucks, but its probably not as bad as it looks , I hope you have had the car appraised, otherwise most insurance companies will just look at it as a 46 year old car, and value it as such.
 
Glad to hear it might not be as bad as I'm thinking. The car is pretty solid and has been very dependable. It's also been appraised and insured, so I at least have that. Another upside is that I was able to get the guy's insurance info before they put the cuffs on him.
 
MexDartSport said:
Really hurts me to post this, but I want to get a better idea of what I'm up against.

Last night some drunk moron clipped my bumper and tried to flee. The police and I eventually caught up with him, but that doesn't help the fact that my car looks really bad. And I just spent all summer getting it in good running shape, too.

I hate even looking at it right now, but I took a picture to see what you guys thought about my chances of getting it looking normal again. It's a '74 Dart Sport. I understand there's probably more damage that I'm not able to see, so I'm ready for that much. I plan on taking it to a local body shop to see what they say (I'm in Dallas/Fort Worth area), but any help or advice would be much appreciated.

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DAMMIT RAY !
 
Wow that really sucks. Post a picture of the inside of trunk so we can see if the damaged reached the frame rail.
Any damage to the trunk extension or outer wheelhouse? Either way its fixable.
 
Fixable but gotta find a real shop not a high production shop that won't pay attention to it and do a half assed job.
 
MoparMike1974 said:
Wow that really sucks. Post a picture of the inside of trunk so we can see if the damaged reached the frame rail.
Any damage to the trunk extension or outer wheelhouse? Either way its fixable.
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Frame rail was first thing I checked when I got it back home because I was so paranoid about it. Seems fine. Is the trunk extension the "floor part" on either side of the spare tire well? If so, mine is crunched up pretty good. Outer wheel house has a big gash in it, too.
 
Well for starters a body shop will remove the rear bumper and tail light. Then anchor the car down to the floor or a pulling rack.
Then you take and weld a strong tab onto the first point of impact so that you can make a reverse pull on the damage and carefully start working it back out. Like holding up a string and pulling it taught so that it pulls into a straight line.

I have even used spare car jack bases to wire feed weld onto damage areas like that, it gives you something to bolt into that is strong and won't pull apart when you put the 10 ton pulling unit on it.

So this is step 1, then you can look it over after the first pull and plan how you want to go about the next steps. Going to take some skills.

Can always pull things back into place, then put a brand new quarter on it if you can find one and can spend the money to do it.
 
I would to see if quarter panels are available first before you make a decision. Never hurts to have a plan B if the panel isn't repairable
 
That car's not hurt that bad at all. Don't fret it so bad.
 
Full quarters are available, I just bought some. Trunk extension, outer wheelhouse and trunk pan are also available. The tail panel is not available so that will need to be straightened or find an original patch.
 
Thanks everyone. I looked up new quarter panels and the rest just in case and they are indeed available as MoparMike1974 said. I guess the only part that concerns me now is that tail panel because it is really jacked up and pushed in. If a body guy can save it I would be very surprised but also very grateful.
 
The other driver's insurance company should be paying for everything, but they will likely need some persuasion to have the job done right. Go to a shop that is reputable, and has solid references if you don't already know their work, and keep insisting that he car be repaired properly, your appraisal is you best bargaining chip, keep beating them over the head with it.
 
Sorry for the damage to your car. Hopefully the other party had insurance but that's not always the route to go. They try no matter what to minimize the claim severity. This means a crappy repair estimate that forces your shop to do the repair cheaper than what it really takes. Find a shop you trust.. and they should do the repair and claim handling for you. Stay clear of chain body shops. They pump volume not quality.
 
I'm no insurance expert, but have been through a few claims. I've typically faced two possibilities. I can send the car to the shop the insurance will pay for and cross my fingers that it's done right. Or collect several estimates for the repairs and get a decent estimate of the actual car value (recent valid sales on eBay or through classic auto dealers) - then get a check from the insurance company and handle it yourself.

Route 1 can suck because nothing is settled until the car is done, and "done" is relative to the shops involved. Route 2 can suck because if you take a check and find more damage, you're not getting a second check... So make sure any estimate is very thorough. Pay for the estimate(s) if possible to ensure they're proper thorough.

Just my $.02.
 
Phreakish said:
I'm no insurance expert, but have been through a few claims. I've typically faced two possibilities. I can send the car to the shop the insurance will pay for and cross my fingers that it's done right. Or collect several estimates for the repairs and get a decent estimate of the actual car value (recent valid sales on eBay or through classic auto dealers) - then get a check from the insurance company and handle it yourself.

Route 1 can suck because nothing is settled until the car is done, and "done" is relative to the shops involved. Route 2 can suck because if you take a check and find more damage, you're not getting a second check... So make sure any estimate is very thorough. Pay for the estimate(s) if possible to ensure they're proper thorough.

Just my $.02.
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Insurance companies can't force you to repair your car anywhere. It's your car, you choose shop of choice. Anything else is illegal steering.
 
I'm not tooting my own horn here but trying to give you a perspective.
With the right equipment, I could easily repair all of that with minimal filler. I love those repairs. Look for that guy.
 
That sucks but looks like it spared the deck lid and spoiler
 
Keep us advised. If they try to low ball you, I would immediately get an attorney. Maybe your insurance company could help. BTW, I agree that the damage does not look too bad. Once the quarter panel is cut off, you should see most of the damage. The only problem is that sometimes a hit on a corner like that can tweak things much further away. Finding a good shop could be hard. Maybe @Oldmanmopar could do it.
 
MexDartSport said:
Really hurts me to post this, but I want to get a better idea of what I'm up against.

Last night some drunk moron clipped my bumper and tried to flee. The police and I eventually caught up with him, but that doesn't help the fact that my car looks really bad. And I just spent all summer getting it in good running shape, too.

I hate even looking at it right now, but I took a picture to see what you guys thought about my chances of getting it looking normal again. It's a '74 Dart Sport. I understand there's probably more damage that I'm not able to see, so I'm ready for that much. I plan on taking it to a local body shop to see what they say (I'm in Dallas/Fort Worth area), but any help or advice would be much appreciated.

View attachment 1715626825
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With the way that the quarter panel is buckled by the tire, I would recommend having the frame checked to make sure it hasn't bent... Most likely it bent/buckled the frame on the top of the curve where it goes around the rear axle... If it is bent, a good frame shop can pull it straight...

There is a frame shop around here called Frame Tech that specializes in frame pulling, that's all he does, he doesn't do body work.... He's so good that he usually has a two week back log... If Ernie can't pull it - it can't be fixed.... Many of the body shops around here bring their frame work to him as they don't have frame pulling machines... Then the body shops do the rest of the work after he gets the frame straight again...
 
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