Yes. I believe the quote we got to repair the damage was around 15k, and even then, I don't think the doors would have ever closed right again.
Dashcam Footage of Dart Rearended
- Thread starter 6kevin8
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It's a real bummer that you were hit, and I'm glad that your video helped out with the aftermath. But if you let that keep you from daily driving old cars that's on you. And it's a shame. These cars were meant to be driven, not hidden away in garages out of fear they'll be damaged. Drive it, break it, repair it, keep driving it. Accidents will happen, if you let fear run your life you're not really living.
So, let me get this straight. You went with the insurance company on totaling the car? Of course the insurance company is going to total the car. Unless you have specialty classic insurance, that's pretty much what's going to happen. And with a driver quality car, that IS what's going to happen. The repairs are always going to cost more than the value of the car, so the insurance company will always total it because it's a money losing venture from their perspective. But that doesn't in any way mean the car isn't repairable. I daily drive my cars, and have standard car insurance as a result of that because most of the classic car insurers won't cover a daily driver. But I'm also more than aware that the insurance company will total my car if I'm in an accident, and I fully plan on buying back and repairing my car if that happens. It's only sheet metal.
The damage in that picture doesn't actually look that bad. I'm sure that there's damage that can't be seen, there's no doubt damage to the rear rails and therefore the unibody structure. Which can make it a complicated repair. But it also looks like a lot of the major parts could be left in place. If the $15k included paint and bodywork, that's not a bad quote at all. And a reputable frame shop should be able to repair the car so the doors close just fine, that's the deal they sign up for when they give you the quote. Nowadays any quote that involves paint and body for one of these cars is going to be close to $10k at any half decent shop. And any quote from an insurance company has to include the whole repair, you can't leave stuff out.
I truly hope you didn't scrap that car, because it looks very repairable. The insurance company will total it, sure. They'll cut you a check, and at that point you should have the option buy the car back. At which point it's yours, and you can choose to straighten the car and leave the paint alone, which should cost less.
Scrapping that car based on that amount of damage is a bigger tragedy than the accident itself. Cars are damaged far worse by rust in most places of the country, the repairs needed on that one are still going to be a lot less than what most of the "rust belt" guys have to deal with.
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daves66valiant
68 Dart 340/727:66 Signet Vert 340/5spd: 68 D100
Especially if that’s a rust free California car. That car is far from dead.
If you spend a few months driving around in Irvine, you'd probably think differently. I don't like the idea of hiding these cars in garages either, but until I finish school and move away from Irvine, I'm not going to get another one of these. As you say, there's damage that can't be seen, and it should really just be left at that.
There was rust here and there, but from what I've last heard, that car is dead.
Seems like you're assuming a lot about what I've done, and you have no reason to. I spent my time at UCLA using a 1956 Austin Healey 100-4 as my daily. So yes, I've driven in Irvine. I've logged thousands of miles driving in and around SoCal in various different classic vehicles. And no, I still don't agree with you.
As for the unseen damage, again, I think you're making the assumption that I can't know what you know. I've repaired cars hit far worse than yours and I would wager I have a pretty good idea of exactly what it would take to fix that car you threw away.
That's a real shame, because that was a very repairable car.
A frame straightening/pull, maybe replace the rear frame rails and rear crossmember afterwards, trunk pan, new deck lid, bumper, tail panel, maybe the passenger quarter just because we can't see it. Seriously what else? The roof isn't wrinkled, the C-pillar and rocker on the driver's side are straight. The quarters maybe pushed forward a little (not enough to wrinkle the top) but the frame pull should take care of that. And if not freeing everything up by replacing the rails and trunk floor should let them back into position. Gap at the front of the door doesn't look bad so the door didn't get shoved too hard. None of the glass popped out or broke, and while the doors might not shut smoothly like before they are still closed and relatively in line, so?
Still far fewer repairs than the average mid-west car. A lot of cars outside of California and Arizona need floors and quarters just to start with.
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Ddaddy
I'm changing the World... one pixel at a time!
Insulting a fellow member who has experienced an unfortunate event and subsequently decided to do what is best for them and their life given their personal circumstances by calling them a bigger moron than the person that hit them makes you the largest moron in the room.
Seriously, why would you even think that was acceptable?
I have to agree with Ddaddy.
Its hard enough to deal with in op’s eyes a destroyed car,adding insults is out of line.
Its hard enough to deal with in op’s eyes a destroyed car,adding insults is out of line.
Even if someone wanted build a race car, back half deal, the 1/4 doesn't look hurt. As long as the roof wasn't twisted up, shouldn't be too bad.
Some good pulls
Car looks pretty solid sans the bumper sex issue.
I hate that entire area of California except for the beach to surf. The rest can fall in the ocean.
Some good pulls
Car looks pretty solid sans the bumper sex issue.
I hate that entire area of California except for the beach to surf. The rest can fall in the ocean.
The car culture is a lot stronger around LA, where people in Irvine tend to pull out in front of you without caring about anyone's expense besides their own. As far as your anger towards me, it doesn't make much sense. You are showing a very closed mindset as if I have all of the funds and resources that you do. I do not know anything about your life, and you don't know anything about mine. So why are you trying to tell me what I should and should not do?
The drive train and interior was transferred into a shell of another 68 dart that was found from another member on here. That car is now a running vehicle that is now my dad's. The "good pulls" were pulled and sold I believe. Not by me, but by another mopar guy we sold the shell to.
daves66valiant
68 Dart 340/727:66 Signet Vert 340/5spd: 68 D100
Well t
knowing it was sold to another Mopar guy makes this story much happier. Glad it went to someone that will bring it back to the road or strip.
You're right, I went too far and I've edited my post.
BUT- Life is full of unfortunate events, how you deal with them is the important part. The OP came on here preaching about how these cars are too rare to be daily drivers, after he parted out a perfectly repairable car instead of fixing it. If he really thinks these cars are so rare that they shouldn't be driven, shouldn't he have done everything to repair one that was fixable? What kind of logic is that?
Instead he placed judgement on those of us that daily drive our cars because he chose not to fix his. Ok, I went too far with the name calling. But I don't think he deserves a trophy either, and I'm not going to praise his decision if I think he made a poor choice. And I do.
I should have left out the insults, I agree. But that car was damaged, not destroyed. The car wasn't "destroyed" until the OP parted it out.
First, you started with the assumptions. I have driven in Irvine, and I completely disagree with your assessment on driving classics. There or anywhere for that matter.
Second, your first post in this thread started out by telling the rest of us what to do- ie, not daily drive these cars because they're too rare. Ok, you qualified it by saying not to drive them in Irvine, but really it's no safer to drive them anywhere else. Accidents can happen anywhere. Who made you the final authority on whether or not a car is too rare to be daily driven? Well, I daily drive my cars, so yeah, I took a bit of offense. Just because you got in a minor accident and tossed your car away doesn't mean that's what the rest of us will do.
And finally- Sure, you're right, I don't know what you have for funds and resources. But here's the deal- You had the funds and resources to buy a whole new shell and swap the drivetrain, interior, etc into that new shell. That's a process that requires both skill and resources. As someone that has repaired cars damaged like yours was, I can tell you that if you had the funds to buy a new shell and the resources and abilities to swap all of those parts then you probably have most of everything you need to have repaired your car yourself. Yeah ok, it would have taken more time. And you probably would have needed to learn a few things to pull it off. And it would have probably been a "money loser" in the long run. But you're obviously not without skills, and taking on new challenges is how we learn.
It just irritates the crap out of me that you seem to think that the only solution here is to not drive these cars because they're junk after a minor accident. I think you had a lot more options than what you realized. Parting your car probably was cheaper and easier than fixing it. But that doesn't mean your car wasn't repairable and it certainly doesn't mean that other people would have made the same choice in your shoes. I know that for a fact, because I have been in your shoes and I made a different decision.
I think you missed the implication of "good pulls". I'm pretty darn sure that car was parted out.
daves66valiant
68 Dart 340/727:66 Signet Vert 340/5spd: 68 D100
Oh....As in good “pull-a-part”
Driving anywhere is hazardous.
I live out of the city and i see my share of bad drivers daily.
Maybe op made a bad decision, but the driver that hit him made a worse one. If everybody made good, well thought out decisions we wouldnt be chatting about it.
I live out of the city and i see my share of bad drivers daily.
Maybe op made a bad decision, but the driver that hit him made a worse one. If everybody made good, well thought out decisions we wouldnt be chatting about it.
adriver
Blazing Apostle
OK.
I get it.
Someone only as one baby and they don't want to wreck it.
But as someone that logs over 70 miles a day across one of the worse cities in America, I say drive them if you can.
(I'll stack my morons against yours any day).
The trick is that you can NOT drive them like a new car.
You have to pay 100 percent attention to people around you.
Absolute vigilance.
They recently passed a "hands free" law here.
It does little good. People still have phones in their hands.
Plus, I suppose they are looking down at the phone on the dash holder now instead of up in their hands.
A lot of sense that makes.
Watch your rear when driving and braking.
You can generally pick out the people that might hit you.
That's the best thing to do.
If they can see me, I'll adjust my rear view to let them know I'm watching them.
And the usually back off.
I get it.
Someone only as one baby and they don't want to wreck it.
But as someone that logs over 70 miles a day across one of the worse cities in America, I say drive them if you can.
(I'll stack my morons against yours any day).
The trick is that you can NOT drive them like a new car.
You have to pay 100 percent attention to people around you.
Absolute vigilance.
They recently passed a "hands free" law here.
It does little good. People still have phones in their hands.
Plus, I suppose they are looking down at the phone on the dash holder now instead of up in their hands.
A lot of sense that makes.
Watch your rear when driving and braking.
You can generally pick out the people that might hit you.
That's the best thing to do.
If they can see me, I'll adjust my rear view to let them know I'm watching them.
And the usually back off.
i drive like i'm on a motorcycle, like everyone is out to kill me
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I think perhaps one of the core things that turned this all a bit sideways is the simple fact most folks on here fix their own junk. Even if they don't know how, they dive in and try. Kudos to both the OP and 72blu for meeting in the middle and not letting the thread degenerate into a pissing match. That is one of the key traits of this forum, we can all agree to disagree without the personal attacks. Well done guys!
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