Crash!

[Dr_EluSivE]

I am not a Happy Guy right now, We got our first snow last night and i work @ 3am so the roads hadnt been touched by plows or salt yet. I was taking it easy and going 50 something in the 65 and While crossing the Interstate 55 Lake bridge i hit a slick of ice and lost control. I almost managed to save it, but unfortunatly i was unable to regain control and spun and in the process i hit the Concrete Bridge Guard rails. I hit both the front and rear of the car and slid to a stop facing the wrong direction.
But.. that wasnt the scary part. While waiting in the car on the shoulder for the tow a Semi started to jacknife and Started sliding right toward me.. Apperently someone was watching over me this morning because the truck missed me by Inches and slid to a stop sideways in the road about 200ft away...
Aside from some back and neck pain i am ok, But i am not sure what will happen to the car. I would love to have some opinions on if this is repairable or not. I Only have liability insurance so if it gets fixed, its gonna take a while cause i have to pay for it. Here are some pictures..

Rear is just minor, very fixable.

The front However didnt favor as well.. I would guess i was going 45-50mph when i hit..

Hood Fenders, Bumper.. All trashed.

I actually have a set of fenders, And i needed a new hood and bumper anyway so i dont think thats a big deal, But here is what i am worried i cant fix.

Look near the K&N at that Bend.. the whole area from there forward is racked toward the passenger side.

Can this be fixed?

The suspension seems to be ok, the Car Will NOT start, but its probably due to the Kinked IC hoses or IC damage i havent found yet.
I really love my car, and it kills me to see it like this, I need honest opinions though, its this something i (a body shop) can safely repair?

Dr.

 

[zincyellow03]

Dude that really sucks. Sorry to hear that. Good Luck with her.

 

[MyCARneedsHelp]

Glad to hear your okay. Reminds me of my accident when i got hit by that truck. She's banged up pretty bad. Hopfully no frame damage or nothing to expensive. Probably best bet is to get a front clip. I see your in illinois , if you check A-Affordable's they usally have a few laying around that are in decent shape. I think its in downtown Joliet.... IMO i would fix it ONLY if there wasnt any terrible frame damage. I had one like that and it never felt the same and always sat kinda funny even with all new suspension.... Good luck and i hope you feel better!

 

[Shawneebear93]

I agree, if the frame is alright, I would want to fix her up. That's a shame after everything you've done to her. Glad to see you're OK! Definitely try to save her.

 

[93 teal terror]

based on my recent accident in my jeep your looking at at least 2-3k depends on how much you supply parts and do yourself. That is if you get it painted and don't paint it yourself

 

[88stangmangt]

im not a body man but i do know that parts for mine and yours lx are dirt cheap and easy to find. ive seen worse im sure it can be fixed. insurance would take one look and say it is totaled because last timed i check (this was for my 88 GT) it was KBB at 1,500. so its gonna have to be done out of your pocket...snow sucks i have taken down my LX and my Jetta GLI for winter. hope things turn out well cars looks awesome and very clean.

 

[QUICK91LX]

have the frame done at a GOOD shop and use all used body parts and you SHOULD be ok, but it will be pricey. Insurance will DEFINITELY total the car, but you can buy it back and use the check they cut you (wont be that much being that its a 4banger) to buy parts

glad you are OK...i followed your website on the buildup...i love the car man, dont give up on it UNLESS it really is worse than it looks. then let its soul live on in another clean LX

 

[89Stang]

I really hate to say this.... but Im pretty sure the frame is bent. The core support is pushed in and the inner fender area is wrinkled nicely...

it can be repaired however time on a frame straightner is expensive. But I dont discourage you trying. Glad you made it out alive could've been much worse.

 

[evintho]

Doc, my condolenses! That bites! Don't give up, you built a really nice car from the ground up! I have to agree with some of the other guys, though. You probably have some frame damage, wrinkled fender aprons that you'll never get straight and maybe some suspension damage.

I say, find another unmolested hatch or notch, pick it up and swap everything over. It'll be cheaper, better and safer in the long run.
Good luck, my brother!

 

[Keasbey]

I think it's repairable, bodyshop guy in my area usually ask 250$CAN to do this job... maybe it would be around 300$Us, 'cause it seems kinda F*** up..

I wouldn't say the frame is bent.. take the hood, fenders away, and look for damage to the frame..Just to be sure..

When you look to the front view pic.. the car seems to be lower on the right side..

It might cost you approx... I would say.. 725$US to get all this fixed, not painted.. if the frame is okay..

Good luck!

 

[Red_LX]

THAT is why I refuse to drive my thunderbird during the winter.

Anyway, DR, this right here is a picture of my Mustang when I wrecked it real good back in November of 2000 (plowed into some woman who pulled out in front of me at an intersection). The accident was ruled no fault and I had no coverage on the car and my dad decided to fix it. It ended up costing over $2000 to fix (which is what I paid for the car in the first place). What they did was cut the subframe and inner fenders off in front of the strut towers and weld on a new subframe from there forward. I don't want to be the bearer of bad news but you're probably looking at some big bucks to fix that car.

(sorry for the poor quality, it's a picture of a picture)

 

[Dan P.]

Man Paul Im sorry to hear that happened to your Stang. I know how much you have put into her, man it makes me sick just to think about. Im happy to see you came out okay. There have been a lot of people around here recently that have been killed in crashes. One of my professors was hit and his wife was killed over Thanksgiving. I hope you can get the Stang fixed so we can have twins again.

Daniel

 

[BELL]

dude that made me cry, almost as bad as i did when i spun my svo out in the auto-x last october

 

[glowstang93]

So sorry man

Dr, I feel awful for you. I have been battling my ICM and coil packs and now that seems so trivial to what has happened to your pony. No matter what happens, I'm sure it will turn out for the best somehow. Glad your ok, can't slap on a new body panel when we get hurt. You'll be back in the saddle soon I'm sure.

 

[TRIK]

Sorry to hear about your stang, but Im glad you are okay.

 

[Dr_EluSivE]

Thanks for all the support Guys.. its really is like losing a Friend to me.. I do have an update though, After i got off work today my dad and i tore into the front end to see what was underneath. I have pictures of what i found that i will post below... I think its saveable, but i am not a body guy so dont take my word for it, It does looks like the suspension is Intact, and it appears the Upper strut tower support stucture is undamaged. I am friends with a body/paint guy that works out of his garage, and he knows a guy with a Hydrolic frame machine that he can use so i may be able to get the front pulled back for cheaper then normal, Also if i cant make the front straight he told me i might be able to clip it right about the front of the motor and replace it. So i have a few options. I am gonna wait till he actually sees the car in person to decide what to do next. I DID get the car started and it runs fine and drives and turns like normal. It still tracks straight.. i didnt do much driving on it though as i didnt want to get pulled over.. Here are the pics...
Let me know what you think now, I want to save the car if possible, but i still want it to be safe.

The Rad Support is racked Up and over to the pass side.

Pass side, the damage doesnt get into the frame above the strut tower.

This is my biggest area of concern.

Note the bent frame rail right near the Kmember mount.. Hopefully i can pull that straight on the rack..

Drivers side, its pushed in and up little bit, but really its not too bad.

Pass side again, good shot showing how much its pushed..

Rejected parts..

Sad Pony... May you one day Run again...

Dr.

 

[88stangmangt]

perfect time for a tubular k member

 

[Stinger]

Why? The k member isn't even hurt...

Dr, there is no question it can be pulled back on a frame machine...it's amazing what the machine can do. The only question is whether the operator is any good with the machine. If he knows what he's doing, he should be able to pull it back so perfectly that you can just bolt a hood and fenders on and drive away...

Looking at the fenders, are they even messed up? Looks like they are salvageable to me...

 

[Dr_EluSivE]

Why? The k member isn't even hurt...

Dr, there is no question it can be pulled back on a frame machine...it's amazing what the machine can do. The only question is whether the operator is any good with the machine. If he knows what he's doing, he should be able to pull it back so perfectly that you can just bolt a hood and fenders on and drive away...

Looking at the fenders, are they even messed up? Looks like they are salvageable to me...

They have some pressure bends in them, on the top surfaces and around the wheel arch, They dont have any scratches or missing paint on them though.. I have some spare fenders i will probably bolt on, but in a pinch i could probably reuse the old ones after some gentle massaging.

Dr.

 

[Keasbey]

yeah! I think you can save it! it looks better this way hun? w/o the hood and fenders