1st Generation Specific (1979-1985) 1979-1985 Discussion including performance modifications and technical support sections

How Bad is this? Assess the damage.

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Old 11-21-05 | 03:55 PM
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Angry How Bad is this? Assess the damage.

So like, I crashed and stuff.



Old 11-21-05 | 04:01 PM
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With a hit that hard..the frame could be bent..but certainly fixable? Now does it pull one way to the left or right? Carl
Old 11-21-05 | 04:02 PM
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id say take the bumper off, but leave those struts on there, hammer them individually back to where they are strait, and get a new bumper cover, or make it an operitunity to get a front body kit, i mean youve gotta spend money anyways, so mayaswell get something cool for a few extra bux. hows your fender? if thats bad to get a new, one, and get a new light shcroud, and front thing, for between the headlight,s and your done, thats my assessment,

-Paul
Old 11-21-05 | 04:16 PM
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I need new fenders for sure. My car doesn't pull, but the steering feels different. When I take turns my wheels also squeal like I'm loosing traction, but I'm not even going fast.
Old 11-21-05 | 04:17 PM
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i may have some parts you need for this(the front bumper shock(1) and the headlight bezel(i actuallt have the whole headlight minus the cover. ill sale it to you for real cheap just tp help you out. i know how it for something like this to happen. PM me if youre interested.


are you sure your tires arent rubbing something?
Old 11-21-05 | 04:22 PM
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I dont even think my headlight bezel is messed up, i just put it there when hitting my fender with a hammer. But the little clip that holds the brake line for the front tire fell of on the drivers side.


Tires rubbing what?
Old 11-21-05 | 04:31 PM
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you said your tires squeal. maybe its rubbing something else rather than loosing traction. id just try to make sure the frame isnt warped and if its not then fix it. if it is, id look into a new 7.

as for the front brake line issue. i think youre referring to the clip that holds the line to the fender well. i had to break this off of my SE parts car to get it off. i think it may require something custom to be fixed, but i dont think it would be hard at all. someone correct me if im wrong
Old 11-21-05 | 04:43 PM
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Yeah, my clip fell off.

But how do I tell if my frame is bent
Old 11-21-05 | 04:45 PM
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Originally Posted by DwArF
I need new fenders for sure. My car doesn't pull, but the steering feels different. When I take turns my wheels also squeal like I'm loosing traction, but I'm not even going fast.
My car does the same thing, never been able to figure it out. I'm guessing it is something with the suspension, so you might want check your shocks/struts, springs, sway bars and the such.
Old 11-21-05 | 05:20 PM
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If your tires are now squealing, and weren't before, then either the frame is bent, or steering components.

Describe how the impact occured. It looks like you t-boned someone and they were passing in front of you from left to right.

To check for the frame, you need to pull the fenders, battery and tray. Look for any wrinkles in the metal, compare one side to the other. My guess is the damage will worse be on the drivers side. The upper and lower frame rails should be straight, on both sides. If they are bent, the wrinkles will show up on the inside of the bends, and the inner wheel wells, inside the engine bay.
Old 11-21-05 | 05:25 PM
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It sounded like I went up a curb and a hit big *** bush in someone's yard.
Old 11-21-05 | 05:48 PM
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It sounded like? were your eyes closed? were you sleeping? were you drunk lol
Old 11-21-05 | 05:51 PM
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East bay? You can get all the sheet metal you need from the PnP on Mowray in Newark. Look for a halfprice day and it'll be less than $100.

First, take off the damaged fenders and center section. Leave the headlights mounted to facilitate alignment. Take it to a frame shop to get the chassis straightened.Measure to make sure thay get it correct and symmetrical. Go to the PnP for the parts (I think I paid $17 there for each fender and about the same or less for the center section, about the same for headlight assemblies. On halfprice day.)

The rest is easy. You can use a huge crescent wrench with jaws slightly open to bend the sheetmetal headlight mounts and other mounts.
Old 11-21-05 | 05:55 PM
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My bumper shocks are hellof bent and so are the things that hold them. and I cant take off the 2 14mm bolts that hold the bumper to the hydrualic shock becuase its bent so much the edge of the bolt is rubbing against the hole in the bumer.

I hate turns, and houses, and bushes, and curbs, and small trees.
Old 11-21-05 | 05:58 PM
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It's hard to tell the damage from your pix.
Old 11-21-05 | 07:20 PM
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Looks like you hit sideways and I'm sorry to say its most likely bent your frame at the front, its repairable so long as the tweak is in front of the suspension. It may be easier to find a straight body and start over though.

I know I did a similar thing this week myself, dang it I hate old men who dont indicate when they turn left.
Old 11-21-05 | 09:04 PM
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Man, I put like 2 or 2.5k into my car, I can't afford to start over. I just need to somehow bend the things that hold teh bumper on straight so i can put on a bumper and drive it while i save up for a new car.

How do I find out if its in my suspension? Can I jsut get my car aligned or something.
Old 11-21-05 | 09:53 PM
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when my buddy tore the front suspension off of his daytona with a curb, we managed to straighten the frame by dropiing the car several times.

now if your frame isnt SIGNIficantly deformed, or unevenly deformed, alignment will make it feel like new again. beware of the squeaks and rattles that will crop up as the frame loosens tho. it tore my buddies windsheild apart after a while.
Old 11-21-05 | 10:23 PM
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Originally Posted by DwArF
I need new fenders for sure. My car doesn't pull, but the steering feels different. When I take turns my wheels also squeal like I'm loosing traction, but I'm not even going fast.
If you turn and the wheels squeal (and you going at a slow speed) this means that you have excessive toe out on turns (TOOT), and alignment angle. This angle is NOT adjustable, it basically means one or both of your steering knuckles is bent. When you turn a vehicle, the inner wheel travels at a slow speed then the outer wheel. This is accomidated for by the angle of the steering knuckles, if one is bent squealing results.

But like others have mentioned it could also be damage to the unibody. Since a unibody is made to break at certain stress points in a accident, (safer) it is easier to get some major damage to the unibody. Good luck, take it to a dealership or a place that does collision repair to see what they reccommend.
Old 11-21-05 | 10:29 PM
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get the car up on jackstands, and look for bent or kinked parts. Start with the uni-body rails that run the length of the car. Then look at the front crossmember and control arms. Then take a look at the front chassis crossbar, which is right behind the bumper, and connects the uni-body rails at the front of the car and can be seen in your picture. The last thing to check is if the strut tower or spindle is bent, which could be the cause of the noise.

If the uni-body rails or chassis crossbar are bent then it's toast.
If the crossmember, control arms or shock towers are kinked then just replace them,

Last edited by Phiber Optik; 11-21-05 at 10:31 PM.
Old 11-22-05 | 01:21 PM
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It rarely ever squeals on corners but it does sometimes. I just noticed that it doesn't ride as smooth.
Old 11-22-05 | 01:34 PM
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Originally Posted by DwArF
Yeah, my clip fell off.

But how do I tell if my frame is bent
you look at the picture, see under the buper shocks? its bent, thats the frame, the frame is bent. also the radiator is crooked.

from previous experience you're looking at around $500 to pull it straight
Old 11-22-05 | 03:00 PM
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sooo what did you hit????
Old 11-22-05 | 03:14 PM
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Originally Posted by RotaryRocket85
sooo what did you hit????
a curb, bush, and tree
Old 11-22-05 | 04:21 PM
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Just to make you feel better. We all make mistakes



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