Accident: Can anyone take a look and give me a clue?

osiris19

Active Member
If you wanna be safe, buy a radiator support or core support, whatever it is, which you can get for like $2-300, then drill out the spot welds, rip it off put the new one in, clamp it, weld or have someone weld it back in place.
/QUOTE]

I don't have drill bits that can drill through welds, I don't have a welder and I don't know anyoen that can weld.
Could I just bolt it together with bolts and locking nuts?


Well, I am going to take the bumper and lights off (when I have the money to get this fixed) and then drive it to a local shop to see if they can fix it for under $500.SOmeplace has to be able to fix this car for less than a damn grand. If I have to sink another grand into this damnable car they better replace/fix every damn thing that's wrong with the front end...to include the hood and bumper.

Til then, it sits in the parking lot. If I find another car by the time I get my bonus I'll just sell this piece of shit. The engine and tranny are in great shape, I should be able to get my initial $1000 back that I paid for it if I sell it based on those.



Man I wish I had friends.

Dm of mD
It pays to have friends. No you wont be able to do that because it wont be structurally sound and you will run the risk of the front end crumbling when youput load on it.

Sent from my Droid Incredible using Tapatalk 2
 

Detman101

Da9 newbie
Well, I've been sent a blessing.
One of the brothers at my church actually has all of the equipment needed to fix this and pull that radiator support back into place. He said that once I get the schematics for the engine bay, we can use his hydraulic frame puller to pull everything back into spec. He also said that he would do it for free but I have to do the work while he instructs/guides me. I'll do all the part pulling like the bumper and headlights/wiring.

I'm still going to pay him but now I can afford to get my one-piece headlights, clear-cornered side markers AND get the car plasti-dipped!!!

WOOHOO!!!

Dm of mD
 


Detman101

Da9 newbie
As many times as i've looked at this thread, i never knew you were from md.
Really? I thought I put it in my avatar information...:oops:
I will have to fix that so it is more apparent that I'm from MD.

I know this is gonna sound really geeky but..
Would you like to be friends?

Dm
 

Prozon

Kris
It will probably cost you a grand to fix the radiator support and such, on their own they're $200-400 new depending where you go.. Then they will charge for labor, and a number of made up parts.

Am I the only one questioning what the hell an upper tie bar is?
 

Exige24

Member
Did this to my DA two weeks ago.



See the buckle on the radiator support? :(








Got a used bumper, bumper support, cushion foam and extension for $180. My body guy told me $200-$500 to pull it back into spec if I got the parts and depending on the amount of time spent. Not that I care how much it cost. I'll fix her no matter what. lol I was planning to repaint the entire front end anyways. This just forced my hand a little sooner that I would have liked. Good luck man.
 


Detman101

Da9 newbie
Exige24: Wow! I don't see how hitting the bumper down below caused the radiator support to buckle up top??? That's odd...but I guess the energy has to go somewhere...

I would be willing to drop $500 to get the radiator support pulled back into spec if I could find someplace local that wasn't trying to rip me off. I can do the bumper and hood stuff myself. I'm taking this opportunity to upgrade to some ebay one-pieces and a white hood. But I'll probably just wait a month and go out to my friend's house in southern maryland that has a frame puller. I can spend the day out there and do everything myself with his supervision and advice.

I haven't taken my bumper off yet but I will this weekend coming up. I need to get under there and see what all the damage is if there is any. Thank God I wasn't going fast.

I've been reading up on the whole "tie the radiator support to a tree and slowly backup, then hammer the rest into place" method and it seems like it works pretty well. I just have to find someplace where I can do this as I live in a community where everything is managed and there aren't any trees or poles I could tie the car to...lol.

Has anyone here done that and can provide instructions?

Thanks all,
Dm of mD

PS: I want to thank everyone in here for helping me through this and helping me to man-up and realize that this isn't the end of the world...or my car.

Sincerely, Dm
 

krisx13

Schweet.
just take your time and it'll work out in the end. my front end still isnt the same but it doesn't bother me much. heres how it looks now:



maybe one day when im not lazy i'll get it all lined up
 

Detman101

Da9 newbie
just take your time and it'll work out in the end. my front end still isnt the same but it doesn't bother me much. heres how it looks now:



maybe one day when im not lazy i'll get it all lined up
That looks awesome to me! Considering how beat up the rest of my car looks, that would do me just fine if I could get mine to line up that nicely.

Good work!!


Dm of mD
 

Prozon

Kris
It pays to have friends. No you wont be able to do that because it wont be structurally sound and you will run the risk of the front end crumbling when youput load on it.
I don't know about that.. good bolts are going to be just as same strength as welds, they're just going to look worse and be a lot bulkier.
 

Rich-PMS

New Member
Do not pull it.

Replace the radiator support, and hood!


Your radiator support is now VERY weak, and when you bend/pull it back you will weaken it even MORE.


I'd suggest buying another car if you don't want to replace everything the CORRECT way!
 

Detman101

Da9 newbie
Yeah, let me go ask my rich daddy for a new car since this one is wrecked.
Yeah....um no.

Dm of mD
 
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