68 Needs Repair Any Advise?

[stang684637]

Hello, I'm new here and just got a 1968 Mustang. I was rear ended and I would like to know if anyone would be able to give me an estimate on how much they think it would cost and if I would be able to buy most the parts my self to save money. Thanks

 

[speedytang]

Well you can build a '68 Mustang from the ground with new parts. Your looking at about $2k in parts then add in paint and supplies. Doing it yourself and you will still have $3k invested.

 

[stang684637]

Would it be better to take it to a body shop and have them do it or would they charge way to much? 1 more thing, after being hit, the trunk wont close and now when driving the car, the inside of the car starts to smell like gas. Any advise on how to fix that problem

 

[speedytang]

Just figure on labor at $55+ per hour and your looking at probably 20-30hrs. You need a Qtr, Probably the trunk pan ,Trunk lid, rear valance and lights. That is just what I see from the picture and probably could be more. What did the insurance company say of the person who hit you.

 

[zookeeper]

With that kind of damage, saving money should be the last thing on your mind. This is not the kind of damage that you can fix in your own garage in your spare time. That car needs a frame machine, because you can bet the suspension mounting points have been moved in the accident. I'd be surprised if both doors still open and close as well as they did before the hit. Look at what is obvious: needs new quarter, new taillight panel, judging how far the bumper is pushed in, it needs a new trunk floor and rear subframes and who knows what else is kinked. The parts I mentioned are all structural parts (yes, even the taillight panel) and if even one is out of whack the whole car is out of whack. Unibody cars don't take such hits without wrinkling pretty much everything, and I wouldn't be surprised if the floors aren't bent as far forward as the driver's seat. Remember your high school physics class? For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and that means if you were sitting in the seat when the wreck happened, the seat was trying to bo backwards and since it's attached to the floor by four bolts, those mounting points may have been compromised. Take the car to a good frame shop and have them shoot it to see how far the damage really goes before you decide on the correct road to take next.

 

[dennis112]

With that kind of damage, saving money should be the last thing on your mind. This is not the kind of damage that you can fix in your own garage in your spare time. That car needs a frame machine, because you can bet the suspension mounting points have been moved in the accident. I'd be surprised if both doors still open and close as well as they did before the hit. Look at what is obvious: needs new quarter, new taillight panel, judging how far the bumper is pushed in, it needs a new trunk floor and rear subframes and who knows what else is kinked. The parts I mentioned are all structural parts (yes, even the taillight panel) and if even one is out of whack the whole car is out of whack. Unibody cars don't take such hits without wrinkling pretty much everything, and I wouldn't be surprised if the floors aren't bent as far forward as the driver's seat. Remember your high school physics class? For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, and that means if you were sitting in the seat when the wreck happened, the seat was trying to bo backwards and since it's attached to the floor by four bolts, those mounting points may have been compromised. Take the car to a good frame shop and have them shoot it to see how far the damage really goes before you decide on the correct road to take next.

Agreed, it DOES need to visit a frame shop before any repair decisions are made.

Hopefully (since you were rearended) the repairs are mostly covered by insurance.

 

[CarFreakGT]

1 more thing, after being hit, the trunk wont close and now when driving the car, the inside of the car starts to smell like gas. Any advise on how to fix that problem

Ditto on the frame shop. Your gas tank IS your trunk floor, so check it and filler tube, lines, etc. VERY CLOSELY since you were rear-ended. I would be very cautious about driving it anywhere or any distance until I felt comfortable that all of that is safe and secure.

I would personally get estimates from GOOD local body shops. Usually a good insurance company will have you get 2 or 3 anyway to settle a claim. If they don't, at least you'll be armed w/ professional estimates of the damage if you have a fight on your hands.

Sorry about your misfortune. Best of luck--hopefully the insurance company will do right by you.

Bryan

 

[1966conv]

You show the passenger side pretty good, but not the drivers side. You're going to need and OEM style quarter, rear valance, tail light panel with drip corners, bumper, quarter extension, trunk drop off and trunk floor, trunk brace and trunk brace reinforcement, lights and rings. Possibly the trunk deck, rear window panel and wheel housings.

That does not include any driver side work needed.
I'm doing that exact job right now. My quote for driver and passenger side was $2400 labor, I bought all the parts and stripped it all down myself.

 

[stang684637]

Thanks to all who replied and gave me some help. Unfortunatly I bought the car like this. So insurance wont be involved. The price was incredible low! and everything else on the car had just been restore before it was hit. Motor was rebuilt, interior just done ect. So I figured I would save up for a while and get it fixed. The driver's side isn't bad at all and from what I see, the inside of the trunk isn't really damaged either because of the big spare tire that was in there. Does anyone know a good web site that I can go to, to buy most of the parts, like the bumber and rear qtr. pannel? Here are 2 other photos of the car with the damage

 

[LMan]

Holy crow.

 

[Rusty67]

If you are smelling fuel you need to not drive the car until you figure out why. If you are leaking it could be serious... like *KABOOM*. Find out whats happening there. Shame about the car being hit, looks like it was in good shape. I would take it to a few frame shops and have them al give it a once over.

 

[CochinoFilipino]

Where are you in cali? I'm on the SF Peninsula. I have a 68 parts car, if you want to buy some parts. You can also take some chassis measurements off my 67 and 68 if you want to compare them against yours to see if you're off.

 

[1320stang]

I think I'd find a good shell and transfer the good parts over. Matching paint is a pain, it never seems to match, plus if you don't care for the color, you'd be changing it to what you want.

You can do it right or you can do it cheap.

 

[zookeeper]

I was thinking the same thing. I'd be on the lookout for a nice shell and just strip every single useable part onto the shell after paint. Coupes are great cars and very plentiful and the $3,000-$4,000 you spend repairing the wreck could be spent on a rust-free '67 Coupe. My experience with aftermarket sheetmetal is that it's thinner and typically not as nice a quality as the Ford stuff, but it's all that's available without paying inflated prices for NOS Ford panels. Looks like it was a very nice car before the hit, though.

 

[Big_B]

Not to be smarta$$, but why would anyone buy a car in that condition? Also, if you are smelling gas you probably shouldnt be driving it around. There is a large rubber hose that connects the filler tube to the tank, that is probably what is leaking.

My 68 was rearended in a similar fashion, but not that bad and I ended up spending $2,200. With the amount of crumpling visible on the outside of the quarters I would say you are looking at at least 4k. Any body shop will give you a free estimate.