car + ditch = stupid driver (me), advice needed.

[Iand]

So i pulled a stupid teenager move the other day and put the car in a ditch. I know, im a dumbass/retard/douche etc etc, iv already been told, iv learned my lesson.

Now on to the car...at first glance it doesnt look to bad, minor cosmetic damage

Upon further inspection i found that i wasnt quite so lucky. Looking at the car (from the front) the right side of the radiator is pushed up 3/4 of an inch, and now the fan is hitting the fan shroud. So obviously something is bent...i took apart the front end this morning and found this.

Now, my question is, should i try to bend this back? or am i gonna have to some way weld in an all new front end? WHAT THE HELL DO I DO?

Oh yea, if anyones parting out a GT, let me know im in need of a few parts. And if the pictures dont work/are to big, click here

Any help is apprectiated!

 

[Daggar]

Take it to a shop to have the bent parts strightened out. You can buy a new nose piece from 50resto.com and put that on yourself.

Good Luck!

 

[Paul Perreca]

i htink it looks pretty bad, so you gonna fix that bumpercover ? lol haha j/k it take more fiberglass than the world has to offer
Paul Perreca

have a shop fix it, is the car leaking at all?

 

[88stangmangt]

do i see a C&L maf tube??? i slid into a ditch over a year ago...havnt took the tires off yet been sitting over a year now....once the new motor goes in later on next month i will check everything out ...all the happen was my DS quarter panel got trashed. 100 bucks for a new one but i like the look i want the pos look.

 

[Iand]

yea im gonna fix it, ill just duct tape it back together. And yes, you do see a C&L maf tube. Unfortunatly the ditch i slid into was about 5 feet deep, so it did a little more damage then just a quarter panel. And no...the car isnt leaking?

 

[5.0alltheway]

get yourself a porta-power body jack(100.00),or borrow 1,you can use a crossmember for support,place the other end against the radiator support ,apply pressure the jack handle it will push it back in place. pick up a couple of used impact absorbers,or simply remove and hammer yours back in place,buy a front cover,have it painted and bolt it on ,pretty simple repair ,should take 1 saturday,

 

[cjman15]

At least the headlights didn't get messed up. Good luck with the fix.

 

[rd]

Take a day, carefully unbolt everything thats damaged. You can most likely straighten the brackets and bumper stuff yourself with a large hammer, crowbar, some clamps and such.

Then carefully reassemble it and see how it looks and works. You can do this a couple times and then see what has to be replaced, and, or professionally repaired.

Been there done that. In Feb, 1970, and I hate bodywork to this day!

 

[crazypete]

The radiator support is no big deal. Do the jack or smack it with a deadblow mallet then weld the cracks with a buzzbox. My bumper support plates have been bent for years. As long as the FG bumper lines up with the cover, you should be ok. I think thats relatively light damage. You're lucky you got away with the car intact.

I slid off the road doing "stupid teenager stuff" in college, took out a small tree and 2 bushes, about 10-15 feet of wood plank fence and landed the car basically teetering on top of this big rock. I trashed some lady's whole front yard basically. I jerked myself away from the side of the car just as this jagged piece of metal jutted out from where the kickpanel was! We got out and walked away. The car didnt do so well. Cabin was bent completely. MOTOR WAS STILL RUNNING!!! yeah! I build em well. Took 2 towtrucks at 90 degree angles to rip the car off that rock. The cops showed up...were almost about to breathalize everyone (1 or 2 drinks, we were basically sober but not "legally")...looked at the mustang and decided I was fckt enough already. It really helped that the rest of my friends bailed and took off in the explorer. The other kid in the car stuck with me.

Could have turned out much worse. Think about it that way.

 

[Iand]

i think it did turn out alot worse, well alot worse then i anticipated. Went in to get an estimate, and apparently my whole front end is twisted. The days just keep getting worse and WORSE!

 

[crazypete]

The 91 I'm driving 3 years now was totalled back in 93 and straightened and welded back together. MY radiator support looks like it went at least 45 degrees out and the front must have accordianed. I only see the after effects of this as I am the 4rth owner. Frame is straight, car drives true. No unusual rattles or squeeks, panels flapping or things falling out of the car. Only lasting effects are a small near flat wrinkle in the tail under the taillight area, out of sight and a weld bead in the engine bay with another small wrinkle that I just body fillered during a paintjob.

If someone says "uuuuh, its wrecked" usually means theyre lazy and dont want to take the trouble to straighten it. The technology exists to straighten frames easily. Dont take it to an insurance jobber but a good autobody specialist and ask again. Remember, this is a soft, unibody car. Heck, it twists during hard acceleration and frame jacking! A hydraulic puller would yank it right back.

 

[28]

50Resto is your friend.....Good luck and glad noone was hurt..

 

[frankthatank]

core support

since you dont know exactly what to replace you should ask a professional or a possible friend mechanic, i myself knew exactly what i had to replace, it was very very apparrent , mine was a little (a lot ) more severe, no frame bending , but core support was completely gone, lol, it looked funny, but i paid for it. did it all myself, its not that bad of a job, good learning experience b/c you have to completely dissasemble the front end, fenders and all , you really dont have to remove them but i found it easier. its funny, i also ran into a ditch doing about 30 im guessing, but i guess its better than the 125 i was doing 20 seconds before, thank God i wasnt going that fast, believe me you learn from your mistakes. but on a serious note, its not that bad of a job, you should do it yourself, saves lots of money, and like one of the guys said 50resto.com has the radiator core support if that is what you need.thats where i got mine, i get the hook up there(family). well best of luck.

 

[Fishhawk]

50Resto is your friend.....Good luck and glad noone was hurt..

Also check CJ Pony. Lots of body parts plus radiator supports and frames. (New and Used)

 

[Venom351R]

I was going to say w/ as bad as that front end is smashed up you will be hard pressed to get away w/ out having something in the front end bent. When a car goes off the road something has to give.

Live and Learn.

 

[CBZGT50]

Generally if the frame is bent, which ALL the body shops will say to get your money, you can take the car to a cheap body shop with a rack, and just have the frame straightened for around $400-$500 bucks. Everything else is fairly easy and as said earlier, a learning experience.

Don't give up on your ride because of that little damage. I look for cars like that, pay $500 for wrecks, fixem for a few hundred and sell em for $3000-$4000. Others will do the same if you get rid of it. Keep yours and take the time to fix it even if you have to learn by book, friend, relative or fellow stanger. If you were in my area, I would gladly help you fix the damage for beer!

Good luck