all i can tell you is use this as an excuse to do a tubular front end with a fiberglass front clip. I know I guy with a 5.0 rx-7 on the dfwstangs board and he posted up one night and said "good news I recked the rx-7 at the track." We asked what the good news was and he said now he had a reason to front half the car. so use this as a reason to make the car bad ass!
just my 2¢
just my 2¢
If i can save it i think i will put on a Fiberglass hood, and maybe a "cobra" front bumper as long as i can get one that doesnt actually Say "cobra" on it.. I have a set of spare good fenders though and as much as fun as a tube suspension would be.. its not in my budget.. just getting the car back the way it was will be hard enough on the wallet.4bangen said:
Dr.
Doc, real sad to see those pics. That car was alway's a beauty. If it's any consolation, my wife destroyed the LX almost identically back in '93. Totalled it, but it was so clean we just took the hit and repaired it. The hood was actually pushed up to the windshield and the body guy (friend of mine) just bent it all back. Like was said, a good frame guy and you won't be able to tell. I'd post a pic for you to compare, but I had one of those catastrophic unrecoverable drive crashes and lost all my pics.
You'll get her going again and she'll be better than ever. Don't be in a hurry and just do it right.
You'll get her going again and she'll be better than ever. Don't be in a hurry and just do it right.
having worked in a body shop, i would say that you shouldn't fix that car. It will definatly need some time on a frame machine, and the gaps are never going to line up perfectly. Even if you get the car fixed your going to have to sink a ton of money out of pocket, and when it comes time to sell it, it wont sell because its a salvage title. Also, if things aren't seriously out of wack, the car will track straight for a while until the tires begin to wear, thats why when someone buys a used car and it develops a front end problem after a few months, if you ask them the car prolly came with brand new tires. My car was a total over the summer after my accident, I ended up with a check for $1400 and a car with a salvage title. I fixed most of the damage myself, aside from a small wrinkle in the hood and a tiny crack in the bumper cover and im driving the car through the winter. What i would do if i was you, buy a junk winter car and watch for a real nice cheap 4cyl mustang. Buy one thats never had a winter and never been dinged up and then swap over all your parts. It will be alot cheaper, you'll have an entire parts car when your done, and you wont be stuck with a salvage title and a car that will never be quite right.
Willy0314 said:
Finding a nice Foxbody around here is almost impossible, I havent seen a decent looking one for sale in a long time. I dont have to buy the car back from the insurance, the title will Not be "Salvaged" that only happens when you buy a car wrecked, or you buy it from the insurance company when its totalled. A friend of mine is going to put it on his rack for me and check all the specs, if the suspension is inline he will pull it for me for around 300 bucks. I think its worth that..i have alot of the parts already to rebuild the front end so if i can get it straightened for 300, i could probably get the remaining parts for 400, and then have a buddy of mine paint it for me for the cost of paint. Ill know more though when the frame guy looks at it.
Dr.
im sorry about that and i know how it feels. personally i dealt with similar situations and with our cars i dont really think that it would make much sense to fix it. you can buy an lx in good condition for 1000 and repairs would cost u three times more. i know the car has sentimental value and its been worked on but i personally would not do it. i know what happens when the frame is just a bit off and how many things it changes. there will always be some kind of rubbing and it will pull a little bit. it gets annoying and its always better to build from a good start. just my opinion and i hope u feel better.
*Update*
Well, i decided to try and fix the car, so i took it over to my frame guy and He said it pulled back into spec with relitive ease.. Charged me $125... Well worth it i think.. My drivers side fender is reusable, doesnt need any work at all, and the passenger side is probably savable (pressure bend), but i have a good straight one so i will probably just use it.
I DO need some parts though, and if any of you guys have this stuff that would be great.. I need the Front Headlight header panel, Both Hood Hinges, the Inner Bumper, and Possibly a good Set of Impact Absorbers. If anyone has any of this stuff lieing around they wanna sell, Let me know. I would rather give you my money then some big company. Ill pull it ous of the garage and take some pics of it.
Also I want to get a fiberglass hood.. Which companys should i try to avoid? I am looking to get a SVO hood with NO cowl.
Dr.
Well, i decided to try and fix the car, so i took it over to my frame guy and He said it pulled back into spec with relitive ease.. Charged me $125... Well worth it i think.. My drivers side fender is reusable, doesnt need any work at all, and the passenger side is probably savable (pressure bend), but i have a good straight one so i will probably just use it.
I DO need some parts though, and if any of you guys have this stuff that would be great.. I need the Front Headlight header panel, Both Hood Hinges, the Inner Bumper, and Possibly a good Set of Impact Absorbers. If anyone has any of this stuff lieing around they wanna sell, Let me know. I would rather give you my money then some big company. Ill pull it ous of the garage and take some pics of it.
Also I want to get a fiberglass hood.. Which companys should i try to avoid? I am looking to get a SVO hood with NO cowl.
Dr.
For the fiberglass hood- the only companies I know to REALLY avoid are Cincinnati Composites/Cobra Auto Designs (if they're even still in business).
If you were planning on going to WFC, you could get a deal on a hood there and save crating and shipping costs...
Otherwise, I'd say look around, maybe look at the parts reviews here on stangnet and see what people have said about certain companies.
If you were planning on going to WFC, you could get a deal on a hood there and save crating and shipping costs...
Otherwise, I'd say look around, maybe look at the parts reviews here on stangnet and see what people have said about certain companies.
I will look in my parts bins and see what I have.
I am pretty sure I have most of my 88 leftover, I will check this weekend and see what I can find.
I know I have the header panel (still on my spare nose) I can drill the rivets out of it, I am pretty sure I have the hood hinges and bumper absorbers in my basement, and the fiberglass impact bar in one of my storage garages.
I am pretty sure I have most of my 88 leftover, I will check this weekend and see what I can find.
I know I have the header panel (still on my spare nose) I can drill the rivets out of it, I am pretty sure I have the hood hinges and bumper absorbers in my basement, and the fiberglass impact bar in one of my storage garages.