Crash!

Dr_EluSivE · Mar 24, 2007

RED2001GT said:
How did the repairs come out with the bent frame rail?
Did the bodyshop technician who put your Mustang on the frame machine able to fix the damaged frame rail correctly?

I wont Say that its perfect, It will never be Perfect again. If you look at the frame you can tell its been bent, and its not perfectly straight either. He could not get it back to factory specs, but He could get it good enough to hang fenders, hood and bumpers back on. From the outside, you cant tell, and since The real bumper is covered by the bumper cover, you can tell its slightly crooked. Everything bolted on though in its original holes, and from the outside you cant tell (other then the paint mismatch) and the suspension is still aligned, So i just drive it as it is. Its just a for fun car anyway, it doesnt get many miles anymore.

Dr.

RED2001GT · Mar 24, 2007

You mention that your front bumper cover is crooked. Is this because the bodyshop was not able to fully straighten the frame and the metal bumper that the bumper cover is attached on?

A few months ago some idiot hit the front of my 2002 Mustang V6 in a hit and run. I had to pay over $700 out of my own pocket to get the front bumper repaired without using my insurance company.

When I got my Mustang back from the bodyshop, there was a gap between the top of the passenger side headlight assembly unit and the front pointed part of the right front fender where the headlight unit sits in. The gap was NOT there after the accident or when I brought my Mustang into the bodyshop. It appeared ONLY after it was repaired. The bodyshop owner didn't know WHAT CAUSED the gap. He told me that I should live with it.
As far as I know, the bodyshop pulled out the bumper a little bit on the passenger side because the front part of the bumper cover which slopes upward just below the hood next to the grill was pushed in about 1" inch from the impact. I think that the gap was caused from the pulling adjustment which the bodyshop did. The gap is about 3 millimeters wide and about 3" to 4" inches long. The top part of the rubber gasket on my passenger headlight unit is not "flush" with the fender. That's where the gap is located. The bodyshop technician told me that he measured everything and that the repair was done correctly.

What I do know is that the bodyshop which I used does NOT have a computerized and state of the art frame machine. They do have a frame machine, but it's the old type where you hook up one end of the chain to the cement floor and the other end to the frame machine which is a very small type of hydraulic jack that looks like the type of jack that mechanics use to put underneath the car to prop up the car. Once the chain is hooked up to the jack, they put another chain on the car's frame in the area that needs to be straightened out and then they pump the handle of the jack with their hands in order to put tension on the chain. This tension that's placed on the chain pulls on the frame causing it to straighten out. Whatever adjustment and straightening that he did with the front bumper, he did it by hand using the hydraulic jack.
I am wondering whether or not the hydraulic jack was not accurate enough in straightening whatever caused the small area of my front bumper to be pushed in 1" inch underneath the hood? Do you think that the gap between my headlight unit and the right front fender resulted from the inaccuracy of the hydraulic frame machine? Could it be that because the frame machine that the bodyshop used which was old was not accurate enough in straightening the bumper causing the gap to form?

Rodiak41 · Mar 25, 2007

i seriosuly feel like crying...lol! but you gotta git r done! its a nice mustang....and you shouldnt quit on it now!! all the work you put into for nothing? no, its not for nothing. your gonna get you butt out there, and fix that effing car!!! you can do it man!!

Rodiak41 · Mar 25, 2007

oh..and red2001gt, the links you have in your signature, those mustangs are 2 different cars!!!

Dr_EluSivE · Mar 25, 2007

RED2001GT said:
You mention that your front bumper cover is crooked. Is this because the bodyshop was not able to fully straighten the frame and the metal bumper that the bumper cover is attached on?

A few months ago some idiot hit the front of my 2002 Mustang V6 in a hit and run. I had to pay over $700 out of my own pocket to get the front bumper repaired without using my insurance company.

When I got my Mustang back from the bodyshop, there was a gap between the top of the passenger side headlight assembly unit and the front pointed part of the right front fender where the headlight unit sits in. The gap was NOT there after the accident or when I brought my Mustang into the bodyshop. It appeared ONLY after it was repaired. The bodyshop owner didn't know WHAT CAUSED the gap. He told me that I should live with it.
As far as I know, the bodyshop pulled out the bumper a little bit on the passenger side because the front part of the bumper cover which slopes upward just below the hood next to the grill was pushed in about 1" inch from the impact. I think that the gap was caused from the pulling adjustment which the bodyshop did. The gap is about 3 millimeters wide and about 3" to 4" inches long. The top part of the rubber gasket on my passenger headlight unit is not "flush" with the fender. That's where the gap is located. The bodyshop technician told me that he measured everything and that the repair was done correctly.

What I do know is that the bodyshop which I used does NOT have a computerized and state of the art frame machine. They do have a frame machine, but it's the old type where you hook up one end of the chain to the cement floor and the other end to the frame machine which is a very small type of hydraulic jack that looks like the type of jack that mechanics use to put underneath the car to prop up the car. Once the chain is hooked up to the jack, they put another chain on the car's frame in the area that needs to be straightened out and then they pump the handle of the jack with their hands in order to put tension on the chain. This tension that's placed on the chain pulls on the frame causing it to straighten out. Whatever adjustment and straightening that he did with the front bumper, he did it by hand using the hydraulic jack.
I am wondering whether or not the hydraulic jack was not accurate enough in straightening whatever caused the small area of my front bumper to be pushed in 1" inch underneath the hood? Do you think that the gap between my headlight unit and the right front fender resulted from the inaccuracy of the hydraulic frame machine? Could it be that because the frame machine that the bodyshop used which was old was not accurate enough in straightening the bumper causing the gap to form?

The bumper COVER is straight, it mounts to the fenders, which are straight. Its the actual bumper itself that is crooked, but its covered by the bumper cover. The shop i used did NOT have a computerized frame machine either, he just used strings and a tape measure. Got it close enough for things to fit, but as i said, its not perfect.

Dr.

RED2001GT · Mar 27, 2007

Rodiak41 said:
oh..and red2001gt, the links you have in your signature, those mustangs are 2 different cars!!!

That's right. I own 2 different Mustangs. One is a 2001 Mustang GT and the other one is a 2002 Mustang V6. The one which got hit was the V6 Mustang. Some idiot hit the front bumper and I had to get it repaired. I paid for everything out of my pocket because I don't know who hit me.
The GT has been in storage and it only has 2,6xx original miles on it. It's never been driven in the snow and salt. My V6 Mustang is my all year round daily driver. The V6 is the one which I need to find out what's causing the gap to appear between the top part of the passenger side headlight unit and the front pointed part of the right fender. I think that the header panel was not adjusted correctly when the bodyshop did the repair to my front bumper. I think that the header panel is causing the headlight unit to have a gap with the front pointed part of the fender. I need to find a bodyshop who will take off the bumper and who can loosen the header panel and re-adjust it to try to get the passenger side headlight "flush" with the right fender. This gap problem is driving me crazy.

Anlushac11 · Mar 28, 2007

Congrats and glad to see you got you Stang back to mobile and presentable condition.

Red · May 26, 2007

**** man, i never heard about this. sorry to hear. but thankfully you are OK.

edit: LOL, now i am embarrassed to see this thread is almost 2 years old.

this is what happens when one doesn't frequent much.

86caprirs · May 27, 2007

The car may not start because the inertia switch is tripped. Got to the hatch and push down on the button. Bet she'd fire right up.

89Stang · May 27, 2007

Glad to hear shes back on the road!!

Dr_EluSivE · May 27, 2007

haa haa.... yeah, its back on the road again (has been for almost a year now), and actually running better then ever. Still needs paint, but i have a garage now, and a new daily driver, so it sits inside and is mainly just a summer and weekend car, so hopefully it will lead a long and rust free life indoors and on dry warm pavement.

Dr.

Dan'l · Jun 8, 2007

time flies

Dr. El, I guess I've been m.i.a. a loooong time, I didn't know you nerfed old blue. I'm glad to see you sorted it out all right. I'll have to drop in more often. Later, Dan

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