Mid-year front end collision damage

[Carl R.]

re mid year front end collision damage carl rose hi mark you didn't mention the model year of the car in question but all midyears are relatively similar insofar as parts are concerned first consider the items likely to have been damaged fiberglass obviously nose and hood headlight buckets headlight motors bumpers and lower inner braces license bracket horns wiring harness radiator and core support the fact that wheels tires and some steering compnonents were replaced implies an impact strong enough to cause suspension damage which is what occurs just prior to frame damage of the above compenents the only specifically dated pieces i think are the headlight motors and radiator which are both month year the gm core supports have an identifying mark not present on reproductions but i suspect if the car was repaired in the early 's gm parts were used oh and if the car is a model ensure the headlight buckets are correct fiberglass next what to inspect a quick test is to measure wheel center to wheel center on each side these should be within about agreement look underneath at the front of the frame optimally put the car on a lift to see if any areas were straightened a lift would also allow you to inspect the remainder of the underbody the two protruding horns in front of the crossmember are only box section and i would not be surprised if these were damaged ask if there has been any difficulty in aligning the car inspect for elongated bumper bracket moutning holes look at the tires to see if they are worn evenly feel along the underside of the fenders to see if you can feel any repair panel joints my experience has been that sectioned in panel seams will tend to show after ten years are the parking light screws directly vertical are the current bumpers symmetrically horizonal is the hood gap equal around the perimeter finally ask yourself your intent on owning the car virtually anything can be repaired depending on degree of perfection desired and depth of wallet hope this helps carl

[Jim J.]

Re: Mid-year front end collision damage

re mid year front end collision damage jim jordan hi mark in addition to mark's excellent suggestion from underneath the car look at the area around the springs this surface should be flat and free of any buckling the area is prone to bend under hard impact and is very difficult to repair without evidence of damage look closely at the front end body lines and compare to other unhit cars good luck i hope it turns out for the better jim jordan

[Mark]

Mid-year front end collision damage

mid year front end collision damage mark i'm looking at a mid year that was in a head on collision in the early 's owner at the time told me the car had about of work done to it circa complete front end replaced with gm parts peices in total or so he thinks he also said there was no frame damage but some front end steering work was completed the car needed two front wheels and hubcaps and the rad was replaced he said the rad was not pushed back far enough to hit the fan btw he no longer owns the car so i beleive he is telling the truth what should i look out for when i see the car are there any quick checks i can perform to verify the past owner's claims any help would be appreciated for the record the car has been driven about miles since the accident

[Brandon T.]

Re: Mid-year front end collision damage

re mid year front end collision damage brandon mark dont be too intimidated by some fiberglass damage almost all of those cars even a lot of the top flites and occasionally a survivor have had some panel replacement done the glass is easily damaged in even a minor collision and the frame is what really protects you and i the real question is was the work done properly and is there any frame damage that was not repaired regarding the front end glass there are actually factory pieces including the bonding strips and the front reinforcement what you want to avoid is a job that was spliced in above the wheel wells or at the front of the surround look up under the surround panel for any patchwork which might give it away you'll need a flashlight and you'll get a little dirty check for visible seams in the paint and other giveaways and misaligned body panels the other guys have covered the frame inspection good luck brandon

[Mark]

Thanks guys...I let you know what I find!

thanks guys i let you know what i find mark thanks for all of your help