Hi Everyone,

I was involved in an accident on Friday after work. I was heading home when it happened. I was changing lanes to my left when the vehicles in front of me stopped on a green light.

The truck is undriveable. It was towed to a local storage yard. My wife (Susi) and I will start unloading the truck on Monday, so I can have it ready for the insurance adjuster Monday or Tuesday. Susi had a lunch date with one of her friends today and drove by the storage yard to see what she could see. Susi said the truck didn't look that bad, but couldn't see the full front and right side. Unfortunately, since I was changing lanes to the left, the front and right side is where the majority of the impact occurred.

If the insurance adjuster totals the truck, what should I look for before trying to get it back and fix myself? I don't know if there is any frame damage or not. I had a feeling of pins-and-needles from my waist to the soles of my feet, so I took an ambulance ride to the ER. I haven't seen the truck since Friday.

I don't want to give up on this truck.
I'm not a mechanic or anything, but I am capable of more wrenching the average shadetree mechanic.

Any ideas on what to look for as far as "hidden" damage?

 

If insurance totales it, You should hava an option of buying it back.

Show us the pictures, we might help decide if it is worth keeping.

unless you have good connections, like a good friend in a restoration businees, or you can do bondo, paint, straighten out frames and body panels. The easiest thing is to let it go.

 

Sorry to hear about this, glad no one was seriously injured.

 

youre in a tough spot. . . sorry to hear about what happened but goodthingyoure okay.

it really all depends on how bad the damage is and wether or not you can afford the downtime/added cost/headache of trying to rebuild it.

IMO, take the money and look for a new truck.

 

Even if they total it you will have the option of buying the salvage vehicle. Make sure you do it. It should cost between $250 and $400 to buy it back. There are 6 items on the truck that should bring $1,000 apiece if you decide to part it out. These trucks are very tough, too. They are worth doing a major repair(rebuild) to.

My son and I each had an accident in the last three years, his toyota, my old chevy. We got them back and I stripped everything bad off them and took them to a body shop with a frame machine and they pulled the frame horns straight. Make sure they guarantee it will pass an alignment test after you're done re-assembling it and then you're good to go. Then we trailered them home and started getting replacement parts and putting them back together. The toyota cost $200 and the chevy cost $250. They were perfect when we were done with them. Try to convince the insurance to not total the truck, too if you can. If they total it and then you buy it back and repair it you will end up having a vehicle with a salvage title. It won't matter too much if you know you will keep it and never sell it. But it can be very difficult to resell a vehicle with a salvage title. Make sure you take lots of pictures of everything involved with the repair. That will help you in the future when you go to sell it.

 

I'm sorry to hear. But, Don't Give Up ! !

Wreck at 55mph here, flying over another car. It still runs! I had an axle reformed for $90. It still chews through a tire every 6months.. Don'y look pretty. Still working in it. Don't give up, these things are resilliant as hell. And it's your baby.

Good-Luck ! !

 

The body is not the only concern.I know a couple people who have been in wrecks that from the hit alone the trannys had extreme internal damage. Especially if you had the binders on hard before you hit. Good luck and I'm glad you are o.k.

 

geez you guys are willing to throw money away! i know its some extra work but the drivetrain is worth a couple grand with the right buyers. i KNOW the front axle will bring $1000, rear should bring about $250-300, t-case about $200, motor $1000 easily esp if it runs, tranny $500 auto or ZF!

thats just me though

-cutts-

 

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for the input and kind words.

My wife and I were removing our personal items from the truck when the insurance agent drove in to the storage yard. We talked about the damage and he made arrangements to have the truck towed to a body shop.

The body shop is a Ford C.O.D. certified paint and body shop. I've dealt with them before and they are top-notch. The guy at the shop said they won't be able to get my truck into the shop to take a good look for a day or two at the earliest. Their certification means all of the repair work, including parts and labor, will come with a guarantee.

If they do total my truck, does anyone know who might need parts? I'm not sure if this will happen and I'm not giving up, I just want to get an idea on the demand for these parts.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. Again, thanks for the input and kind words.

 

God, if it comes to that.. I'm interested in the bracket riveted to the frame that the rear of the front leaf spring bolts to.

Good-luck, Sergent.

 

lol yea i'd be interested in the axles! who know's, you might could make your money off us

-cutts-

 

I went by the shop today to see if they started working on my truck. It is still in "wait" lot.

Hopefully, I'll have good news soon.

I took some pictures while I was there. I'll try to get them posted when I get them back. I'm not sure if I have permissions to post pictures, but I'll try.

 

GREAT NEWS!

They are repairing my truck. Estimate wound up just under $8650.

Thanks for all the input, folks.

 

Glad its getting fixed!

 

Last update was she'd be ready tomorrow. Update on the update, she'll be ready on Tuesday.

I saw her in the paint booth, they did a great job matching the custom paint. I was told the paint guy wasted over a gallon of mix before getting the shade right. That's a lot of wasted mix to get a pint to paint with.

Once she's out of the paint booth, they're sending her out to get the right spring re-arched. While she's out having that done, they're going have the same place do the suspension and alignment to save me some rental time.

I can't wait to get her back.