Friday some kid didn't understand what a yield sign is meant for and stopped in the middle of the lane in front of me. No one was hurt except for my truck which is good. My question is should I put new sheet metal on it or go find old fenders hood and core support to replace everything. All the shows on on TV they just order new sheet metal and put them on their vehicles but I'm not sure if that's a good idea or not. What do you guys think?
I guess this is the hazards of driving my truck as a daily driver, it's has over 30,000 miles on it now since I rebuilt everything. I Sure love driving it everyday.




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Very sorry to see that happen, yes at least no one got hurt. But there would of been almost murder/**** whoopin on scene if that happened to me. You can see your black marks from the braking. And it looks like the accident put the hood into the cowl and that in turn put a crack down the center of your windshield too. Make sure your and his insurance adjuster sees that too.

I would be VERY adamant about the insurance company/body shop using ALL NOS or at least ALL OEM used/high quality condition parts. NO cheap repops, stand your ground. That thin fender trim is going to be hard to find. How is the cowl to door, did it contact it? Looks like maybe, did it get your frame? Make sure they get under there and look for signs of it being bent, since the frame horn took a shot.

Also check all the plastic attachment points on the passenger side grill shell insert, I bet that side is broke also. New bumper, fender, hood, (hinge and hood latch?). Grill shell, both inserts. Core support, dvrs side metal inner fenderwell, and plastic liner, fender edge chrome. Windshield and maybe even a radiator? Fan shroud, headlight and bucket, t/s assemblies and side marker assemblies.

Again sorry to see that happened, and bet of luck with your and his insurance company. Keep us posted.

 

Whatever you do, please do not let them use any aftermarket sheet metal. A few years ago I got into a good deal , I did some work for a guy who happened to have a body shop. In return he redid my truck. He used aftermarket doors , fenders, and a tailgate. None of it fit right. The doors would not stay adjusted and constantly had to be slammed. The fenders were close but never right. The same with the tailgate, it didn’t have the raised Ford letters at all, and it never closed right. Thankfully I found a set of almost perfect doors and fenders, and had kept my original tailgate. He did do a beautiful paint job though , in the original Medium Vacquero Metallic. Now I have to find someone to redo all the paint.

 

If the other party (white car) is considered at fault & their insurance is paying for your trucks repair,then you have a lot more say in the repair of your truck. If YOUR insurance is paying for the repair on your truck then your policy is commonly/probably written with the provision of used parts,aftermarket parts & new parts.It is all driven by cost (of course!) with the insurance company paying the LEAST amount for a claim.It is justified by the insurance company stating ALL work & parts are guarateed by the repair/body shop.
In your case it looks like they are to blame & their insurance will pay so here is a quickie list of your rights...
- REMEMBER THIS ONE ! The insurance company is obligated BY LAW to put your vehicle in a PRE-ACCIDENT condition. That is the tricky part with older classic vehicles because of part availability etc.
- If it is your everyday driver, they are obligated to give you a rental vehicle
- If the repair estimate approaches 60-70% of the vehicles (truck) value, they will attempt to declare it totaled or a "total loss". Some people love to see their old piece of junk payed off,totaled, others want their cherished, classic vehicle back the way it was ,period. The sticky part here is what is the "value".Insurance companies tend to "total" more frequently the last few years as it is an easy way out for them; no hassle, there,claim settled. They then get approx.20% of the original value when sold at an auto auction.
-It is not up to you,the truck owner, to track down parts,find paint codes etc,etc. It is entirely up to a reputable body shop to do all that.
- Keep in mind that under the fact of "pre-accident condition", you DO have used parts before the accident so they are not obligated to replace with new parts. Just "LKQ" parts (like quality).
- You are the one that chooses the repair facility/ NOT the insurance company.They can only suggest a shop, other than that it is "Steering" which is illegal.
This list should give you a general idea of your rights dealing with an insurance company.Insurance laws DO vary from state to state. I'll hope these will pertain to Arizona.
One final thing for now. If you find you are getting nowhere with the insurance adjuster/company for one reason or the other, keep the claim OPEN. Do not settle. That really makes things happen at times.

 

Unless you are attempting to repair this yourself ,you should have no need for crawling around up and around,in and out ,trying to assess the damage. Let the body shop do that. Once in the shop and stripped down,taken apart;any hidden or unforseen damage is presented to the insurance company as "Supplemental Damage" and they will reimburse the shop.

 

Your pickup looks too nice to put Chinese crap metal on, stay with original. everything you need except the grille shell , inserts and bumper can be found on craigslist in rust free nice condition , cheap. around here anyway. even if you have to ship them from out of state it would be worth it.

it wouldn't surprise me if you have to fight with the insurance company on this. very possible they're going to put a low value on it and want to total it.

 

OEM parts are the ONLY way to go if you want it to be like it was before the accident!! You can still find most of the damaged parts (ebay, craigslist etc). There was a guy in the marketplace here (FTE) that stated he has a lot of NOS OEM parts available!? You might do a search there and contact him!

Even "if" your insurance company wants you to use replacement parts (aftermarket), I would refuse. Hopefully your adjuster will be a Ford guy and appreciate your truck for what it is/was! Good luck!!

 

Even with all that, you own the truck outright and have the right to repair it yourself. That means that every penny that would be paid to a shop gets paid to you and you can fix it at your leisure with whatever parts you choose. There usually is not an ability to claim additional, unseen damage when going this route though. This is a "collector vehicle" and I would have an independent classic appraiser look at it, usually about $50. Have them give an estimated, before accident value. Have had this done and is well worth the cost, which is refundable through the claims process. This is also helpful when putting full coverage on the rig as it establishes "actual value". If you have receipts and other paperwork associated to the truck, this can help drive up or support the "actual value". The insurance Company will usually try to value this truck at most $3k (ballpark) because, lets face it, most average trucks like this are not worth much. Yours is obviously not average condition. If you can get your paid-for appraiser in the realm and supply him with info of similar condition vehicles and what they are worth, this can drive the it to the $20k range (ballpark, based on the fact it looks like a lot has gone into it). You need this when you begin your fight. What I would do is eliminate their insurance together and file a claim with yours. They are always easier to talk to and usually arent into "dickin" you around. You can also borrow a vehicle from a friend and the insurance will give them the "per day" rate for the usage of it. I know my rental limits and came to an agreement with them that, they would get the max allowable as a rental.

Either way, file a claim with your own, ask them questions, do not sound greedy but ensure they know that you are seeking information.

Yes, factory parts as they are the only parts that fit like they came from the factory. My $.02

 

X400 on used OEM panels vs. aftermarket chinesium.

I think if you have full coverage, that your insurance company will fight theirs and make them pay, but you would probably be required to go with aftermarket crap.

Or is AZ a no-fault state?

 

If your insurance pays this claim AND your policy states you will use new,used (Like Quality) or aftermarket (usually CAPA,certifed) parts, then you will normally have a VERY hard time specifying OEM parts even though we all want and demand them. Occasionally an adjuster will work with a claim on OEM parts if no aftermarket are available. A body shop has a certain amount of clout w/insurance adjusters stating "I won't use aftermarket parts etc ! " Other party insurance paying.... you can demand OEM.... REMEMBER !! ... "pre-accident condition" !! (again,its the law) your truck had OEM parts. As far as claiming with your own insurance for car rental; if no rental on your policy ,no one gets reimbursed. The insurance companies generally will not give you a thing unless it is in writing on your policy. Other company paying; they hit you; their at fault;they will pay pretty much everything you need.

 

Thanks for all the good input. The other guys insurance is covering it and they have Geico and so far they've been really good. I'm waiting for the adjuster to come out and I have found a truck somebody's parting out on Craigslist already. I've known the body guy for years so between him and I we can Source the parts from used trucks even if I have to pay for some of them myself at this point I just wanted to fix it right. Arizona's not a no-fault state and he got several tickets for the accident and it's all on his insurance I only had liability I'm going to change that when it's all done.

 

Be sure to establish "agreed upon value" with your insurance company. This precludes debate after the fact. Make sure that they are conversant in the values of classic vehicles. You may want to seek out a company that specializes in classic cars and trucks. Your premiums will be higher but you'll be covered no matter what. The alternative is to be self insuring. Put those premiums you would have paid into an interest bearing account, drive carefully and defensively and hope that you won't need to dip into that fund anytime soon or ever.

 

The pictures brought a tear to my eyes, d@#$ little knucklebutt, Yes, stick with OEM, I have had guys I know get cheap chinese parts and they are thin and junk, glad you found one to get parts from already.
Fight, fight, fight to get it done right Glad you and no one else was hurt, but boy howdy that would chap my a$$.

 

I deal with ALL major and many,many smaller insurance companies in my body shop on a weekly basis. I know a lot of the insurance adjusters very well and on a first name basis with many. Regardless, these people are trained to be professional and polite, and know ALL the buzzwords and answers to EVERY question you present to them. That is their job to do and they know that stuff extensively. They are also trained to CUT COST and SAVE the company MONEY. The first thing I hear many times from a customer who has been damaged is " I'm getting a new Lamborgini out this deal for my hit Hyandai ! " or "Man,is the insurance company paying big time for this!", "I'm 'gonna make a killing on this accident!" etc,etc.
Nope,you get a repair that is generally right to the penny or a totaled payoff that is reasonably fair. That is about all there is in this accident business. I read a few years ago Allstate gets approx. 5000 auto claims A DAY!! Let the adjuster write an extra $100 bucks for an OEM part that he didn't have to or give you a rental car for a week or 2 when he shoudn't. Multiply that times a whole year and you can see why they are on the boarderline of paying marginal things and certainly WON"T pay stuff if it is not on your policy or they don't have to by law. So, EP145, if you have a shop you can trust and work with,have access to GOOD replacement original parts,have the other guys insurance paying for ALL that (and they should by law) then you are in good shape,all considered. No matter the circumstances ,an accident is ALWAYS an inconvenience! Good luck!

 

Thanks VTPKRAT2 for all of the good information. We are on Vacation and meet the Adjuster on Monday.

Dan