F41eatsFords

Ok, so I slid into a Taurus last November, and now have a new impact bar, facia, and headlight bracket, but my main concern is if I can bend back the front bumper bracket. It's a little crunched, so as the bumper prevents the hood from latching (thank goodness for bungee cords). there is a small amount of damage to the fender, but i know that's no big deal. I've put about 2000 miles on it with no problems, so i think these are the only concerns i should have. Also, the bumper braket is a peice attatched to the radiator support, i just don't want to take the trouble to replace it if I can get away with it. A friend of a friend was supposed to fix it for me when I got the parts around, but noone's heard from him in a couple months. I've been looking for a trustworthy body shop to just put it together until I can paint it, but if I can do this easily myself, I'm all for it. I want to get back on the freeway!

F41eatsFords

Here are more pics. Thanks any advice!

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

A frame shop can fix that

BTW your hood is a gonner too

TheBigJ

iTrader: (1)

rear ending someone: 5 pts... but running over someone is 10 pts (get my drift)

We had to use a bobcat to bend some pieces back on my truck, but NOTHING like my buddy who just fixed his front end by running into a tree

Glad your ok, sorry to hear that about your camaro tho

Sickness91Z28

iTrader: (1)

those are your frame rails that are bent.....looks like frame rack time to me...

F41eatsFords

The hood is perfectly intact...the bumper just keeps it from closing all the way, hence the gap between it and the fender. I forgot to mention before that when the bumper was forced in, it bent the hood-latch-bracket up and saved the hood. I already replaced it hoping it would latch, but no dice. either way, I know that the hood is perfectly fine.

F41eatsFords

Well, I found this radiator support which shows otherwise...i don't know, but the metal forming the bracket looks pretty thin for a frame. either way, would it be possible to hit the old impact bar with a heavy hammer to pull it out? I'm a poor college student, so right now cheaper is better.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

The hood looks bowed in the last pic

The frame is thin but not something you can just hammer back into shape

A frame rack will pull the frame back to factory specs

The damage looks to be confined to the horns, but in reality the whole front unibody could be shifted or distorted. You wont know until its on that frame rack

freestylzz

Paying someone to fix it right, a few hundred bucks.

A 200 lb flying hood into your windshield causing an accident, priceless

87frankenbird90

This happened to my buddy in his '87 GTA. I was in the car with him. It didn't cause us to wreck, but it's not fun.

Eventually, however, the hood flew up on him again, and the GTA became the parts car for my firebird project.

So, unless you want your car to become someone else's parts car, fix it right. Go to the financial aid office and get your budget expanded. They WILL do that for you if you can bring them an estimate of what it'll cost. Take out the loan, and pay it back after you graduate so you don't have to worry about it.

-advice from someone who's been there

RS Reaper

You got to love how the camaros slide.

3rdGenBirdOwner

Yeah, my '92 Firebird slid into the back of a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee last Halloween. It surprised the hell out of me how my brakes suddenly locked up on me causing me to slide. My front nose and hood dug into their hitch causing a decent amount of damage to my car and none to theirs.

grthrawn

or the tarus can just slide in the front of my 97 jimmy head at 40mph toatling it out.... getting one hell of a nice check for it though so i at least get a motor for the t/a

F41eatsFords

It only looks bowed because the bumper has been pushed up, and a gap is formed...everything lines up perfectly on the other side, and they both measure up the same. The fender may need a little work, though. I'm planning on swinging buy the body shop my dad had our van fixed at to get an estimate this week, cuz he's the only guy I'd trust unless I get a good recommendation from someone else. Othewise, I'm going my own way.

A friend of mine told me he and his dad did something similar on his old truck with a torch and jack and heavy hammer, and that worked well enough. I'd be incredibly surprised if the rest of the unibody is damaged...i've been driving it as is for 3000 miles now with no trouble. I know it's not a good indication, but it hasn't fallen apart yet.

Also, are the horns actually part of the frame? I posted a picture above that shows it as part of the radiator support, and if that's the case, this same friend said he could help me replace it. He's a certified mechanic, so I trust him to know what he's doing.

F41eatsFords

Did his hood fly back up after he fixed it, or was this soon after? I'm sure the hood will latch down with the bumper out of the way. I already replaced the latch and bracket, hoping to get it close. It was then that I realized the bumper was the source of that problem. Right now I have 4 heavy duty bungee cords holding down the hood, and have been avoiding all freeways just in case.

And I have a hard enough time registering for classes; I'm not about to deal with the hassle of getting any loan from the school. Besides that, I'm only making enough until summer to pay for gas, insurance, and other expenses. I'm just trying to avoid dipping into my savings.

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

This is not a truck and it really doesnt have a frame you can manhandle back into shape

You can cut it off and replace it but this is illegal unless youre certified

Go to the body shop, listen to what they have to say and go from there

Also, stop driving the freaking wreck!

F41eatsFords

It's not a wreck, and it's my only car, so I have no other choice. Like I said, i'm going to a body shop, but if it's part of the radiator support and I can't afford the shop, then will replacing the radiator support work? That's not hard.

I've come to the conclusion that if the shop's too much, I'll do it myself...older threads show posts which have worked. Yeah, If I had all the money in the world, and the car was my life, I'd do it right; but a car is a car, and sometimes you have to make do.

Any other opinions or advive from anyone ELSE?

Pocket

iTrader: (24)

What state are you in?

jokestyle

here is my opinion to your remark about a car is a car.. I actually take offense to that a third gen is not just a car.. its because of people with that mentality that more and more are being found at junk yards.. i mean it is good for us when we need parts. but if you own one and do not realize how special they are and how lucky you are to have when then just sell it to someone who does. i understand you have to make do but please dont be so hard on your car. you were the one who crashed it lol ...

85berlinetta2.8

i tied my bumper to a tree and slowly backed up to strighten it out, that bracket was still bent a bit, i ha a guy at a body sho fix it. he used a metal D shaped puck, a large hammer, and a crowbar welded to a towhook on a chain to straighten it out.

F41eatsFords

Im in Michigan, Detroit area.

F41eatsFords

Just letting everyone know, I didn't mean a car is a car to that degree. I never would have bought it in the first place if I didn't care. There is virtually nothing on this car I haven't paid for, and I was pretty upset over the matter. I simply meant that though the car is hurt, it's not like it's a person. If I could afford to, I would have had a beater, and it would be crunched, not the Camaro. I want it fixed right, when I can afford to, but for now, I stll want it looking good. No point having it if I'm leaving it this way. Sorry for any offense.

And, thanks 85berlinetta2.8.

85berlinetta2.8

if you want pics of the repair i can send

F41eatsFords

Thanks, I'd really appreciate it!

85berlinetta2.8

i cant post them tho i can send them to email when im home again. pm me
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this is th only one i have online atm

F41eatsFords

What do you need to send me the pics?

85berlinetta2.8

pm me your email of course ill send on the weekend when im back

F41eatsFords

About how long did the repair take?

85berlinetta2.8

my hood was crumpled in the corner, my fascia split, my signal smashed, and the bumper mount was pushed in.

you wont know whats damaged till you take the fascia off. my brake line was leaking from the accident so i had to have that fixed first.
temporarily i just pulled back the bumper with a chain and put a bolt and nut on where the fascia was split. looked ok at a distance.
found a replacement berlinetta specific signal 40$
found an oem hood at a swap meet 40$
used fascia 25$
used headlight bar 50$
used bumper metal beam 40$
i was in for a rust repair and my body guy straigtened the bumper mount for free. only took him 10 mins.