johnf123

so i rearended a 1999 GMC Sonoma friday, and the body shop quoted me at 7K to fix. the cars a 92 RS vert with 108,000 miles. there is honestly no rust on this car at all, even where the water gets trapped. the body shop guy even complimented me on it. the interior is perfect and its worth rebuilding IMO.

what do you guys think?

johnf123

this was after i ripped off the whole front end and quarter panel

Azrael91966669

take it to a few more body shops
sadly these cars are not like the 1st 2nd gens that you can unbolt everthing
every thing is welded on

looks more like you went under the truck lol since your steel bumper is fine

you would need the welded innerfender/strut mount the welded in "battery box"
the welded in fender rail not to mention the welded radaitor support and i bet a radiator the evap canistor
the vaccum "ball of power" canister, hood latch bracket
and this just the noticeable parts not mention hood front bumper ground effect and fender header panel headlights turn signals
just the cost in parts alone would total it out
not to mention everything needs painted
bodyshops are not cheap and its not all these parts can be had new
and these cars just do not have the book value to be repaired for major damage like that

you have to remember to replace the welded in parts they need to remove the engine the engine crossmember
remove everything thats bolted to the firewall on the drivers side ie brake master cylinder steering column
im sure you also need a airbag and maybe other steering parts
also have to remove the steering box the strut/Aarm

that is why the cost is so high they have to remove alot of stuff and most of it needs removed buy a mechanic so they send that part out then if the mechanic isnt at the body shop there is towing envolved aswell so you end up with a large bill

sorry but unless you can do the job yourself i think you may need to look for a nice shell and let this body go to scrap

FlyDoc

well if you say that the car has no rust. it looks like it is a candidate for a C6 front suspension, and C4 IRS if you want the back seat, or go full C6 front & rear and an LS7. but what ever you do have a plan, and once you have it striped down take it to a frame shop and have it pulled square.(before removal and after install of damaged parts) most shops will only do it once.

johnf123

I think its gonna be a cross between me and a shop

johnf123

I cant afford an LS7 or the insurance on it

89RsPower!

Personally for that kind of money I'd simply buy another one and part that one out..

jpnidiff

I agree with Azrael. There is a lot of potential there but if you can't do a lot of the work yourself it's not going to be cost effective. Thats what keeps a lot of old cars form being fixed up or restored. Labor is not cheap.If you can do a lot yourself and just hire out the painting and mabey the welding you might be able to do it, but if you hire it all out........ Time to look for a new one.

sleepsinshed

iTrader: (10)

That will buff right out!

Seriously, it doesn't look all that bad from the pictures. Looks to need some straightening at the left front corner, or have a new section welded in. My son had a very similar accident with his first car, a Camry. Needed the same type of work. The choices were to find a new car (expensive) or fix that one (not so much). It gave me a reason to buy a $300 welder from Home Depot and learn to weld. A couple hundred dollars more in parts and it was back together. Not to minimize the work involved, but your time is cheap, someone else's won't be.

JimRockford

I agree,you'd be money ahead buying another third gen,there are some great deals out there right now.

2007xl50

Like was said body work is not cheap and the car is old. If you can score the parts and do most of the work yourself then it would be worth it IMO being a vert. What I would do is let insurance total it out and then buy it back cheap and fix it with the check they cut you.

DD9TransAmGTA

iTrader: (1)

Looks like its worth saving if your up to getting it done. Doesn't look like it is hurt to bad so you lucked out

johnf123

i plan on pulling everything from the engine bay, having a buddys uncles shop straighten the crossmember and side frame out for me, do all the welding work, and then il start bolting it back together. the less third gens junked and parted out the more there are on the roads

rob2000gt

iTrader: (1)

7k to fix that I cant believe how out of control body shops have gotten with thier prices.

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

I think your plan is a good one. My son banged up his 86 bird, and the combination of my friend's frame straightening machine and whatever I could do on my own will have this car like new again. SAVE YOUR THIRDGEN

89RsPower!

Almost sounds like the "we dont wanna be bothered" price..

91phoenix

iTrader: (5)

I hope it can be fixed reasonably. If the body shop does not charge too much to straighten and repair frame then you should be able to get it fixed. Time consuming yes but doable i would think.

grampaben

I vote for wrenching on it yourself. If you don't have the background and resources, you can pull the drive line and scrap the rest.

cIaRmOaCrZo

fix it. you can find any part of that front clip in some junk yards (getting more scarce by the second) or even get ahold of one of the idiots that parts these cars out on here and see if they will sell you the clip before they shamefully scrap it. even better, might get lucky and find a red one so that theres no painting involved. dont let it scare you, unless you dont know how to turn a wrench...

grampaben

There was a whole unmolested bodied 88 Z in my local scrap yard last time I was there. If you would like I could check to see if it's still there. The front clip was good. Don't know what the shipping would be though.
That Z is a stick shift car. I almost bought it for the drive line - convert my 87 ti stick.

84 1LE

iTrader: (9)

This would be my choice, if in your shoes.

micktroup2

Have the insurance company total it and buy it back. As stated, that is the best idea. I think you can buy it back for what- 15%? Then tear everything off that is broken and take the parts list to the 'yard'. GOOD LUCK!

Phenom-1

The car is fine just needs some straightening. And a new hood / front clip / fender. If my Z28 ever got hit by some motherf+cker I'd make him pay to fix it like new again

inkedbass

Sorry to see your fender bender here. Looks like you had one damn nice vert. To me a wreck like this is an excuse to re-build it how YOU would like to see it.


J

igotta355z28

iTrader: (1)

Sounds about right to me. I work at a european car shop and work on mostly late model german cars, every cpl weeks some idiot hauls in a 80s or early 90s mercedes thats been sitting up in a field for a cpl years and they want to fix it. I look it over and usually shoot a high price and it gets towed right back out. Some things just arnt worth the hassel especially when you know the people arnt going to want to spend to do it right.

On the other hand part of it could be attributed to what was said earlier, the body shop will have to send the car out to a mechanic more then likely for some of the repair. Body shop vs mechanic rates are crazy different. I just had an 07 BMW 330i the other day that the body shop sent over cause he "hit a curb" I had to replace 4 front control arms, and a cracked K member....I saw the estimate sitting in the car. body shop labor for painting the bumper and fixing a cpl scratches 3 hrs at $40 an hr... My labor for kmember and control arms.... 11hrs at $105 an hr.... its the mechanical part that bites you in the ***....

So in closing if you are doing the mechanical yourself youll probably save a good chunk, good luck with it and hope she looks good again soon...

Blue_IROC_86

iTrader: (2)

dude ive seen worse.. and they got fixed for under 1k.. frame puller..

80schild

iTrader: (5)

My sister wrecked her '05 Subaru Legacy and it has about the same amount of damage. The estimates she received were around $3500-4,000. I can't imagine a Camaro would cost more to fix than a Subaru.

johnf123

update: getting the front pulled back out. i found an 89 RS on craigslist for 1k, has all the parts i need minus the bad rusting on some parts. insurance gave me 3500

Dakota W.

Subarus come apart easier than camaros...ask me how I know

1983Chimaera

Glad to hear you're fixing it. The damage looks mostly cosmetic, the worst being the radiator brace replacement, something I've tackled on one of these myself before and isn't that difficult. Given the scarcity of the convertible cars, and the relatively good shape and low mileage of yours, I'm glad you decided to repair it.

On another note, I noticed where it was mentioned about putting an LS engine in your car, and you responded the insurance would be "too high". Your insurance would be exactly what you pay now, as they can only legally charge you for what the car is VINed as having, not what you put in it. The only exception to this is if you have specialized insurance, such as hot rod insurance, where you can stipulate exactly what you have and how much to cover it for. As for normal auto insurance, it makes no difference what engine you put in to a chassis, as the VIN is all that matters. Case in point; I have a 1994 Mustang Coupe that was originally a 3.8L V6 that I replaced with a built 5.0L making 427hp, yet I still pay base V6 insurance rates. Now this can go both ways, as my Mustang was in an accident in 2007 where the other party was found wholly at fault, and their insurance decided to try to play a game with me...They wanted to pay me off based on the car being a V6, but wanted to take a V8 chunk for salvage value, based on the claim that "they can get more for it at salvage with the engine it has in it". I had to fight them to get paid fairly for it, and finally got paid as if it was a Cobra, not a V6. Note that this was with their insurance, NOT my insurance. However, you are technically supposed to inform your insurance provider anytime you make a "betterment" to your vehicle, supposedly so they can increase your coverage (Re - charge your more) in case of accident or theft. This only really applies if you have more than liability coverage, and even then it is still in their interest to not pay your claim fairly. This means that without having one of their approved shops do every bit of the install, fully document the labor and parts, and have the insurance company adjuster document the finished product (and this means EVERY time you make any kind of alteration), then you simply aren't going to get it replaced if something happens.

grampaben

Man, if I was up there I'd come bring my wrenches. and help some. Glad to see it's going to be back on the road and not in some bone yardd! Keep us updted and take some pics along the way.
Gramps

1986_iroc_z28

FlyDoc

I must have been tired the 1st time or something
it's a Vert FIX IT!!!
get the most you can from the insurance company, just don't let them total it. then you have the chance of getting a salvage tittle, even if you have the title in hand. they may file at the DMV then when you go to register the car they'll change tittles on you!
make them fix it, or call the insurance commission.

ringo234

I'm sorry, but part it out. It will never be same car.IMO

Blue1990camaro

iTrader: (1)

definatly. iv fixed worse in my driveway, welding on a new front end from windshield forward


id def fix it

ternandes

iTrader: (7)

I couldn't disagree more. My 86 was worse than that, and my friend's body shop has restored it to like-new. It takes patience and the right equipment, but it can be done. If I had tried to fix it without putting it on the frame straightening machine, it would not have been the same. But as long as the frame is straightened and you do a careful job, this car can be at least as good as it was before.

cIaRmOaCrZo

people like ringo drive me nuts. i just cant see which part of their brain is differant, or missing. i swear when one thing is wrong with a car (one rust hole, faded paint, mechanical prob) people suddenly scrap them. this one just needs a clip. look at the rest of the car,ITS NICE!!!!! you have no idea much iv wanted particular 3rgens, and see the exact ones i want/desire getting ripped apart for scrap when indeed that cars are usualy nicer than mine

1983Chimaera

I have an '88 LB9 IROC-Z I picked up last summer for $300 that was in similar condition. It had rear-ended a truck, which damaged the hood, cracked the bottom corners of the windshield, broke the fiberglass headlight bar, damaged the top of the passenger fender, and bent the radiator brace. The hood was missing (previous owner did who-knows-what with it), the nose was undamaged, and the frame wasn't hurt, and the hood louvers were undamaged and in the back of the car. I replaced the radiator brace with a junkyard one, welding it in myself, replaced the passenger fender, recently found a Z/28 / IROC-Z hood, and have been cleaning up the rest of the engine compartment and building a fresh roller LB9 for it. It sat for 5 years 4 houses down from my parents because the kid that wrecked it figured it was a write off, and since it was under a car cover no one gave it much thought. All the TPI parts were there, and aside from the minor damage and missing hood, the car is 95% RPO correct. I asked about it one day, and the kid's mom mentioned she'ld love to have her driveway back and that her kid was thinking of scrapping it.
So far I have the engine compartment painted (GM Atomic Orange), and will have the engine together and ready to drop in soon. Then it's time to prep the rest of the car for paint, and do some minor clean up inside. The point is, my IROC-Z had the same basic damage as your convertible, and I fixed it in my driveway with a $90 Harbor Freight welder. It really wasn't that difficult, and shouldn't be on yours either.

HiPerf_Chevyman

Now I dont want to seem like a Thread Hijacker. But I got the same issue. happend in 2009 and I cannot for some reason let it go. and I dont know what to do with it. theres NO rust at all.






Avoided a Trotting moose on a Right hand corner at 40-45mph, 530am tuesday morning november in maine. road wasnt Slick, but was damp, went off the road a foot and got sucked down over a 10ft Cliff. caught a rock in the pass door kept it from going onto the roof. i was 15minutes from work and took the week off. HA I forgot to add. I had the Car parked. Vaseline'd the T-top seals. was watching the news sunday nite, and it was going to be in the 60's and 70's all week with not even a cloud. I was So happy I could get another week out of her..... what a big fn mistake. after that morning I've had a black cloud hanging over my head. and i deserve it hahahahahaha

johnf123

im going to a junk yard tomorrow to get that front crossmember, whats the best way to go about removing one?

jbalzola

iTrader: (1)

the PITA way would be to drill out the spot welds and remove it but I would say cut off more of the front end than you need and do the tedious stuff at home.

browncamaroz28

iTrader: (1)

not to hijack your thread but you could cut the front end off the car and graph a straight front end on it from a parts car. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/memb...o-picture.html I'm building a tube front end on this one and probably going further than you would want to go into it but it is doable. you really just need a flat surface where you can level the car, a sawsall and angle grinder, welder and some measuring tools. Guess it all depends on how much time you have. Good luck with the car, would hate to see a clean body in the junkyard.