screaminformula

hey guys..i need some body advice. my '88 Camaro was rear ended at some point in it's life and i need to know if it is repairable and if so, what's involved? about how much am i looking at? my brother does paint/body work, but he's in Alabama, i'm in Texas...i would greatly appreciate it if someone could give me opinions/suggestions on what to do. also, is there a good, solid method to check the frame for trueness? i really don't wanna junk this one as i see a lot of potential in it, but if it's really "that far gone" i guess i will...albeit reluctantly...

thanks in advance!
Josh

Bobby_80s

iTrader: (2)

honestly i can barely see any damage. plus you won't know untill you loosen a few botls and paly with the alignment of any parts out of wack. Also when you have some vacation or have another car to drive I would drive the car over to your brother and let him check it out or have him come visit you. He would be able to get you a better idea of how to fix and how much.

i cant tell how bad it is from that angle. sorry.

Red92Bird

maybe we could see more if you took a pic in the daylight a little more diagonal to the car instead of almost straight at the quarter panel.

87CIZ

iTrader: (8)

looks to me that your hatch is out of alignment is all. pretty simple to fix

Bobby_80s

iTrader: (2)

yea thats what i meant when i said loosen some bolts and play with the allignment. play with the hatch first maybe ur side spoiler piece is off but can't tell.

screaminformula

this shows the deformity of the quarter panel a little better...this can't be just hatch alignment, i wish it could be, but i can see a deformity in the quarter panel as shown here...if i could just get the bulge out of the 1/4 panel i could adjust the rest out of the hatch...


Josh

Gramps

iTrader: (1)

josh does the drivers side spoiler line up to the hatch spoiler? and can you take some better pics in the light?

lol i gave suggestions to you already...i didnt realize that you had an even bigger mess on your hands.

screaminformula

lol, yea, she's a project! no, it doesn't line up on the driver's side...that's where the issue is. it DOES line up on the passenger side. i also just ran out and looked at the hatch...the gap is perfectly level around the whole hatch...but the gap isn't as wide in that one area (as if the 1/4 panel was pushed in) and the spolier doesn't line up. this picture shows how bad it's off as far as alignment. the passenger side lines up PERFECTLY...i will try to get more pics in the daylight when i get off work...

Josh

Gramps

iTrader: (1)

oops...i meant if the pass side was lined up not the drivers...but you still answered my question. ya it looks like that minor dent has become a major one...only way to fix that is to get a donor car and cut and replace either that whole quarterpanel (starts about half way down the B-pillar) or cut out the affected areas and replace just that with a good section from the donor. no amount of bondo will fix that missalignment.

Red92Bird

i agree, it looks as though the quarter has been pushed forward from the rear and buckled. i supppose you could play around with pushing that dent out and possibly pulling the quarter back into shape but it might be simpler and a better quality repair if you just replace it.

screaminformula

yea, that's kinda what i was scared of...guess me and my brother will end up undertaking that one...thank you guys!

Josh

matt_p

Your hatch doesn't look to be out of alignment. The bulge in the rear driver quarter pulls the fender end in.

You cant push the bulge out properly since thats where the gas door is so you are probably going to have to get the fender replaced, and that's a big job on these cars.

Would be a good idea to lift the car up and look at the rear "frame rails" and where the bumper beam bolts to them.

screaminformula

yea, i'm gonna take it to a body shop Friday since i'm off and just get an estimate...since my brother can't see it (no access to internet) he wants to go off the body shop estimate...i was really hoping 1/4 replacement wasn't needed but my gut told me it was...

Josh

oldtimer

Your car will need to be pulled on a frame machine to fix that problem. What you cannot see is damage to the rear body panel and the unirail on the driver's side. The damage to the quarter is minor and is due to the car being shortened by the collision. Most of the damage to the quarter will come out as the car is pulled back to spec. I imagine that the chassis rail will have a visible buckle given the look of the quarter. Not a big deal, and an easy fix, but it will cost you some bucks. Thanks, oldtimer.

screaminformula

well, if it's just pulling it back out, my brother says he can fix it. i was hoping that was all it would require. just out of curiosity...do you know about how much it would be to get it pulled out at a body shop...? i plan on getting an estimate Friday. i really wanna fix this car because even though it's a "lowly" SC, any of these Camaros can be made into whatever you want them to be...and this car has way too much potential just to scrap...

Josh

oldtimer

Well, most shops will hit you with 1-2 hours just for set up time. You also need teardown time to remove the rear bumper, lamps, and any interior panels in the way. Then you have the pull time to get the unibody back to spec. If you need finished body work, then that is extra. I would figure anywhere from 2-5 hours of pull time plus your set up time. Frame rates vary, so price around. On a positive note, you may be able to use a floor puller or even a come along if you want to shortcut the deal. If your brother is knowledgeable of body repair, then that may be possible. The best way is with a real frame machine, followed by the floor puller, trailed distantly by the back yard come along and some trees. The quarter dent will be worked as the car is pulled, combining the operations. You may be able to reuse the bumper cover and impact absorber, saving you money. Good luck. Oldtimer.

Red92Bird

not only the multiple hours of time it will take to pull the frame rail back and straighten out the quarter will add up, but also the disassembly and reassembly and getting everything to line up just right. could be kind of costly.

screaminformula

thanks for all the great input guys! i'm going to get estimates here today and i'll post what they say...hopefully my brother and i can tackle this and get it straight. he is very knowledgable with body work so i don't forsee him having a real issue straightening it out. besides that, there's no other issues with the body, just some dents in some bolt-on panels. i don't know what it is about this (i think it's because my wife got it for my anniversary gift) but i wanna save it...

Josh

screaminformula

well, after going to about 4 body shops i get the general consensus that it's gonna be about $400-$500...not too bad, looks like my brother and I will be fixing it...

Josh

Gramps

iTrader: (1)

awesome, keep us up to date eh?

screaminformula

will do! i just wish he was in TX so i could get it over with! with him being in Alabama and me in the financial situation i am right now it might be a while...

Josh

screaminformula

well, i decided to tear into it a bit (took off fuel filler door, collar around the filler neck and the inside "storage bin". i found this and figured i'd show it off...

oldtimer

Yeah, that's what I would expect given the quarter pics. You have inner quarter damage. I imagine that the floor, rear storage area, and unirail will also be rippled. Do not fret. When you pull the rail/rear body back to spec, this will walk out. You will probably have little work to do at all to the inner stuff other than a few hammer licks during the pull. This area is not visible, and a simple spray bomb undercoat job will take care of any areas where paint may have flaked. This damage is why you cannot simply fix the dent in the quarter. You car has been shortened up by the collision. The only way to fix the quarter is to first pull the car back to length. You may be surprised at how little bodywork is needed on the quarter once the pull is made. Make sure that you pull the car correctly, and you will save yourself much grief in the long run. Thanks, Oldtimer.

88ragtop

I had mine pulled and it was worst than that. 400 or 500 dollars to fix that is really an outstanding price dude. Have to be real careful about pulling those quarters becase they are so thin. Best bet is to find one of the old school body man to fix that. I watch the guy do mine and as he was pulling he would place a piece of 2x4 on the quarter right above the flare and hit it with a hammer. After he got it pulled back then he put the filler in. It came out great.

screaminformula

sweet, thanks for the info guys! my brother told me about the 2x4 and hammer method when i talked to him, nice to hear someone else say it too. i'm definitely saving this one!

Josh