My life sucks, it started raining right after I got onto the highway today, and when I took an exit, some idiot in front of me was going like 10mph so I started to slow down and my car did a 180 degree turn on some water..the rear end hit a cement wall, thank god I didn't hit anyone, but now my life is ruined...I JUST got liability insurance and got this car registered 2 days ago, I don't know what I'm gonna do, or how much it's gonna cost me..I'm so sad right now.

 

Its not that bad. New rear quarter, tail light, and bumper along with some metal work and paint, and youll never know it happened. The liability coverage pretty much means youll be paying for the fix though. Ive got a buddy that works at an auto body shop, Ill forward him the pics and see how much he thinks itll cost.

 

damn man...that sucks, but in the other hand it really doesn't look that bad at least not in the pictures, take a picture further back if you can to see...

 

I would be curious as to why it spun around, did the rear tires lockup? did you stab the brake? That is not something that just happens, might want to look into it so next time it rains you don't smack into something else.

 

THat'll buff right out

 

I wish it were that easy.

This **** will easily cost me a grand or more..and what sucks is that I got this car for only $900..since then I've put over $700 into the car.

 

yeah the painting is the biggest problem there since most of that side of the car will probably have to be painted along with the bumper and spoiler to blend it in. however pm me i might be able to work a deal with you as i have a corner spoiler and tailight and if i have the time to get it off in the near future a rear bumper

 

Damn that sucks... not THAT bad though. Good thing its just the rear corner and not the front or part of frame. Also good you weren't hurt. Good luck with repairs.

 

I can totally sympathize with this. When I was 18, my Z28 hydroplaned, I got it stable, thought it was ok, tapped the gas and it spun twice through 4 lanes of traffic.

Try to do as much work as you can, pull off the bad parts yourself, get the replacement taillight, spoiler, etc and replace them yourself, and get the pro's to do only as much as you can't. If you can limit their work to the quarterpanel and paint, it'll be cheaper.

 

Life goes on and its still drivable, so its all good

 

That's a piece of cake to fix. From the pics it looks like the quarter could be left in place and just "massaged" back to shape. New tail light and bumper cover. Total cost of parts maybe $50 tops. Where in Texas are you? Anywhere close to Austin?

 

You really think the quarter panel can be reshaped with that same piece? (I don't know crap about bodywork) I'm located in Huntsville, about 3 hours east of Austin, but I planned on driving there either this week or next week. Do you do body repair?

 

Yeah, it can be done. Quickly? Doubtful. It would probably take a couple of solid days at least to get it done.

I do custom sheet metal work for a living, but I "dabble" in body work.
Here's a "little" quarter panel damage I repaired a while back:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...ter-panel.html

 

Great job on the repair, I wish I knew how to do that stuff. I really have no clue where to start when it comes to reshaping metal though, I am completely inexperienced at doing that. I can't open the passenger door either, my dad was telling me that the quarter panel pushed into the door..is this still repairable?

 

Great job on the quarter panel it takes great skill to do what you did there!

 

ouch sorry to hear that man good luck getting it fixed at least its still drivable

 

Thanks! It wasn't something that I learned overnight. I've been doing it for almost 15 years now.

Ouch! That information changes the game a little bit. It's still repairable, but from the pics I was thinking it was just the rear corner that was crunched. There's a possibility that it could be "massaged" back to spec, but this definitely makes the job bigger.

 

I could try real hard to find you a new tail light. If I do, $25 plus shipping and it's yours. I'm pretty sure I can get you one.

 

Thanks, how much would the shipping cost?

I hope getting all of this stuff repaired doesn't cost me $1000 or more..I just don't have it I just spent $400 in the past 2 days getting parts for the Camaro and getting it legal..I feel like all of this is wasted.

 

Shipping would be about $35. So i'd do $60 shipped. I think you may be able to find a cheaper one on the board here; someone that lives in the states where it would cost $15 to ship.

 

Does anyone know if there are custom bodies or quarter panels for 3rd gens? I'm thinking about getting a custom body and rear end if I can find a decent price lol..or would you guys recommend against that idea?

I found a replacement quarter panel for $130:

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/GMK-4022-600-82R/

Would I have to cut my current quarter panel and install this? I don't know how body repair works.

 

The rear quarters are welded on from the factory, so yes, youd have to cut out the damaged section to put on a replacement panel.

 

What's damaged on the taillight? The entire housing or just the lens cover? I have a brand new (NOS) lens cover that I want to get rid of.

 

Just the cover, the bulbs are surprisingly still intact lol.

I really need to get my brakes and suspension checked out, every time I take the Camaro out for a ride it's really rough (on just about any pavement)..would it be wise to invest in some all-weather tires as well so I won't hydroplane? lol. I never want this to happen again.

 

3rd gens are notorious for having traction problems in rain. Good tires help, but they wont solve the problem entirely. The best thing to prevent hydroplaning is to not drive in the rain, or drive slow. If you ever hydroplane again, just let off the gas, dont touch the brake, and try to not over steer.

 

1 Grand to fix? Haha no way.

Replacement Quarter from a yard - $20
Replacement Bumper - $39
Taillight - $22
Spoiler arm - $9
Rear passenger wheel gfx - $9

Thats if the hatch is fine and not warped. So $900 for a shop to have them weld in the replacement panel? Ha I think not.

Its fixable.


Good tires are a start, I lost control of my Camaro once when making a turn during cold weather at around 25mph~, I ended facing and swerving into the opposite lane and perfectly straight. After putting my Camaro in storage and looking at my passenger rear tire, I see why.

 

I wonder if you can just section that part of the quarter panel.

 

You really think I can get a quarter panel for only $20?..I thought that would be the most expensive part. I'll have to shop around some junkyards in Houston or something..hopefully I can find a good deal on some parts.

My back tires are pretty worn out, I don't know what kind I should get but I want some that would definitely help me stop better and give me more control. Would a new brake system and suspension be a good idea as well? Control is my number one priority right now, this car is dangerous as hell to drive lol..it's the hardest vehicle I've ever taken on the road before.

 

Yards here only charge for what the metal is worth, My uncle went to a yard and got the whole quarter skin and door skin for his sentra and they charged him $35 for both. Call around at local yards for prices, Yards here wont charge more than $50 and thats with them cutting the quarter for you. I already called around for a driver side quarter skin for my Camaro and got quoted at around $25 for it. Sad thing is finding a perfect quarter is hard here.

My passenger side tire is worn to the point the grooves are almost gone and feels like a minor bump. I would say get some good tires and test it, My father as well said the car will test me if I decide to be stupid in it, so I say just be careful and if you wanna train yourself, go join some Auto-x spots near you and get some good experience. In the end I think the rain and worn tires was what did it for you.

 

if you cant open the door you have to pull it weather you replace the qt panel or fix it, and as FYRCHKN said is EASY to fix without replacing the whole panel, and you can even do it at your house you just gotta have some fab skills and have a come along, whatever you decide to do GOOD LUCK...

as far as the price it varies from location... i got one at pick the part for 80 bks

 

What will I have to pull, and how do I pull it?

 

even tho it seems bad you got realy lucky that you can atleast fix it

 

the corner that got smashed in, a bracket has to be placed inside or welded outside on that corner and pulled once that is done the whole qt panel will move to accommodate itself once the come along or whatever you are using has tension you need use a sledge hammer and a 2x4 wood to hit the qt where the latch pin is to release some of the tension and make the qt stay in place and dnt go back... if you go by replacing this thread might help at least to start removing the panel

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...ge-repair.html

 

That is troublesome as it suggests that the unibody has been damaged. Are there any visible stress fractures in the paint and or wrinkles at the sail pane or door frame? I would suggest putting it on a frame straightening machine first. The quarter panel is then easy to straighten and would be a great learning experience.

Other members have given you some great leads on the other parts, so, frame machine first (to determine salvagability), everything else second.

Not to be disrespectful, but it just depends on your budget.

 

i doubt is frame related, but yet i dont have the car in front of me, if its frame related there mill be a buckle on the trunk floor or it will be visible by lifting up the car and inspecting it from the bottom.

GTA50 i think you are referring to unibody damage, even if thats the case it can be straightened without a frame machine unless the damage is too big which i doubt it by the look of the pics. but yea the easiest way is to put it on a frame machine.

 

I've found over the years that these cars are terrible in the rain. I've had some scary close calls and have nearly crashed my thirdgen as well. So if I even think its going to rain my thirdgen stays in the garage.

 

I don't think your life will end. Consider this a learning experience. My Dad use to say to me all of the time, "Bought knowledge is the best knowledge."

You can't drive a thirdgen the same way in the rain/snow/sleet as you do on dry pavement. You have to be a lot more cautious of speed, acceleration and braking. Not to mention all handling components must be in proper working order.

Once you get your car fixed, get some new ( or like new) matching tires. You will see it makes all of the difference on both dry and wet roads.

I agree on lifting the car and checking to make sure you have no frame or uni body damage. The quarter repair can be done for cheap if you take your time and shop both online and the junkyards for the parts. I would find a competent body man to finish up the work. Make sure the body work comes with a warrenty.

 

Here's a few more shots of the damage. Excuse the wooden pole holding up the trunk, I got to get my rear hatch latch fixed. Is there anything aside from new tires that I should get to improve my control and braking in the rain?

 

I'd make sure all your suspension stuff is in good working order. Replace any worn bushings, ball joints, etc. Make sure your brakes are in good shape and of course, get the best wet weather tires you can afford.

 

Cool, I'll be sure to get all this down..I definitely need some new shocks, would you recommend a specific set for any of these pieces?

Also, does anyone make carbon fiber quarter panels for 3rd gen Camaros? Or is that completely unpractical. Thanks.

 

Just get Moog, Energy Suspension, or whatever parts to replace the stock components. As for shocks the KYB G2 shocks are a pretty good price/performance shock that will offer good handling performance without making the ride too rough. On the low end you have Monroe shocks which usually get slammed for being pieces of **** that don't last long and on the high end you have Koni shocks which are really nice but they make the car's handling very stiff and while this is good for hard driving, daily driving becomes much less enjoyable.

Carbon fiber has never been done in the quarter panels for these cars. The main reason most likely being that these cars are unibody and do not have a true frame. The quarter panel is a major structural component of the car's body.

 

i have a taillight i can sell for $15 + shipping

 

If this is repairable your car surly is.
All 3 sections of the real fender.
New bumper cover.
The piece that's behind the cover.
New bumper brace.
Used rear end.
New paint on the whole car with painted strips.
Frame straightened out.
New tail light assembly.
New rightside spoiler arm.
New rightside fender ground effects.
New door skin.

I repaired the car just enough to be able to drive it. Then when I had the money I had it fixed 1 year later. I had to do a lot of cutting to get the tire to clear the sharp parts that was on the fender. Total cost for parts and labor was $3000. Your car is no where near as bad a shape as mine was and that was 10 years ago I had it fixed.

 

Fiberglass widebody rear fenders

http://www.showcars-bodyparts.com/firebird8292.html

 

Bump..

My friend came over to the house today to look at my car and he said my front struts are completely shot, which could be the reason why I hydroplaned and have overall horrible control of the car..so I definitely need some new ones. What type of struts would you guys recommend for my Camaro? I want the best performance/per dollar out there..my main concern is overall stability of the car..unfortunately I'm still very new to auto parts so I don't know which ones would be the best:

http://www.partstrain.com/store/inde...N=0&Ntt=Struts

 

The frotn struts have nothing to do with hydroplaning. Its the contact between the tire and the road..

And I know how ya feel. I was driving home from a track 2 hours away, with the MT dr's on the car, in off and on rain/wet spots. I was litterally 5 min from home and spun out into a wall..

 

Exactly, the reason your car hydroplanes is because a film of water gets between your tires and the road. The other day I was driving through a heavy rain storm and I didnt want that to happen so I drove 25-30 mph in 40-45mph zones. People were pissed at me but I wasnt about to wreck my car so they can go faster.

 

So is the only way to prevent this from happening again is to get some new tires and to drive slower?..my handling on the car is pretty crappy right now.

 

if its handling is crappy, you got problems that should be fixed ASAP.

 

Well my front struts are completely shot, how would that affect my performance/handling?