Howdy folks. Looking for some help and opinions after an unfortunate electrical fire that originated at the alternator in my engine bay this morning.
Its a 1991, 305 LB9, 5 speed car.

The fire affected the:
- alternator plugs & boots
- alternator wiring harness
- 2 fuel injectors
- fuel injector wiring harness
- throttle cable
- cruise control cable

Most of this I'm capable of fixing on my own. However, there are some R&R's I'm not wildly confident with.
I've found and received some tips for replacing the throttle cable and fuel injector wiring harness but am a bit intimidated to tackle the cruise control.

Alternatively, I do have classic car insurance with a $0 deductible and did file a claim but I am really skeptical of a shop doing the work and really don't want it half-assed. Though, I really want to be back on the road sooner than later and with as little out of pocket expenses as possible. I highly doubt the insurance would reimburse me for parts- which wouldn't be a real issue, but finding the correct fuel injector harness and alternator harness could be more difficult than anticipated.

Int his situation, what would you do?

 

That sucks.

I would start with the insurance company. I have my 1985 IROC insured through a classic car company and one of the selling features was that they would pay me to fix my own car, including parts. The agent I dealt with made it clear that the company understood that many people didn't trust/want random shops working on their classic. I've never had to make a claim (thankfully), so I don't know how it works but it might be worth checking into.

I think you need to pick what is most important to you because I doubt you can get everything you listed - no out of pocket expense, don't want a shop half-assing it, want it back on the road quickly, etc.

If it was me that this happened to, I would gather all the parts and do the work myself, leaving the cruise control for last. Sounds like you can get all of the major stuff done on your own, I'd do that to get back on the road and then play with the cruise control after.

Good luck.

 

The one cable is not the cruise. It is your TV Cable that runs to the transmission. You will need to get the exact length for it or you will toast the transmission next.

 

Good thought and definitely something important for most cars. But I have a manual transmission, so no TV cable on this car.

Good point. The claims agent didn't seem to know if I could be reimbursed for the parts, but did mention there were "Hagerty approved shops." Still not sure I'd be thrilled with the work though. I'ts awesome to hear that your insurance agent said you could work on the car yourself. I'll definitely ask the adjuster if I have that option when they call today or tomorrow. I'd be ecstatic if that is possible; even if I was only compensated for the parts and not the time.

The approach seems the smartest, too. Cruise can wait til the end.

 

"Good thought and definitely something important for most cars. But I have a manual transmission, so no TV cable on this car."

Good point! Sorry bout that.

 

Some good news- my insurance is a-okay with allowing me to repair it myself (if I chose) and the adjuster includes estimated labor that they would normally include for a shop so I'm even compensated for my time. Needless to say, I'm pretty jazzed with Hagerty right now. The adjuster came today and I'm awaiting the estimate to decide how I'll proceed; but thank you to Fronzizzle for suggesting that I ask the question.

 

Excellent. I have Hagerty as well; as I said, I haven't had to make a claim but the features they offer in their policy are hard to top.