73-87chevytrucks.com
General Site Info => General Discussion => Topic started by: thirsty on April 16, 2010, 08:01:18 pm
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I got a phone call from our daughter the other day, she was so hysterical I could hardly understand her but I did make out "Daddy I just wrecked my car!". I was at my buddy's shop just starting to talk to him about painting my 86...so I was a half hour away. That was a terrible ride talking to her until the police/ambulance got there. On the way she told me that she was perfectly fine but her car was ruined. She had rolled it. My poor old work truck really took it hard on that trip. I was really scared that she was just telling me that she was fine. When I got there of course all the emergency vehicles and personnel were there. I had to go thru the scene to get to the ambulance where our daughter was. I was pretty nervous about her being ok when I saw guardrails missing, parts of her car scattered on the side of the road, and her car over the bank in the bushes. When I got to the ambulance I was so relieved to see her sitting there uninjured. We were lucky.
Amber's car
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/amberscarwreck.jpg)
Our 16 year old has the same passion for her little blue cavalier that we have for our old square body trucks. She had just put her car all the way over and back on it's wheels then rolled backwards down an embankment. She was more mad at herself than she was shaken up! In 9 months she had not even scratched her "baby".
You can see her disappointment in this photo.
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/amberatwreck.jpg)
That little chevy did a great job protecting her. I am grateful for that.
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Glad she's fine. Just chalk it up to a learning episode. We've all been there. She'll have that "sick in the stomach" deal for a while. I'm sure she learned something and realized how lucky she was and why she buckles up and that no one else was hit. She'll be replaying it in her mind for a while. And, no, it wasn't a bad dream.
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Very great news . I know she is sad about it just remind her that a car is replaceable she is not.
Must be something about blue cavaliers (mine is a 04) mine has been in 5 accidents in 6 yrs good thing is none were my fault so my insurance didnt go up
Again very glad she is ok
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WOW!! I am glad she is OK!
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Thanks guys. I thought we were having a bad day when that happened til I woke up the next morning and realized it wasn't a bad day at all, It was a good day.
The day that happened I was gonna scrap the car and Amber asked me if we could save the seat out of it and make a chair for her room or something. I started looking the car over good and decided we could fix it for her if she loved it that much. I found a perfect parts car and got a commitment from her bodyman uncle to travel 3 hrs to help me with the roof and pillar section. My best friend (also the man she calls Uncle Todd) offered up his skills. All I can offer them in return is food and beer because I only had liability insurance on the car.
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my sister did the chair thing out of her 77 mustang. i drove my cavalier home after i rolled it...
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Good luck with it...that will be some kind of undertaking to get it repaired w/ that kind of roof damage. You sure it wouldn't be better (and safe) to just transplant the drivetrain and interior from her wrecked car into the "parts" car and paint it blue? It may kindof defeat the sentimental purpose, but, she will still have many parts from that car.
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Glad shes ok
(http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m387/rebel_cowboy_83/IMG_06762.jpg)
(http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m387/rebel_cowboy_83/IMG_06752.jpg)
(http://i333.photobucket.com/albums/m387/rebel_cowboy_83/IMG_06772.jpg)
I guess I was just like your daughter, when i wrecked my 04 impala ss “my baby”. Wouldn’t let my wife drive unless she had too lol.
But one thing I learned even though I was able to walk away like your daughter, next time I might not be able to. So now I enjoy life everyday like it was my last, been going out with the same girl since high school it was almost 8 years. Then before my wounds were healed up from the accident I married her, now just waiting for the next step in life and starting a family.
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Glad she's ok, but remember when those cars suffer structural damage they're never the same. Take a piece of metal and bend it back and fourth twice and what happens? It either becomes very weak or breaks. The car did it's job to protect her, now I'd use it as a parts car and find another one. A fender bender is one thing but a collision and rollover...can it handle another one? Think about it.
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I understand fully about the damage. Two bodymen that do collision work have given the thumbs up on it. I'm not going to be doing the roof repairs, just all the other stuff. I wouldn't consider doing anything structural myself. That will be done by professionals. Also waiting to see if the parts car has a title cause that will be another option. Need to see just how good the other car is after it comes.
I really appreciate the concern about the safety of the car.
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Glad she's ok! Good luck fixin er up again!
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Wow, so glad to hear she is ok. That car is a mess!
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Next step for her and the little chevy is a trip to the alignment shop. The shop we use also does alot of racing and helps alot of local race teams. Cavaliers are a pretty common 4 cyl race car in this area, so this won't be the first one that they have seen that went on it's lid. Also family friends so they will take it personal. I'm proud of Amber, she is paying for this and also doing all the deal making herself. Maybe she's practicing to take over my 86' project.
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Those shoes she's wearing don't look very good for driving? What caused it to begin with ?
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She said she looked at the "Vanzandt" street sign for a second and got into the guardrails. She is a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan and it reminded her of the band. As she realized what was going on she attempted to correct herself by turning the wheel to the left to get away from the guardrails and it sucked her right in.
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She said she looked at the "Vanzandt" street sign for a second and got into the guardrails. She is a Lynyrd Skynyrd fan and it reminded her of the band. As she realized what was going on she attempted to correct herself by turning the wheel to the left to get away from the guardrails and it sucked her right in.
I got a pair of those slippers too :) very comfy to drive in.
Those cavaliers are very unforgiving. What was it two or three summers ago when my right front tire exploded lucky I had 4 lanes before the guard rail and I still almost kissed it
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Every kid needs to wreck a car once to put the fear in 'em, and make them a safe driver in the long run. I remember what made me wise up: I was running blind red lights (you couldn't see the intersecting streets due to buildings) one right after another just for fun, until I smacked the side of a brand new honda accord at 40 MPH. Still had the dealer stickers in the windows. Totaled my 1989 ford escort, and the new honda. Those poor old people... they tried to sue my insurance company for years, but they never paid.
She'll come away a better, safer driver from the experience.
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cause of stupid stunts like that my I lost a couple good friends and my close cousin cause the driver ran a stop sign and got t boned by a truck three out of the four died and the driver was the only survivor needless to say he was at the same prison I work at for 3 years one year for each life but what he has to face in life everyday knowing he killed his best friend his high school sweetheart and a friend I think that’s more than the law can do
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Yep. Some people have no business behind the wheel, I was one of em. But as long as you learn from your mistakes, you don't have to repeat them. It's a good thing no one was hurt in the OP's wreck. Also a good thing that it wasn't a very bad wreck. I've had 2 cavaliers in the past, those things are garbage.
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Thought I should update this. We finally won!
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/03doneinside.jpg)
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/03doneoutside.jpg)
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Looking good! Is it the original chassis?
Haha, Skynyrd. Good thing she wasn't flying a plane! ;D
I think I was lucky enough that I got most of my stupid out before ever driving on public roads. I laid down many a dirtbike, rolled/wrecked four wheelers, wrecked go karts, and even backed a golf kart full speed into a '60-whatever-they-all-look-the-same Mustang... Haha. That one wasn't my fault though! Throttle stuck...
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Altec= That's the same chassis. I took to my buddy's allignment shop and checked it over good before we did anything with it.
Other than her really wanting that same car the reason it was fixed was there is no rust anywhere on it (northern NH winters kill cars and trucks), low miles, ran and still runs perfect, and the interior was like a brand new car. Not including my time total out of pocket cost was just over $1000 to repair it.
Anyway here is how it went.
Crappy phone pic of when it came off the wrecker
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy1.jpg)
Then we got this red one for the roof, 4 doors, and misc parts
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/2cavaliers.jpg)
Assessing the damage
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy3.jpg)
This is what was left of the donor
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/redcavalier.jpg)
New roof ready to weld
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy2.jpg)
Roof and pillar welded in
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy4.jpg)
Doors hung and glass out of the donor car set in to make sure everything fit
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy5.jpg)
Then we did a bunch of work to the mangled front end and test fit the new sheet metal
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy6.jpg)
Then it sat waiting for the painter to take it from there, and sat, and sat!!
After six months I gave up on the free paint job and started to do some of it myself. I never wanted to paint in the garage.
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy7.jpg)
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy8.jpg)
Then I got another painter to do the outside of the car for me thank God.
(http://www.suitorsgarage.com/jsuitor/cavy9.jpg)
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So the big question is, is your daughter excited to get her car back ?
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I saw her hugging it yesterday! Seriously. She moved it at the garage got out laid one arm across the trunk lid, the other arm down the rear quarter with her cheek on top of the rear quarter, and said "I love my car"
That's why daddy fixed it.
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There's the happy ending! Good Job!
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There's the happy ending! Good Job!
Thanks Vile...That means a lot to me coming from somebody that does that caliber of work that you do!
Now that my garage doesn't have a resident cavalier parked in it I took up the empty space with my 86'. Now where was I a year ago??? Oh yeah body work on the cab. Hopefully I will get something done soon worthy of an update on that project.
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Very nice job!
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X2 on what I told Vile Capt.
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Yep looks great. Should last her a while now.
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Thanks blazin! It should last her through college...I hope
This afternoon I am going to register it, get it inspected, and hand over the keys to her. All that is left is aiming the headlights and I plan to do that at my buddy's shop when I get it inspected. I've used it to run around with (that's why there is a dealer's name plate on the front...it wasn't registered and the front plate is ruined) and the other night I took it for about a 25 mile trip. I call it good.
I wish I got a picture of her hugging it. I know we have all thought about hugging one of our trucks and I'm sure some of us have.
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When I feel like I love my truck cause she did something right I add some oil and fill her up. Oh yeah this kind of reminds me of those trucknuts that some people hang from the hitch. Why to me my truck is a female if I put them on her that would make her a hermaphrodite. Kind of weird
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LOL, Irish :D
you don't want 'Her' to be an 'IT' for a truck, huh?
Nice job Thirsty...hope your daughter appreciates all the work and such...it would've been much easier to replace, but, to rebuild takes a lot of headache and backache. Great job.
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Any reputable shop should be able to perform gender reassignment surgery on your truck.
Nice work thirsty