After a fun weekend of waiting for monday (why can't smash repairers be open on Saturday/Sunday SERIOUSLY!!) Finally got her back to my place. Always fun moving a car whose front wheels are pointing in opposite directions, with the front right not moving at all (got crushed behind the wheel well). Theo the towy did a very good job of getting her properly in the garage so that we could still shut it!! Someone purposefully backing into you in order to push your car back? Yeh why not :)
This was the first time I could properly see what the extent of the damage was. Couldn't really see a lot on Friday night, and to be honest I was in too much shock to take anything in. Pretty sorry sight I'm sure you'll agree...
Whats left of my electronics... REALLY not looking forward to sorting all this out. To add insult to injury, the battery itself is only 3 weeks old, same with the carbon diffuser. Goodbye $350 that I didn't get to appreciate properly (sigh)
This pretty much just sums everything up. So much stuff broken, so much damage that its truly depressing to look at.
BUT, couldn't let this stop me. Wanted to assess just how bad the damage was. Began with removing as much stuff as I could, with the angle grinder making an appearance here and there. After a fair bit of crap had been removed, it was time to take stock and see where I was at.
Suspension wise, this is the only thing wrong with her!!! One bent steering arm. No idea if there's more damage elsewhere, but visually this was the only real problem I could find. The front right chassis rail is obviously in dire need of attention, however all damage to it is in front of the axle, so got off lucky there.
What I'd achieved in 5 hours... It's a pity the bonnet came off last, because it really does hide how many brackets, supports, and many other metallic items such as the cooler core and radiator are under there. Should hopefully get at least something for all that destroyed metal.
From the left... damage here isn't too bad all things considered
From the right - here you can definitely see just how bad it is. However the damage is more or less limited to in front of the strut towers. The engine itself is fine too, so thats another win!
Verdict? She will live once again... I'm not going to leave her in such a state when she can be fixed, and at a price that would probably be similar to reshelling what I've got currently. While yes, there is a lot that needs doing, keep this in mind. In the coming week I was already looking at a new bonnet, a new radiator, and a few other goodies. However this now is a perfect opportunity to do a few other things such as an engine & turbo rebuild, throw on some wider fenders, get a new front bar etc etc. Plus the wheels, suspension (for the most part), interior and drivetrain is all good - so the motivation is really not there to part her out or reshell her.
That said, this will be long and drawn out. The next month and a half is already taken up with prior engagements, and getting the money to do all this will also take some time. Still not going to take out a loan - no, this will be all my hard earned money, and my previous time going into her.
Cannot wait to see where this takes me :)
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