Wow.
I'm sorry to hear about your very getting creamed like that. Made want to cry just reading it.
But! I have got to say that doing it on your own is a recipe for disaster if your not skilled at this kind of work. Getting everything lined up is only the beginning of your troubles. Getting the damaged portions off cleanly and finding high quality replacment panels are a chore, many of them are stamped out in third world contries like Afghanistan and are a poor fit and low quality, metalwise.
The first thing I would do (I don't know your skill set so forgive me here) is buy a good, quality MIG welder and practice, practice, practice. My body shop chief used to have guys cut fenders in half with a skill saw and when they showed him they could stitch it back together and make it look he'd turn them loose on a customer's car.
That is my advice--get good at welding, but the best panels you can find, use good tools to remove the old panels and take your time. Just make sure you have your replacement panels in hand before you start cutting off the damaged portions.
I'm sorry to hear about your very getting creamed like that. Made want to cry just reading it.
But! I have got to say that doing it on your own is a recipe for disaster if your not skilled at this kind of work. Getting everything lined up is only the beginning of your troubles. Getting the damaged portions off cleanly and finding high quality replacment panels are a chore, many of them are stamped out in third world contries like Afghanistan and are a poor fit and low quality, metalwise.
The first thing I would do (I don't know your skill set so forgive me here) is buy a good, quality MIG welder and practice, practice, practice. My body shop chief used to have guys cut fenders in half with a skill saw and when they showed him they could stitch it back together and make it look he'd turn them loose on a customer's car.
That is my advice--get good at welding, but the best panels you can find, use good tools to remove the old panels and take your time. Just make sure you have your replacement panels in hand before you start cutting off the damaged portions.
