Need advice for repairing front end crash

6375 Views 2 Replies 3 Participants Last post by Ken's 05GT, May 10, 2015

Nobleman_James

Discussion Starter · May 10, 2015

Hi All,

A few nights ago I was driving home in the rain on the freeway, slid and hit a brick wall. Luckily, I was not going too fast, was not injured and did not hit anyone. Really disappointed as this is a 2006 GT with just about 25K miles on it still and keep this car in great shape with the best parts.

The resulting damage was a pretty mangled front end (mainly the passenger front side)

I have a few questions as I want to start the repair process:

1) Do I have to worry about the car not being aligned properly such as the vehicle frame or drivetrain? Would a front end impact cause any alignment issues?

2) The front hood is a bit bent and I don't think I can unlatch and open it. How would I go about getting it open/off?

3) The front right quarter panel is not quite flush with the passenger door. It is also mangled in the front so I will need to get a new one. What is a good source for this panel?

4) There is a enforcement beam in the front that lays behind the bumper. Should I get this replaced? It seems also bent up.

5) I am am getting all the major parts such as new hood, front bumper, etc through AM. What other parts can someone think of I might need to complete this project? I am thinking I will need the part that latches the front hood down and those yellow rectangle parking lights.

6) Once I get the body work done, anyone recommend a major chain paint shop? Any major national chain or one in Souther California would be great. I heard Maaco was not worth the money. I am considering getting a flat black paint job if the price is right.

Thanks in advance for any help.

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mustang-lover05

· #2 · May 10, 2015

Got into a similar accident recently and here's what I went through: If the hood opens it likely closes so I wouldn't worry about that. If you can open the hood and check to see if any mechanical damage is present, if no mechanical damage is seen look at the radiator support (most of the metal on the front and sides of the radiator make up the front structure of the car.) In my accident the radiator support was bent and not the frame. Alignment between body panels will be off if frame is bent but it doesn't look like you hit too hard so you might be alright in that aspect. Wheel alignment is also more than likely off a little bit, you can get it checked for free at many major chains. I cannot recommend a paint shop as I'm not from your area but just do some internet research and I'm sure it will be done great. I was worried sick that my black paint wasn't gonna match after the repair but I did my research and got a good shop to do it and it was well worth it. Best of luck to you.

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Ken's 05GT

· #3 · May 10, 2015

Unless you don't have collision insurance why not just find a good body shop and let them have at it? I do a little bodywork on the side and I've fixed far worse at home in my garage but of course my paintwork isn't perfect. And usually it's been for friend's who have cars that would be totaled if it were an insurance job. A few used body panels, some primer, a few quarts of urethane enamel, a pizza or two and some beer... But if it's a nice car get it fixed right.

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Need advice for repairing front end crash

Nobleman_James

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