GOAT Down!!!

[6.0LiterImportEater]

This is a very sad day.....

It has been raining here earlier today and was headin up to my bro's to replace the knock sensors (earlier posted thread....5.7LiterMustangEater).
Everything was fine and dandy til I was going to get onto the highway.

Here is the details of my recollection of what happened next:
The entrance ramp has no merge area and is very short in length (100 yards max). Construction has been going on there also so the ramp is full of ruts and potholes. It is a straight shot and got up to thirty and popped it into third....once I hit the gas I also hit a rut/pothole and with the rain lost my rear end completely. I was able to almost straighten her out but did not have enough room so my front rim smacked the curb on a bridge embankment and some minor damage occured on the bottom door and side skirt. This threw me to the other side of the road to another embankment.....front passenger corner smashed into the embankment on the opposite side of the bridge. I rode up on the curb a bit and finally came to a rest.

No air bags deployed and I was able to start her back up and drive it slowly home though. I was not hurt.

See pics below (Pics are from my camera so they suck!):

Drivers Side Damage

FRACTURED RIM! (Drivers Side Front)

More Drivers Side Rear Damage

Passengers Side Front

Other View

I won't know what is to come with the estimate til Monday when it gets towed to the body shop.

I have assessed the damage though....atleast to the extent I could by crawling underneath and all without taking off any panels/bumpers.

Both front fender quarter panels have popped out and have enough damage for replacement. Bumper as you can see is destroyed along with both side markers and the passenger side foglight plastic needs replaced also. Rear quarter panel damage will have to be worked out since they don't replace those huge things anymore. Rear bumper has some scratches but may be saved or need to be replaced...still up in the air with that.

From everything I examined the frame appears safe....whew!

First rim is DESTROYED but two others are rashed to all hell too so new set of rims are required and probaly will go aftermarket.

There is some major suspension damage! Both front and the rear drivers side wheels have shifted in position within the wheel well. Can tell the support member for the control arm is the reason for the fronts.....bent to all hell. Rear is probaly the tire rod.

The front cradle is a totally different story! The drivers side part of the cradle ripped off the frame. The fuckin bolt nuts are still there but the metal on the cradle looks like a grenade went off....shrapnel lookin! Passenger side is fine. Checked everything with a straightedge and everything lines up to my sight.

So was curious about how much a front cradle would cost but didnt find anything except an article where a 98 Camaro SS went with a UMI tubular style aftermarket front cradle. Does anyone know if something similar exists for us?

Also cradle is coming down so the rubber engine mounts are going. Where can I find polyurethane ones? Energy Suspension doesnt list GM by make and model but by dimensions. Anybody know our dimensions for the LS2?

It also seems like a great time to "Pedderize" her too!

Anybody got comments on rim choices?

Thats all I can think of now! Thanks!

[GTO1_OHIO]

That seems to be a lot of things to replace and our parts aren't cheap. ...meaning its going to add up quick and I've seen insurance companies total our car for simular damage. Hope this isn't the case this time.

[mark21742]

man I'm sorry to hear when this happens to anyone, but it sounds like you got a good add-itude towards modding the repair points.
you might want to search for holden body kits (thus will give you a wider hit than GTO) if you want a new look

[mark21742]

oh hey I didn't notic you were right down the road from from me, I have a set of stock wheels and could help you on some other stuff to save you money

[cammed goat]

Man, I hate these threads. Looks more cosmetic. You could prob get the bodywork done for cheap and use the rest for the suspension mods. Me, I stay away from the highways in the rain if possible.

[ls1fan74]

Ugh that sucks....glad to hear you're ok and didnt get broadsided sliding across the lanes! I cant believe the rim got fractured like that, it must have been some impact! I've never seen that

[6.0LiterImportEater]

I'm trying to be optimistic to the point that the car is not totaled! I think I would lose it if it comes to that but since I can't see any frame damage I think I will be ok.

If it is she will not be going away. I'll put her into storage until I get a house with a garage next summer. After that she will be made specifically for the track! She may never see the roads again but she will live!

Won't know how much help I will need with parts and stuff til the estimate comes but thanks for the offer Mark and I'll keep ya posted.

Our rims are gay aluminum alloy so they are weak as shit. I am surprised that the tire was able to maintain air and stay inflated! I had a Ford Focus years ago and had to replace two rims on her....they were aluminum alloy too. Damage was similar but it occured due to potholes on highways in upstate NY, hit them so hard it just busted the rims.

[5.7literMustangEater]

The beast will rise again bro!!!! From what I saw yesterday everything looks pretty cosmetic and very fixable. I doubt they'll total it, but who knows. Keep me updated on what the shop says with the estimate!!!

[mark21742]

i can probably save you a bunch of money too if you want, i paint and did body as a pro for 11 years

[6.0LiterImportEater]

Well I got the estimate today for the cosmetic body work only....still have to put it on the rack for the suspension eventhough I already gave them the long list of items haha!

Well the estimate for bodywork is $8K (and counting)! Only talked to the guy for a bit since I was at work (and still am haha) and there are some things I forgot to tell him to check (for example the impact chipped paint between the quarter panel and the trunk...trunk squeaks now and can shake it quite easy when closed).

The front bumper, passsenger side fender panel, and drivers side rocker panel will be replaced along with passenger fog assembly and both side markers. The told me they will use the rear bumper but have to question them on that since the scrape on the drivers side by the wheel well is quite significant....cant bondo plastic dude!

Two rims are to be replaced and they said they will try to get the other two since my insurance company wants them to "refurbish" them so have to do research on aftermarket rims. They also said only one tire will be replaced. I did question them on that since even if there is not noticeable damage the sidewall was impacted thus integrity is gone.....don't fuck around with sidewall damage....it will just bubble up eventually due to the stress in the rubber already created and cause a blowout...and back to the body shop! Have to call the insurance company up myself to plea the tires but pretty sure my argument of replacement or another claim will persuade them otherwise. Thinkin some KDW's over the T/A's fur shuurr. Any other recommendations on tires (except drags but will get those with different rims for the strip.......oh yea)?

Other than a Monaro front......is there any kits around that are made of ABS.....aint fuckin with fiberglass or carbon fiber. Shop also said those are not covered by insurance so would have to do all the work myself if I declined and I did bodywork on my gay ass tC last summer.......not fun. I'll replace the panels, bumpers, side skirts, but the bondo and work on the rear quarter panel is not what I want to do.

Also the front cradle repair is out of my realm.....definatley need a shop for that. Sucks you can only do so much with a driveway!

Thats all I have to report for now.

[cammed goat]

JHP, Revenge Designs, NVU. I *think* they are all ABS made parts.

[Tide]

Oh man. That sucks.

I wonder if that car will ever track straight again?

[04cosmos]

unless your insurance guys are dumb, they are gonna total that car out. Sorry for being negative, but most times if the total cost to fix is 50% the value of the car, they just total it out. You're already at 8k on just body work, and probably another 2-3k on getting the underside fixed. but who knows. It all depends on the insurance company. Good luck, and i hope they dont total it out!

[6.0LiterImportEater]

unless your insurance guys are dumb, they are gonna total that car out. Sorry for being negative, but most times if the total cost to fix is 50% the value of the car, they just total it out. You're already at 8k on just body work, and probably another 2-3k on getting the underside fixed. but who knows. It all depends on the insurance company. Good luck, and i hope they dont total it out!

An insurance company will only total a car if it costs the same or more to repair.

50% is a number you pulled out of yer ass and please don't speak when you have no evidence or credentials to back up your argument. Not to flame but hate when people just throw down comments cause they want their opinion to be heard.

Why would my insurance company not repair the vehicle if it reaches 50% of what it is worth so they end up paying 100% of the vehicle?!? Makes no sense right.....not really business smart IMO.

[mark21742]

An insurance company will only total a car if it costs the same or more to repair.

50% is a number you pulled out of yer ass and please don't speak when you have no evidence or credentials to back up your argument. Not to flame but hate when people just throw down comments cause they want their opinion to be heard.

Why would my insurance company not repair the vehicle if it reaches 50% of what it is worth so they end up paying 100% of the vehicle?!? Makes no sense right.....not really business smart IMO.

hopefully you will be fine, from working in the industry (shop damage appraiser) most ins companies will go to 80% value before totaling a vehical, and even then there are exceptions and you can work with the ins company or let them total the car and pay the salvage value and keep the car.
they usually set the line at 80% because in big/hard crashes they pretty much figure there will be more damage found while repairing the car allowing for 20% additional costs before reaching 100% value....
in the past ive seen it workout better when they total the car out and the owner "buy the car back"....that lets you fix/mod the way you want
plus if it comes down to dollar for dollar i know you can get lots of good parts for relatively cheap on here, some of the other forums or Ebay at worse



in an earlier post you were questioning fixing the bumper cover. you would be amazed at the number of different formulas they have out there to fix rubber parts. Norton products are some of my favorite systems.....uses a two part epoxy (think jb weld) in a dual tube caulk gun that bonds just about any type of rubber or plastic, then can be sanded and painted

[6.0LiterImportEater]

Good info Mark! Yea from what I understood it was around 3/4 of the cost of the car for the reason mentioned above but the post about 1/2 was just unreal. Thanks for backing everything up with experience too!

Well the total amount of the estimate is $10,421. Not totaled and 50% of what I paid for it a few months back haha.

I never knew about the "bondo" for plastics but is interesting. The only thing I could think of is welding plastic which would work but still no promise with structural integrity especially considering vibration but for cosmetics scraps its something.

If it was going to be totaled I was going to buy it salvaged and just do it myself. Not going to do it though since it is alot of work and I don't have a garage/lift. If the front cradle didnt get damaged might have just taken the money and ran with it haha.

[6.0LiterImportEater]

Wheel Options?


Enkei EKM


Enkei KLAMP - Also comes in Black w/ red trimline which is an option also.


OZ Cararietta


TRM MT1

All are 18's to close the wheel gap so she sits nice.....15's will be required for track use so don't throw that out there cause I know. This is just for DD and showing off haha.

[mark21742]

glad to hear they came in good on the estimate. the wheels all the wheels look good and just think if you have an extra $450 per tire you can buy 18" drag radials now lol......ive got an old set of Crager SS 15 x10's I think I'm gonna put tires on for the track....i have room for atleast a 355 series under the back so who knows I might need to go with an even wider wheel lol

[mark21742]

its amazing now they are even using the two part epoxys instead of welding to put quarters, door skins and more on.

[PatrizioD]

If youre lookin for rims, I have a suggestion. Quantum tek Qt110's. I priced them in 18" with Nitto's around $1200 shipped, I think they'd look real sweet on a black Goat.