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So I Wrecked My Vette...


Junkman2008

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(The real wreck starts at post #132. This was the wreck BEFORE the wreck)

 

Well, I guess I more like "curbed" it but it feels like a wreck to me. :(

 

I was parked next to a really high curb and forgot about that when I went to leave. The damage will require fiberglass work and repainting but until I get some free time, I'll have to make it look presentable. I guess it could be worse, another drunk driver could have hit me.

 

Here's the damage:

 

wreck1.jpg

 

wreck2.jpg

 

 

So I broke out the sandpaper and knocked down a lot of clear coat. I needed to make this look as good as possible so that I would keep kicking myself every time I looked at the car. The car is so low that I had to jack it up in order to save my back. :help:

 

wreck3.jpg

 

 

 

Wet sanding in progress. The damage is pretty deep.

 

wreck4.jpg

 

 

Now I'm buffing out the damage with Severe Swirl Remover. Normally, I would have to use something more abrasive but by using a Makita rotary, SSR is strong enough to remove the aggressive wet sanding that I was doing.

 

 

wreck5.jpg

 

I then followed that up with the Swirl & Haze Remover and Fine Machine Polish on the Flex.

 

wreck5a.jpg

 

 

The final results. The reflections of stuff on the floor makes it look like I haven't done anything! :help:

 

wreck6.jpg

 

I was able to get it somewhat presentable but like I said before, this will require a repaint in order to make it perfect again. On a side not, my detail cart arrived and I was able to put it to use while I was working.

 

detail_cart.jpg

 

Oh well, gotta go make some money for this repair. thud.gif

 

 

Jump to this page for the updated pictures of the 2nd wreck. :help:

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Looking good AJ! Did you ever pick which LED bulb you're gonna use?

 

I highly recommend superbrightleds.com or V-Leds.com (where I got all my interior lights from)

 

Keep up the good work

 

They don't make that bulb in a LED. They don't even make that socket for sale buy itself. I had to buy a new headlight just to get that small socket for the bulb. That was another $78.00! :jawdrop:

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Looks great! Should be better than stock when you're done now. Will it make the back half look less deep without all the coats of clear?

 

The back has as much clear on it as the front does now. The front was untouched except for the Tiger Shark.

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I would have had to buy a new pair of pants if I seen my Z in that condition. I dont know how you do it Aj but youre a master of cars. Where did you learn to paint?

 

My dad did body work for 40 years. I am a joke compared to him but some of his talent must have been passed down at birth!

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Wowha. Just read this thread. You must have gone through absolute hell that night! For a man, which spends so much time at his car! And taking above good care for it, it must have been horrible to make that nascar-fix just after the crash.

 

Still, it came to a good end. But it still sh*t that by somebody else his fault your out a LOT of time & money.

Still again, good to see it is fixed.

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I got some more updates. I've been dealing with all the wiring that was torn up. The tire that flew into my bumper pushed the fog light off the bracket and through the bumper. It took some wiring with it.

 

wreck35.jpg

 

wreck36.jpg

 

 

I got my grills installed inside my Tiger Shark.

 

wreck37.jpg

 

 

I also installed my side markers (DRL's).

 

wreck38.jpg

 

 

Got my replacement fog light mounted. This is how you have to bend and straighten the stock mounting bracket so that it works with the mounting bracket that comes with the Tiger Shark. The fog light option that comes with the Tiger Shark is about $150 extra. :willy:

 

wreck39.jpg

 

wreck40.jpg

 

 

I finally got all the wiring fixed on the wrecked side. Now i'll dress it all down and make it look a lot sweeter, although you won't be able to see it. That's the anal Marine in me. I'll know that it is neat and that is all that is important to me (wow, that was a grammar cluster bomb). ;)

 

wreck41.jpg

 

 

Got my new overflow tank. It was split at the seam from the wreck. I got mine from Rock Auto for around $60.

 

wreck42.jpg

 

 

High beams are in place and working. I had to buy a new one because the city light socket inside the lens was cracked and and ripped out f the light. That is not a item that you can purchase alone. That sucked because that headlight was around $80. :willy:

 

wreck43.jpg

 

 

My HID's will arrive tomorrow and the Tiger Shark goes back on by this weekend. Then the massive detail begins. That's going to be fun. :help:

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Junkman is there anything you can't do? Autobody, auto wiring, car detailer supreme, computer genius. You are also the writer, producer, director, and star of Brotha In His Garage productions. I also remember seeing some BBQ on the grill on one of your video's. You sir "Are The Man"! Can't wait to see your baby when she is done.:bow:

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that's a mess of wires!!!

 

Remember the Junkette's still love you...:thumbsup:

 

:o:o :o

 

Junkman is there anything you can't do? Autobody, auto wiring, car detailer supreme, computer genius. You are also the writer, producer, director, and star of Brotha In His Garage productions. I also remember seeing some BBQ on the grill on one of your video's. You sir "Are The Man"! Can't wait to see your baby when she is done.:bow:

 

Well i'm no expert at any of those things. I just like to dabble. Okay, maybe I know more about computers than the average bear. :D

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Well, I finally got all the headlight wiring figured out and repaired. Everything is nice and bright again. First, my halos or "angel eyes".

 

wreck56.jpg

 

wreck61.jpg

 

 

Then the high beams, which I changed over to HID's...

 

wreck57.jpg

 

 

And the low beams...

 

wreck58.jpg

 

 

 

Now here's something that you have to consider if you decide to go all HID's with your high's and low beams. When switching from low to high, the high beams need a few seconds to reach their correct brightness. That means that when you first switch over, you'll practically be driving in the dark! :help:

 

This of course is not good. Thus, I needed to make sure that my low beams stayed on whenever I switched over to my high beams. This can be done by what is known and the "4 on or high four" mod. It can easily be done by changing the circuit design in the following manner.

 

wreck47.jpg

 

 

Now I have enough light output to land a 747! :rockon:

 

wreck46.jpg

 

 

Next, I installed the brake cooling ducts...

 

wreck60.jpg

 

 

Then came the fun part. Installing the bumper was an adventure to itself because you had to keep the fog lights and brake ducts in place as you did the install. This was a PITA! I must have spent 3 hours trying to get that darn thing back on!

 

After getting the bumper on, I kid you not that I spent about 6 hours trying to get the alignment perfect. There's obviously a trick to it at the factory and trust me, I don't know the trick. Thus, I had the fun experience of learning it. I have it presentable right now, but I know I'll spend a couple more hours messing with it again. At least it's straight.

 

wreck48.jpg

 

wreck50.jpg

 

wreck49.jpg

 

wreck53.jpg

 

 

Next, the lights went back into the car...

 

wreck51.jpg

 

wreck52.jpg

 

wreck54.jpg

 

wreck55.jpg

 

wreck59.jpg

 

 

I still need to enclosed the headlights with their shrouds and add the covers but hey, that was 18 hours worth of work that you just looked at! :willy:

 

 

 

 

 

wreck62.jpg

 

Well folks, the "Junkmobile" is rolling again! I want to thank all the well wishers in this thread and all those who jumped in just to have a look. I must say that I am very happy about the way it turned out, much better than any dealership could have done. My alignment of the body panels is better than it was at any point. I still want to tweak it a bit but hey, I'm always trying to go for perfection. :thumbsup:

 

 

The first thing I needed to do was get her back into the garage and put a 2-bucket wash on her.

 

wreck66.jpg

 

 

After that, I took her out for the post-wreck cruise.

 

wreck64.jpg

 

wreck65.jpg

 

wreck67-1.jpg

 

wreck63.jpg

 

 

Now I have a lot of detailing to do to the paint and engine compartment but hey, that's what I do. At least I can take advantage of the summer weather now. Total cost for the repair was around $3100 with me providing the labor and food for my buddies. It's the small things that nickle and dime you to death. I am not looking forward to ever having to do this again!

 

:burnout:

 

 

The Junkman

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