cheronobyl

Got rear ended in my 89 firebird today. Here is a picture of the damage. http://imgur.com/4WfmXN4 . Frame seems to be okay. do you guys think this is fixable? Rear bumper is obviously gone.

Benc1

iTrader: (10)

Yes

kentuckyKITT

iTrader: (4)

I hate to hear that!! I wrecked my '89 in the front awhile back. What you have is very fixable judging by the photos. Maybe take some more pictures so we can see both quarter panels, but if it's just that taillight and that little crease in the rear bumper, that's an easy fix.

My suggestion, if the bumper is not torn anywhere, immediately get that rear bumper off and get the bent metal out of it and the urethane will regain its shape again. Then all you need is new mounting braces. This is what I did on mine. If you let it stay creased for very long, it will be much harder if not impossible to straighten. Also, once you get the bumper off, you can get a better look at any damage beyond the bumper or honeycomb. My money is on just bumper cover damage/taillight from the looks of things.

cheronobyl

There is a clear dent in the quarterpanel. I'l taker a pic in a bit so you guys can better understand.

Hal87

iTrader: (1)

The dent doesn't appear that extreme, good body shop should be able to get it out. Tail lights are available either through this forum or on E-bay. A heat gun should get the dent out of the bumper cover, they are pretty resilient

Arizona IROC

iTrader: (4)

That bumper should be easy to fix as mentioned earlier. If not I do have a nice white bumper.
The dent looks pretty easy too but it's hard to say without looking behind there

lmidden

from the looks of it remove the interior panel knock it out as much as possible and fill the rest. the bumper could probably heat it up and bend it back into shape then that. taillight just replace. ive repaired alot worse bumpers then that

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

I'd probably cut the quarter and replace it. I'd rather use a few tablespoons of filler on a welded seam than a half gallon on that dent. Not to mention it needs to be pulled rearward, all the high spots hammered down, etc. That's a nasty dent in a nasty spot.

The bumper cover is junk. Even if you got it to somewhat retain it's original shape, it will look horrible repainted. For $40 get another one.

You're probably looking at $2000-2500 for body work and blend.

-- Joe

cheronobyl

A pretty good shop here in town gave me an estimate of 1800, he expects it to be possible to hammer out.

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

Of course it is. Just requires a gallon of filler. If he gets the low spots all within 1/8" that's acceptable.

-- Joe

ZsTransAm

Not to be rude but this just isn't true. Any decent bodyman should be able to get this dent pulled in a few hours and then need only a reasonable amount of filler. A new quarter would require more filler than this and would cost around $2500 not including the bumper and taillight.

anesthes

iTrader: (12)

Nah. The metal is stretched and distorted. It can be brought close but then needs filler to reshape it. It's pushed in and forward.

In contrast, to replace the quarter only needs filler to hide the weld and a small amount at that.

Like I said, I'd cut the quarter and weld a replacement. I know plenty of body shops that would hammer it and use filler.

-- Joe

ZsTransAm

You're right, it needs filler to reshape but you'd might be surprised how little is needed if the metalwork is done right. And when its used correctly the filler will last forever. You'd definitely be surprised how MUCH filler is needed to make a large weld joint look good when you put on a new quarter.

I get where you're coming from though, the less filler on your car the better.

Jersey89GTA

iTrader: (1)

The body guys weld pins on and pull it out.

Your damage is minimum there in the picture.

The delivery/transport nit-wits did this to my car during delivery (long story)...

My body guy straightened it out.

lmidden

if the metal doesnt sit bent for a long time the metal will want to back into its original shape. metal has a memory which makes it easy to pull a dent right afterwards. the metal as it sits and goes through the heat and cold it begins to have a memory of the dent so it would need to have a lot of filler at that point

Caveman305

iTrader: (8)

redoing my RS ive used bondo a lot, if the metal work is done right, the bondo will be extremely thin, no where near a gallon or half gallon, or even a quart,

when fixing my driver door I spent about 13 hours total working the metal(im no professional body man)

got it so close to the original shape i didn't even think i would need bondo,
but i whipped up a few ounces and spread it over the damage,
once sanded and shaped you can tap on the bodo and it sounds like metal,
the magnetic rot gauge i have couldn't even detect the bondo

if done right bondo goes unnoticed


With all that being said

if i was PAYING someone to do it, i would probably get a quote and make them weld in a new section!

articwhiteZ

iTrader: (56)

this is why I don't even like to drive mine on the street....even driving to car shows..or the track...makes me sick to think of it...(getting hit)