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Topic: Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today.... (Read 1534 times) previous topic - next topic

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Well,I was going back to work from my lunch break today,and ran into the side of a Chevy Venture mini van.I need to replace my driver side front fender,and my corner light.The passenger fender and header panel need re-alignment.It could've been much worse.Good news,no tickets given.My insurance pays for their car,I fix mine.For fifty bucks or less,I'll have mine back in business,not including paint.Anyway,I've got to pull the fender because I can't open the door all the way.I needed to change the lower driver side door hinge anyway.I guess this is the perfect time.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #1
that sux!... but at least it's light damage


OOOH!!!  I'm a Eco Hypermiler :burnout: Not bad for 79mph on the interstate 2hours a day

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #2
That's why I'm not crying like a school girl.A little time and a replacement fender and I'll be back in business.Still,it sucks.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #3
What a !, I know how You feel, in 1985 a stupid moron backed up in My Mercury Cyclone, Just broke the front left fender extension, (I was have one left at this time), But I tryed to strangle the stupid driver of the car backed up on My car!!!....

When the police come he's put Me out of the other drivers car with My shoulders, I was very enraged!!!...

I was 20 years old at this time, today it's a different thing at near 42 year, but I didn't know how he feel if it arrive again next spring when I come out My bird with a fresh paint, hmmmmmm!!!!...

Take a breath and two before make an act I'll regret...

Sorry for You again, it's bad...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]1985 Thunderbird 3.8 carbed 57k original, summer car.
1980 Econoline inline 6 300ci 300k, winter/working.
1988 Base Bird finally crushed... RIP.

Dominique,  The Ridiculous, Fordus, crazyous!!!  :birdsmily:

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #4
Thanks,I appreciate the words.I need to find a fender and a header panel.While I was beating the  out of the fender so I could open the door all the way,I noticed the header panel has a few really bad breaks and cracks behind the lights.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRGGGGGH !!!!!!!
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #5
sorry to here about your bad luck vinnie        dave
the movie twister i lived it big cabin oklahoma 1973 man that was some scary shait!!!!

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #6
Thanks.The more I think about it,the worse i feel.If it was a ped out car it wouldn't bother me so much,but it's nice,nice paint,and tons of work. !!!!
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #7
how did u hit the venture? i assume it was your fault if your insurance is paying for them, and u left to fend for yourself. im just wondering how it happened. i too wreckem my car not too long ago, it sucks, my was very, very nice for almost stock, mine is definatly salvagable, but its still depressing, so i kno how u feel.
1988 Thunderbird sport
2004 Ford F150 Lariat
2008  Chevrolet Cobalt Sport
2007 Suzuki DR-Z400S dual sport/Supermoto
1988 Thunderbird LX - sold
1988 Mercury Cougar XR-7 with GST kit - gone

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #8
I don't see the exact damages on Your car, but Your header panel is easyly repairable with a fiberglass unless is in a snowflakes...

And the front fender is probably repairable, or too damaged?

This remember an accident I have in 1985 with My Mercury Cyclone, the driver door was in "V" form, around 1 feet under the car at middle, I repaired temporarily with a 3 pounds hammer for the door close and open (without a window as well) and after the insurances paid $1.136 for the damages I go to hunt for a door...

Never found a door for a Cyclone/Montego 1970, But I found a Fairlane 500 '69 door for a cheap price (50$ if I remember correctly), and I found in My body and underframe manuals the door is exactly the same except on the front upper, I purchased the door and I started to fit on My car, the panel was not the same, ect ect...

This long history just for say I finally made My door with the upper of My wrecked door, the rest is a panel I made with a 20` gauge tole...

AGAIN!, with a patience and a dolly nad hammer You will made a miracle, thrust Me, I say by experience...

BUT if You found a fender it's painless, For My Cyclone I was another choice...

Good luck and sorry for Your fine fox car...
[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]1985 Thunderbird 3.8 carbed 57k original, summer car.
1980 Econoline inline 6 300ci 300k, winter/working.
1988 Base Bird finally crushed... RIP.

Dominique,  The Ridiculous, Fordus, crazyous!!!  :birdsmily:

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #9
This fender can't be fixed.....at all.The header panel has too many pieces broken to make it worth fixing.I'll find another somewhere.
 As far as how it happened,we were both turning from a corner,and I got him on the front fender/driver door.I was only doing like 10mph,which is why the old Bird survived with only damage to the header and fender.The TC front bumper was only scuffed up pretty bad,but not any real damage.No tickets were issued.The police gave us forms to fill out and swap for insurance purposes,which we did.Nothing on the driving record.It could've been worse.I couldn't pull the fender out enough to let my door open fully,so,I kicked the bent in area (right in front of the door where it bent inward),and now I can open my door.I'll find a fender soon.I know whwere a TC is with the lighted fenders like mine.Oh well,I'm glad I didn't get worse.Still sucks like a Hoover,though.I was planning on washing and waxing tomorrow.The motivation to do that has been sucked right out of me.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #10
Sorry to hear it Vinnie.
I hate to say it but you might want to have the entire car repainted.
I have a dark metallic blue Tiburon that got hit at work after owning it for 10 months. I was going to do the paintless dent repair but since the paint was chipped where I washiznit, I decided to have the fender resprayed. Despite the work the body shop did to match the paint, it was still off ever so slightly. It's a weird color that looks very blue or slightly purple-blue depending on how you look at it. Their match was slightly bluer than the rest of the car.

Now less than a year after I had it repaired, I can clearly see that the fender doesn't match the rest of the car. It  me off to no end every time I look at it.

So if you're a perfectionist when it comes to the car, you might think about having the whole thing done to save further frustration. :o

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #11
A re-paint will defineately occur if I don't deciade to part it out and just use the parts to build up the project car.Instaed of doing an H.O conversion on the PC (project car),I could just drop in the H.O engine from my daily driver.I'm undecided right now.I'll probably go ahead and try to find another fender and header panel in the mean time.The PC needs a lot of little things,but the car as a whole is in a very solid condition.Still looks new underneath (good to be in Oklahoma).After a good cleaning on the interior of the PC,I'll decide which direction I want to go.The PC needs carpet,seats (or re-cover them,they are leather),headliner,and a little cosmetic work.The floor shifter and console are good (except the lid),the dash panels seem good,although the dash is cracked.It needs a glovebox door handle assembly.Finding tan interior parts is crazy.Grey is never a problem.Tan,wow.If I part out my daily driver,I'll just swap my interior.It's grey wnd I just installed a very nice set od Raven seats front and back about 2 months ago.I'll step away from the 'Birds for a couple of days (it's supposed to rain anyway),and reflect a little and gather my thoughts.I appreciate you guys.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #12
I know of a Gold TC in a Junkyard with a pretty clean full tan interior. Only problem is the owner thinks everything he has is gold and charges accordingly. I doubt he still even has the car though.

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #13
Hopefully the Venture was totalled, best thing that could have happened to it. It's a bad day for the bird though. You should get a rusty old Ranger with a brush guard to drive to work. That way if some @#$$@# pulls out in front of you it is no big deal. Thats what I do.

Wrecked my Thunderbird at lunch today....

Reply #14
Hmmmmm,that sounds like a good idea.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..