My car lift fell a couple of months ago and damaged my 1971 SS454 El Camino. Both front outer/inner fenders where crushed pretty good and the hood appears to be bowed up in the center. The front legs of the lift kicked out causing the top of the legs to sissor in on the fenders. The fenders in turn pressed against the sides of the hood. The front of the car fell about 5 feet!

The problem I have now is contesting the estimate the insurance carrier came up with for my el camino. They produced an estimate of $3500 that includes new fenders and a hood and repainting the car. The GM part numbers given for the replacement sheet metal isn't even produced anymore.

What would be a reasonable estimate (I'm looking for guesses here) for buying top quality salvage inner/outer fenders and a CI hood, stripping off the old pearl white, and fully repainting the car? I can't find a shop in Dallas that will give me an estimate because the parts are unavailable.

Any help would be appreciated very much.

Thanks,
RLK

RLK,
What a shame! http://www.chevelles.com/forum/frown.gif
What struck me reading your post is if the car actually fell 5 feet, I would also seriously look for some frame damage. Something would have to give with all that weight coming down on the front wheels. Could that be why the hood is bowed?
Does Goodmark have replacement inner/outer fenders and hood available for a '71?

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Bill Burke
TC#613
ACES#3920
'68 Corvette L -79 coupe
'80 Camaro HotCam ZZ4 w/Vortecs
'02 Corvette Convert.

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Oh Boy! Front fenders for 71/72 elky are not reproduced that I have found. If you can find NOS ones they will cost you big time($500 or more each).

I was lucky and found good no rust, straight, used ones but I got lucky! Station wagon and elky fenders will interchange but not Chevelle. The good news is the inner fenders will interchange. A CI hood complete is about $1000. A paint job around here is $2500-$4500 for a strip&paint. I did mine myself and still spent $1500 in tools and materials, not to mention many hours of labor.

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ACES member# 5093
Elcaminos are special!
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knipe, I'd have to ask why you want to get an "exact" estimate? If you are going to have the car repaired, don't worry about it. Take it to the shop of your choice(Texas law guarantees that) and the shop will supplement the insurance company for whatever reasonable, additional repairs or costs are necessary.

I realize that you are concerned about your "baby", but as long as the shop you choose is a good one, they will do all the leg work locating the parts and what ever else is necessary. If you already know sources for the parts, it will save the shop time in locating them.

BTW, you used the words "includes painting the car". Just in case you are expecting a complete paint job, don't. All the insurance company is required to do is refinish the damaged areas. I hope that's not bad news to you.

In the past I've held a Texas insurance adjusters license and managed large collision repair facilities in Texas for many years. Save yourself some grief and take it to a good shop.

Thanks for the advice. I don't know how they would ever match the pearl. It was an overspray pearl job. I'm doing my best not to be an A-hole about almost getting killed by my lift.

Again, thanks.
RLK

vettefella nailed it. Tough luck on your camino. Glad you are ok. I'm in Minnesota, Insurance companies here must return vehicle to pre-loss condition. If your vehicle ended up hanging by the fenders your frame is probably OK. If still driveable it is fairly easy to have an alignment check done & do a lot of measuring underneath to verify any further suspension or frame damage. Find a good local shop that meets the following criteria: Has GOOD relationship with insurance companies, wants to help, knows they are dealing with something special, and cares enough to work with you. The paint thing IS a problem, however a good shop, with good insurance relationships, and good reputation for quality can be of some assistance. REMEMBER, the insurance company is NOT responsible for any prior sins or condition of your car. Also remember if you damaged one or two panels on the car, and had no insurance $$$$ available, would you spend your hard earned $$$$$ to paint complete if it didn't need it? Any shop you choose will need YOUR help to find parts. GOOD LUCK, Karl

Knipe, again, don't worry about it. There are some awfully good painters out there in the world. Pearls, especially custom pearls, are difficult to match and it takes more work. The insurance company will pay for the extra work and the good shops will guarantee the color match...even custom pearls.

knipe
Just out of curiosity, what did the lift manufacturer have to say about the collapse? Just recently someone else reported a 4 post lift which collapsed in their garage.

Also - Chuck Nixon from Fort Worth seems to have a good relationship with a shop over there. He frequently posts in Bench Racing. Contact him for the name of his shop. And good luck with finding a repair shop.

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Rick
72 El Camino (http://members.home.net/jimmy4/rick1972elky.html)
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Without mentioning names, it was a cable/pulley type 4 post lift. One of the pulleys seized which caused a bolt to unthread (spin CCW) as the lift was raised.

If you have a 4 post lift which uses cables & pulleys, pull the pulley bolts out and grease them. You may also want to install some kind of french lock on the bolt head or drill and pin it.

Regards,
RLK

As was mentioned, a good painter can blend the pearl into the doors and you'll be not likely to see the blend.

That's a drag, good luck fixing it. Be happy you don't have a '70 El Camino, finding fenders for them is next to impossible!

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