Bad Day For My 51 Commodore

Unknown
Unknown
edited November -1 in HUDSON
Yesterday my 51 Commodore was center punched by a car that ran a stop sign. Before and after pictures below.



hudson001.jpg



IMG_2937.jpg



Impact caused engine to move so that the fan hit and cut into radiator. I cut off both belts and engine seems to run fine.



IMG_2941.jpg



Nobody hurt, His insurance GMAC, mine AAA. Police report says he was 100% responsible. The car is a high 3 with new upholstery, beautiful engine compartment, no rust, good runner.



Questions for forum members:



Can this car be reasonably repaired?



What is the best way to get a fair settlement?



Thanks

Comments

  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    I'd hazard a guess that it's probably worth restoring, though the insurance company may want to 'total it out'. Especially if you didn't have an antique car insurer ("modern" companies seem to have no respect for, and a dim view of, antique cars). If they total it out they'll give you what THEY think it's worth, then allow you to buy it back for a song, and you can use the money to fix it.



    Then, the trick will be to find some good body-shop employee who works on his own, weekends, and have him do the repair work. That will save you money. Ask around your local Hudson chapter, or AACA region, to find out who people recommend.



    The frame, door post, and body structure behind the rear door are probably bent, but replacement doors and rear fender won't be that hard to come by, from Hudson parts vendors. Just be sure that your perimeter frame is solid, because you don't want to invest all this money in something with a bad 'foundation'.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Consider yourself lucky, because I had an accident where a girl turned left in front of me while I was driving my '66 Galaxie and she had no insurance at all (all I had was liability, I guess I need to re-think that).



    I think your car is worth repairing no matter what the cost. That is the way I am approaching the repairs on mine.
  • 53jetman
    53jetman Senior Contributor
    I've seen Hudsons with far greater damage than yours repaired, and people who looked at the cars later had no idea that they had been in any type of accident. It would be a shame not to have this great car repaired. There are plenty of parts available, especially for a four door sedan.



    53jetman

    Jerry
  • hdsn49
    hdsn49 Senior Contributor
    Im a grown man know. But anytime I see a Hudson thats been in an accident it makes me what to cry.



    When I was 12 years old my brother Dan had a new 1962 Corvair. One day when I came home from school there sat the Corvair in the driveway with a big dent on the drivers side. I ran into the house and my brother told me that our neighbor had backed into the side of the car. I was so upset I burst into tears. How could anybody damage my big brothers new car. I never forgot that day.



    After driving my Hudsons for 31 years it would just kill me if anything like that happened.



    Good luck with your repairs. I'm sure that members of our forum will help in any way we can.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Sorry to hear that you got hit. On the bright side (if there is one,) it does look repairable. Almost all new cars today are unibody, so body shops are familiar with repairing such a vehicle.



    Dave W.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Repair by all means. It doesnt look all that bad. Heed Jons good advice.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    FFrom the tone of your post, you and yours were not hurt in this confrontation. Lots of advice being provided. Let me provide a bit more:

    Your picture shows the car to be in California? Maybe the High Desert? At any rate there are several folks in S California who can provide you with EXPERT advice about the condition of the car... One for sure is Bill Albright in Fontana. There are several folks who make their livings repairing classic autos in S Cal. Check with other HETers there to find those folks. Last but not least... Al S in Maricopa AZ is a person I would strongly suggest you call and find out if he is available to review the car and potentially repair same. If the engine moved during the accident ... you have suffered damage to alignment of the body... that will require the car be placed on a frame machine and "tweaked" back to normalcy. If that process can not be accomplished ... you will forever have a car that wants to go round the corner vs. straight ahead.



    In all cases... good luck and thankful that you have not mentioned injuries.



    Great Day from HOT
  • ratlee2
    ratlee2 Expert Adviser
    zhyachts,

    From the location of the impact it doesn't look all that bad. I would hazard a guess that the radiator issue is due to a seperated motor or transmission mount due to the impact. Bill and Al are great souces for replacement sheetmetal. If it were me, I would definetly repair it.



    Rich
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Heart_Of_Texas wrote:
    FFrom the tone of your post, you and yours were not hurt in this confrontation. Lots of advice being provided. Let me provide a bit more:

    Your picture shows the car to be in California? Maybe the High Desert? At any rate there are several folks in S California who can provide you with EXPERT advice about the condition of the car... One for sure is Bill Albright in Fontana. There are several folks who make their livings repairing classic autos in S Cal. Check with other HETers there to find those folks. Last but not least... Al S in Maricopa AZ is a person I would strongly suggest you call and find out if he is available to review the car and potentially repair same. If the engine moved during the accident ... you have suffered damage to alignment of the body... that will require the car be placed on a frame machine and "tweaked" back to normalcy. If that process can not be accomplished ... you will forever have a car that wants to go round the corner vs. straight ahead.



    In all cases... good luck and thankful that you have not mentioned injuries.



    Great Day from HOT



    Ken



    Thank you and the other folks for the replies and information.



    Tracking seems fine. I think the damage to the radiator was caused by an after-market fan's blade tips being too close to the core, and possible old mounts that may be a bit soft.



    Other damage is limited, I think, to doors, area below the doors, door frames, epically on the bottoms and the center pillar, plus the quarter panel. Glass and interior are OK.



    Any names and numbers for restorers in the So. Cal or Bakersfield area?



    Any ideas of the $ figure I should try to settle for?
  • hudsontech
    hudsontech Senior Contributor
    FWIW - when you talk to your insurance company have a copy of something like Old Cars Value Guide in your hand. That's going to give a whole different value than a Kelly Blue Book that the insurance company is going to be using.



    Hudsonly,

    Alex Burr

    HudsonTech

    Memphis, TN
  • Jon B
    Jon B Administrator
    Value will be hard to determine unless you or the insurance company hire the services of a professional appraiser. For a quick (and wildly speculative) guess, click on PRICE GUIDE near the tippy-top of the page (right side) and answer the questions (use the "Collectible Car" entry point). The middle value will be a 'starting point'. Generally, if you follow Ebay, you'll see that the price of a good, solid, high-number-3 Step-Down nowadays seems to be in the $9,000 - 15,000 range. See what the company offers you. They probably will low-ball you. But before you start hiring lawyers and turning this into an exhausting, life-long crusade, just give some thought to taking the money and working this out. Life lasts for just so long, and sometimes things are just not worth the hassle!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Bill Albright can be contacted at 909-823-9168. Fontana Ca.

    Good luck. Rich Smithen Paso Robles, Ca.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    I would add this,Jon is right as usual about the drag out battle and the longer they can make it last the more $$$$$ the lawyer gets. However ,you don't have a contract with the other guys ins co. so don't be too quick to accept an unreasonable settlement, you can't go down to the dealer and buy another one. They damaged your car and are responseable to repair or replace it, whatever the cost. Total it? Just tell them OK get me another in like condition . I hope you have an ins.agent with a little backbone,they can do a lot to get you a proper settlement and it's best to negotiate thru him and not on your own.
  • bull_islander
    bull_islander Expert Adviser
    Be prepared for them to total it and give you the option to buy it back. That was one of the scenarios we had when we had flooding a few years ago.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    What Has Happened To Me In The Past With Modern Car In A Wreck.don't Let Them Take Your Car Away,you Might Not See It Again.see If You Can Get Them To Give You A Rental Until They Settle.this Seems To Urge Them To Settle Quicker.don't Settle For For Some Low Ball Price.they All Ways Start @ 1/3 The Price It's Really Worth.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User]
    Ouch!



    It looks fixable, somehow they missed your perimeter frame. Amazingly little damage considering it was a T-bone type accident.



    Makes me have all kinds of faith in Hudson engineering!



    Most of all, glad none of your family was hurt.



    There should be plenty of good sedan parts to get you back on the road.



    Mark
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    Sorry that happened, Go get some estimates from a couple of reliable shops, GO ARMED with as much information as you can get your hands on!Looks like it was a very nice car. Fortunately the majority of the damage seems to be to bolt on parts and maybe a little to the door post. Should be able to be repaired reasonably. Good luck.
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    What I need to know is does the hood still align and open/close properly?

    How are the door->fender clearances on the drivers side and do the doors on the drivers side open/close like they did before?
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    rambos_ride wrote:
    What I need to know is does the hood still align and open/close properly?



    How are the door->fender clearances on the drivers side and do the doors on the drivers side open/close like they did before?



    Dan



    Hood and driverside doors and trunk are free and aligned. Headliner is taunt, no sags or fold lines. Windows on wrecked doors open and close about half way. Tracking OK. Some additionsl pictures attached.



    Do you think finding replacement stainless trim pieces is going to be a problem?



    Thanks for asking.

    IMG_2938.jpg



    IMG_2939.jpg



    IMG_2940.jpg
  • rambos_ride
    rambos_ride Senior Contributor
    That's good news - have you checked the sub-frame mounting points for any sign of damage or shifting?

    If the sub-frame checks out most likely the fan hit the radiator as you suggested and just because of the force of the hit.

    I'd say you still need to take this to a shop that has a frame rack - it may need some pulls to get the underlying structure in place to hang the "new" sheet metal.

    You'll have to replace the doors and quarter - make sure you get the door hinges for the rear door - I'd bet the ones on the car are tweaked.

    Here's my "WAG" without seeing the car, or sourcing the parts...
    estimate.bmp
  • 7XPacemaker
    7XPacemaker Senior Contributor
    How is the door post that the rear door is hinged to? Is it bent? I know that I have some stainless for your car. Some of it may need straightened- but not as much as yours would!
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