My car took it in the bum

[horse30]

Just looking for some advice, would you guys say this is repairable or is it time to start looking for a shell to swap everything over? All i've read says a rear qtr panel costs thousands to repair, but theres still so much undamaged car and it doesn't look like i've sustained any frame damage, is it worth the repair?

[kronus]

the qp isn't buckled and nothing structural looks damaged, so this seems like it would be a relatively simple cut and patch job.

insurance will almost certainly total it, though.

[horse30]

meaning rebuilt title correct? therefore probably worth finding a shell? Hoping to save this car and not start all over with something else

[crash n' burn]

I love when people jump to starting completely over when something happens to their car. Rebuilt titles are not a death sentence.

I've had 2 cars with rebuilt titles. if the repair is done correctly, it shouldn't effect anything other than what someone values it based on the dreaded "rebuilt" title. More so than you maybe realize..but quite a few classic cars running around have them. Obviously the clean title, no accident cars will ALWAYS bring more money.

bottom line, if they total it, figure out how much it will take to fix the damage correctly and compare it to what the insurance company agrees to pay you(and dont cop-out either, fight that shit). obviously it wont be everything you need..so if you can justify covering the extra cash to make it happen because you value the time it would take to find a new chassis to start over with..well then thats up to you.

[Cephas]

Ouch, sorry to see this. Looks like a very nice example as well. I echo what was said above. If the car is rust-free it would be worth it to have it repaired. I would take extensive pictures of the work to document it for when/if you ever re-sell it.

[horse30]

Well unfortunately all repairs are going to have to be covered by the money in my pocket, which is why I'm trying to figure out the most cost effective way to deal with it. I hate the thought of paying a shop thousands to fix my car, but I don't have the skill or resources to do it myself. The car is still fine, I drove it home from the accident, which is why id rather not give up on this car and start over. Just wanted to see if you guys thought it'd be worth it to pay for repairs.

[BlackSpeed66]

You're definitely looking at a quarter panel and likely rear body panel replacement. The area where your tail lamp mounts that's mangled is right where the quarter & rear body meet - any attempt to actually repair that properly would require an extreme amount of labor & skill. The bumper & possibly decklid are 'easy' since they're just bolt on. Does the trunk shut? What do the gaps look like on the passenger's side. Gap issues would point to possible unibody structural damage which would obviously increase the cost of the repairs if it needs frame set up & pull time to correct any sway. I would recommend a setup & measure at a minimum to ensure the unibody is solid. Otherwise trying to replace the rear body & hang the quarter is going to get quite frustrating very quickly if things don't match up where they're supposed to.

Just remember.... when it comes to bodywork and collision repair - you get what you pay for. I've been an insurance appraiser for 6+ years and have seen some horrific bodywork out there because the customer wanted to pocket the check and take a "shortcut".

[e30davie]

If you are not going through insurance repair, If it were me, i'd remove what is left of the the taillight and bumper and start hammering it out. You will probably get 90% of it out with a hammer and and a lump of wood. It wont look pretty and it certainly wont be fixed, but your car will be functional again. Get a new taillight and a bumper and off you go.

From there you can start getting quotes from panel beaters for a proper repair, and you can still drive the car cause it will have a working taillight. Make sure you get multiple quotes to make sure you aren't getting ripped off.

[horse30]

Thanks for the replies guys, yes the trunk lid closes fine, i have pushed the dent out a bit since then but it looks like i might need a rear scuttle panel as well. iv emailed a few body shops to see what im looking at for repairs. iv also found a few straight body e30 shells for about $500 online.
Whether i keep this car or start over with a shell im goana need paint to make everything pretty again, so im not completely against finding a shell and swapping over my goodies and getting some fresh paint..would rather stick with this car though. what you guys also dont see is the front fender took a beating from the guard rail as did the grille, headlight, and hood. I can replace all body panels in the front but this rear qtr is what worries me.

[horse30]