Car took a hit this morning... suggestions?

[DMC3165]

I was driving to work about 430 am on the LIE this morning. The car to my left kicked up an object from th he road. At highway speed I had no time to react. Initially it looked like a small piece of vinyl siding (about two feet long and one foot wide. But it was solid whatever it was and hit the car with such an impact it jolted me forward. I pulled over to check the damage but didn't see any on the fascia or rock screen. It was dark so I slowly decided to continue to work. I noticed the car pulling to the passanger side which it never did before. WhenI got to work I grabbed a flashlight and found some damage underneath. The lower radiator studs were bent back and the radiator duct was smashed on the drivers side. Saw few bent brackets and the a/c line was bent also. Since it was dark it was hard to see what else was damaged and why the car was pulling. I'm thinking either one of the lower control arms bent or I tweaked the frame when the radiator supports took the hit. Not real sure what to do next. Just got off the phone with my insurance company. May have to put in a claim if the frame is tweaked. Just called Grady too. Hopefully its not too bad and he has time to look at it. Will try to get some pics later.

Anyone have any thoughts on this or why its suddenly pulling?

[tommyrich]

Chris,
Sorry to hear about that. Could it be something lodged in by one of the brakes?
If you would like to bring it around tomorrow, I can take a look on the lift. Dave and Louis are coming over as well.
Tom

[Delorean02378]

Ouch! Sorry to hear about that Chris, the LIE is no joke. You're either parked or doing 80, there's not much in between. Some of the worst drivers in the world on that road, from the City to Riverhead. Sounds like you've already gotten in touch with Rob and Tom and between the two, they'll be able to solve the problem.

Kirk

[David T]

Call your insurance company and figure out if this is covered under your Collision and what the deductible is. Get an estimate from Rob for the repairs and submit to your insurance (if covered). If you had classic insurance they may deny the claim because of the time and if they think you are using it as a DD. If the car is pulling you bent something important. Possibly the sway bar or it's mounts. Or maybe bent a LCA. Should be obvious once you get it on a lift. If the frame is not bent it may not be very expensive.
David Teitelbaum

[1batt4u]

Sorry to hear Chris! That really sucks! And you just took it off selling it on ebay.

[DMC3165]

Chris,
Sorry to hear about that. Could it be something lodged in by one of the brakes?
If you would like to bring it around tomorrow, I can take a look on the lift. Dave and Louis are coming over as well.
Tom

Thanks for the offer Tom. In the time it took me to start writing a response Grady called me back and I'm gonna bring it to his place straight from work. He thinks the Frame is probably tweaked and he may be able to pull it out and repair it. However if its that messed up it may need a front frame extension and $$$$$$$. He told me the same exact thing happened to his own car. He was driving and hit something but didn't notice the car pulling until after he made a hard turn. Which is exactly what happened to me. I drove straight down the expressway service road but the car didn't start pulling until after I made the left on wellwood. But I'm not real comfortable driving it regardless and his shop is only about 10 miles from my job.



Sorry to hear Chris! That really sucks! And you just took it off selling it on ebay.

I know right? Talk about timing! Well this is what happens when you use it too much. I've been down this road before too.:banghead:

[jmettee]

If you have damage to the lower radiator support, & you have an alignment issue, it is likely frame or control arm. Given the proximity of the damage area, it really could be either. The lower control arms are weak, but they are also mounted on bushings & flex. Should easily be able to see if they are bent up....frame might not be as obvious.

[lindbergh]

It sounds like you have damaged front suspension parts. Should be fixable. I doubt the frame is bent unless it's more than stated. Now if you had said your inertia switch was activated, then I'd be more worried.

[DMC3165]

Grady called me yesterday and said the damage didn't look too bad. He was only moving the car into the garage and took it for a quick spin. He said it wasn't reall pulling on the roads near his shop. I noticed it didn't feel to bad either on the ride over there. He sais he'll get more into it on monday and he'd have a better idea then. But so far it sounds better then I thought

[DeLorean03]

Awesome! Here's to hoping it is nothing serious :thumbup: !

[DMC3165]

Well its back. Grady said the damage was superficial and not really worth bothering with. The radiator duct and the drivers side radiator stud took the brunt of the hit. So they'll need to be replaced at some point. But other then that no frame or control arm damage. I don't really understand why it was pulling immediately afterwards but I'm nit looking for problems either. So it just doesn't look pretty from underneath right now. Here's a few pics.

[David T]

The pulling may have just been the road you were driving on after the hit.
David Teitelbaum