Yes, fenders, grilles, a hood or two.....'just in case'.... "better to have and not need, than to need and not have".......saw that motto on a road side sign when I was maybe 10 years old and never forgot it. Ray
Sounds like you all's a bunch of hoarders, and you should free yourselves from your affliction by shipping all spare sparts to me, pre-paid of course. That is the first step toward your recovery.
I have no experience with insurance claims for vehicles where new parts aren't available off the shelf, but when I handled insurance jobs on OT bikes we (the shop) bought whatever parts we needed, and then sent a specified bill for the total cost to the insurance company. They weren't more involved than inspecting and putting a value on the bike, getting a quote from us for the repair work, and then accepting that and pay for the job once it's done (or declining it, and arrange for the wreck to be hauled off to the junkyard). If these "vintage" insurance claims works the same way in your part of the world I'd ***ume you inform the shop where you leave the car you have the parts needed, if they want to they can buy them for a fair price, otherwise they are free to spend as much time as they need to find the parts elsewhere. As finding old parts takes time (sometimes ALOT of time) and you rarely know exactly what you are getting before you have it in your hands I would jump at such an opportunity if the parts are in acceptable condition.
My last vintage car damage repair left me with an unfinished job... insurance came up with a total for a "full" repair... which only got the repair back to primer before the money was all gone. No amount of phone calls, letters, arguing, do***enting, affidavit-ing budged them a single inch. I chose to have quality parts and quality work*, rather than cover up shoddy parts and fitment issues with shiny paint. * sad irony here is that I actually didn't get quality work. A couple of years later, the obscenely thick body filler cracked, exposing what turned out to be the hackiest of hacks (the vehicle was repaird at a Norcal shop of one of the car customizing greats of all time... I spent hours chatting with the legend himself... while his son, who took over the business some years back, amateurishly hacked my repair job. Sad, and very disappointing that the son thought so little about carrying on his dad's legacy. No shop mentioned by name. Many will know who I'm referring to.
I think the reality is that we are in a difficult spot when one of our old cars gets whacked. It is a whole different world for all parties than when dealing with current/recent production vehicles for which parts are readily available. The uncertainty of availability and price of ‘antique’ auto parts is a dilemma for both the insurance co and body shop, not to mention the owner. I am inclined to think one is better off to have the car declared a ‘total’ and negotiate an acceptable settlement amount with the owner keeping the salvage and arranging for repairs on his own. A commercial shop can not afford to devote the time to an ‘insurance job’ that an owner may be willing to invest to source parts. You also can check around for a shop who will do the work under less stressful cir***stances with the owner having done much of the legwork. In any case, it’s one of the risks we run in our hobby. Other older artifacts face the same issues....old homes with storm or fire damage for example. Ray
How many do you think you will ever need, worst case scenario? (and, what are your preparations for getting rear ended? ) Ray
Ray,hopefully none but original '32 Ford grille shells & inserts are better than money in the bank and as they hang on the wall ac***ulating dust they increase in value. As for the rear I have a couple of extra gas tanks and a bumper.HRP
Where I live is deer country...I've got an extra grille shell, and hood sides and top, but no fenders...thus I tend not to drive my '36 at night...g-willys
Spare parts are not available here as my 46 Olds ('B' body) was not sold locally by GM, however I've seen NOS fenders for sale on that website for a reasonable price. The only hiccup is freighting them here from US and if I did, the cost would be prohibitive due to size. Then, what condition would then be in when they arrive? Local GM panels ('A' body) are unique and don't fit so I'm up Ships Creek.
I started my F-1 with a $5.00 lower fender only and went from there. Whenever I run across a better piece I buy it if possible and upgrade. So I've ended up with a big inventory of spare parts for "just in case" which the hoarder in me won't let me sell. For example I have 4 spare hoods, 4 spare rear fenders, etc.. The new reproduction F-1 fenders and hoods are starting to look good to me, it's a sickness.
I keep a little bit around I have acquired over the years. Hoods, fenders grille, running boards. All metal worked and in epoxy primer ready to go.
try finding steel parts for a 29 chevy. when the car was hit in the front the insurance company paid me a very good price for the parts needed to repair it. [that was stored in the attic]
Anyone hoarding any 38 dodge truck grill shells?? Rear fenders?? Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I have a sheet and a half of 18ga sheet metal that's been following me around if that counts. On the other hand, my car is far from driveable and I plan on using said metal for the build. Sent from my SM-G920V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Thank you but your getting ahead of me,I don't have a new toy,I'm going to look at the coupe tomorrow. HRP
I bought a spare door for my O/T pickup (they don't make them any more!) because one door had a wrinkle in it - I still haven't changed it over, possibly because I'm still driving it. But when I do change it over to the better one, I plan on keeping the wrinkled door for patch panels - figure it's at least the right gauge steel and I have lots of rust holes that need patching.
...or you could un-wrinkle it. Or at least practice doing it, failing wouldn't be to bad in that case.
I do have two complete extra sets of fenders for my '32. I also have a spare nose for my '56 Vette but that is fibergl***, not sheet metal, so it does not count.
The best way to protect the surface of a fibergl*** mould is to cast an extra product in it and leave it there when you put the mould in storage. Also gives you a backup piece ready to use instantly, should you need it.
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