I had this back for one month, one car show, then this, update 12/8/14

[72Charger-SE]

---- speechless ----  wow... just wow...  that makes me sick to my stomach.  I agree with some of the others that they may not be telling you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth... either way I can't imagine your disappointment and hurt you are feeling right now...   So Sorry for you... 

[TUFCAT]

I'M SO SORRY FOR YOU!!   I  couldn't believe my eyes!  I know how it feels from a much smaller degree with my Coronet accident (nowhere near that bad) but still the same helpless, pissed off feeling because I had nothing to do with it - I was standing still doing exactly what I was supposed to be doing when I got hit rear ended.

This is a horrible set-back to ruin an entire year of enjoyment! I hope you don't have to deal with any bullshit hassles.  

[TUFCAT]

And I thought my experiences with restoration shops were bad.  This takes the cake. I don't buy his story either, but no matter what he tells you, he's on the hook for whatever it costs to make you whole. At least now you know where to take it. First, confirm that he has an adequate policy, then I'd line up an attorney just in case his insurance company tries to pull any cost-saving stunts. I assume you've documented all of your costs to this date (for the most recent restoration)?

Also, for insurance purposes, you might want to report the "accident". Most police agencies have a form that allows for such an event. Also, no matter how bad this fellow feels now, he'll likely backpedal when he realizes what fixing your car is really going to cost. I hope this goes smoothly for you, but I'd be prepared for a fight from either him or his insurance company. It's unlikely that they will want to pay what it takes to fix it correctly.

Like he said ^^^  

[Mike DC]

  
Guys, look at the footage of the green '70 hitting the wall from the other thread:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-TLUjHsvew

Yeah he was "out of control" and yeah the car was rotating fast.  But the speed that the corner went INTO THE WALL was not very much.  But it did quite a bit of damage, especially once the camera gets up close and sees the passenger side of the car.  And that hit went squarely to the thick metal bumper, not missing the bumper and forcing the softer fender to absorb it all.


It does not take a ton of speed to do the damage in this 68's case.  Especially not when the bumper is missed.    

[Homerr]

Sorry to hear this news.

Comparing to the 70 hitting the wall the guy was a complete ass for winding it up to a similar amount inside a confined shop with lots of things and people to hit.

Don't forget to leave feedback with the BBB, Google, and Yelp!

[TUFCAT]

Sorry to hear this news.

Comparing to the 70 hitting the wall the guy was a complete ass for winding it up to a similar amount inside a confined shop with lots of things and people to hit.

Don't forget to leave feedback with the BBB, Google, and Yelp!

Im not an expert by any means, but I think the '70 Charger in the video was going at least 30mph when he got sideways. The point of impact (like you said) is also different in the fact the 70 hit squarely on the bumper corner

[Mike DC]

  
The 1970's total velocity, forward + the spin, was probably at least 30 mph if not more.  But no way did the bumper hit the wall that hard.  Cars that go 30mph into walls look a bit worse than that.


Think of it this way - Dale Earnhardt Sr must have been going 170+ mph when he fatally hit the wall.  But I remember the impact force was judged to be something like 43mph.

[charge69]

This is horrible and a nightmare of an outcome! Get YOUR insurance company involved ASAP as well as a police report filed! Find a way to get the Charger out of this idiot's shop immediately and start looking for someone that can do the proper repairs!

It may be a severe inconvenience but, I will NEVER let my Charger out of my sight to do any type of maintenance I cannot do myself, even if I have to stay all day and watch someone work on it. This goes double after seeing this! Myself and me only will drive it on a lift or anywhere it needs to go!

I am really sorry for you and cringe looking at those pictures! What a bummer!

[8WHEELER]

It looks like the charger bumper went under the bumper on the truck and all the impact was placed right on the corner of the car pushing body metal back rather than on the frame.  I wonder about the placement and path of the vehicles since they both have damage on the drivers side. If he was going into the stall next to the truck I would expect driver on one, passenger damage on the other.

No sides one way or the other but if he panicked and stomped down and caught the brakes and the gas I can totally see that much damage. All that torque and so little grip it would lurch forward.

If the shop is big enough does it have security camera footage of the incident?

Exactly, seeing it person it does make sense that it did happen right in the shop, the way he explains it to me. He turned right just enough to miss the vertical post, then
the left front started going up the ramp runway on the hoist, the front bumper clearly went under the bumper of the SUV. If it had hit my bumper there would
have been less damage. You can see in the middle of the top of my bumper pushed down but not back, the grooves of the SUV's trailer hitch show this.

The k-frame and suspension also have damage, going up the ramp and hitting the hoist. I feel like I am having an out of body experience  

Trust me, up until I was 24 I did all my own work on my cars. But after being in an accident paralyzing me I can no longer do my own repairs, I have
to put my money and all my trust into others to do most things for me now, believe me, it does drive me crazy at times, but these cars have
been my passion and hobby since I bought my first 68 in 1978 and still own. These cars keep me going, and also give me a hobby I love.

Me and my red car below, and the reason I don't do the work I used to do myself. See awards on top of the car, kind of hard to see. This car is
what made me fall in love with these cars, and as I said, I bought this in 1978, and will always be my favorite car to drive  

Dan

[ACUDANUT]

And yes, definitely get a police report. Do not wait. File it TODAY.
The other vehicle (IF it was involved), would have to be included on the police report as well. I wonder if the owner of that vehicle was told anything?  

X2

If there is no police report, than the insurance Company will pin it all on you.

[miamivice]

Dan I am so sorry.  I replied to your PM as well.  Please let me know how I can help...

[Old Moparz]

Aw crap Dan. Sorry to see that. I was just drooling over the car earlier this month.

As far as getting the truth..... who cares? Somehow they crashed it and they seem to be taking the financial responsibility. Now its just the crappy process of battling with either or both insurance companies. Better to focus on that battle then worrying if the crash story is true or not. Either way, you're never going back there I assume.

I have to agree, it's over & done & getting upset over trying to "get to the bottom of what happened" is almost pointless now. The police report is important though, & one piece of advice is to make sure the report is correct. It may vary all over the country, state by state, town by town, but about 2 years ago some woman drove into my Wife's car in front of the school. The woman apologized to my wife & admitted to being at fault. The police showed up, took some notes & said if you want a copy of the report come to the station next week to get it. Next week?   

My wife went & the report was written up as being my Wife's fault. She had to fill out another form to have the report modified & the woman who hit her car had to be notified of the change. It was a long, drawn out, pain in the ass because someone screwed up or lied. The problem with not being able to get things like a report immediately, is that as time goes by people forget details & info. Hopefully this isn't a policy by you & you can get everything you need right away. The other thing I'll add is, do as much of the work yourself in getting reports, photos, making calls, getting the names & anything else, because to all involved in this claim, none will give a rat's ass about your car & whether you get it fixed.

Sorry to see what happened to your car, but good luck & be prepared for lots of incompetence.

[Cooter]

Dan, certainly wasn't attempting to 'belittle' your situation, just pointing out the reason (even out of a chair) that I refuse to drop my car off for repairs. Again, sorry this happen.

If I can help out with 68 grille parts, lemme know (I have three).

[comet_666]

I made the mistake dropping my car off once years ago to get headliner installed, car was running like crap when I went to pick it up, they did burnouts all over the parking lot and blew the power valve in the carb. I flipped out and called the cops and the BBB. Got the headliner + install free along with $200 for a new carb (in 1998 the Edelbrock 650 was about that price)
The guy that owned the place fired the kid who did it on the spot. Now I would never ever let some jerkoff drive my car, if it needs to go in somewhere Ill drive it in and out myself and wait.

[SRT-440]

The bumper looks almost damage free...I bet it was nose diving and the sheet metal absorbed all the impact...prolly going too fast and locked them up.

I would think it would take 15+mph worth to do that damage with the ripple effect all the way to the rear quarter.

Sorry for the loss!

[sanders7981]

This is what he said he ran into, it was on the lift next to where he wanted to put my car. the lift was on the ground still. Its hard to
believe all this damage can happen to my car, and just scuff marks on the bumper, and it is bent slightly.............

If you look close, you can see a chunk of paint on the back bumper of the SUV.......

Dan

I call bullshit on that... I'd believe that there would be more damage to that SUV then the little scuff.

[squeakfinder]

     Hey Dan, I haven't seen you since one of those DodgeCharger registry meets. The last one was at a Dodge dealership. I had a black over red 68, you came over to visit and the first thing you did was lift up one of my headlight doors to see if the grille around the lights was there  (it was). I think you drove the red car that day. From there, we drove over to the Tacoma Mopar Sunbust. I was second in line, behind Jim Morgon in his real Lee.
     Like others have said, sickens me to see this. Don't think I'd do anything drastic about it just yet.....except maybe kill the guy, then go after his family, then burn his house down.

[Dans 68]

I really did not to open this thread as I figured that something very bad happened. Damn.... 

Beautiful car, and it will be so again. Like many others have opined, let your Insurance Company do the heavy lifting.

Dan

[daytona71]

Hey Dan
Sorry to see this incident happened to such a great looking 68. (blue is my fave colour). Hope everything works out for the best and this car can be returned to its original condition. Would love to see it someday at Mopar Madness. Guess for now you will have to drive the red charger. Good that your  red charger wiring problems are way behind you. Take care

[8WHEELER]

     Hey Dan, I haven't seen you since one of those DodgeCharger registry meets. The last one was at a Dodge dealership. I had a black over red 68, you came over to visit and the first thing you did was lift up one of my headlight doors to see if the grille around the lights was there  (it was). I think you drove the red car that day. From there, we drove over to the Tacoma Mopar Sunbust. I was second in line, behind Jim Morgon in his real Lee.
     Like others have said, sickens me to see this. Don't think I'd do anything drastic about it just yet.....except maybe kill the guy, then go after his family, then burn his house down.

Hey how are things going? I loved those DodgeCharger registry meets, lots of driving and lots of cars. We took the red and gold 68 chargers to those shows. My wife likes
driving her gold one evan more now, just got it restored again three years ago, but she has only had it to four shows since, family death, and life in general has been tough.
I remember we all drove up to the Bellingham mopar show one time as well, that was a cool get together.

Dan

[squeakfinder]

   

     I'm doing doing good Dan. Just wish all those cool Mopar shows you have up there were a little closer. 

[8WHEELER]

Hey Dan
Sorry to see this incident happened to such a great looking 68. (blue is my fave colour). Hope everything works out for the best and this car can be returned to its original condition. Would love to see it someday at Mopar Madness. Guess for now you will have to drive the red charger. Good that your  red charger wiring problems are way behind you. Take care

I have not evan driven the blue charger yet, my friend drove it to the Seattle Chapter show, we brought a few cars. Then we took it to this shop, so I drove my van
with the new rear end in it, and my wife drove the blue charger ''no problem at all'' I doubt the car will be fixed for the show season this year. Hope to make it to
the Mopar Madness show again this year  

Yep, found a good wiring expert in Ray Miles, he fixed the prior install that was installed wrong, and almost burned the car down  

Dan

[polywideblock]

I still say skid marks are evidence of an "oh shit" moment  probably just before a "watch this " moment   

   not car pushing locked  on brakes 

[69rtse4spd]

If the SUV was on a lift that was down, then that would raise the SUV thin ass bumber up above the Chargers. The new bumbers on any thing nowadays is their for looks only. The coner or bend of sheet any sheet metal is the strongest point. If he has not wipped away the tire marks, get the police to check them out. They should be able to fiquare out which way he was going, (i.e. hit the gas or goosed it to swing the ass end around). And as others have said that sucks, & get the cops involved, leave nothing to chance.     

[Dodge Don]

I audibly groaned when I saw the first photo. 

So, so sorry.

Same here.