TUFCAT's Original Paint '67 Coronet Rear-Ended

[Charger-Bodie]

Man that sucks!!!!! Original paint too.... 

[ODZKing]

Oh Man!  That is awful.  I know how it feels.
With any luck, the damage can be easily fixed and eventually the pain will fade.
Even though I've had it happen it is always in the back of my mind.  Some jackass not paying attention and you have to pay the price.
It'll get fixed, Hagerty is the best.
Prayers are with ya my friend.  Let us know how you make out.

[TUFCAT]

Hi guys, thanks your support and good wishes.  You guys are the best group of folks any guy could ask for when something like this happens.  Like I said, I never thought I would have to post this thread....  

Michigan is a "no fault" state which basically means no matter how the accident happened the drivers insurance pays the claim.  The insurance companies can battle behind the scenes for subrogation if their insured was not at fault.   In this case Hagerty should seek payment from the other guys insurance.  Luckily, I only have to deal with Hagerty.

I'm thankful there's no structural damage and everything can be fixed.  I'll need a new bumper bracket, quarter panel extension housing , and a nice rechromed bumper.  Everything else will be very skillful body work. I'm concerned about the damage in the corner because everything is so tight there.  Hopefully a good body guy can heat, beat and pull it out....which leads to the next problem - paint.

Matching the original 45 year old acrylic enamel paint is nearly impossible.  Most guys I've talked to said it needs to be painted in basecoat/clearcoat to do any kind of blending at all.  I sent an email message to Paul (Pocket Thunder) to see how the insurance company handled his original paint Charger after hitting the deer.  Hopefully I'll get some good information from him.

The people that hit me were from out of town (in Michigan) and said they weren't sure if they got off on the right exit.  I'd estimate their age in the late 50's/early 60's.  He stated he misjudged after checking traffic and didn't know I was stopped.  He said I stopped once, pulled forward and stopped again. I'm not sure because I don't remember doing so. My theory is he was distracted by his wife for going the wrong way, but I really have no idea. I think he planed to turn right, got yelled at, then at the last minute changed his mind and went left, checked traffic and forget about the very unusual Green and white blob in front of him.  


When we pulled over I shouted at them "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT KIND OF CAR YOU JUST HIT"!!!! ...??   His reply was "YES SIR AND I'M VERY SORRY".  After that I didn't speak (intentionally) for at least five minutes.  I went into the Burger King, drank a large Coke, calmed down, and waited for the police.  I barely said anything at all after that.  I'm not a classy guy but I was that morning for some reason.  There was nothing good to say to anybody and for that  reason I was utterly speechless.

Getting rear ended has always been my biggest concern. Like NHCharger said, I'm always looking in my rear view mirror. This time I was just happy to be off the freeway exit ramp so I took a big swig of my coffee and a bite of my donut.  That's why I didn't see them coming behind me.  Otherwise I would have made any aggressive maneuver I could to get the hell outta harms way.

People have said this before and its true.  When you get hit in a classic Mopar its feels like the Titanic.  These cars are solid and the impact is the worst noise you ever heard.  My case it sounded MUCH WORSE than the damage shows.  I literally thought my car was going to need major repair.

The bottom line is I'm fine but still seriously bummed.  The positives are that I remained calm at the scene, and have good insurance.  Unfortunately like many others before me, I just joined a very bad club.  

[69rtse4spd]

Glad your OK, how is your neck, since 67 do not have head rest.

 

[FLG]

Sorry to see tuffy

Talk to the right people..its possible the right.guy might be able to massage that out and.save some paint?

[TUFCAT]

Glad your OK, how is your neck, since 67 do not have head rest.

Damn right there's no headrests.  Hell there's hardly any backrests either! Thankfully my neck and back feel great.

No kidding this could be a problem for anyone of us driving cars before the Fed's mandated head restraints on late 69 Mopars. Thanks for asking Jeff and Tom (twodko).

[Scaregrabber]

Terrible. You'll need a first class shop to repair that without touching the rest of the car.

Sheldon

[elacruze]

Booo.

Sorry. Hey, don't we have a pro restoration member on the NE side of the city?

[TUFCAT]

Booo.

Sorry. Hey, don't we have a pro restoration member on the NE side of the city?

That would be LEON.

[472 R/T SE]

Yuck!  I don't think I could handle the extra stress of having an original paint survivor for this very reason.
Sure, I can & normally say, "no big deal, it's just iron that can be fixed."  While true, it's not the case here.

Too bad you couldn't ship it back out here for "daytona kid" to fix it.  He's won refinishing awards & his work is amazing.  Guess that's why he has a 2 year wait. 

So, did the other car need to be towed?  It was prolly like hitting a wall for them.

Sorry man.   You're ok...physically.  I guess that's important.      

[Ghoste]

Having seen this car in person, all I can say is that I feel just sick about this for you Tuffy.  I know its just a car but its not just a car.

[bobs66440]

The good news is Hagerty is the best. I dealt with them only, and it was a pleasure! 

[Tom Q]

Tuffcat

If this was 1967 the proper repair procedure in the fsm would dictate that the repair area be refinished in lacquer. The only way to repair your damage properly is with lacquer paint. 

Lacquer allows a spot repair that blends in and retains the original "look" of the rest of the car.

Lacquer is available thru PPG

You need to find a painter that understand lacquer refinishing procedures.
Good luck, it's becoming a lost art.

[1972Rallye]

Hi everyone... LONG time since I was here.

Tufcat & I were supposed to be judging partners at an All-Mopar show on Saturday.  When he finally got there and I saw the car, I was sick.  I know how much time and LOVE Tufcat put into this car and anybody who has ever seen it in person can attest to that. The first thing I said to him was "Sorry, I know you must be sick right now."  He was OK... took it better than most of us would have and kept his cool.  The car will be OK... It has the best owner it could ever have.

Sorry again for your pain, Tuffcat.   

[BrianShaughnessy]

I've been thinking about adding a 3rd brake light to Betty...

   When I'm stopped at a light,  I'm sweating bullets watching the rear view mirror for the idiot that appears to be coming in too fast or doesn't happen to notice the big black car in their way.

[Ghoste]

I checked with the paint guys here at our shop and they brought up a good point if you are trying to preserve as muchas possible.  We are stuck with water borne here and even though they have had good luck with blending water borne and laquer type finishes, it necessitates using clear over the whole panel after the blow in.  Does Michigan allow only water borne?

[bill440rt]

Not trying to get off topic.
Melting in paint, whether metallic or solid, over a single-stage enamel finish is next to impossible without seeing some kind of blend or fade. There are chemicals & solvents that allow you to do this, but over time you may see a ghost line. A perfect example is a damaged quarter panel with no break-off point in the C-pillar. On newer vehicles the "proper" way to refinish is to clear up & over the C-pillar, across the roof, & down the other quarter. Many bodyshops will "melt" the clear into the existing C-pillar without going thru the trouble of clearing half the car. Over time, you'll see the ghost line in the C-pillar.
You might be able to get away with this repair using lacquer, but you'll no doubt see the blend with a color like that. If the car had lacquer on it to begin with you might stand a better chance.

Tuf, hopefully you will find a shop that will be able to match/refinish the quarter panel without it being too invasive. Knowing you you'll probably want to preserve as much of the original finish as possible.

[TUFCAT]

You guys bring up some very good points that I will definately bring up to the adjuster and restoration shop.  Shawn we still use solvent based paint here in Michigan.  Some states are required to use water base only, California I know for sure...

[PocketThunder]

I only had an estimate done for painting my hood and blending in the tops of the fenders.  At the time my plan was to leave the rest of the car alone.  So i didnt even ask about having the whole car repainted when i hit the deer.  

Paul

Dont click on this link if you have a weak stomach or are a member of PETA.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=70995.0;attach=132418;image

[nascarxx29]

Could have been alot worse like my old one

[firefighter3931]

That's a real bummer Tom ! Sorry to see that happen to such a nice car.  
 
Good to see that the damage was minimal and there were no physical injuries.  

I'm sure that Leon can make it right.  



Ron

[Indygenerallee]

That sucks man but at least your still with the living!! Glad to hear your alright! too many dumbasses out there not paying attention, I am confident it will be looking just as good as it was before!!! 

[FlatbackFanatic]

That really sux!!! I'm glad your ok. I'm glad it wasn't worse.

[Dino]

I'm glad you're okay Tuffy.  As much as this sucks, I'm really glad you're not hurt.  In my old shop I'd fix that baby up in no time but those days are over.  As stated before, call Leon!  He'll get her looking as new.

[chargerjy9]

TUFCAT

so sorry. I didn't know that happened. I was so busy at that show, I heard that they were looking for you around judging time. I wondered what happened, heck, I walked past your car and didn't even notice. Your ride is beautiful. I am sure that it will be alright again. Good Luck