This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Some of you may recognize my 78 Suburban from a thread a couple of years back
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...=1978+suburban
I bought the truck from BMERDOC and since then have rebuilt the suspension, brakes and exhaust, lowered it and enjoyed driving around while drinking copious amounts of gas from the 40 gallon tank. Well I got the bright idea to put some Boss 338 wheels on it and that is when things went bad. Something happened with the lug nuts, I am still not sure how it happened but my driver's front wheel fell off while driving at about 30 mph. The truck then rolled over the wheel and did a nice face plant on the asphalt. Luckily nobody was hurt and I didn't hit anything. The wheel was destroyed, the fender is toast and the cab actually bent up. The A pillar is bent and there is a crease in the roof, the front windshield popped out a little (but didn't break) and the rocker is crunched. The front door still opens and closes but it is bent up too. I was actually able to jack up the truck, put a new wheel on and drive it home but it doesn't look pretty. Do you guys think this is fixable? Is it worth fixing? Anybody know any good body shops in the VA MD DC area?

http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/DSC01151.jpg
http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/DSC01152.jpg
http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/DSC01153.jpg
http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...e/DSC01157.jpg

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Yes it can be fixed. You did not say if the floor pan is bent ?

Body shop is going to hit you with sticker shock, if you have deep pockets OR insurance coverage thats your best bet.

If you decide DIY I would post on the body shop to see where to start and what tools you might need.

One option would be to talk with a Body shop who has a frame straightener, ask if you remove/replace the sheet metal how much would it cost for them to straighten body ?

2nd option would be to purchase a porta-power and a come along and tackle it yourself :chevy:

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

it can be pulled with a frame straightener but it is going to be pretty expensive.. The hardest part may be getting the wood grain

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Any vinyl shop could copy the wood grain. That's the easy part.
Good luck with the fix.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

That sucks. Happened to me with my F150 at 60mph, but it only messed up the rotor and shield.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Damn that truck looked pretty clean. If you part it I'll take the hood. Too soon?

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Real nice burb.. I wonder what could have caused the lug nuts too come off..

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

I don't think the floor pan was affected, also the frame is fine. I didn't have collision insurance on it unfortunately when it happened. I was thinking I could get a new fender and door, and have a body shop straighten it out and maybe just hit it with some primer. Anybody have any idea what the body shop might charge me?

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

My guess is your Boss 338 wheel wasn't fully seated against the brake rotor due to the notorious rotor hub fitment issue with these wheels.
Did you grind the "nose" of the rotor hub prior to installing your Boss wheels?

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Good call. I bet that's exactly what happened.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

That might be it, my wheels are the newer design in which I thought they had that issue resolved but maybe not. I will have to take a closer look although I think I will be sticking with 15's in the future.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Boss Wheels didn't fix ANYTHING with the new design.
That's what's so stupid about that company.
They had a goldmine with these wheels, but refused to make it right for the C10 owners that wanted their 338 wheels.
They were originally designed for the 88-98 trucks, not the 60-87 C10's.

They can still be made to work with a grinder and a flap disc and about 10 minutes of your time.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Oh man, bummer. Hope you can get it back in shape. You would think the installer would have noticed something. Anyway, good luck.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

That's a bummer; I always liked that truck. Now it has "character". It doesn't look like anything is structurally damaged, it just needs a fender. I think you might be able to grab on to that one with a clamp and pull it out somewhat to get the door open and the truck usable, but it wouldn't be worth fixing in my opinion.

Edit: I guess I didn't look at enough pictures. I guess it depends on how much you are in love with the truck. Personally, I probably wouldn't fix it, and I have access to a good body shop.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

It can surely be fixed!

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

The installer was me and everything went together fine, they seemed to fit okay when I put them on. I guess the next step is to hit up some local body shops and get some estimates.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

That sucks man, I hope you can get it going again. The wheels you have on there look pretty good, a set of the chrome rings would make them look really nice.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

The 'Burb rides again! After 4 months in the body shop, it is more or less in one piece. There is still a little crease in the roof and I need a new door but it sure is nice to be able to drive it again. Fortunately I was able to find a body shop to straighten it out for a reasonable price, it just took a while.

http://i473.photobucket.com/albums/r...rban%20fix.jpg

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Nice save, congrats.

Re: This is what happens when your front wheel falls off
 

Very happy you got it fixed!