Help, rear ended

[71shortfleet]

Hey guys,
I need some help. As you might recal my '71 shortfleet got rearended. I refused to accept a total loss from Mercury Ins. I had the frame pulled. I now need to prove to Mercury why my truck should be fixed and not totalled.
I need to list the modifications done to my truck and the prices of certain parts. Who has an online catalog that I can refer to to satify that Bimbo Ins. Adjuster?
They're not getting my truck. It's too *****in'.

[ChevLoRay]

I guess it comes down to how much they offered for it, as a total. You have to detrmine whether or not it is enough money. Other than that, any receipts you have that prove what you have in it (monetarily), are to your advantage. I don't know that simply providing what it would cost, is going to do it for you.

It's been many years, but I also go rear-ended and the damages (repair estimates) were within $6 of what I paid for the car....okay, it was a sharp '54 Ford 2-dr, that I had bought for $225, in Sept of '64. Anyway, in Feb of '65, I got rear-ended. The estimate was $219....to replace the rear clip, straighten the frame, etc. I took the money ($219), plus additional money to cover my out-of-pocket expenses, totalling $350. I bought another car, and later traded the Ford for a Cushman scooter. Wish I'd kept the Cushman....it'd be worth a bundle....more than the '54 would be now.

This may not be an answer that you wanted. There are plenty of on-line parts places, some are board members. Check the home page and go from there.

[Billla]

Generally this is a good discussion to have before vs. after - just a heads up to others with expen$ive old trucks. My suggestion is to post a list of mods with your best guess on value and get feedback.

Note that the insurance company may want an actual appraiser's valuation...it may be cheaper to find a local hotrod shop to do an appraisal on their letterhead than to just give the insurance company a list.

[66nova383]

You should have had it appraised long before you you got hit.I had both my car and truck appraised last year by a liscenced vehicle appraiser who also is a state vehicle inspector.He charged me 20$ each since I drove them over to his house.The cool part is that he is really into building rods.

[71shortfleet]

what I need to know is where to go to price things like the lowered control arms on the front and the lowering kit in the rear. Who sells the 15 x 10 rally's, I can find the front end rebuild kit and motor + trans.
And where besides ebay can I find prices for other shortbeds for sale? I need to do a price comparison. What do my parts cost that make my truck stand out.

[70rs/ss]

Let them total it and then tell them you want to buy it back. If it is repairable then fix it or strip it and buy another one. My 70 Camaro had a carb fire (had a fiberglass hood so it went up!) In my opinion it was salvagable (imagine that a 70 rs/ss Camaro salvageble!) I took there offer over $6k and bought it back for $600, replaced the hood (what was left of it!) and the wiring harness, rebuilt the carb and replaced the valve cover gaskets! I was about $5800 ahead by the time the car was back on the road. Don't look at total as a loss, look at their offer and see what it will cost to buy it back, then make up your mind. As for getting your $$$ out of it, reciepts are the only way. In the future get an appraisal or a stated value policy (backed by an appaisal).

[Billla]

One thing to remember in terms of buying it back is that the sale is sometimes at auction...and some insurance companies automatically scrap a totalled vehicle.

Good luck, dude.

[shifty]

That's exactly what I was going to say. My friend just totalled his '95 Impala SS when someone slammed into the front end. The insurance adjuster totalled it saying it had $7k in damage and was only worth $5,800. My friend told them to give him $5,000 and the car and call it even. The Insurance company agreed and he walked off with it. $1700 later, it had an entirely new front end and the DS framehorn was straightened.

Everyone else is right also - the truck should have been appraised and you should have worked out the approximate value by adding up receipts for all of your upgrades plus the purchase price.

These days, it's almost best to just get a lawyer any time you get hit and i'ts someone else's fault. It's the only way you can get a fair price out of the insurance company, they pay the adjusters really well to screw you.