deer gets another one

[special-K]

Man,you`re going through some bad times.I hated seeing this after knowing what you`ve done with that truck "and" knowing that you are going through a divorce.
I hate all the hindsight that comes out of the woodwork after a thing like this.The truth is you really can`t say what you would do without being in that moment.The fact is,I`m sure you don`t need to hear about what you should have done.
That roof is more than a skin job.It would take stipping the skins,straightening the frame,then reskinning...way too much work.I know you aren`t ready to let go of all that work you recently did on that cab.The simple solution would be another cab.But,I`d look at cutting another top off a donor cab with rotted bottom/solid top.You would cut the windshield posts and either splice in the back or go with the whole back panel attached to the top.Of course,you`d have rusted cab corners to deal with again.If those are solid on the donor I`d consider just using that cab.
You`ll figure a way in time.Just get all healed up and don`t let it get to you too much.It definately sucks.

[prg machine]

I actualy set myself up mentaly long before this happened. I had tossed the idea and risk around in my head about daily driving my project ride through deer jungle every day back and forth to work.................I actualy had set up in my mind the whole thing: with the cost of gas to commute I mixed my hobby in with having to drive to work and pay the gas bill, why not enjoy the ride i thought................after 4 years of hard work on this truck all I wanted to do was drive it anyway....................so my plan was to lock em up and get slowed down to the maximum to minimize the damage in event of a deer collision.
So here I was mentaly set up..................3 deer right smack there in the middle of the road as I came around the corner..............locked it up and the rest is history.
Yes i should have just let off on the throttle and lowed through................would have lost the grill and radiator...............probably bumper too.....................hind sight huh?!!

[prg machine]

by the way................thanks for all of the good word here and support. It's all part of why I enjoy this forum................everyone has been a part of this project in some way with advice and experience.I am now going to let the dust settle and let the truck set for a while......................one thing for sure ................I may have lost a lot of my work but the monetary value of what I put in to this truck is all still there in the running gear and a lot of good body trim interioir pieces glass etc.

I did get the grand experience of driving what my own two hands had created and that can never be taken away....................................the truck will return in some form................but mostly in spirit.

[laplander]

Glad to hear you're o.k.. What has State Farm said about paying for the damage? The reason I ask is 4 years ago I had a '72 get totaled by hail and while I got what I had it insured for, there were some bruised feelings on both sides. Hopefully yours goes smoother.

Nik

[Yukon Jack]

Originally Posted by 68GMC454

.. next time hit the deer..

He mentioned above that he did hit it.

[prg machine]

Originally Posted by laplander

Glad to hear you're o.k.. What has State Farm said about paying for the damage? The reason I ask is 4 years ago I had a '72 get totaled by hail and while I got what I had it insured for, there were some bruised feelings on both sides. Hopefully yours goes smoother.

Nik

The truck did not have comprehensive..just liability............I was going to do som other insurance eventualy for agreed value.



I drove back through there this morning on way to insurance office with the tow bill.........what I now know is that I was in a gradual right turn coming up over a slight rise and that's when I locked em up and consequently ( I assume) the truck was already headed to the right through the turn.....coming up over the creat of the hill and lighter due to that and just did a sideways slide at about 40 and then over the hill about 50 yards or so down the road into a nice soft pile of brush and trees................the dead tree I hit just fell over and busted in half over my cab and tailgate.................about 20 feet further down the highway that same side of the road is lined with solid oak trees about a foot in diameter.............I was darn lucky to go down in this hole where I did................darn lucky............hitting one of those oak trees would not have been pretty.

I was truly blessed to land down in that hole where I did......................it was almost like diving into the deep hole with the shallow waters either side..............it was like about a 15 foot window............it could have been about 6 foot sooner and the truck would have entered the driveway there and could have rolled off to the left into that hole...................it was like it was planned!


I am getting pictures of this spot soon.

[prg machine]

I was out there under the front looking and the frame is pushed back a slight amount on the drivers side straight back from the front bumper mount and has the motor mount shifted to the rear causing the motor to set off to the left...............the steering box is also shifted to the left as seen in this picture of the steering shaft where it goes through inner fender.

[prg machine]

forgot pictures

[prg machine]

still trying to decide which way to go with the truck...............save the good parts and walk away from the wreck and buy another truck? or try to straighten all of this out?
The frame has me worried now. add the cab......the front clip............the bed and gate..................it's gettin to be too much of a project to get back to being on the road again...............probably as big a project or bigger than what i started with................at least the frame was mostly straight before.

I don't know..............I go from being okay with it to being sick.

[prg machine]

okay.........................I went out and straightened the tailpipe on the passengers side..............came out surprisingly well and started to straighten the panel...................pulled the shroud off the core support and it fired first try...............running fine. The clutch pedal linage is stiff because of the shift in the frame on that side..............I am hooking up to a tree after i pull the fenders off and grill to see the frame and pulling that frame side back to the front, I was able to massage the door frame with an oak block and big hammer to lift the frame up and get the door to fit... it closes pretty good........... All of the lights still work...............dim headlight on passengers side............probably a ground problem.............I might be driving it again soon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ya can't keep a good Chevy down!!!

[prg machine]

pulled off everything to get a good look

[prg machine]

let the battle begin..............a could hear the hammers ringing for miles!!!! HA! Pull and pound....pull and pound!!!!
It is actualy straightening out. I left it for now............more another day............transfer case won't go into low range all of the way for some darn reason.

[ChevLoRay]

You gotta love a guy who has trees and come-a-longs....for body tools.

The frame got tweaked a bit, didn't it? I guess the test will be how it drives and whether or not you can keep it on the road, without any deer to get in your way.

Glad to see you jumped right in and on the project. Wish I was half my age so I could endure this heat and work on mine.

[oldgold70c10]

Yeah, these trucks are something. I did what you did about 2 years ago-had a blowout on a curve, panicked a bit and locked them up. Ended up rolling over and landing in a ditch! http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=201458

Looks like your on a good track to recovery. These trucks are amazing what you can do with them!! Just don't lock 'em up!

[prg machine]

Originally Posted by oldgold70c10

Yeah, these trucks are something. I did what you did about 2 years ago-had a blowout on a curve, panicked a bit and locked them up. Ended up rolling over and landing in a ditch! http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=201458

Looks like your on a good track to recovery. These trucks are amazing what you can do with them!! Just don't lock 'em up!

Wow your truck got it bad! Did you save that cab?

Glad you made it okay.

[prg machine]

I am a little emberaced:


check it out:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...to_threadtools

[prg machine]

hey oldgold70c10......................if you saved that cab maybe you can teach me how to pull my roof den......I was thinking about buying a stud gun to do it with.............I am not afraid aof a little filler as well.

[oldgold70c10]

Originally Posted by prg machine

Wow your truck got it bad! Did you save that cab?

Glad you made it okay.

Did I save it? It's still in my yard!! Seriously, I reused everything but the cab itself & windshield, and the driver's side door. I think I was amazingly lucky that it stayed so straight.

[odog]

Hope all goes well, post a list of needed parts, may be some laying around somewhere. Glad to here you are ok and working on the truck again.

[prg machine]

Originally Posted by odog

Hope all goes well, post a list of needed parts, may be some laying around somewhere. Glad to here you are ok and working on the truck again.

Thanks so much. I actualy have found a lot of people out there who are helping me out. For now I think i am on the track od bringing this huna iron back to fight another day..............Any modern truck would have been total history....................
This old chevy literaly bowled over trees ad brush and was almost driveable from the tow yard..............actualy I could have pulled the shroud off, bent the tail pipe out a little and drove her home!

Hard to believe...................I am taking a picture tommorow of the hole that i ended up down in.

[Chevyman680063]

Originally Posted by prg machine

Thanks so much. I actualy have found a lot of people out there who are helping me out. For now I think i am on the track od bringing this huna iron back to fight another day..............Any modern truck would have been total history....................
This old chevy literaly bowled over trees ad brush and was almost driveable from the tow yard..............actualy I could have pulled the shroud off, bent the tail pipe out a little and drove her home!

Hard to believe...................I am taking a picture tommorow of the hole that i ended up down in.

Glad to see you're fixing it and be careful when you go out there tomorrow.

[odog]

Just let us know if we can do something to help. Hope to see the old girl on the road.

[prg machine]

okay here it is:
I saw the deer and locked up and skidded sideways and over in front of where the yellow truck is parked (my present trasnsportation) down in that hole just to the right of that phone utility box. The last thing i remember seeing before i hit was that large tree that i toppled over. It knocked me out.
If i would have went in a few feet sooner on that drive to the right of the hole I would have rolled................a few feet later and i would have been into some thicker trees and a large oak tree that was alive and wouldn't have snapped like the old pine tree snag that i toppled. The tree is over 2 feet in diameter and i set my hat on the brush there that is about 20 feet back from the tree. There is a large culvert about 5 feet in diameter to the right and under that tree. The tree is actualy on the other side of the creek that I toppled. It snapped off over my cab and tailgate.

[prg machine]

I am trying to post the rest but the file size won't upload...............I don't get it.............I took the rest of the pics at the same time.

[prg machine]

tried croping the pictures