You are not going to freaking believe this.

[SeanPaintsFlames]

Wednesday:


Thursday night while wetsanding and buffing the sides:


And this afternoon, 4 hours after finishing buffing the rest of the truck, right after some asshat pulled across traffic in front of me:


So, yes. I was at the mall getting a new shirt and tie before my wife and I went to the opera tonight. Just an hour earlier, I had finished successfully installing my freebie BMW cooling fan, and I was quite happy it was working. I was on the way home, maneuvering the Mall of Georgia traffic, and the cars were backed up in the two main lanes so I got in the .5 mile long turn lane to get into a parking lot and bypass it all. Then, around the side of some SUV I see a silver Tundra zip through the stopped traffic and in front of me.

Locked up the brakes. Held tight to the big 'ol wheel. And popped my no-crumple-zone-week-old-paint 66 into the right bedside of that stupid Toyota.

45 minutes later, the lady in the tundra ended up with a Failure to Yield violation and a squashed bedside. I, on the other hand, despite the super-thick steel, have... problems.

No power. Windows down. Steering shaft and box- smashed and separated. No turning. 6 day old front bumper, grille, headlights, signals, and bezels- destroyed. Hood, front end panel, right fender, radiator, cooling fan, and core support- bent, broken, and unrepairable. It sucked to watch the tow truck driver drag the truck up on the flatbed sideways. If I had known this was going to happen, I would have hung out with my wife instead of working late on the truck all last week. Booo.

God has definitely done a serious work in me over these last few years- nobody was beaten to death today!

Enjoy the pics!!

[neto]

That has got to suck big. That was a beautiful paint job and great looking truck. Hopefully you didn't get hurt.

[Bishops Trucks]

I know your just sick to your gut about this. Don't let her insurance company try to jack you around on this. Get that thing fixed on the their bank account.

[Rogue 64]

Damn, thats sucks.
Hopefully everything will work out for you.
Glad your fine, and calm.
I'd be in jail!

[jonzcustomshop]

How horrible! watch that insurance company, they are probably right now cutting a check for the blue book value on a 66- $2300,
find all your recipts , and maybe find a lawyer so you can get at least 6 grand to fix it.

[72freak]

Pull every reciept you can find.........even get some re done and elevate them if you have to. Dont be dishonest about it.........but make sure you can show what the truck is really worth. You will probably be cut a check for more like $800...not $2300..........and yes..........you will probably have to get a lawyer.

[Woogeroo]

Well, a Toyota Tundra pulls out in front of ya at the Mall of Georgia... they have some real 'special' people up that away.

Man... my truck is nowhere near that nice, but I dunno if I could have restrained myself from committing a heinous act of violence.

Man, that just sucks... I really feel for you.

-W

p.s. tell the wife now that you know how to fix these old trucks, it's time for a new project! You can do more in half the time!

[ChopperDr]

That makes me sick to my stomach. I hope the insurance works out. The pics you have should document what shape it was in before the accident.

Are you going to blame your wife? No opera, no new shirt

Chopper

[SeanPaintsFlames]

I guess I could blame her... yyyyyeaah. "I need this new project - it IS all your fault, remember?!?!"


But, Oh, geez... I just got back from the shop. The tow company is one we deal with all the time at the body shop, so I just had him tow it there- he even dropped it in my parking space. It makes me sick.
But anyway, I'm not going to fix it. I realilzed that the frame is swung BAD. That's why the steering box joint broke, because the impact ripped the box sideways off the shaft. I also saw that the bed flew forward at the right side, popping the back of the cab (right in the spot I spent all Saturday two weeks ago fixing... Oh my...), but now the bed is out of square.
I did get the power windows jumped and the windows rolled up so that my stereo and new Infinity speakers will still be there Monday morning.

But, yes, I'm about to add up all my reciepts. I'm thinking something like $6k in purchase price and parts, but can I add some sort of dollar amount for my own labor?

I just don't know how to feel right now... It's just a truck- just money. And nobody was hurt, so that worked out well. She had her roommate's kids in the car, so if I'd have hit her a second earlier, it may have turned out differently.

Boooo for wasted labors.

[Stepside65]

ouch... It would be extremely dificult for me not to in jail right now if I were you. Glad you're ok tho

[62 short step]

Glad no one got hurt! I feel for you, that sucks bad!!! Good luck with the insurance company, hope every thing will work out for you.

[P_A]

Unbelievable! I hate to see something like that happen. Thank God you or anyone else didn't get hurt.

[Bama_C10]

glad you are ok and that sucks..big time.
BUTTT......

your back and neck feel ok?
feeling funny at all?

I think I would be "feeling" pains in places I have never felt before....until the insurance company "helped" me to feel better.

[Madmandav]

Dude,,, That sucks a** bigtime. I think this guy is running rampent Don't know what I would do if it were me. Our trucks get to feel like our kids sometimes.

[ChiefRocka]

Hey man, I am sorry about the loss of that beautifull truck...Glad you are not hurt !!

I was just loggin on to show my wife your truck this morning, when I saw this headliner....Man that sucks big-time !!!

From what you have written, you seem to pretty cool, considering.

I would be honest about it, but by all means get the money you deserve for your time, effort, parts and labor costs for sure.

Bottom line, is your ok, and you can always build IT or another again !!!

GoodLuck Bro !!!

LAter

[krue]

That is just heartbreaking!

[ClassicAutoResto]

Sorry man....frame did look pretty twisted. Why not get another frame and salvage what you can? I know it's easy to give advice, but the work and the look you achieved deserves to be resurrected IMO. The best thing about rebuilding is that you can change the things that you may not have completely liked. Just a thought. I know in Ky, any work done in the last 6 months is fully reimbursable with receipts. maybe your body shop can help you recover some time too. Good luck with it. Jerry

[salazar44]

Very Sorry! I hope all works out for you. I am glad nobody got hurt.

[kdrodworks316]

Oh man, I am sick! you got to fix that rig, I will donate a frame if you wanna figure out how to get it from ID to GA. At least you are ok.

[1966-Suburban-V-8]

That's Terrible! I knew things were going a little too good around here. I've had similar things happen to my vehicles - That Chevy was lookin' so Right!
Here's hoping you can recover what it's really worth, though we all know money won't change how you're feeling right now.

Dan

[jonzcustomshop]

I thought the frame looked tweaked..
You should figure your time-the hours you spent working on it , at 40 to 80 dollars an hour.
this is the part that you might need a lawyer to help you prove.
Most of the time if someone is going to do a restoration to the caliber that your truck was, a body shop would charge 20 thousand.
that covers labor materials, and parts.

[greg64]

Oh man! Your story is making me sick. Thank God nobody got hurt with the amount of damage. Hopefully you can fix her again. That paint was looking sooooo good.

[Mykul]

You have my deepest condolences.

[Frizzle Fry]

I was really looking forward to seeing that thing with a drop and some wheels, as I'm sure you were! I wonder if it can be appraised from the pics and what's left of it, or if that would even be worth doing? I hope you get enough to cover your $$$ AND time.

[fercho71]

man i hear your pain broo good thing that no one goth hurt