I am in the process of settling my motor vehicle accident claim with the
perp who hit. I will be getting about $3,000.00 which will more than cover
the bumper, lower rear valance panel and miscellaneous repairs. The cash
would go a long way toward a nice paint job and repairs of other body
mishaps. This is my summer daily driver. A northern Ohio original. This
was not a frame off restoration car to begin with. My problem is that I
know what lies beneath the surface. The square channel members are dust at
the ends near the leaf springs. The upper insides of the rocker panels and
fender doglegs are not far behind. I had to pop rivet the bottom edge of
one of the from fender's dogleg because it started to pull away. The body
looks fairly presentable to the casual observer. There are some bubbles
appearing through previous repairs done 15 years ago. The dashpad needs
replaced.
My dilemma is where do I put the money.
1. in my pocket, fix the minor accident damage and go on driving it ...
2. into the accident repairs and a new paint job with plastic surgery to the
body where necessary.
3. into the frame and whatever other body work can be done.
I am not sure how long the car will last with the framing members in this
condition. Any ideas/ thoughts will be appreciated. I have a good body
man, but I'm not sure of his skills in the structural department.
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