First of all, the damage to my car was much more than cosmetic. Though, you couldn't have told by the first pictures I posted.

After some disassembly, the shop found another $4700 in supplemental damage (total is a little over $13K). Primarily both frame rails were damaged along with the engine carriage. The owner of the shop said this was not uncommon due to the way cars are made to create a "crumple zone". The amount of damage was enough that trying to straighten the frame rails is about impossible. He did say that some shops would do just that, then cover everything with undercoating to hide the damage. He promises me that no one will ever be able to tell that the car had ever been repaired after he is done with it.

I took these earlier this week. Please be warned...these pictures should not be viewed by those with heart conditions, impressionable children or other Bonneville owners.


































All the offending bent sheet metal and frame rails have been removed.






Funny, I remember it being alot longer!




Notice the missing framework on the engine carriage.



The side of the engine you never get to see.

I will try to get some more work in progress pics as it goes along. Right now I am hoping to have it back by the middle of next week (almost a full month!)

Jay

AAAAHHHHHH! THUMP.

That sucks, man. I was wondering how you were doing. Thanks for the update.

Now I know what mine is going to look like if I ever do that NorthStar SC 4.6L Swap! I just hope you got at least one good straight eye there & a steady hand on that welder.

For the 4.6l there is no cutting required. Well if you want a 454 slapped on there then you would need to do a little cutting. For fun you could take a thrashed Bonneville and try to put a rwd unit under it. It could be done, but some fabricating would be necessary.

Ty

SOME???

I think fabricating a rear drive unit for the bonne would be more then just some.

A friend of mine does bodyshop work for a living and is one of the best guys around for the job. He once had a customer come in unexpectly when another guy that worked at his shop had just finished cutting the guys brand new volvo in half. The volvo had spun out and slammed sideway into a tree or telephone pole. The car had to be cut in half to repair all the damage.

I think they had to call the paramedics for the owner and get the defib unit out.

I have seen that done and it works very well and I also saw the same car crashed again (my grandmothers) and the new side held up perfectly. Halving a valuable car is worth it. The car was an import so I will not mention it.

Ty

See and you thought I wasn’t a funny guy. LOL

Ty

The first time I went into the shop, the owner went out of his way to warn me what the car looked like. It was like a doctor warning a visitor to a patient in the ICU.

He told me that other people have almost gone into shock when they see their car completely dismembered. I told him I would be OK, but I will admit that I was a little shocked.

He showed me pics of a Lincoln Navigator that had serious frame damage. The entire body and engine was removed from the frame. The frame was cut in half and completely rebuilt from about the driver'* seat back.

What I like the most about this guy is that many insurance companies dislike him. They think he is too high priced. The insurance companies want to pay for a band-aid, not reconstructive surgery. He will not do "cheap" work unless the customer insists on it. Usually he will send them to someone else.

I feel pretty confident that the car will be totally right when I get it back.

Jay

BTW: The 4.6L NorthStar is a FWD V8 Engine! It can found in the Cadilac Seville STS! It is also a base 300HP Engine stock.

I think he was referring to my 454 comment.

Ty