It is in a body shop that specializes in New cars. They did the metal work on the 1/4 as a favor since I used to work there. 3 man shop. They are not equipped or able to take on the new damage. They have recommended 2 shops to me but they are just shops the insurance company recommended... not sure how the work is and an hour+ away from me. Wanted a shop someone with old cars knows can handle the work and not do crappy work. Plus wanted one closer to me if possible. I have tried searching the net. I asked a couple local car guys and I even posted for references on a local Facebook page. The only ones I got were new car shops. Not one of them had any real experience with a 50's repair.
Check with Rob Radcliff of King Kustom's, he is there in Temecula. 951-415-7330. Can also find him on facebook
I see, so where are you located at? We live in a large states..lol...PM me and if near me, I can give you some places to call/check out.
Geez man!! Sounds like you should take the insurance check and go find another car! that one is cursed!
I don't really believe in jinxed cars but this one really has my questioning that. Can't take the $ and get another... This is my dads. I rode in this car as a kid. I have had it in my garage in pieces since he passed in 1999 and had it on the road for maybe a month. More sentimental then anything else.
If it was me.......they’re paying for their screwup , simple as that Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
There is absolutely no excuse for this. Nada, none, no way! Somebody needs to cough up some dough and get it back to what it was. It looks like somebody may need to find some body parts. I wonder if Ford stuff is compatible?
You need a fender and a door. Give these guys a call. Yea, they are all the way across the country, but you are not paying for the shipping. Temples Auto Salvage. 7303 Two Notch Rd, Batesburg-Leesville, SC 29006 (803) 359-9063 Ask for Russel. Good luck, -Abone.
Thank you. I will give them a call. Spanners is correct. Door open while in reverse. F-one- Unfortunately I don't think Ford is compatible. I know even in the merc body style for this year there are 2 different versions of doors and unfortunately mine is the harder to find version. I have been looking for rear doors for a while. If you look the window channel is a chrome bolt in metal piece. All the doors for 55-56 mercury's I find have the window channel as stamped metal that is part of the door skin/shell and not a bolt in piece like mine.
I can vouch for Temples also, I have driven the 220 miles to Leesburg to buy parts, they are great guys to deal with. HRP
Or meanness. It's so bad.... It looks like it was on purpose. This thinking does no good I guess, but it's still a thought. There's lots of vandalism these days.
Man o man!! That is horrible!!! I don't want to add to your woes but. . . You may need hinges for that door too. Also, carefully inspect the cowl where the hinges attach, that may be bent too.
Hinges definitely. Pillar will probably be kinked as well. We used to repair this type of damage by removing the door and hinges and bolting a plate where the hinge was, then attach a large crowbar to that plate and reverse the direction of impact using brute force or several apprentices whichever is around at the time.
Youve never opened a door to see when you were backing up .........really........never, ever , in a tight space ? You obviously haven't worked around cars very much ..
That amount of damage shows a little more than a mishap caused by trying to be cautious. More like throwing caution to the wind and let’s go. Haven’t worked around cars very much You’re mistaken. I worked with a fellow who fancied himself as quite the detective. I called him inspector without a Clouseau Maybe you’re his twin
Either door was wide open and it was moved backwards against a lift post, or it was open and sometime backed something else into it while the door was open. That wasn't a "door slightly ajar backing up, to do that much from that angle the opening edge of the door would be heavily creased. Either way that looks like a genuine mistake. One that has STOP STOP FOR CRYING OUT LOUD in it's history. Unfortunately yes. The A pillar gonna be twisted, maybe cracked. Hinges won't be straight any more and that's all going to need to be realigned else that door will be springy towards where it closes if not and will want to make contact with the fender when it's opened once reskinned/replaced. Feel for you, hope you can get a resolution that works out. Phil
Being cautious I do not buy. If he were being cautious then he should have been paying attention and being "cautious". Intelligence. I once knew a CDL examiner that when he drove a low boy or flat bed Semi had to stand on the fuel tank while backing up his whole driving career. He would fail you if you did that while testing you. "Improper use of mirrors." End opinion is, caution and intelligence are irrelevant. Make them pay for their damage whether they are the former employer or not. Their inept attitude and lack of respect for the owner did the damage.
Sounds like a mistake that they are living up to. Give us some details (4 door, trim level) you can have the power of the hamb watching for a parts donor. Good luck you maybe able to get the rear doors you have been looking for as well.
Man, that really sucks. I know it looks bad, it's infuriating, frustrating, and down right disheartening. But, at the end of the day, it's still just nuts and bolts. Thankfully nobody was injured. Sweat is easy. The hard part is gonna be finding the stuff to fix it. 'Just gonna throw this out there... I'm also in Temecula. So, if you need any heavy lifting or help twisting bent metal, or hell, if you just wanna drink a beer, look at the damage and commiserate, just PM me. I have a sprung drivers side door on my '60 F100 as well. Hell, we should start a club called "The Hyperextenders."
For those that think this is from carelessness, have a look at the threads on here regarding reaching in and hitting the starter with the car in gear or no lockout on the shifter. Starting a shit fight as to the cause isn't going to make the owner feel better.
It might feel like this right now, but it’s really only steel and bolts. It can be fixed , hopefully the shop does right by you. Jeez I’ve seen threads on here that start with a rusty door hinge and a lump of dog poo and after some hammer hits and welding you have a concours car on your hands. Good luck with this . Keep us posted .
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