Vintage Wrecks-Before and After

These are photos from my Dad's body shop. He was in business in Chicago for over 60 years as Nydam Bros Auto Rebuilders. I found these interesting due to there are many wreck photos out there but not ones after they were repaired. Holy Cow they worked hard!
Bill

 

Around this part of the country I've seen cars with much less damage rotting in fields,,,they were considered total loss. HRP

 

I want that Pontiac ragtop!

 

They certainly put in a lot of work! These days you only have to scratch your bumper and crack the headlight to be considered a write-off!!

 

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I just re-found some bills of my Dads shop from the later 50s. It's sick how cheap it was.

 

Very cool pics

 

I'd be a very happy man just having all the parts that they THREW AWAY

 

Great pics, thanks for sharing, hard to believe they would fix some of those!

 

Each of those cars would be written of as "total" today.

Frank

 

And many were written off then also. Ever go to a salvage yard 40 years ago?

 

thanks for sharing, very cool pics

 

The rollover repairs blow me away.

 

Hey,

There's some great examples of the skills of metalmen of days past! Before the 70s, most body shop owners would buy an insurance builder or two to keep the skilled help busy during lean times in the shop. A good number of these rebuilt ''totals'' would get rebuilt, and resold thru used car lots across america. Todays' title laws in most states make the rebuilding, and reselling of wrecked automobiles a very poor investment for most shops and mechanics

 

DITTO! I "grew up" hanging around a body shop/garage combo in the late '50s and early '60s and have seen similar results. Those guys knew how to fix 'em. Sectioning bodies (aka 'clipping') was common in those days and made it financially feasible to fix a serious wreck.

Plus, no super expensive electronics and air bag systems at that time. Today the cost of replacing safety systems and related trim parts can easily exceed the actual body work required.

Again, Thanks for sharing!

Ray

 

Thanks for sharing! It's pretty neat to see the results next to the carnage.

 

Those before and after photos were interesting and amazing. Thanks. Never saw a comparison like that before.

 

And all done before the arrival of mig welders and Bondo.

 

Absolutely unbelievable. Wow!!!!

 

Amazing what those guys could do with real sheet metal.

Could never do that with the crap that is sold today.

 

Come on, really? Those are the same cars in the after photos? Some of those with severe roof damage I would think that they wouldn't even consider repairing. Amazing.

 

To 56DON, I believe they are the same cars repaired. The photos were laid out in a scrapbook, before and after. If you look real close at some of the photos you can see the same license plates.
Bill

 

Thanks for posting, those photos are amazing. Nowadays you leave your car parked
out in a hailstorm and it's considered a write-off.

 

Wow! It takes a special talent to make those repairs.

 

Wow! Some great work there! Thanks for posting these pictures, they are quite interesting.

 

Man some of those cars are a mess, you would think they would be write offs in the day. Obviously some talent working in that panel shop, pity modern "panel beaters" have mostly lost the art of working metal like the old timers.

 

My dad was a "panel beater" when I was very young. ( I'm 65 now).
I remember riding in a fastback 50's Chevy that he built by cutting two totals apart in the center and welding and massaging the best two halves back together.
A lot of the guys that did body work back in the day had that kind of talent.

 

When you're hungry, and supporting a family, it's amazing how much work a guy can do. Thanks for the pictures, you should be proud of your old man!

Brian

 

Most body shops today have only one "body man" and one painter. The rest are parts changers or prepers. Not meant as derogatory, but fact.

 

Great thread!!Thanks for sharing!!

 

Working as a bodyman in late sixties to early seventies the insurance companys paid us to repair cars with front and rear clips from junked cars. Often replaced complete roof panels on cars that rolled over. Today that's unheard of in the body shop.