Bodywork Gurus come hither!

[LA_phantom_240]

I'm getting sick of my s14 being as crooked as your average politician. It was hit in the driver's side rear some time before I got it, so the driver's quarter panel has the telltale s14 dent under the rear window, and the fender's arch is kinda smooshed outward a bit, making my weak offset wheels that much more weak. Furthermore I can't change my bumper cause the support was shoved so far forward that the bolts are underneath the sheet metal past the holes in the trunk. The frame rail under the trunk is crinkled in a couple spots.

Any ideas how I could tackle making this thing straight enough to get a new bumper on?

I'll get pics tomorrow. The car really doesn't look bad at all, it just doesn't line up in the rear.

[ThatGuy]

Know anybody with a frame pulling machine? They work wonders.

[burnsauto]

yeah i'd get a hold of a puller...thats about the only way you can get it back to oem "specs"

[LA_phantom_240]

I have a friend of a friend who does bodywork and has access to a frame machine. He was given a 94 prelude which had gone through a steel building at about 50mph, and ended up wrapped around an I-beam.

Looks damn good today.

That's not the point though. I'm thinking of welding a couple eyes in front of the damaged spots, and hooking it up to a come-along and trying to pull some of it like that.

[ThatGuy]

I suppose you could do it that way, but I'd just rather see you use the proper tools to do it, instead of trying to fab something up. I'm not saying you couldn't do it, and make it work perfectly. I'd just prefer the frame machine personally.

[SleepR 240sx]

Use a frame puller. Here's some before and after when I used a frame puller on mine.

before:




Don't know how much you can tell but the radiator support was bent very badly.

After I spent some time with the puller:





Use the puller, do it right or do it twice.

[LA_phantom_240]

Right.

I like that. I take it you're fond of red oxide primer? lol. Any suggestions on what kind of paint I should use? I want it close to my factory color (AL0, ugly maroon), but I want to change it up a bit, maybe make it a pearl and a little more vibrant.

When I get the car straight, I'm going to sand down pretty far into the paint to get decent adhesion... Suggestions on what primer?

And anyone have any experience or knowledge on the differences in your urethane, enamel, laquer, etc. based paints?

[SleepR 240sx]

Right.

I like that. I take it you're fond of red oxide primer? lol. Any suggestions on what kind of paint I should use? I want it close to my factory color (AL0, ugly maroon), but I want to change it up a bit, maybe make it a pearl and a little more vibrant.

When I get the car straight, I'm going to sand down pretty far into the paint to get decent adhesion... Suggestions on what primer?

And anyone have any experience or knowledge on the differences in your urethane, enamel, laquer, etc. based paints?

What you see in the pic is the first base coat going on. I would suggest Duplicolor for paint/primer. Very good stuff IMO.

As far as the color, I got the exact paint code by giving Nissan my VIN because the sticker was gone. But anyways start out with your stock color and then imagine what you want it to be. Have someone mix it or fine a premixed one that looks like what you want.

Also, a puller does do an amazing job but at some point you can only pull/twist metal so far until it becomes useless. You can still see that the radiator support is a tiny bit twisted. But I got it back far enough to line everything else back up to spec. I don't see why you couldn't fix the problem your describing.

[LA_phantom_240]

That's what I'm thinking. I want it to be close to factory so that my engine bay and door jambs aren't so obvious. Of course, AL0 is a balls-out ugly color, so its gotta go. lol.

Eastwood has a color I like on their website...

[SleepR 240sx]

And if you end up repainting the whole car be sure to fix all the small dings/dents. Body hammer's work wonders. I went as far as taking all the glass out of mine, took the hatch off, fully sanded down the car. Like I said earlier do it right the first time or you'll end up doing it twice...possibly more than that if your really unlucky.

[s13dan]

Yea i would not suggest half shafting with body and paint work, i be an hour on a frame rack and youll be good as new. Like SleepR said do it right or twice, werd.

[LA_phantom_240]

How much do you think it would cost to get it for an hour or two on the frame machine?

[FRoSt415]

Originally Posted by LA_phantom_240

How much do you think it would cost to get it for an hour or two on the frame machine?

try to enroll in a class at your local community college depending on your schedule either a day class or night class. see if you can get a frame repair class if not bodywork/body repair or something but check it out and make sure they have a frame machine. they should but i dont know how LA is. or go to a body shop and offer them money to pull your car try to get a friend of a friend if you cant just go around and get estimates. i dont think anyone will let u rent their frame machine because if you dont know what your doing u can really hurt yourself.

[silpena]

not only that frame machines are hella expensive. Our school new frame rack was around 20k and each sensor cost 1000 so if u drop it u are screwed. I would enroll in a class also but most of the time they dont let u do it the first time and you wont have enough time to clamp it down and anchor it, set up sensor and pull the frame. It all varies from school to school. Luckly for me my school is on top of their equipment and facilitys.
the easy frame machine rakc is if u get the posts with chaines and mount it to the ground. Pretty cheap system, only like 350-700 used but u still have to know how to pull, relieve the frame/metal around the area where you are pulling and how to consisitly measure the frame by hand unlike the computers which tell you like every 1.5 seconds and where to stop becuase u can over pull the metal and make it worse. If all fails find a shop that will do it cheap if u pull the bumper and everything thats in the way from accesing the frame or any measuring points.

[LA_phantom_240]

Originally Posted by silpena

If all fails find a shop that will do it cheap if u pull the bumper and everything thats in the way from accesing the frame or any measuring points.

Teehee.... The bumper isn't coming off til I either 1) Straighten shit out enough to unbolt the support, or 2) Take a sawzall and cut half of it off to straighten it out enough to unbolt the support. Either way I need a new support and cover.

And I has pictures!

56k = Death.

So here's how the rear of the car sits



The passenger side's fender/tire relation




The driver side fender/tire relation. Notice it's outward flare.



The dent in the quarter panel. The smaller dent further back was from a jackass with a Dodge truck smashing his door against my car. Fucktard.


Closer up on the bumper's buckle. Really shows how far out of shape this part really is.


Nasty trunk gap



Now the nitty of the gritty: The fame damage, and sheet metal under trunk.







Whadayathink?

[LA_phantom_240]

Grrr.......

[silpena]

i think you should seriouly get it fixed......

[CrimsonRockett]

Originally Posted by silpena

i think you should seriouly get it fixed......

No shit?



Frame puller would be the only way.

[ericcastro]

frame puller.

Its behind everything suspension wise, so you should be driving safe at least

[s13dan]

thats a weakass hit, frame rack and a lil time and it will be better than new! If you have the car apart when you take it to a shop that will help cost. I think its around 80$ an hour (around here) for frame work. Plus parts if any are needed.

[LA_phantom_240]

Sawzall + bumper = Damnit I need a new penguin sticker lol.

I gotta hunt down a bumper support and hack that thing off. After that, its off to get estimates.

I was told the car rolled backwards into a trailer... but it would have to be moving pretty good to do that shit, imho.

[ericcastro]

When i got my S13, i was told it rolled into a sign post in the front corner.

One day i pulled the bumper off to see if I would tweak things back in place, and the whole support fell of on the "hit" side.

One bolt sheared and the other ripped out of the frame.

rolled into a post,......sure.....

[LA_phantom_240]

Yeah. Doesn't matter. I picked up the s14 on the cheap, a bumper support is $150, and a bumper is like $60. All I need are adhesive backed sanding discs, tape, paper, and primer and I'm good to start painting. I already have everything else.

Or maybe I should skip the bumper, and get a body kit while I'm painting. lol.