wrecked 911S

juiceyou321 · 10-03-2005, 10:10 AM

I just wrecked my 76 911S about 2 hours ago and it is pretty bad, I'll put up pictures as soon as I get some. I was driving down the road about 50 and a semi-truck pulled out in front of me and I ran straight into his trailer and put my head through the windshield. The front end is pretty bad and will need completely redone since the bumper hood and quarter panels are toast. Also the driverside frond windshield pillar hit the trailer and it is smashed in about 4 or five inches. From the doors back there is no significant damage so I think I'm gonna just try to rebuild the front. My question is where the best place is to get panels and what I need to do about the pillar being smashed. I'm looking at using fiberglass or carbon fiber on the replacement panels but I'm not having much luck finding them. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

89turbocabmike · 10-03-2005, 10:15 AM

Juice, glad your alright. Talk about resilience! Two hours later and already planning the resurrection

You're in good company here! Welcome and congrats on your first post.

IROC · IROC's Garage

Glad you're OK. If the front got really torn up (which is what it sounds like) I would be concerned about the ability to pull it back out correctly to restore proper suspension geometry, etc. The cosmetic stuff is probably the easy part. I would have an expert on unibodies take a look at it and make sure that it is worth the time and effort.

Good luck,

Mike

scottb · 10-03-2005, 10:21 AM

First of all, I'm glad you're OK. Pretty tough guy to be posting 2 hours after such a bad accident. I'm surprised you're not still in the hospital after your head went through the windshield.

That's the good news.

The bad news -- I'd be shocked if the tub was not damaged. Before you start thinking about panel replacement, I'd get the car to a shop where they can analyze whether the tub is "off," and if so, whether it can be fixed.

Good luck! Let us know how things go.

bob tilton · bob tilton's Garage

That is one helluv a first post!!! Sounds like you're okay.

Dantilla · 10-03-2005, 10:27 AM

You're going to fit right in here! Welcome!

Wayne 962 · Wayne 962's Garage

Hmm, tough break. The reality is that the 1976 cars are not the valuable, primarily due to the 2.7 engine problems they had. A replacement chassis can probably be found for much cheaper than it would be to repair this one. You can have it painted and then swap all of the major parts. I would suspect a 1976 rolling chassis (or even one with a busted engine) to go for about $3000. That's where I've bought them in the past...

-Wayne

kach22i · kach22i's Garage

Yep, lots of good rollers avaliable in the Porsche for Sale section. Most from what I've been told are worth more parted out than what they are asking.

Question:
I'm not an expert on shell/roller price, so can anyone tell me why a 930 shell is worth over $10,000?

I don't want to start a war - been told that we can't talk price in the "for sale section" anymore.

klaucke · 10-03-2005, 10:59 AM

At the very least, you'll want to get the chassis on a Celette bench, to tweak the tub back to spec, if thats even possible. The front end could be junked to the point where it's uneconomical to rebuild a 76S. GT Racing, Getty Design, and others make fibreglass parts. A search will yeild many opinions.

adamred · adamred's Garage

I just had a minor 20 mph collision in my SC and it was pretty darn near totalled (just short of the insurance total threshold so she's being fixed) that said, today she heads off to have the tub straigtened and that was only a 20mph crash, I can't imagine the tub survived at 50 mph crash....

Glad to hear you are OK, if it was only 2 hours ago I'd be worried about how you feel tomorrow morning, I'd all but guarantee its not as good as you feel now...

SLO-BOB · 10-03-2005, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by juiceyou321
Also the driverside frond windshield pillar hit the trailer and it is smashed in about 4 or five inches.

I've been told that's terminal for any car.

Glad your okay and planning a Porsche future.

Jays72T · 10-03-2005, 12:19 PM

WOW, surprised and glad to hear you're OK, a 50mph hit into a semi's trailer is a hard hit. You should go buy a lottery.......well your pool of good luck might be pretty dry now. As for the car, you should wait to see what the insurance co. says but it sounds like it's a parts donor. If the A pillar is pushed back then the roof is probably buckled and that's a fair amount of labor to fix plus all the work on the front.

Keep us posted.

Groesbeck Hurricane · 10-03-2005, 12:25 PM

Glad your OK!!!

I'd start looking for a donor chasis and transfer the remaining good parts.

Superman · 10-03-2005, 12:27 PM

I've got some advice. Don't think about the car until at least tomorrow. Think about YOU. If your head went through the windshield and the drivers-side A-pillar is bent, and if you're posting just two hours later, then you've got a harder head than I do. Make sure you are okay. You've got to be still a bit shook up. Not the right state of mind to be considering automobile restoration challenges.

Oh, and a roller shell will probably be your best bet. You'll need to sort things out with an insurance company first. That takes quite a bit of time, sometimes. Slow down. Go home. Relax. See a doctor. Hug your friends and family. The rest will work itself out.

silverc4s · silverc4s's Garage

Welcome aboard! Always glad to have more Texans here. Sorry to hear about your accident, glad it was not more serious to you; but it does sound like your car may be worse than you fear..
You will get good advise on how to proceed here, and will have the opportunity to get to know your car intimately over the months ahead. Good winter project coming up.

PS: I have spent a lot of time in the Lubbock area - what was the location of your accident?

Good luck, and welcome again..

juiceyou321 · 01:29 PM

The accident was around 82nd and University. I've got some pics now!!! Don't worry guys, I'm pretty sure im thinking ok and not beat up too bad, just some small cuts from glass and a sore wrist from the steering wheel catching my hand in it.

The one of the windshield is where my head hit the glass. It just broke the windshield so I guess i didn't go "through" it. then when the car spun I hit my head on the side glass and broke that.
The car looks really bad but the wheels are still in line. The jacks that are up under the semi just caught the top of the bumper and peeled everything back. there was no hard impact down low, but I'll go get it checked out.

silverc4s · silverc4s's Garage

Looks like time for a speedster conversion to me. You say both fronts are still in alignment? Amazing!!
Yeah, 82nd & University is a busy intersection alright - you were really lucky, judging from these pics.

TWork · 01:33 PM

Wow! Given the way the car looks, I'm glad you weren't hurt more. I'm no expert, but looking at the pictures and thinking back to the one or two other 911s that I've seen that were totalled out, I'd be very, very surprised if it wasn't totalled. You seem to think that the other driver was at fault -- if that's the case, aren't you better off letting his insurance company buy you a new (to you) car?

T.

juiceyou321 · 10-03-2005, 01:32 PM

The wheels are still in line with the back ones and square with the centerline of the car. The Passengerside wheel is a little crooked and sustained some damage but is still in line with the car. I think that made sense...

silverc4s · silverc4s's Garage

It sounds like the tub may be unbent in the major dimensions anyway - just some damage in front of the front suspension. Can you see if the fuel tank is still sitting squarely on the perimeter of the mounting rubber "gasket"?