I am mad

neal c. · 01-29-2004, 11:49 AM

I wrecked my 914 yesterday. Nobody got hurt since nobody was driving it.
I pulled into the carport (pretty level, put the car into gear (or so I thought) got out and worked on my rv for a few hours.
As I was washing a part (25 ft away from the car) I look up and see the 914 rolling out the carport, crossing the alley and hitting a power pole ass end first.
Total distance rolled is three car lenghts and maybe one foot in elevation.
The damage is unbelievable: Crushed bumper, bent trunk lid, broken tail light, rear sheet metal mangelt, trunk floor bent,...
Looks like I had been rear ended by a fast moving truck.

If I hadn't watched it, I would have accused somebody of pushing it. If somebody told me that story, I would not believe one word.

My teener is, I mean was, not excactly a show car, but there is very little rust and no Bondo either. So, the whole episode made me more than a little sick.
On the bright side, the power pole did not sustain any damage.

Neal

Dave Bell · 01-29-2004, 01:07 PM

Bummer.... 18 months ago my wife rear ended one of my 914's with our F150 at a stop light and pushed me into one of my neighbors who was ahead of me at the light..... she said, "I looked away for a second and next thing I knew traffic was stopped"... I got to watch it all in the rear view mirror.

Fortunately she didn't hit the vehicle I had just finished restoring... I drive in back of her now.

anh911 · 01-29-2004, 01:26 PM

Neil and Dave, sorry to hear it, that sucks.

a Long time ago I was following a friend in his TR-6 with a 914. We were making a quick right turn - or so I thought, looked away for a sec and when I looked back he was dead stopped - too late. Luckily it was just the headlight bucket but man, scared the SH$^ out of his wife.

Alfred1 · 01-29-2004, 02:12 PM

Sorry to hear it - I hope both can be fixed.

mike95125 · 01-29-2004, 11:18 PM

They can fix that in Tijuana for not too much. Just a thought.

unclerichy · 02-01-2004, 01:29 PM

I feel your pain. A couple of years ago I hit a patch of gravel and sand while making an s-curve and slid my 74 in to the back end of a Toyota van. My front end looked almost like Dave's. Not a mark on the Toyota. It just goes to show that, while we all love them, these cars are not very crash worthty.

Alfred1 · 02-01-2004, 02:42 PM

In a severe collision, you want the front (or rear) of the car to crumple and absorb the energy otherwise you would be absorbing the energy.

Zeke · 02-01-2004, 05:18 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by mike95125
They can fix that in Tijuana for not too much. Just a thought.

If he lived any farther north, he'd be in Canada. Know any shops over the OTHER border?

Well, the red looks gone, but who knows. What did happen to it? And any pics of yours, Neal? Once you get the bumper off and cut the rear section free of the truck floor, it may well straighten up where you will never know. Deck lids are fairly plentiful And, of course, bumpers get straightened all the time. your comprehensive insurance should cover this less your deductable. Many shops will even wave the deductable once they get a go-ahead from the ins co.

There are some nice fiberglass lids and bumpers as well. A good time to do a little customizing if you're inclined.

MontyQ · 02-02-2004, 11:09 AM

I have to add my "driverless" collision to this thread. One day I was awakened by a knock on my door to tell me that someone had run through my driveway in their car and hit all three cars parked there. One of those was a 1975 914. About 2 hrs later the police show up and are filling out their forms, and just as he finishes the last one the teener lets loose and rolls backwards into the police car! Now has has to call a supervisor and get the 2nd accident written up as a "driverless-driverless" collision.

Monty

Dave Bell · 02-03-2004, 01:01 PM

The Red car got Sawzalled and disposed of in the garbage.

Engine was sold to a guy in Canada... A semi carrying ice cream products picked it up for the trip north so the crated engine got a cold ride to a cold climate.

I kept the 5 lug components and 911 suspension for use on a future vehicle.

Other bits and pieces got boxed and shelved for future use.

neal c. · 07:13 PM

Dave's car looks a lot worse than mine. I threw a tarp over the rear and have not looked at mine since the collision. I think, this weekend I'll be ready to take the bumper off and see what it takes to fix it if I decide to do that. Otherwise it's parting out time

The other major issue with the car is the MPS and the ECU. MPS is shot and the ECU is the wrong one. Maybe I should find these parts first before doing the bodywork.

Neal