My Marina Blue '67 SB coupe spent the last 6 months at Corvette Paramedics (excellent work) for a new TKO 600, rebuild front and rear suspension, and L-79 clone with RHS aluminum heads, correct carb and intake manifold. I spent another couple of weeks putting in a new interior and Al Knoch refurbished/rebuilt leather seats.

First drive down Texas Rd in Old Bridge, NJ swerved to miss a deer and "kissed" the guardrail. All the damage was cosmetic. Drives like nothing happened. The impact from the guardrail missed the suspension, sidepipes, and wheels.

Hagerty appraisal is $19,365, although the body shop says they will probably need another 5K once they get into the work. They will be replacing the door. Since the whole car is being painted, decided to have a big block hood added without the strip package.

Shop says 2-3 months, so I'll double that and hope to be driving springtime next year. Couldn't wait to drive the Vette when I got it back from Corvette Paramedics and now it's gone again. One short drive in a year is just killing me. Just blessed I didn't total the car or kill myself.

http://s1283.photobucket.com/user/fo...?sort=3&page=1

 

I'minheaven67,

Would make me sick, in fact, I am sick looking over the damaged area. Glad you were not hurt in that avoidance accident. I know instinctively one wants to steer away from a collision. Just thinking out loud here, since it was a deer, an "object" that's moving, just wonder if the damage would have been lessened to just hit the deer. At least it would be a moving collision rather than a tree or immovable object. Probably not since the guardrail served as a glancing blow and allowed the car to continue moving to absorb the energy.

At least the shop "knows" the car (smile). I'm with you, add another 2-3 months to their guestimate. Definitely keep Hagerty in the know regarding any up charges the shop identifies.

Good luck in this repair.

Jim
In God We Trust!

 

Sorry for the loss, sad to hear. I just went through the same thing, my insurance rep made me feel better by advising I hit the deer next time. If you hit the deer it is an act of God collision and you are not at fault. If you hit something avoiding the deer you are now in an at fault collision and it goes on your driving record. I avoided hitting the deer but damaged my wife's BMW X5. In our case it was 3 Doe and two Fawns. We could have been eating Venison and had no insurance spike!
Glad you were not hurt. Hope you like the new hood.

 

I live out in the country and I tell everyone "Never" swerved to miss an animal just hit it and than come to a stop. I have seem too many people hurt themselves by ending up in a ditch or hitting a tree.

 

Glad you are ok, but sorry to see your car damaged. Dennis

 

Glad your ok, that's a shame about your car, but it's fixable. Just my 2 cents but if that was my car I'd have black striping put on that big block hood. Theirs nothing prettier than a marina blue 67 vette with a black stinger hood.

 

How about details about the new engine and trans? Are you happy with the changes and new power?

 

Ouch. Man, that just hurts to look at. But as my mom always said, "Things can be replaced, YOU can't be." Sorry for your trouble, but it will ultimately just make the car more appreciated. And there are a few grateful deer walking around telling all the other woodland critters how cool Corvette drivers are.

 

That would take the wind out of my sails too, I'm sorry it happened but glad it wasn't worse.

 

That's just too painful to look at. Words escape. As my Dad use to say "this to shall pass".

 

Man, that's a shame alright, especially since you just got it back. I could see how the repairs could easily top $20,000.00. It could have been worse though, as you might have actually become your user name.

 

Hitting a deer at any speed is not a good option either. wile driving to the coast last year, an older pickup in front of us hit a large doe, which went over the top of the truck and came through our windshield, ending up in my dads lap in the passenger seat. fortunately the deer was stone dead at that point or it likely would have killed my dad by flailing around. to add to the irony of the accident, there was a state trouper just behind us who saw the whole thing. the truck never stopped and was never located as far as I know.
We were actually lucky, as I've seen several other deer/vehicle encounters and it never fails to amaze me at how much damage a deer can do to a car.

 

Absolute bummer man! But could have been a lot worse. Glad your ok. With winter knocking at our door hopefully you won't miss her as bad.

 

Did it happen in a 'Vette? Either way, pics please?

 

What a shame after all that work. I'm sure they will fix it as good as new. At least it didn't go through the windshield and injure you. Up in New Hampshire and Maine they have big problems with deer and moose hits. The moose will kill you. We have alot of deer accidents around here as well. They are on the run during mating season.

 

I know Texas road (fly sometimes out of Old Bridge) and that is a tough spot to try and swerve with very little room on either side of the road to maneuver (narrow country road ). Lucky you did not loose control of the car when you swerved. Was that at night or during the day? The Deer population here in NJ is out of control. They are visible grazing along the side of major highways fearless of the traffic passing. You never know when one will get spooked and run out in to traffic. Looks like your damage is very repairable though and the car should ride fine when fixed. That's a major bummer! Very nice looking car.

 

So sorry. At least you were not injured. A good body shop will make it look good as new. Best of luck in the future!

 

The intent was to put a Tremec TKO 600 in the Vette and rebuild the suspension. When the Tremec was ordered from American Powertrain, the initial shipping estimate was 4 weeks. When it became clear this was wildly optimistic, and later turned out to be 4 months, the wheels started turning about building a L-79 clone. Corvette Paramedics did a terrific build, helping me source the correct aluminum intake and carb, along with all the other little bits and pieces. Along with the L-79 parts, I also added RHS (Racing Head Service) aluminum cylinder heads painted orange, new double roller timing chain, roller rockers, cam and rams head exhaust manifolds. I kept the old cylinders heads, carb, and the close ratio Muncie, should someone wish to return it to stock.

The engine pulls cleanly from idle to redline. The powerband has moved up the rev range, and I'm happy to say it's still pulling strong at the top end and doesn't fall off as quickly as before. The electric choke that comes with the L-79 option makes the start up and subsequent miles much smoother that the manual choke setup from the stock carb.

The Tremec trans was very "notchy" and difficult to shift while driving home from Corvette Paramedics. 5th gear was especially hard to engage smoothly. I did notice a considerable improvement in shifting as the few miles I drove before the accident were put on the trans.
Of course the biggest difference from the previous set up was the drop in rpms at cruising speed. The car originally had a close ratio 4spd Muncie and 4.11 gears that had the engine turning in the 3,800-3,900 rpm range at 70+- mph. The new setup was apx. 2000 rpms at 60 mph with the 4.11's. For me, it's the perfect setup for around town and cruising the highway. The speedo cable that American Powertrain provided in their kit to mate to the new Tremec seized on the way home from the shop and they provided a replacement in a few days.

The other work at Corvette Paramedics involved a complete suspension rebuild, including new Bilstein shocks, rebuilt rear control arms, rear leaf spring, and front end components. They also replaced the original side pipes with Allen's "Super Quiet Side Pipes". The original pipes no longer had any baffle material, essentially a straight thru pipe, and they were extremely loud. Now they are very mellow at cruising speed and loud enough for me when the pedal hits the floorboard.

After the rebuild, I spent the next 3 weeks installing a new interior, including Hush Mat, underlayment, carpet, door panels, headliner, sun visors, and refurbished/rebuilt seats in leather with the optional headrests from Al Knoch. Along with the seats, I installed new shoulder set belts, and a new Freeman teak steering wheel. Prior to all this work, I installed power brakes which is another story all its own. I also pulled the gauge cluster, clock, glove box and steering column and sent them to Rick's Restoration and Larry's steering column service in Texas. The both did excellent work, with a quick turnaround and reasonable pricing.

Thanks to all for the kinds words about my accident. Driving in this area of NJ at dusk is a constant reminder about the large deer population we have in one of the most densely populated state in USA.
The Hagerty appraiser said it was best I missed the deer, since hitting the front end on our car usually means a total loss. The Vette's unique front end styling tends to clip the deer at the legs and send it up over the hood and into the cockpit. The appraiser has seen several examples of this happening over the years and it's not pretty for the deer or occupants. As many have said it's a blessing I wasn't hurt and the car will be fixed. With a new paint job and BB hood, I'll patiently wait another 6 months to enjoy a truly remarkable car that I am proud to own.

 

One time I had to drive to Flemington, NJ and could not believe how many dead bucks I saw on the side of the road. Some really nice too. Not something you see on a daily basis in other parts of the country. I would say you are very lucky you did not hit a deer.

Years ago I saw a 63 which had some damage on the front. The owner said he hit an empty box at 55 and it did the damage. I could not believe it then again I was not driving...

A few weeks ago I hit a raccoon with my wife's car. Missed the first two then hit the last one on a busy freeway. It broke the front bumper and lower molding including the plastic underneath the car.