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I found a 1996 GS that did have an accident early on in its life. It does look like there was some work done to the forward frame, but I was just wondering how it looks compared to an untouched frame. I know the car did have a frontal collision but does have a straight frame and drives straight. Also, just curious how much it might cost to swap in a new forward frame piece if that would make the car better. I know it is not cheap. Here is the pics. Thank you!
Last edited by JDurick; 09-18-2017 at 11:41 PM.
Reason: Trying to get pics uploaded.
Keep looking. Some of that doesn't look too bad but then....Not to mention the structural integrity of the still mangled parts that should have been replaced, not merely pulled/stretched back in to place.
I know it would be easiest to find another, but this is a unique car. My father was the original owner and the accident happened when he owned it at 4,000 miles. I just happend to stumble upon it 6 weeks after he passed away. I guess I am willing to spend the money to make it perfect since it was his car. Overall, the rest of the car is pretty nice.
I know it would be easiest to find another, but this is a unique car. My father was the original owner and the accident happened when he owned it at 4,000 miles. I just happend to stumble upon it 6 weeks after he passed away. I guess I am willing to spend the money to make it perfect since it was his car. Overall, the rest of the car is pretty nice.
If the car was properly repaired from the first collision there's no reason to be concerned. You should consider just having the under-body and chassis dimensions confirmed. I would doubt that there were any bolt-on components that weren't replaced in the original repair. The HSLA frame rails would have been straightened vs replaced if practical and economically more practical than replacement. A proper repair/straightening of them is often more preferred than replacement. I might prefer a repair but I'd like the choice to be mine.
Did your Father sell the car because he was concerned about the original repair? If yes then maybe there was good reason. If he kept the car and put several thousand miles on it before selling/trading or whatever then maybe that should be your answer.
Have you bought the car yet?
Aside from where the impact bar is welded to the rails I didn't see any thing obvious but snapshots ain't the answer. If the car measures fine, drives fine I doubt I'd attempt to "pretty up" the impact bar and frame rail fabrication. It would/could be challenging and likely expensive.
Yes, the car is mine. I think my Dad got rid of the car after the accident because it was a 6 month old Grand Sport that was wrecked and he wanted to find one that wasn't. (He eventually gave up) Either way, the car drives straight as can be and overall looks very good. I guess it is more of a sentimental thing to me, plus I have always liked the Grand Sports. When I found his old car, I couldn't resist. Over time, I will make this car as good as I can.
If you want to make a cosmetic repair you will need a new clip and a good frame shop with an understanding you want it cosmetically correct. It looks like the damage might have been in the very front and all that might have been damaged is the frame horns and that keeps the car tracking and driving correctly. I did a 1994 with frame horn years ago (around 1997) for my daughter and it took as long to perfect the welds so you could not detect the welds then it did to do all the other work. I bought painted body parts of the correct color so there was not any repaint on the body parts. We painted the frame with a gun and not rattle cans.
another Zombie thread victim, this one not so bad as the other, but still
Folks, please turn off related threads and continuous threads in your profile so you are not replying to threads that are a couple years old as if they were yesterday.
09-18-2017, 11:28 PM
1996 forward frame repair
