One of my favorite girl stores sent me a catalog with a 50% off coupon. So, since they went to the trouble of sending it, I felt duty bound to use it.

On the way, traffic was very heavy for a Sunday afternoon. I found myself behind a Big work truck with a bunch of junk hanging on it everywhere so I was staying quite far back. Without warning a Huge chunk of something that looked like double angle iron with a plate on one end fell off right in front of me!

Oh no, what to do, Oh no, hit brakes, Oh no, there's a car in the other lane, Oh no, the shoulder is too steep, Oh no, don't hit a tire, Oh no, don't hit the oil pan, Oh no, Oh no, Oh no, BLAM!!!!! RUMBLE, CKANKETY, CRUNCH all down the right side of the car.

Oh no, am I trailing fluid? how's the temperature? how's the oil pressure? how's the steering? how's the handling? are there any strange noises? is there any strange smell? any smoke? does everything seem normal? No, I did not get the number of that truck.

I got to the store OK, shopping trip somewhat subdued now, but I didn't notice any strange puddles anywhere so I relaxed a bit; but only just a bit!

When I got back here I just Had to know the damage. Certainly there Was damage, but what. So, after only a couple days with her feet on the ground, we jacked her up Again, and I crawled under for a thorough inspection.

The first thing I noticed was the right front jacking point has been hit HARD, knocking it a bit out of line and knocking all the undercoat and paint off. But it was still there and solid! Looking under the front however, was a different story.

Whatever it was not only flattened the cross member but wrinkled it!


It's straight across the back so all the suspension parts will be unaffected but it's a good thing the motor mounts are new or the engine might have broken loose at least sending the fan through the radiator.

After hitting the cross member whatever it was, slid along the right side of the car, digging a gouge and various scratches in the right rocker panel at about the B-pillar, then jumped up and scuffed the right front door and scratched the rear door chipping off the clear coat.






It missed Everything vital! >WHEW!!<

I can put some black nail polish on that gouge, it's under where no one will see it anyway except under exact circumstances. I can also dab some polish on the scratches on the door. *Hopefully* Meguiar's will eventually fill that scuff and it will be a lot less noticeable.

It could have been worse. It could have been a LOT worse. She'll be back on the road tomorrow.
(';')

 

That's really, really bad luck Elinor. As you say though, could have been worse.

I've been very wary of laden trucks and trailers ever since getting a shredded (Michelin 4X4) tyre when some fool lost his overloaded junk - no where to go except run over it. No, I didn't get his plate either!

Anyway, no doubt you will overcome. On your third pic the door appears slightly dented, but obviously it's a trick of the light. Hope you get a good finish back with Mr. Meguiar's help.

Cheers,

 

That could have ugly in lots of ways. That cross member took quite hit , great luck that the debris didnt go on to get tangled up with anything else. Hopefully its just cosmetic and can wait for the next big round of work for attention.

 

BUGGA.

That cross member is one tough hunk of steel.

I would get a BIG shifter, and clamp the jaws onto the raised up bit, and bend it back where it belongs, then a quick squirt of paint, all done.

 

That is one bit of bad luck!...but as has been said it could've been worse. Well done for keeping it together while driving along.

 

Tony:
I will overcome this, already done. It's quite therapeutic, polishing is. I'll be able to see just how bad it is today in daylight, but At Least the door wasn't dented, only scuffed. I'm hoping that will literally buff out.

Steve:
Yes, it could have hit the oil pan, or the transmission, or jumped up and hit the steering rack, and the fuel and brake lines run along that side too. I was surprised I didn't run over it with a rear tire.

Grant:
I don't know what a shifter is but I'll tell husband about that. He'll be So pleased for the excuse to buy another tool. At this point we're going to do nothing about it. The impact dislodged something under there, at least temporarily, because there's Lots of fresh oil slopped around so no paint will stick now. No evidence where it was coming from though, so I'll keep a close eye on levels.

Jim:
I'm sure drivers around saw what happened but there was Literally no place to go. I could only choose (more or less) where to hit it. I was quite rattled for a bit, I will admit.

I got a good start polishing all that out last night, I'm off to finish, and them I'm off to start my day.
(';')

 

Wow, two hazards!!!!


1. Big discount off what number!!! Jack up the price, then discount it. Retail technique the world over....


2. Yeah, fits my idea. Stay away from trucks. and those loaded with junk, even worse. The worst of the worst is a semi with a triple tiered load of squashed cars!!!


3. No plate ID, I suppose. Hard to do when faced with the need for instant decisions!! The CVC only allows two things to depart from a loaded truck on the road. Clean water and chicken feathers!!! In my former profession I dealt with all kinds of stuff falling off vehicles and causing mayhem. And,. still, just look at the median or shoulder for the junk....


4. You are fine and NIX is only nicked. Sorry, I just could not resist???


5. Time for two techniques to fix he cosmetics on that nice clean front cross member.
They are tough.


A. Use a hefty "Monkey" wrench to grasp the lip and lever it down. Not a pipe wrench, big difference.


B. Use a version of the boiler maker's craft. Clamping force. Two pieces of hefty strap iron to bridge he crease. One on top and the other under. Two or more hefty "C" clamps. Squeeze hard....


6. Black finger nail polish??? A form of lacquer. Not bad.... The SF Giants have a pitcher with awful eye sight. Can't see the catcher's fingers with the sign calling for a particular pitch and location. Their star catcher paint his nails black or adds white tape??? Catchers have a tough enough life w/o facing a pitcher that can barely see throwing 95 MPH missles...


7. Somewhere I recall reading of a polish with a color tint to match. Black seems to be the easiest color to get a decent match.




Carl

 

As Carl mentioned this is the red polish I use on Randy ( my R.Rover) for all those shopping centre scratches........just a thought.

 

What we call a "shifter" generally refers to a monkey wrench, or for the type with clamping jaws: Vise Grip (U.S.) Mole Grip (U.K.)

 

Really really bad luck! or stupidity on the part of the truck. I hate badly loaded trucks, skip carriers etc.
Hopefully it'll be fixed in no time knowing the work you've done in the past.
Many many years ago I was behind a overloaded skip lorry with just a bit of netting over the skip. A bit of brick hit my windscreen and smashed it. I followed the lorry back to the depot and gave them a piece of my mind and made them pay for it.
I now give them a wide berth!

 

Carl:
I'm one of their Preferred Customers (that means I actually BUY stuff) and I'm pretty familiar with their normal prices. Besides that, I *wanted* that jacket, and they had a store wide sale anyway, and, and, and.....

I knew there was trouble on that load so I was staying much farther back than I would normally. That's one reason I didn't get the plate number. And of course, after the thing fell off, I had Other things on my mind than getting the number.

Yes, "it's only a flesh wound," "that'll buff out," "in a hundred years it won't matter," and several other comments. Actually, most of it DID buff out, Much to my surprise, and unless you know where to look, the scuff is invisible. The scratch isn't, but I'll deal with that later.

As is often said, Everything goes with Black, but there are Many shades of black. When I first got the car I went to WalMart and got a selection of black nail polish and tried them all, keeping the closest match. Then I got 3 more bottles! The small rock chips I cover now only show upon close inspection, which is entirely different from when I got the car, when they Screamed, "PAINT CHIP!!"

Jim:
Thank you for the name of that. I'll look into it, but up to now, black nail polish and Meguiar's Quick Detailer have done an excellent job.

Tony:
AHA!! I'm familiar with Vise Grips, and although I'm sure we don't have one, I know what a monkey wrench is. For the time being though, we thought of leaving it alone as it's not hurting anything as it is. Or, now that we're proficient at dropping the cross member, getting one from a wrecking yard is not out of the realm of possibility. But not today.

anjum:
Today husband saw a truck that, in his mind, matched my description and pointed it out to me, but it wasn't the one. Besides, this long after the fact I don't think there's anything I can do since I didn't get the plate number. You're right though, after this I will not even be in the same lane as one of those if at all possible!
(';')

 

Elinor & Hubby,

This is a shifter.

This is the one I use when replacing the output shaft seals/bearings on the inboard brake cars.

It is HEAVY.

Rotate the knurled thingy and the jaws open and close to your hearts desire.

This one is 23" long.

I have a 36" one also, but for some reason I cant find it in the shed, kids??.

 

Oh! a Crescent wrench! Everyone in Merca knows what a CRESCENT wrench is even if it doesn't say CRESCENT on it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:C...ble_wrench.jpg

I pointed husband at one of those BIG ones, but he couldn't think of any use for it. I thought we should have one simply because we don't. Maybe now I can talk him into one.

Thank you, Grant!
(';')

 

Crescent wrench? you mericans have funny names for things, not sensible understandable names like in Australia(!?#@!)

I was grovelling under my car today pressure cleaning for a roadworthy certificate check tommorrow and was admiring that cross member. That must have been a pretty scary impact , as Grant said and now I appreciate a bit better that is a pretty hefty piece to get dinged that much.

 

In the UK we have a much more sensible name for one of those, adjustable spanner or adjustable wrench. Does what it says on the package!

 

It was always a shifter to me in the far North.

 

Bad luck indeed.

Thats one of the reasons I have both a front dash cam and a rear dash cam set up in my Jag.

Also in my truck a front dash cam.

Wife will not allow it in her car.

She was nearly broadsided on a local road as kids shot out past a stop sign on a side road a few days ago.

 

When I was a kid, some of our hired men called them Christian Wrenches, which was promptly corrupted to Religious Wrench. If you weren't in the know, How in the World would you know what go grab from the tractor tool box??I knew it hit hard, and I knew there would be other damage, but I'm surprised how little damage there really is! If one didn't look under the front one would never know.


I've noticed in the past couple years no one sells Crescent wrenches anymore, but I thought it was a copyright thing. Adjustable is actually more descriptive.


But the shifter is what changes gears!!


Yes indeed! Merely an unfortunate wrinkle in the Space/Time continuum.
Re: your wife. *Nearly* is the operative word here. A miss is as good as a mile except with strategic nuclear weapons. I'm glad she's OK, but I agree with her, I don't want a camera in my car either. Captured data cuts both ways I would think, and someone somewhere would Certainly hack into it and I would be Royally Had.
(';')

 

Quote originally by LnRb: "Yes indeed! Merely an unfortunate wrinkle in the Space/Time continuum.
Re: your wife. *Nearly* is the operative word here. A miss is as good as a mile except with strategic nuclear weapons. I'm glad she's OK, but I agree with her, I don't want a camera in my car either. Captured data cuts both ways I would think, and someone somewhere would Certainly hack into it and I would be Royally Had."

I am well aware that footage on a dash cam could cut both ways and its a risk I take. I sincerely doubt anyone can hack into something that is hardwired with no link to the outside world.

Footage could help with an accident that was not your fault with no witnesses and your word against theirs.

 

Always knew it a cresent until the move to land of OZ where it became a shifter?
Lucky you only got a flesh wound, my Jeep copped a few of these last few days away. But scratches and dents to the Jeep mater not. (it's just a means of transport).
Scratches and dents on Miss Fireball on the other hand......