So as none of you will remember, I use to post on here quite frequently when I owned my 2000 XK8 Coupe until I had to let it go sadly due to overwhelming rusting on the frame. A few months ago I decided I wanted to look for another Xk8 and found a one owner, garage kept 1997 convertible at a price I couldnt pass up. About a month ago I was cut off by a NY driver and long story short, the car found its way into the side of a hill off the road and suffered some front end damage. As far as what I can see, it will need a new radiator, bonnet, bumper cover, and headlight housing. The bumper mount has also been significantly bent backwards from the point of impact. In addition to all this the ac compressor hose was pushed back as well and is now rubbing against the belt pulley. I was able to bend/push it back enough that it's just barley clearing the belt but not convinced that it'll stay that way for long. I have some pictures attached to show you guys and see what you think. I obviously would like very much to get my car back on the road but have no idea where to begin or how much this is going to cost. It's a shame to because aside from the radiator not holding any coolant, the car runs/would drive like nothing ever happened. Let me know what you all think! Thanks

 

Even if you can find color matching panels it's probably going to cost close to what a replacement would. There may also be suspension damage that isn't obvious.

 

If you are industrious, you can figure out ways to pull the core support and any other pieces to straighten things out I think somewhere you can find the exact factory measurements for body stuff) I agree that you may have alignment issues that would cause too much out of pocket for it to makes sense- maybe replace the radiator with a used one and take it to the alignment shop before putting too much time into it?

 

Well as much as this isn't the news I was hoping for, I cant say I'm too surprised. Thanks for the input. I guess if anything I'll just throw a new radiator on as suggested and go from there

 

This CL ad has a front bumper assembly and a hood that look to be the right color. I bet you could get the lot for under $500.

https://orlando.craigslist.org/pts/d...251976775.html

 

What a shame. Damage aside, it looks spotless on top and underneath.

I guess frame damage is the main concern as others have said. Unlikely to make commercial sense to repair it, but not always the only consideration?

On the glass half full side, take a look at part of TPBachur's story - there are 'before' and 'after' pictures in this thread:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...3/#post1515548

Good luck!
Mike

 

I've "been there" - it's a tough decision. Another thing to consider is the fact that, after being repaired you'll presumably have a tainted 'rebuilt' title and you'll take a hit on the resale value if/when you sell it. Good luck.

 

Please correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't that only be the case if I file an insurance claim? I had no comp and collision so whatever I decide to do it would be "out of pocket"

 

Kay, get a portable hydraulic pump https://www.harborfreight.com/4-ton-...t-62115.htmluo
If you can't push it out with this, it's very serious. Be sure and disconnect the battery now and put it on charge while doing all the work.
As you are doing the work yourself, no big thing on the title. You sound like the kind of person that would only be happy with it done right, so there you go.


Wayne

 

That looks much worse than my deer incident a few years back which quickly exceeded the insurance value of 10k. I think the front bumper and plastic was priced at $5k. I bought a parts XK8 (even found one the same color) and for less than $5k including the parts car it is back together. Does have a rebuilt title now. Good luck, I do think I have 97 headlights in the basement but not sure what condition they are in and I do have a green hood that would need maybe 2-3 hours of work before painting if you decide to rebuild it they could be yours for some beer tokens.

 

Yikes, not sure - hopefully someone more knowledgeable will chime in. Even if it doesn't, accident repairs are detectable - e.g. mismatched VIN numbers on body panels, and you've got to fess up when the prospective buyer asks you.

 

Appreciate that, as some have mention I think first things first is to get a new radiator, see how the car runs and go from there

 

I just checked and they have one for a little under $200. I'm assuming this would probably be cheaper than having a body shop try to straighten it out? I'm pretty handy with the mechanics but not so much experience when it comes to body work or the "aesthetics"...

 

Does anyone know about the AC hose? It's in the last picture. It was rubbing against one of the belt pulleys (especially in reverse for some reason? Thought it was an exhaust rattle at first because of this. I was able to finagle it just enough to clear the belt but still not so sure about where it is. Maybe the fan assembly pushed it back causing the hose to be sitting a little bit too close to the engine?

 

Kay, you mentioned a NY driver, not sure how close you may be to Princeton NJ but in case you are: there is a 1998 xk8 same color for sale over this way. It lists for $3700. I took a look at it, it's beat up, but it maybe could help you for parts. I remember the color is identical it's been for sale for a while so price may meet your needs with a little negotiating. The paint needs a lot of help but no dents that I can recall.

it's located in belle meade nj, use zip 08844 to look it up on line. If i can help pm me.

John

 

Kay, the pump I sent was only $99 and 10 ton. Like I say, if that won't do it, a little more serious than the average person should get involved in.
Sounds like you are finding lots of parts options. On the hose for the A/C, it's very tight anywhere in there, so a small movement can cause big problems. lots of members have had the hoses rub holes in oil and A/C, may have even been going for a while. Take it all off and put the radiator in, be aware of the air bag switch, read how to disable it.

Wayne

 

I had damage not quite that bad but in the same spot.it cost me $750.00 to have the frame pulled,it was pushed down behind the wheel at the firewall,steve

 

Strip it all out first before you start to look at replacement parts.
Remove every little damaged piece that you can find.
Only then will you be able to get a true idea of what you could be up against.
You may come across a crease on the chassis that means somethings twisted beyond recovery.
Yes I agree that anything is repairable, but you have to have an unrivalled passion for the machine to do that.
It may be better to part it out as a spares car, or break it up yourself and advertise the individual bits. This way you would at least recoup some cash towards the next one.
I reckon you could probably make $3000 in parts money from it. Maybe more.

Engine
Seats
Upholstery
Convertable hood and motor
Wheels and tyres
Rear suspension
Wiring loom
Electronic Modules
etc etc etc

 

Did the air bag go off? Could there be frame damage without the air bag deploying?

 

Most recent cars are unibody. The unibody itself, contains the body that has structural parts as well, all as one piece. It's when the structural areas become damaged/deformed that we start talking about the "evil" frame damage word. Frame damage are both descriptive words and a legal nomenclature that can be attached to a car. The unibody can be bent in such a way as no air bags were deployed. Those sensors are set in positions that are designed to protect the occupants, not parts of the car.
Once a car has been labeled as one of the types of frame damage (for example the auction will call it many different things ie: Frame, unibody, repaired Frame, repaired unibody, frame welded, unibody welded, ect...there are many more) after that it will always be called that at that auction or as many as all auctions, and quite likely to be on Carfax and or Autocheck. If a dealer buys the car and doesn't see it or even never looked for it, they have a set time to find it, usually one to three days... usually. Many just send cars to post sale inspection where there are people who can find things not even really there or miss it all together. Most of the time they are correct. Once a car is in a auction system or carfax/autocheck it will be with that vin always.
If you fix the car yourself and trade it in to me, as a dealer I am on my own. If I miss it I will lose money. If I see it, you will trade it to the dealer next door because he missed it. It's still not on the Autocheck/Carfax and that dealer may play dumb or be dumb and sell it as a real car.
I say "real" because of the legal meaning. Many frames are repaired after crashes by insurance and nobody said a word to the person. I've seen insurance say fix it and the body shop report the car "Frame" to Carfax, but take 3 months or longer to show up.
Frames can be repaired. Many repairs are good, many are not. As you can see this is the gray area and that is the best I can explain it without much time and cocktails.
As a rule up to a 15k car I knock off $2500 to $4000 for frame. If a car is under about $8k usually not more than half. Over these $ amounts it's a guess similar to Kentucky windage. There can be many opinions. I've seen expensive cars go through the auction where the "C" pillar was hard gone into and nobody said a word....many times I've seen it. If one person in the transaction starts to say "frame damage" and gets an agreement, that's it. She's frame from there. As a solid rule I get rid of frame damage vehicles immediately. If it was my XK8?
Depends on how bad and how it looks after, but I love my car....so? I'd for sure expect a hit later even if no one ever caught it. Yes, this is a game in the car business played from every possible angle, trust me...you can't even imagine.
Don't confuse any of this with salvage or reconditioned title, even though there can be overlap.