BT,DT: My WunderWesty,OTTO,an ' 87 Syncro,was stricken with similar damage in Feb. in the middle of a snowstorm in Colorado-the driver of a state snowplow backed directly in my path,mangling the right front corner to the tune of $4500!!! Of course Colorado has a no-fault law covering their butts,and refused to pay for it. I couldn't afford to shell out that much,so being a former body repair-person myself,I tackled the seemingly impossible task. First,I pulled and twisted the metal back to as close as possible to it's original position,THEN,using a SAWZALL,lopped off the entire corner beyond the damage.Cut a larger section from a scrapped van,being super careful to cut both vans exactly the same to 1/16 of an inch.MIG welded the entire section into OTTO,including part of the bumper beam and frame sections.Just finished the filling and priming,and I'm proud to say,the right side is as dimensionally perfect as the left! The kicker?I have a total cost so far of $300! SO-I guess I'm saying anything can be repaired,witha little work and determination.If you'd like any advice if you tackle this job,feel free to email me.Good luck! Karl w/OTTO soon to return to service from major surgery (only to go under the knife again for a new TD 'heart') |
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