Im about to go look at and purchase this car.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=597550

As you can see the tire on the passenger side is turned. I asked him what the damage was and he told me the top control arm is pulled off the frme but all the parts look to be in good condition. My question is how hard is it to reconect it, and is it worth fixing? I have been working on cars for the past 6 years so im not worried about my ability to fix it just want a little input on the matter. Thanks guys.


Chris

 

You've been working on cars for 6 years? As a mechanic or body repair guy? That front end is toasted pretty badly. If you are looking at that car as a way to get an FD for cheap, you are mistaken. It's totalled for a reason....10k+ to fix that.

 

I do Misc repair, pretty much whatever needs to be done. All im trying to say is that most of the work I can do. Thanks for your input. I have seen cars get totalled and given a salvage title because they where keyed around the whole car and the paint job was more than the price of the car. Im not saying thats the instant here, but from what i an see from the pictures is the passenger side is more messed up then the drivers although it looks worse. Looks like he went under whoever he hit on the drive side and it pushed everything up which means to me no frame damage just metal work for the head light assembly and a little on the fender. The oil cooler didnt even move!

 

Though it is not something you can readily tell from pictures, I am betting that the frame is shifted to some extent. As a result, you are going to need a frame straightener to get that car right. If you get the frame trued, then you are looking at a lot of money spent on restoring the cosmetic appearance of the car. I suppose it is primed for an aftermarket kit if that is your thing. The bigger problem is that the car will not be worth anything after all that work and money. It will have a salvage title and as soon as you start to tell people what you did to restore it ???????? Bottom line: No one is going to buy a possible headache regardless of how good your work is.

 

I dont plan on ever selling it so im not worried about what i get back I just want to save this FD. I have always wanted one and I dont mind having to work a little for it. I like the fact that i can say hey it was this but now look at it. I appreciate the comments though. I actually just got back from looking at it and the damage to the front is really minimal even though it might not look it. The suspension on the passenger side the mounting plate got pulled off of the inner wall a bit easy weld. The tire is bowed in because the steering rack arm broke( I have a whole steering assembly ) Now for the driver side is pretty bad but none of the bends are pinched should I say everything folded nicely and shouldnt be to hard to straighten out with some time and effort. The rest of the car is very clean, spent some time talking to the owner for a while and he was very miticulous in keeping it in very good condition. The motor started right up and there are no leaks. I know everything wont be perfect but it will be clean and it will see the road again.

 

Oh yeah i bought it! lol

 

Glad to hear it. Sounds like a bit of work, but one more FD on the road is a good thing IMHO!