Thanksgiving accident

[Kile Brekke]

In an effort to avoid a collision with two other vehicles that had lost control ahead of me, I chose the guard rail at 55 mph instead.

I will make a proper post for the items I will be needing in the WTB section,

(as well as check double02 salvage)

but for now I thought I'd share this sad, sad mishap. I was able to install an old worn tire that I had kept as a spare to limp it home and had to swap the passenger windscreen wiper over the driver side so I could see.

Other than that, I was back on the road.

The frame seems straight, drives straight and all in all I think I am fairly lucky considering the circumstances.

I would love to hear similar experiences with making a repair like this.

I will be some searches for threads that show some examples of removing/replacing a nose panel. The fender and hood seem somewhat straight forward.

I also have a nice set of front short euro bumpers that were awaiting install and I am so glad those weren't on yet. They would have been mangled.

Pictures Below

[akfjord]

So sorry to hear about the bad luck, but thank god noone was injured.

Fender to door gap still looks even, so hopefully the damage is contained to the nose, hood and fender. I'll let others, more knowlegeable, chime in on the best approach to fixing it. Hope you can get it back on the road very soon!

[ray_]

Very unfortunate. However looks very repairable.

I know there are specifics for nose replacement here somewhere, including scans from a factory book iirc.

GL,

[Johnson]

I am very interested in this, I bought in a `70 in similar condition.....

[Kile Brekke]

Thanks, yes, I'm just fine.

I was able to get a new headlight in the socket to get me around legally.

This is my daily driver and my only car.

I just drove it home to Berkeley after making some light repairs in Sacramento today with no problems. Seems to be solid.

[jdm1602]

Dude,

Sincerely feel bad for you. Your tires look really worn on the inside edge. Front end bushings ever been replaced?

[Gordon]

Dude, that sucks but that will buff right out. Start a project blog on the FAQ blog page to keep us updated on your repair status. This is an awesome forum, you'll always find the parts needed to get your 02 back on the road.

G-Man

[Miked2002]

I'm very glad that you didn't get hurt.

Your car looks very repairable. I had a similar experience with my first 02 many years ago. I hit a plumbing van that had run a light. Punched it so hard that the van rolled over and slid about 50 ft.

I took the 02 to a BMW dealer body shop. It needed to have the front nose replaced as well as the hood, radiator, fan and two front fenders. Other than that the body was straight and the wheels were still in alignment. After it was repaired, the car ran straight with no problems at all and it was my daily driver for another 17 years. These cars are built like tanks.

Best of luck to you and keep us posted on your repair progress.

[andrey]

That sucks! The hood and fender don't look repairable (judging by what the body shops told us when some asshole hit-and-ran our 02 in SF a few years ago) so you may want to find decent replacements. The rest is definitely fixable. It may have helped if you still had the big bumpers on it ; )

[Kile Brekke]

Yes, Driver's side fender, hood and nose will need to be replaced.

Maybe a good body shop could get the nose clip straight again, but I think replacing it is probably best.

I agree, the original bumpers may have alleviated a lot of this, but like I said, I am in the middle of swapping for early bumpers. The rear set is installed, and I was looking to install the fronts over the christmas break. Ironically, I'm glad they weren't on yet. They would have been destroyed for sure.

[norm]

Sorry to see your accident pictures. At the same time, I'm parting out a 2002/1600 for a friend who had the same accident as you did but on the left side. Hence we have all the body work pieces you may need, except for the hood. I'm in Sacramento, not too far away. Call me and I can send you pictures. The owner would be so happy if his old parts put another car back on the road.

Norm

916-995-0425

[jerry]

i have a proper nosepiece you can have. i was going to use it for rust repair sections but if yours is merely damaged and not all rusty i'd be willing to swap you to help you out. i'm in tiburon. mine's not perfect but it's useable. a little straightening here and there but worth a look.

bring about 4-6 1/8 inch and 3/8 inch cobalt drill bits and you can drill the spotwelds out at my place on a (dry) weekend.

jerryallsmanATyahooDOTcom

[Kile Brekke]

Jerry,

I may take you up on this-

I will send you an email

[Kile Brekke]

Thanks Norm, I am interested for sure.

Do you have an email address I can reach you at?

[harry6422]

Sorry to see your car, looks very repairable . I will add your poor car to the list of front and rear damaged bodies I have seen on FAQ with out late model bumpers , and with the way people drive these days I have reinstalled the big ugly bumpers on my 75 restoration, they work. Good luck, hope it gets repaired with out a lot of cost , sounds like insurance won't be covering the damage.

Harry