small crash.... worth to fix general opinion needed

[fordperson]

Hey, My little brother just crashed one of our cars, not a big deal really 10-15mph crash. We would total the car but we but some money towards it and we had for a while, car has 105k on the clock, valve cover was leaking before the crash. As for the damages... front bumper is gone, hood is bent, headlight broken, radiator busted, airbags and the front rail that goes on top of the headlight got bent... none of the fenders got touched. all the other stuff except for the rail is pretty easy to fix, now as for the rail I need some recomendation. My plan is to go to the junkyard with a sawzall and cut that part out... but Its connected in many places it goes around the frame buffer(sp?) and on the bottom of the radiator (that part is kinda rusted so id like to replace it as well). After cutting it out(somehow) Id like to weld it in place. Now I dont have too many expectations for this car, my mom drives it once per week or so to church or so ;>
PS bare in mind that Im a college student and It would be my project which goal isnt strictly to safe money... learning experience counts.

Now for the questions
1) is there a way to get the rail aftermarket/oem ? without having to cut it out. if yes where and how much?
2) Is it worth it? (not counting the labor)

Thanks in advance
Tom

[drdisque]

for the is it worth it question, you need to include a year and trim level on this car

[fordperson]

95 trim? its a I6 3.0l

[TomV]

Your vehicle has a value of around $1000 for a sale to a local guy, and that's with a car in average condition. I can see you putting that amount into it with the damage you describe.

I would take the paltry insurance settlement and apply your money into another car.

The design life of a car is about 10 years. After that it seems like you are repairing/maintaining on a consitant basis. Problem areas that may come up include timing belt, alternator, water pump, starter, brakes, etc. Do you really want to spend time and money on a car that may not last that much longer? Last year I bought my son a Hyundai Elantra for $11,350 and it has as many features as my 97 Taurus G that I paid about $15,000 new.

[fordperson]

all the parts counted came out to be more like $300-400...
alternator, water pump, brakes were replaced... new tires etc, I already put money into the car. Ill see what the total for the parts will be

also
Whats that rail part called? (the one that goes on top/behind the lights), can I buy that seperate or do I have to go the junkyard?

Tom

[drummerb86]

sorry dont know about the rail, i would just check with your local ford dealer.

But if you could repair your car for 400 bucks i would do it, you wont be able to find another anwhere near that cheap.

[hughw]

I think you are talking about the RADIATOR SUPPORT. thats the part running from fender to fender that the hood latches to....It'll probable run you $125 plus shipping if you buy it on line...Do a seaRCH FOR AUTO BODY PARTS ON GOOGLE.

[fordperson]

Originally Posted by drummerb86

sorry dont know about the rail, i would just check with your local ford dealer.

But if you could repair your car for 400 bucks i would do it, you wont be able to find another anwhere near that cheap.

Great Ill look into that... I searched online but shipping is gonna be aloooottt... so Id rather just get it from the dealer... $125 isnt that bad
$40 for radiator new bumper ~$50 $30 headlight + airbags


I wonder where and how to weld that radiator support to the car but we`ll see.

Thanks again
Tom

[hughw]

Originally Posted by fordperson

Great Ill look into that... I searched online but shipping is gonna be aloooottt... so Id rather just get it from the dealer... $125 isnt that bad
$40 for radiator new bumper ~$50 $30 headlight + airbags


I wonder where and how to weld that radiator support to the car but we`ll see.

Thanks again
Tom

1. tHE PART WILL COST YOU $300 OR MORE FROM THE DEALER...
2. IT WILL TAKE A SPECIAL WELDER BECAUSE THE METAL IS SO THIN....yOU COULD JUST BOLT IT IN.....Your oher alternative for the part is a junkyard...Probably will cost around $150 but they just cut the end of the body frame off to get the Radiator Support intact ...Then you will have to drill out the spot welds to get the unwanted metal off

[hughw]

Originally Posted by hughw

1. tHE PART WILL COST YOU $300 OR MORE FROM THE DEALER...
2. IT WILL TAKE A SPECIAL WELDER BECAUSE THE METAL IS SO THIN....yOU COULD JUST BOLT IT IN.....Your oher alternative for the part is a junkyard...Probably will cost around $150 but they just cut the end of the body frame off to get the Radiator Support intact ...Then you will have to drill out the spot welds to get the unwanted metal off

TRY aUTO-BODYPARTS.COM AND Speedyautoparts.com...They have the most resonable shipping prices

[fordperson]

Damn they are in addison,il which is like a 15m drive from my place... GREAT and $67 really nice thanks alot.

Tom

[fordperson]

woudlnt a smalllll mig do the job just fine? if its thin then you would just decrease the rating on it so it wouldnt harm the metal or am I wrong? I dont really know too much about welding

Bolting on would be easy but it wouldnt hold as well probably [;

Tom

[hughw]

Originally Posted by fordperson

woudlnt a smalllll mig do the job just fine? if its thin then you would just decrease the rating on it so it wouldnt harm the metal or am I wrong? I dont really know too much about welding

Bolting on would be easy but it wouldnt hold as well probably [;

Tom

I dont know much about welding either...but I am told by a friend that the proper welder produces some kind of gas at the welding sight to keep metal from melting....I think almost any other wleder would be too much for that thin metal.....good luck.....speaking of luck...I'm glad you had the parts campany so close!

[fordperson]

yes most "better" migs now a days use co2 or hm forgot the other one shield welding but I think its to prevent oxygen entering there or somthing... Ill see how it goes.

Tom

[fordperson]

Originally Posted by fordperson

yes most "better" migs now a days use co2 or hm forgot the other one shield welding but I think its to prevent oxygen entering there or somthing... Ill see how it goes.

Tom

OK so the car is pretty much fixed... ran me around $300... I used a rivet gun to hold the top in place altho it was fine without it. Might weld it at a friends place. Now a question issues...
My PS line is leaking from the place where it goes into the radiator, I used some teflon tape but It didnt fix it... Its a VERY hard place to get into... any advice how I should address this?

Tom