Hey Body Guys- Is This Fixable?

[CoogarXR]

Skip this paragraph if you don't want the backstory:

So I went to the store the other day. I always park way out so people don't hit my car. I came out of the store, and there's a lady standing by my van, and she says "is this your car?"... You know the rest. She hit it while trying to park. I am highly stressed about other things going on in my life, so I found it hard to concentrate on the fact that this woman just plowed my car. Anyhow, she was pretty old, and her husband in the passenger seat had just had a stroke recently, they promised to make it right. I didn't call the police, I just took their insurance info. Plus they said that they had a body shop that they know the owner, and they'll pay to have my van fixed. I happen to know that body shop owner too, so it'll probably work out.

ANYHOW- long story short, I have a 1994 Astro van. I know it's not worth much, but I like it. And it's rare to see such a clean old van in Ohio. Here's what it looked like before she hit it:

She hit the driver-side rear quarter bottom. It's wrinkled up pretty good:

Is this even fixable? I know being that it's old, the body shop probably won't want to mess with it. I have done some body work in my life, and this is beyond what I could handle. That quarter is all one piece, so I don't think you could replace it. Could you cut it off and blend in a welded bottom? I just want to see what you guys think before I take a body shop's opinion.

 

[that-guy]

easiest and cheapest method for this is to get a stud gun and a slide rail and set the studs all over the place and slowly pull the dents/wrinkles out. get it as close as possible, maybe a few taps with the hammer to get rid of some high spots, then filler, sand, prime, paint, clear

 

[astroracer]

It's VERY fixable... Should not be an issue for a decent body shop. Take it over there, WITH the perp, and have them look at it. Have the perp do the explaining if she can.
Mark

 

[CoogarXR]

Thanks guys for the info. Once the dents are straightened out, would the shop have to paint the whole quarter from the door back? Or are there tricks to that too?

 

[APEowner]

Easy fix and an easy color to blend. They'll probably do the blend at the body line.

 

[astroracer]

Easy fix and an easy color to blend. They'll probably do the blend at the body line.

^^^ Exactly. It's white, easy blend, there is striping, so that breaks the panel up even more so the "blend" is inconsiquential..
Mark.

 

[CoogarXR]

Well, if it's that easy, they better give me new mud flaps too, doggonit!

 

[countryroad82]

I fix scrapes like that all the time. They're my bread and butter, along with bumper covers. Looks like you've got a little rot starting at that wheelwell, do yourself a favor if you like the van so much and have it cut out and replaced. You might have to pay for that part out of pocket, but if it's not addressed it will come up with a vengence. Remember the body shop is only going to estimate the damage caused, not the damage that was already there, i.e. the rust.

 

[eborcim]

Can you pass MVI in OH with body rust? It's an easy fix while working on the crease.

 

[jhn9840]

OH is easy. No MVI. If the wheels turn your good to go.

jhn9840
John

 

[HMCFab9]

Very easy fix!

 

[ScottsGT]

Easy fix, but the rust hole will be an issue. Insurance wouldn't give you anything (around here at least) with rust in a quarter panel. That will need to be cut out and a patch welded in.

 

[csp]

If body rust caused a vehicle not to pass MVI in Ohio, 75% of the cars on the road in that state would be forced off the road.

 

[gol4]

Easy fix but in my opinion once the cancer starts it is hard to stop it.

I would get the estimate and take consider taking the cash and use it for payment on another vehicle. Between what you get for the damage and what and sell the vehicle for you can probably get a much newer one with less rust.

 

[G_P]

If they cut out that damage to weld in a new panel, be ready for the amount of rust that ls likely growing in there. Looks like the rust is going from the inside out so even though it looks good, the stuff you cant see may be in bad shape.

 

[ScottsGT]

Inner wheel well is probably toast also. Former bodyman here. Easy fix on a car that patch panels are available for. Not so easy on something you have to form out of sheetmetal.

 

[CoogarXR]

Well, I talked to the body shop today. He says he can fix it. I asked how much the repair will cost, he said about $700. The other person is paying for it, so I guess whatever, lol. I said what about that rust? He said he'd take care of that too. How? I didn't ask. As long as it looks like it did before the accident, I'm fine with it. I probably would have just bondo'd that rust and rattle-canned it eventually anyway.

I'll post up some pics when I get it back. It's going in on the 31st.

 

[dave*99]

I had a similar situation with an old car. A driver hit it while it was parked. I sent them the estimate for $600 from a reputable body shop. Ultimately I kept the money and did a small repair myself. It was not perfect, but it was appropriate for my vehicle. YMMV.

 

[dadsEH]

1994?.......get a quote , take the money and run!

 

[1930]

White is absolutely one of the toughest colors to match, it being quite a few years old will make it even more of a challenge. People think white is easy and Im not sure where that idea came about. Good luck

 

[gahrajmahal]

1930 the trick to blending a repair like that is to buff out a large portion of the quarter panel before you start the repair. Do your heavy grinding in the dented area, repair the dent then DA the grind edge of the paint prior to applying the skim coat of bondo. Your bondo repair should not be near the paint edge. Finish sand your bondo with at least 220 grit before priming. Your primer will cover the bondo, small DA sanded metal space between the repair and sanded paint edge. Let the primer dry and wet sand the repair and past the primer. When you put tour color on if you are not breaking on a body line your wet paint edge will not extend into the non-sanded white. When you are finished spraying the white there will be a border of sanded white original paint between the new patch and the old in-sanded original white. You will wet sand the new white, sanded border and old white prior to buffing. It will blend right in and you shouldn't be able to see the repair.

 

[CoogarXR]

Well, I got it back yesterday (they had it about 2.5 days). The only thing they couldn't do was match the striping. He said he couldn't get that size or color or something. I probably could have thrown a fit, but I just let it slide, I'm not that worried about it. I think it turned out pretty good. They actually went above and beyond, they fixed that spot of rust, and I had a piece of paint popped off on the other side of the wheel-well that they fixed too. My gas door release never worked right either, and they must have had the door off, because now it works, lol. All in all, I'm satisfied.

 

[TheEquineFencer]

1994?.......get a quote , take the money and run!

, same here, you're probably going to get rid of it in the next few years anyway....

 

[ratdoggy]

Can you pass MVI in OH with body rust? It's an easy fix while working on the crease.

OH is easy. No MVI. If the wheels turn your good to go.

jhn9840
John

Unfortunately this is true.....You should see some of the sh*tboxes around here

 

[countryroad82]

Turned out very nice! They went above and beyond IMO. The striping, I've ran into that before and like them had to work with what's available. They're not doing a resto, it's just fixing it to as before condition and it looks awesome for what it is!

 

[bubinga]

OH is easy. No MVI. If the wheels turn your good to go.

jhn9840
John

Yes, But from what I understand, it is still our responsibly to see that the car is safe, (I live in Ohio too)
(just no failing MVI for something stupid)

 

[bubinga]

OH is easy. No MVI. If the wheels turn your good to go.

jhn9840
John

Northern Panhandle of WV
You must be close to me, I'm across the river from Wheeling WV, in Yorkville Ohio.
It's sort of a "one horse town" but it's a pretty safe area though.
No one bothers anything around as far as "porch pirates" or anything like that.
Now, Moundsvill WV is another story.

 

[jhn9840]

I was born and raised in Martins Ferry. Live in Wheeling now. Could be a lot worse. But it’s sure not what it used to be back in the day.

jhn9840
John

 

[Bert_]

1994?.......get a quote , take the money and run!

And do what? Good luck trying to find another astro as nice as what he's already got.

 

[dave*99]

This thread is 6 years old. I bet he got another van by now.

 

[mike93lx]

This thread is 6 years old. I bet he got another van by now.

I think he actually still has it, incredibly.

 

[jmdirk]

This thread is 6 years old. I bet he got another van by now.

I didn't even notice the date at first. But the side windows on that Astro are awesome. I sure hope he still has it

 

[mike93lx]

I didn't even notice the date at first. But the side windows on that Astro are awesome. I sure hope he still has it

They look just like the windows that were on my folk's 95 GMC 2500 Gladiator conversion. Only one of the bottom panes opens

 

[jmdirk]

They look just like the windows that were on my folk's 95 GMC 2500 Gladiator conversion. Only one of the bottom panes opens

That's exactly why I think they're cool. Looks like a small version of a full size conversion van. Probably started life as a solid walled contractor van and someone put in the conversion windows.

 

[CoogarXR]

I think he actually still has it, incredibly.

Yep, I still have it, and I still drive it every day. I use the hell out of it. Load it up with tools and parts and take it to job sites, do road trips in it, pull the camper with it, you name it.

Since that repair 6 years ago, the van has given me literally ZERO mechanical issues. I have had a half-dozen astros in my life, and I stand by them. You treat them right, and they'll last damn near forever. All of my prior Astros were only taken out of service when the salt made them too embarrassing or unsafe to drive.

Unfortunately, I am getting some rust bubbles in that dent-repair-area. So I may have to grind it down, fill it and repaint it. But I have no intention of getting rid of it any time soon... Even though Astros must have some cult-following starting up. Several times lately, I have had young guys run up to me and ask if I would sell it... Strange, lol. I guess it was built before most of them were born.

 

[D-train]

A friend had an Astro and the front accessory bracket (shaped like a BIG horseshoe) cracked a couple of times on him. I think that was a known issue. Have you run into that on this, or your past vans?

 

[CoogarXR]

That's exactly why I think they're cool. Looks like a small version of a full size conversion van. Probably started life as a solid walled contractor van and someone put in the conversion windows.

Yes, it is a conversion van. It has 4 captains chairs and a rear seat that folds down flat into a bed. It's nice for road trips, the wife and I can take turns driving and sleeping. Or take a nap at a walmart, lol.

The rear windows are awesome. They slide open, and even have screens. So you can sleep with the windows open and not get bugs inside. I made some magnetic screens for the front windows too, so I can roll them all the way down and keep the bugs out and get a little more air flow. We camp in it sometimes, sometimes we take a tent, sometimes we pull the camper with it. But either way, the Astro is always around, lol.

The middle seats come out pretty easy, just two big wing nuts. The rear seat comes out, but it's mounted to a plate with studs that stick up, and 4 big nuts. That's about my only gripe; when you take the back seat out, there's 4 gnarly studs sticking up out of the floor. I've had other conversion astros where the back seat bolted down with bolts, which is much better. Why this one is backwards? Who knows. But honestly, I think I have only had to take it out about 3 times. Usually taking the middle two seats out and folding the rear one flat is adequate for just about anything I need to haul. If it's much bigger, I just go rent a trailer from TSC for $15, lol.

For all the Astro fan-boys, here's a recent picture from when we were pulling our 1969 Bethany pop-up camper through the mountains:

 

[CoogarXR]

A friend had an Astro and the front accessory bracket (shaped like a BIG horseshoe) cracked a couple of times on him. I think that was a known issue. Have you run into that on this, or your past vans?

Not so far. I have had a couple tensioners and alternators seize up on different Astros over the years, but that's about all the serpentine/accessory issues I've had.