[Rudolph]

Hello guys!

I am an "old member" of this forum, and even though I have been here for a while and I do not post lot... read a lot nontheless.

Well, I consider myself a true fan of the 4th gen F body platform, to the point the car I have chosen to put all my "nuts" in haha! I got my F ride directly from one dealer back in 1999, brand new, and the improvement over the car has always been step by step... Unfourtunately, yesterday at the tuffest race track we have here in México, my luck and proud encountered a wall tuff enough to challenge them:

Couple of guy from security checking before towing:
(IMG:http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg187/Rudolphinski/crahatthetrack1.jpg)

Once in the parking lot:
(IMG:http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg187/Rudolphinski/parkinglot.jpg)

Before:
(IMG:http://i248.photobucket.com/albums/gg187/Rudolphinski/Imagen2204.jpg)

Yesterday, my humor and will was prettey much as the car!! Today, the thing that comforts me the most, its my oldest and most experienced friend saying: -"Rudolph"... "there are 2 types of people in the racing department... the ones that have been involved in a crash, and the ones that will be, sooooo... fix the car as well as you can, and jump in again". I know that many of you guys have had, some kind of experience, such as the one am in, but damn, it is tuff.

Now, on the serious side!! I am only hoping I can find the most experienced guy that can help me to leave the car as it was before, meaning, "HANDLING", structural integrity, and at last, look as well as before.

If you guys, have some sort of comments on straighten the "chassis" (I know it is not a chassis literally) by all means, do it. I fear the car may never be the same again, talking about performance in the handling department, I will try it tough.

Anyway, thanks for reading.

Rodolfo Lara Pohlenz

This post has been edited by Rudolph: Apr 2 2012, 09:26 PM

[trackbird]

Rudolph,

Oh man...I'm a little sick just looking at the pics. You have an absolutely beautiful car. When pics pop up, I always check them out. The wheels, everything. That car is fantastic.

Glad to hear you're ok. Sorry about the damage. Ugh. I'd find the best body guy you can and have them look it over. It will depend on how much damage was done to the suspension mounting points and if any of them moved (and how far they moved). If you find the right body guy, he'll be able to tell you if it can be pulled into shape and fixed. I'm guessing it probably can, but I haven't seen the under side of the chassis. The rear axle looks to be in about the right place, so hopefully the damage is all to the rear of the suspension mounting points (the PHB mounts might be tweeked based on where they are located). Take it to a good shop and see what they have to say.

Let us know what you find out.

[Rudolph]

Rudolph,

Oh man...I'm a little sick just looking at the pics. You have an absolutely beautiful car. When pics pop up, I always check them out. The wheels, everything. That car is fantastic.

Glad to hear you're ok. Sorry about the damage. Ugh. I'd find the best body guy you can and have them look it over. It will depend on how much damage was done to the suspension mounting points and if any of them moved (and how far they moved). If you find the right body guy, he'll be able to tell you if it can be pulled into shape and fixed. I'm guessing it probably can, but I haven't seen the under side of the chassis. The rear axle looks to be in about the right place, so hopefully the damage is all to the rear of the suspension mounting points (the PHB mounts might be tweeked based on where they are located). Take it to a good shop and see what they have to say.

Let us know what you find out.

Kevin,

Thank you very much for your words, I really consider them a lot; you being a knowledgeable guy that I respect a lot.

The Hermanos Rodriguez (HR) race track, is a fast one, and my first time with the car as strong as it is now. I do not want to look for a justification to my mistake, but my car did remember me that I should not underestimate it, and that control is an illusion. I was coming out of a turn (70 mph) and the car started (as usual) to oversteer, but I am REALLY use to it, so what I do is to counter steer, and when I tought I had it, I loose on the gas, and instantly at that time, it kicked back to the oposite side, and I hold it, but the next one I did not expect it, so, after that the car spun and I became a mere passenger going backwards into the wall, and even though I pressed the brake pedal with all I had, the impact was there. Posi Units work under load, but once you loose on the gas it work weird.... A good friend did remember me that.

BTW, I just checked the car underneath. The impact point was absorbed by the bumper structure, and I could see little deformation on the upper point where the coilovers hold, making the rubber busing that avoids the rearend to hit into the body, go outside (tire side), and so the inner lip of the structure, went into the opposite side. What is funny, is that due to the momentum, the healthy side received some damage, making the LCA of that point collapse on the holding points. The fue tank went forward, the rear end looks fine about the position, obvioulsy, considering the LCAs deformations. Maybe it will not be as tough as I thought.

Tomorrow morning (here is a Holiday) I will call Year One, to ask about the cost of a new panel, in order to cut the one is all twisted, and weld a new one (after straighten the car, of course). Looks that one dealer close to home, still has some parts on stock for 4th gen Fbody.

We will see how thing end.

Thanks a lot again Kevin.

Have a great day.

Rodolfo Lara Pohlenz