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My girl, for whatever dumb reason, rear ended a crossover and now my hood is f****d and front end is slightly pushed in to where the hood won’t latch closed. Even if I buy a new one it won’t line up. Not to be over dramatic but is this any easy fix? Some help please.
Can even see if a shop would do it. It cost my buddy $200 and he hit his Neon so hard it pushed the radiator support through the serpentine belt. They were able to get it fairly straight in the end and the car was only dropped off for 2 hours.
Ok, koo. I can pick up a hood on CL or at a JY but straightening out the latch area so it can close was my concern. Now if only I could straighten her out. 🙄
A large slide hammer will fix this...it really isn't that bad.
Come-alongs, ratchet straps, and rope/tree method will work but these methods lack control and could pull it out too far. A large slide hammer will give you a little more control on how much pull you get. However, if a slide isn't available, id choose the come-along/ratchet strap would be first.
As far as a hood and bumper cover...just replace...get an OEM out of a pick-em yard...most aftermarkets suck and don't fit well.
Just be careful. One of my friends tried to use a come along tool while trying to guide a tree that they were cutting down. It snapped and flung the end piece right through the back window of his truck next to his head. No injuries, but I'm sure it was close.
Also, make sure everything is bolted up. My buddy who did his Neon forgot to put some bumper support bolts back in and they couldn't line up anymore.
My friend bought two different ones, I’m gonna opt for the stronger of the two for that reason. Thanks for the tip on everything being bolted up first. And safety advice is much appreciated.
A large slide hammer will fix this...it really isn't that bad.
Come-alongs, ratchet straps, and rope/tree method will work but these methods lack control and could pull it out too far. A large slide hammer will give you a little more control on how much pull you get. However, if a slide isn't available, id choose the come-along/ratchet strap would be first.
As far as a hood and bumper cover...just replace...get an OEM out of a pick-em yard...most aftermarkets suck and don't fit well.
I wish it was this easy for me to get front end parts for the JY, they seem to fly out of there. Only front end parts I have nabbed was luck in getting there quick enough.
I started a new project (EG SI) a few months ago after being out of this game for almost 15 years. Finding OEM body and other parts is hard. So, what I ended up doing is just buying a whole other car just for parts. Paid $500 for a 94' DX auto Coupe that runs and drives (well, it has a bad head gasket). So for that $500 i got:
Factory hood
Factory fenders
Factory doors
Factory bumper covers
Windshield
Spare dash
and a plethora of other misc. crap I may or may not need down the road.
Once I am done, Ill either part it out or sell it to the scrap. Honestly it was the way to go.
Sorry for not taking pics of the process. I left my phone inside but I at least got it to close. My buddy couldn’t make it so I went at it alone. Wrapped one end to a fire hydrant and the other the damaged area. Was pushed in farther than it looked. By the looks of the hood, I can pull it further then do the same to the latch, but for now it’s good.......for now.
Front end fender bender. Now what?
