Author Topic: Front end got backed into...by my wife (Read 5613 times)

longms · « **on:** December 09, 2011, 05:07:05 PM »

So last night I forgot to move my car over on the driveway and left it parked directly in front of the garage door. So the next morning my wife backs into the front of my car. I am sure she quickly hit the garage door button and then got into her car and put it into reverse. Since she drives an SUV and our driveway slopes down I am sure she could not see my car but just wish that this one time she would have taken 5 seconds to look. So my hood is crushed, gill and grills are ruined but more importantly I am afraid that the cross brace/carrier thing that the hood hinge rests on got pushed back towards the engine. I am also afraid that the front fenders may have been thrown off as well. I will get some pictures together to show the extent of the damage.

It is very obvious that things have been pushed around. Any ideas on how to fix this and can the carrier be replaced without ripping the entire front end apart?

longms · « **Reply #1 on:** December 09, 2011, 08:48:38 PM »

Any specific areas I should be checking or possibly some measurements? how much distance should there be between the fan shroud and the water pump housing? And should there be gaps in between the sheets of metal on the carrier itself?

DesktopDave · « **Reply #2 on:** December 09, 2011, 09:16:46 PM »

Gah.

Gah.

Sorry to hear about that. I asked my wife what I'd do if she did something like that. She said "You'd probably cry a little. Then you'd wreck my precious minivan."

Lemme get out there tomorrow & take some accurate measurements. I have a sedan though. That front support is tougher than it looks, you might be OK.

Last 325 I owned was tweaked a bit. I got out the vice-grips and bent the hood bracket to suit. I scratched the devil out of it, so then I touched it up a bit. The hood ended up being about 1/8th" off when I was done adjusting it out.

longms · « **Reply #3 on:** December 09, 2011, 10:21:35 PM »

What does everyone think about strapping a tow strap to a tree and a ratchet strap to the strap wrapped around the brace and then putting some chocks in front of the wheels and try to pull the brace back in place?

Thanks for looking into some specifics for me to realign my baby back together.

DesktopDave · « **Reply #4 on:** December 09, 2011, 10:36:36 PM »

I'd think long and hard about ratcheting that out unless you've got some really heavy duty gear. I've had nylon webbing fail on me...and fail abruptly. A few thousand pounds of force can really turn & bite you.

A heavy come-along...or better yet...hydraulic rams are the way I'd be tempting fate. I used the 4-ton? ram from my engine lift on a parts car once. It had rolled over and the passenger a-pillar was crushed about eight inches into the cabin. I didn't even break a sweat pushing the roof back into shape. It was sweet. HF has them for like $55 brand new.

longms · « **Reply #5 on:** December 09, 2011, 11:14:10 PM »

So you are saying I should find a good collision shop to fix the radiator support and I can do the rest?

longms · « **Reply #6 on:** December 10, 2011, 08:06:57 AM »

Are all non convertible E30 hoods the same? I am assuming yes but I am not sure if there is something small that might be different between certain years?

deansweet · « **Reply #7 on:** December 10, 2011, 11:40:35 AM »

Sadly.. I have been in this exact same position with myself and my lovely Mrs.
Not with the E30, but with my old 1st gen RX-7 and she was driving our Lumina minivan.
She darn near drove over it!?

I went out and measured the space between the back of radiator to leading edge of fan and it's roughly ~4.125".

Pics can be seen here: https://picasaweb.google.com/100761544388013696333/1991BMW318is#

If you need measurements for reference email me and I will get them for you.

-Dean

DesktopDave · « **Reply #8 on:** December 10, 2011, 12:15:13 PM »

I pulled a few measurements too. Mine's a sedan, keep that in mind. Sorry that I didn't post pics, it's too d@mn cold.

I measured these from the center wiper mount, couldn't find any other really good reference point.
Left & right hood snubbers, 41 7/16"
L&R quarters, first fastening bolt, 43 3/16"
L&R quarter panels, front inside corner, 47 3/16"

Finally, the rear of the rad support was 11 1/4" to the cam cover/upper timing case bolt boss.
The front lip (that the hood hinge bolts to) is 16 3/16" from the same cam cover bolt boss.

I also measured the fan shroud rear to front engine chain case surface, 3 1/2"

From what I've seen early & late hoods interchange. The only differences are the insulators. Not sure about swapping 'verts, sedans & coupes.

longms · « **Reply #9 on:** December 10, 2011, 03:50:52 PM »

I got quoted today to get the rad support straightened out on a rack they want $200. Sounds reasonable but I really have no clue what a good price is for that. Then I asked how much it would cost to spray a new hood to match and they said $275. Should I give the measurements to the body shop or is that like me saying I don't trust them?

Do these numbers sounds about right?

I may have found a 2nd hand hood at a pick-a-part for $50 and will see if there are any front gills and grills in decent shape on the car too. I believe the hood will be gray so it will need to be painted at some point.

DesktopDave · « **Reply #10 on:** December 10, 2011, 04:53:36 PM »

Those prices sound really good. I'm worried about the upper frame members, I'd definitely pull the front quarters to see what's going on in there. It's just a lot of little 7mm sheet metal screws, that's all. Sometimes the OEM seam sealer gave me trouble, and the two screws forward of the door hinges are annoying. The ones on the bottom tend to corrode as well. It'll only take an hour and you'll be able to check everything & get it all lined up correctly.

I have grilles if you need them. They're not perfect, could use some paint, but if you can't find anything PM me. You shouldn't have any trouble finding parts for e30's. The hoods do tend to rust though.

longms · « **Reply #11 on:** December 10, 2011, 05:29:20 PM »

Thanks. if the hood at the salvage yard doesnt look good I have someone lined up locally for a little more money but I am sure the quality is better. but i am going to check out the yard first.

Thanks for you help and the info.

Does it look like the top corner of the fender is doing something it shouldnt be doing?

longms · « **Reply #12 on:** December 11, 2011, 09:08:36 AM »

Quote from: DesktopDave;108794

I have grilles if you need them. They're not perfect, could use some paint, but if you can't find anything PM me. You shouldn't have any trouble finding parts for e30's. The hoods do tend to rust though.

Let me know how much you might want for them.

longms · « **Reply #13 on:** December 12, 2011, 10:23:56 AM »

Quote from: deansweet;108789

I went out and measured the space between the back of radiator to leading edge of fan and it's roughly ~4.125".

Quote from: DesktopDave;108791

I pulled a few measurements too. Mine's a sedan, keep that in mind. I measured these from the center wiper mount, couldn't find any other really good reference point.
Left & right hood snubbers, 41 7/16"
L&R quarters, first fastening bolt, 43 3/16"
L&R quarter panels, front inside corner, 47 3/16"

Finally, the rear of the rad support was 11 1/4" to the cam cover/upper timing case bolt boss.
The front lip (that the hood hinge bolts to) is 16 3/16" from the same cam cover bolt boss.

I also measured the fan shroud rear to front engine chain case surface, 3 1/2"

Can anyone verify these measurements? Does anyone have a measurement from the radiator to the timing chain cover? Thanks for all the help guys

DesktopDave · « **Reply #14 on:** December 12, 2011, 11:08:30 AM »

I'll see if I can get out there tonight & measure the radiator to case. Or just measure your rad thickness & subtract that from 11 1/4" (rear of the rad core support to the timing chain case boss).