wrecked 80 - now what

[fzjadam]

Sorry for the bad pics. I was at the tow yard & used my cell phone. I have 126K on the clock. See sig line for what has been done so far. I was hit so their insurance will be paying. Opinions or first hand experience? Take the insurance & start over? Take the insurance, buy back as salvage, take doors off, & repair rear axle (I don't know how bad it is...only my tire is flat, and the wheel is slightly folded under)? Take insurance & buy something else? What do you think?

 

[Kernal]

I'd buy it back and either fix it or part it out; don't let the junk yard have it. One yard I'm aware of stripped a few major parts off an 80 with a blown engine but crushed the rest for skrap metal.

 

[warpdriv]

Man that sucks. Glad that your ok. Where are you at?

 

[PoorHouse]

You need more info before making any decisions.

I would start tracking down other sold LC's in your area to have for the insurance co if they low ball you.

 

[SoCal FZJ80]

Fixing FZJ80 Landcruiser

That is very fixable. I have all of the parts here to fix it actually (in white) . Taking the offer from the insurance company depends on what they are going to give you. If they give you in excess of what it would cost to buy a "perfect" rig, maybe consider it. But if you can't replace the cruiser for what they offer- than by all means have them pay to fix it. The good thing is if there is any damage to the suspension links/etc. The insurance is going to pay to fix it correctly, and that means all mechanical aspects damaged as well. If you have any doubts have an independent mechanic inspect it so that you can ensure everything caused by the accident is taken care of. The insurance company will most likely do a supplemental claim based on any findings. So far, any accident claims I have ever had- I kept the 80 series and fixed it. Luckily the insurance company took great care of me. If you do decide on replacing the whole rig, surely give a mud member the info to buy it from the insurance company and save it from the junkyard. It is too nice to part out.

Good luck on your decision process!

 

[mickeyt]

If the cost to fix exceeds the insurance NADA value, they will total it and let you buy back for a very small fee.

 

[jynx]

You need more info before making any decisions.

Agreed.

It looks very fixable to me, mainly cosmetic on the doors and fenders. I would check the links and housing of the rear axle to make sure it is still good and true.

So has the insurance already totaled it? Kinda sounds like they are asking you what you want to do with it. Even if you buy it back, you could still pick up a clean rig and swap over what you want and part out the rest.

x2 on the where are you? Saw what looked like a North Carolina tag on Hyundai next to the cruiser.

 

[Rusty]

What happened in the accident? How fast was the impact? Obviously you were badly side swiped, but where did the other vehicle come to rest? I'm assuming that the other vehicle impacted your driver's side rear tire. It may have "relocated" the axle assembly further aft.

The only thing that I see that looks out of line other than the rear axle is the rear door, is it slightly open in the last picture? If it's not then it looks as though it no longer lines up with the C pillar properly, just above the door handle. This may indicate that the body may have deformed, or buckled.

It would seem a shame to write off your Cruiser, especially since it has so few miles on it, that and you've obviously put time and money into it, but I would be careful with taking on the repair. If you're not just into getting the doors, flares and the rocker panel replaced, and you have to get the body or frame "straightened out" then it could get costly and may never be the same as it was.

I don't think that anyone on this forum can definitively say one way or the other what the extent of the damage is based on cell phone pictures. If I were you I'd find a body shop that I trust and have them send someone out to look at it for you to get a proper appraisal.

Best of luck.

 

[fzjadam]

Thanks for everyone's input. A couple of responses . . .

- I am in Gastonia, NC.
- It happened this morning about 6:15 on the way to work. It will be Monday before I will be able to contact the insurance company so I don't know what the insurance company will say. I assume the cost of repair will justify totaling.
- I was stopped in the middle of an intersection making a left hand turn. The woman was going about 50 in on coming traffic. I think she was *^%%ed up. She went through the intersection diagonally hitting me then the car behind me before coming to a stop probably 100 foot away from my vehicle. A talked to a guy at work that was behind the woman. He said she was all over the road. Man you should have saw her car. I really wish I would have taken pics at the accident. They would have made great posts. This is just more proof that these beast are tanks.
- Good advise on checking on the cost of replacement vehicles & the cost of replacement in relation to repair.
- I'm glad to hear it is thought I could buy it back cheap. After hearing from IH8MUD members I will more than likely try to buy it back & either sell it to a member or maybe take off the doors & install 37's.

 

[DBWood]

Hey Adam,

Sorry to see that happen to your rig. Happy you are OK though.
It looks fixable though, as long as nothing underneath is tweaked too badly...
I would do my best to fix it, if you can.

Cheers

Doug

 

[nodaksn3]

Glad you're OK. I fixed my '84 FJ60- twice actually. It was totaled once by lightening, then almost immediatly after being fixed by a woman falling asleep and coming across the line at me. I would not do it again, way too much trouble, and even though it was fixed correctly, it was a hassle all the way around. My advice: Part it out if you want that hassle, but buy another one and start over.
Ned