Need some help locating parts! Wrecked 07 GX (1 Viewer)

[Guynstein505]

Afternoon! Unfortunately I wrecked my 07 GX, 200K, fresh timing, windshield, and airbags (although with the lift they will be deleted) I'm curious if any of you have replaced the inner fender apron? Looks to be tack welded any tips or tricks I should know before tearing into this? Also any experience with ordering parts with good fitment will be appreciated also! TIA

 

[GX Kai]

Not sure about fixing or ordering a replacement DS inner fender. But someone on here should have an OEM front bumper unless you wanted to get an aftermarket bumper. Same for the headlight, someone may have an OEM after an HID conversion or you could do the HID switch your self.

 

[phishtaco]

I’ve got a driver/passenger headlight if interested. They need polished but they are oem. Message me if interested.

 

[Rednexus]

With the damage being that bad, it's probably something I'd take to a body shop. They are going to need to pull/straighten/rebuild the front core support in order to salvage it, as it looked like the whole front end is tweaked. I would say this is easily $4K+ in work, but it would be done right and you'd have good panel alignment after the fact.

Otherwise, if you have the ability to drill our and re-weld spot welds and get things lined up....which often requires hydraulic jacks and come-a-longs....maybe try to find a white GX in a salvage yard somewhere, as it's a common color, and take all of the parts for yours.

 

[Guynstein505]

Not sure about fixing or ordering a replacement DS inner fender. But someone on here should have an OEM front bumper unless you wanted to get an aftermarket bumper. Same for the headlight, someone may have an OEM after an HID conversion or you could do the HID switch your self.

I wanna go aftermarket bumper for sure the issue is insurance totaled it out, and I bought it back so the repairs are up to me, looks like inner apron and core support at minimum, plus exterior stuff shown. No leaking fluids no misalignment at all.

 

[landwagon]

@bkfj40 is parting one out in Virginia, check the classified section, parting out.

 

[Guynstein505]

With the damage being that bad, it's probably something I'd take to a body shop. They are going to need to pull/straighten/rebuild the front core support in order to salvage it, as it looked like the whole front end is tweaked. I would say this is easily $4K+ in work, but it would be done right and you'd have good panel alignment after the fact.

Otherwise, if you have the ability to drill our and re-weld spot welds and get things lined up....which often requires hydraulic jacks and come-a-longs....maybe try to find a white GX in a salvage yard somewhere, as it's a common color, and take all of the parts for yours.

Yea, salvage yards in my area don't have anything at all. I already came to terms with rebuilding myself as I bought it back from insurance. I owed 12k on it and now it's almost paid off so I figured the cost of parts was worth keeping even with a salvage title. Even the oem parts I'm having trouble locating.

Looks like drill and spot weld it is. I saw a thread of a taco that was almost the same exact scenario haven't seen any threads on a GX though. Guess I'll be documenting step by step my experiences and get a thread together. It'll be a solid 6 months or so. I didn't buy it as a daily though so I'm not going to rush the process! Thx for the advice though I appreciate it!

 

[SteveH]

You might try stretching the inner fender/apron back out. You could even leave (some) of the outer fender attached to give it more strength when you pull on it. You have little to lose - chock the wheels, attach a come-along to it, and yank, using your F350 or a power pole as an anchor point. As Rednexus said, a sympathetic body shop might do some of the pulling for you, and leave you the cosmetics.

 

[Guynstein505]

You might try stretching the inner fender/apron back out. You could even leave (some) of the outer fender attached to give it more strength when you pull on it. You have little to lose - chock the wheels, attach a come-along to it, and yank, using your F350 or a power pole as an anchor point. As Rednexus said, a sympathetic body shop might do some of the pulling for you, and leave you the cosmetics.

I like that thinking. Love this forum. Needed the reassurance of some folk doing s*** like this. I work at a cement plant with access to a massive shop with cranes and welders and anchor points might just send it! Thx bro

 

[bkfj40]

I have most of what you’ll need -except for the number and I’d do what you already said - offroad bumper. The only issue is that I’m in Virginia and it is gray.

 

[SteveH]

The problem with stretching inner fenders back (as I discovered on a '95 4Runner with a similar hit) is that it's hard to grab the metal and not have it tear when you apply force. There are special purpose clamps made for this, or you can use the old fender, blocks of wood, and other hillbilly methods. When I finished with the 4Runner, the body fit on the outside was flawless and the inner fender, while wrinkled and straightened, was hidden by the battery and did not scream 'redneck fix'. I even found junkyard body-color parts, so the dings and chips matched all over the truck perfectly.

Be VERY careful about cutting through things with a Sawzall - I cut through the top radiator shell cross member on a '99 Camry and then discovered, um.... wiring that Toyota ran inside the area I cut. Fortunately, it wasn't shielded wiring, so I could repair it, but I felt like a dolt.

 

[Guynstein505]

The problem with stretching inner fenders back (as I discovered on a '95 4Runner with a similar hit) is that it's hard to grab the metal and not have it tear when you apply force. There are special purpose clamps made for this, or you can use the old fender, blocks of wood, and other hillbilly methods. When I finished with the 4Runner, the body fit on the outside was flawless and the inner fender, while wrinkled and straightened, was hidden by the battery and did not scream 'redneck fix'. I even found junkyard body-color parts, so the dings and chips matched all over the truck perfectly.

Be VERY careful about cutting through things with a Sawzall - I cut through the top radiator shell cross member on a '99 Camry and then discovered, um.... wiring that Toyota ran inside the area I cut. Fortunately, it wasn't shielded wiring, so I could repair it, but I felt like a dolt.

Yea the inner fender I don't mind if it doesn't turn out totally flawless to the eyes. Outer stuff I care about but I think pulling things back out is gonna be the route I take. I've scoured IHM and seems like there's not alot someone hasn't already done somewhere with good results. I'm by no means a body work guy. I did see a taco that had drilled the spot welds and retacked and the thing was like new.

 

[Rednexus]

Regarding parts, it may be worthwhile to do a wider search. Even if you have to spend a day driving to get the parts, if you can find fenders/hood/etc that are painted the same color and ready to go, overall it's easier than having to sand and paint other parts to match.

 

[jiggletits]

Straightening a front end is not a DIY job. You need very expensive and large equipment to properly re-align the body. That being said, a lot of body shops don’t even have the right equipment and are still operating like it’s 1979 so be sure to ask a lot of questions or you could get poor quality results there too. If your frame is even ¼” out of alignment, it will always look lopsided unless fixed on a rack.

I would recommend you take it to the dealer and let your insurance company foot the bill.

 

[Guynstein505]

Straightening a front end is not a DIY job. You need very expensive and large equipment to properly re-align the body. That being said, a lot of body shops don’t even have the right equipment and are still operating like it’s 1979 so be sure to ask a lot of questions or you could get poor quality results there too. If your frame is even ¼” out of alignment, it will always look lopsided unless fixed on a rack.

I would recommend you take it to the dealer and let your insurance company foot the bill.

The frame wasn't touched. the apron/inner fender from what I've seen can be drilled and retacked which is the option I'm leaning toward, Insurance totaled it out that's why I'm keeping it. They paid 11k of my 14k loan.

 

[jiggletits]

You still need a rack to properly straighten it. If you were qualified to fix this you wouldn't be asking about it on a forum. No offense intended, you do you man. Just been there and done that and sometimes, though rarely, it is better to pay a professional.

I'd also consider reviewing the terms of your insurance policy, and/or haggling with them a little more. $11k for a GX is LOW even if it has 200k miles. You can usually get valued more closely to what is for sale out there, but you have to fight them a little bit. State Farm has done that for me when I have refused their low offers in the past.

 

[SteveH]

Some inspiration for you. All done in my driveway with a come-along, Toyota bottle jack and blocks of wood, c-clamps, etc. Body parts were sourced from a junkyard.

 

[Guynstein505]

Some inspiration for you. All done in my driveway with a come-along, Toyota bottle jack and blocks of wood, c-clamps, etc. Body parts were sourced from a junkyard.

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That's what im talking about man nice work! Guess I'll yield a thread of the process and progress man thx

 

[Guynstein505]

You still need a rack to properly straighten it. If you were qualified to fix this you wouldn't be asking about it on a forum. No offense intended, you do you man. Just been there and done that and sometimes, though rarely, it is better to pay a professional.

I'd also consider reviewing the terms of your insurance policy, and/or haggling with them a little more. $11k for a GX is LOW even if it has 200k miles. You can usually get valued more closely to what is for sale out there, but you have to fight them a little bit. State Farm has done that for me when I have refused their low offers in the past.

Well I appreciate the input for sure, however before I posted this straightening wasn't an option I was gonna drill and replace apron, core support. I was looking for oem parts. I've looked deeply into it and yea gonna gonna replace the core support for sure, inner apron probably gonna heat and stretch. I didn't ask the forum for tips on frame work I asked the forum about locating parts.

 

[ArBrnSnpr]

I worked at a body shop years ago that worked on aluminum jaguar bodies and other high end cars. They didn't have a fancy rack and fixed everything like they were back in Vietnam and it was all exceptional work.

There's nothing magic about what they do and before laser leveling racks and frame stretching tables, people were fixing cars successfully. There's tons of shops that still do it that way.

Buy yourself a tripod and a construction laser level and get after it. Once you do the tear down and get all the junk parts off, you'll see it's really minimal work to get that straight.

You have a wrecked car right now. It's not like you're contemplating cutting up a pristine GX. It's a crumpled inner fender and a great learning experience.