One Not-So-Clean Cruiser Anymore (1 Viewer)

[hank14]

My house was struck by lightening and almost burned down the other night. The fire started over the garage and engulfed most of the roof.

We woke up and got out quickly. Thank God my family is safe!

We have had tons of help from neighbor's, friends, and family so everything is covered there.

The FJ60 and Camry were both in the garage.

Both were extracted after firefighters cut through and tore down the garage doors.

Both started up afterwards but suffered heat damage on the plastic and rubber exterior parts.

I had an agreed value classic policy on the 87 cruiser. Insurance is coming next week to look it over.

What do you all recommend?

Take it to a cruiser shop/mechanic to look it over?

Take it to a reputable body shop for an estimate? If so, who?

Rebuild it myself and drive it another 100k?

I know my options are limited by what the insurance company agrees to, but given the best case scenario, what would you do and who would you recommend?

 

[1911]

Bummer Scott! Glad you and your family are OK.

If they were mine, I would take them to both a body shop and a mechanic for estimates. If the plastic exterior parts are damaged, I would be worried about the rubber and plastic parts in the engine compartment too; air and PCV hoses, vacuum lines, wiring insulation, and etc. Excess heat will make all those brittle and prone to later failure, even if they look OK at first glance.

I had a body shop in Fort Worth do some door and hard top repair and some upholstery repair on my 40, and they did a nice job. It was a few years ago, so I will probably have to drive by them next time I am in town to remember the name.

 

[Toyo72]

I had a collector car that was in a garage fire. Fortunately the plastic was OK, but the exterior had little spots of damage everywhere from the roof falling (like yours looks) and also the foam + water is caustic so it needed a complete repainting. Interior had smoke damage, which was very effectively removed by an expert with an ozone generator. I'd recommend taking it to a shop that specialized in restoration, and have everything looked over very closely.

 

[hank14]

All good ideas. I'll report back after the appraisal.

I was able to save most of the parts I had stored in the garage, although most of my tools are ruined. They are easily replaceable.

Thank you both for your input!

 

[hank14]

Drove the cruiser to the car wash. No problems on the road.

Cleaned up surprisingly well.

I need to work on getting the roof tar off the paint. I've heard WD-40 works well.

Still waiting on details from insurance to decide what to do.

 

[jebber]

Damn that's a shame.

 

[Michael Hanson]

Personally Id go for a paint job out of it . Mike

 

[hank14]

Well...here's the latest.

I had the cruiser insured for an agreed value of $15,000 on a classic policy with Safeco (garage parked, not daily driven, less than 5,000 miles a year).

They have offered to pay me the full amount plus tax- total of around $16,000. The deductible has been waived on both cars since they were in the garage and it was all one incident. My wife's Camry was a total loss as well and we are in the process of settling with them on it.

I asked them to provide the estimate for repairs but they have not. I don't think they are required to and I don't know if it would matter.

I asked them what the buy-back value would be and they said $7500. That seems awfully high for a salvage vehicle but the claims agent said that's the quote they got from the salvage company.

Even with $16K in hand the thought of them hauling this cruiser to a random salvage auction is difficult. I'm sure I can repair it for less than $7500, but then it will have a salvage title and I won't be able to insure it for more than liability going forward. I wouldn't mind if I knew someone who would restore it would pick it up.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

 

[CaptClose]

Don't take the money. Keep it and only replace safety items or parts that make it mechanically functional. Don't repainted it. The fire is now part of this cruiser's story. Don't paint it, let it wear the scars with pride. Put on a front ARB bumper and a rear swing out bumper with some jerry cans and then add a roof rack like a cherry on top. Give it a new life. The life it always wanted... The life it was born to have...

 

[ff347]

I am going to guess with the little bit of melting on the rear vents and the fact the paint still looks as good as it does, the engine compartment got no hotter than a summer drive. Some blemishes here and there but it looks very nice still! You mentioned you were thinking about selling in the original post but I think with detailed pictures and an explanation, that thing would sell easy as is even if it had a salvage title. A few thousand for whatever it needs and it is new again.

 

[NeverGiveUpYota]

Don't take the money. Keep it and only replace safety items or parts that make it mechanically functional. Don't repainted it. The fire is now part of this cruiser's story. Don't paint it, let it wear the scars with pride. Put on a front ARB bumper and a rear swing out bumper with some jerry cans and then add a roof rack like a cherry on top. Give it a new life. The life it always wanted... The life it was born to have...

And seriously she is so barely marred! If I never saw the first photos, I'd never know she'd suffered such an extreme. I'd keep her and if you really want to sell, then with that fascinating story someone would still take her up with the salvage title too. Lightening! Wow! I am sorry for the home loss and your wifes car but damn, that cruiser is a survivor! Cherish her! And I agree, let her scars be shown. Life a cancer survivor, wear them with pride.

 

[HemiAlex]

I like cruisers with bumps, bruises, scratches and stories.

Keep it, it will end up being scrapped. If you're keeping it for life the salvage title doesn't matter.

 

[ff347]

I was looking at the pictures on my phone and now on a full size screen I stand with my comments. I would ( if I could ) fly out and drive that thing home and not be worried. Clay bar and maybe some plastic pieces here and there, door seals if needed and a good airing out and anybody on this site would snap it up.

Oh yeah and I am sorry for the fire too and all the headaches that come with it!

Lightning keeps us busy this time of year.

 

[hank14]

Kudos to you ff347 if you're a firefighter. We have all volunteer departments here and there were 4 crews working on our house. They fought hard.

The whole process is a bit overwhelming- like having a second full time job. I've never been the type to build a house. I like quality used houses and vehicles. I will have a lot on my plate the next year which is why I need to make the right decision with the cruiser.

 

[ca62cruzr]

Very sorry for the loss and I'm happy to see everyone is safe. Clean it, make sure its safe and run it. Tires should be looked at carefully for heat damage. Stash away some money for down the line when it needs the paint job but if you got it washed quickly and it had wax on it you should be ok for a while.

 

[hank14]

Thanks again to all who commented and even offered to help me through all this!

I'm going to keep the cruiser. Will have a salvage title but I'm getting it bought back for about $1,000 so I can deal with that.

Time to start cleaning her up!

 

[Klonky99]

incredible story theres a lot of cruiser guys and connections here in Texas, best of luck! so sorry so hear about the house fire but in light of it, this really shows the resilience of these trucks.

 

[Michael Hanson]

I'd take it to a good paint shop and let them detail it. Insure for less and drive it till it dies...which will probably be a long time. Mike

 

[hank14]

I like your thinking Mike!

 

[cruisedeisel]

Still looks nicer than any cruiser I've owned. Or you can just turn it into a smoker. J/k Glad your ok.