Project: Restore Betsy

[flibberdipper]

Heh, this will be an unusual build log. This one is for my car, which I kinda inherited after my aunt rear ended an SUV. It's a 2004 Buick LeSabre Limited, and (as you can tell by the little video below), it is in need of some serious help. As far as I know right now, the grille, both fenders, the hood, radiator, and bumper need replaced. Not to mention the fact that the frame needs welded back together I think, and maybe some tubing and such along the way. Oh, and I think the trans needs some help.

 

But, last night my dad apparently got the parts car for it (which is a matching color thank god), which means that as soon as the weather allows me to, I can start to work on it. Pretty swaggy right?

 

But, this is not a "short" term "build it back to the way it was before and then be done" build log. I wouldn't mind throwing some extra things into the mix, which are also listed in the video at some point or another. And since I don't have a job or anything... This is a very long term build log.

 

[Aytex]

what happend

nvm

 

good luck

[thekeemo]

Do you listen to anything other than only time?

[flibberdipper]

what happend

My aunt kinda rear ended an SUV...

 

What's the outro song of the video? It's catchy.

Cake by the Ocean.

[ZetZet]

did the airbars not destroy the inside?

[TheGamingBarrel]

You finally uploaded the thread!

[The Official Czex]

Kek for Enya.

[Tmt97]

Betsy's heart monitor:

 

^   ^     ^    ^ ___________________

  V    V    V

[flibberdipper]

did the airbars not destroy the inside?

They never went off since it was a fairly low speed collision. What did most of the damage was her car kinda going under the SUV.

 

If you squint just a little it looks like a 1992 Dodge Viper. Good luck and have fun fixing it.

Thanks man. And I will have fun fixing it, actually.

[flibberdipper]

Wasn't meant to sound sarcastic, I mean it! Sounds like a fun project. Would have done the same if my previous car would have been fixable, but it was totaled after a slight mishap cough cough.

"slight"

[CatCloud]

Oh wow, looks like a decent amount of work needs to be done on the poor girl.

Not sure what the smoothest way to fix it is but I'd cut off a part of the front and slap on a new one.

[flibberdipper]

No one got hurt, that's all that matters, right? RIGHT?!

Yup. Everybody was fine. Just a little shaken up and sore.

 

Oh wow, looks like a decent amount of work needs to be done on the poor girl.

Not sure what the smoothest way to fix it is but I'd cut off a part of the front and slap on a new one.

I think I'm going to take off all the metal, the bumper, the radiator/fan assembly (pretty much anything that's broken), see what the damage is, and then go from there.

 

My dad found a car that's the same color for parts, and it looks like all the parts I need are in good shape.

 

I already know that we're gonna need to weld some of the frame back together, but that's no biggie and my dad will be doing that anyways.

[CatCloud]

Yup. Everybody was fine. Just a little shaken up and sore.

I think I'm going to take off all the metal, the bumper, the radiator/fan assembly (pretty much anything that's broken), see what the damage is, and then go from there.

My dad found a car that's the same color for parts, and it looks like all the parts I need are in good shape.

I already know that we're gonna need to weld some of the frame back together, but that's no biggie and my dad will be doing that anyways.

Might as well strip the entire front, Easier to work and Se the damage.

[flibberdipper]

Might as well strip the entire front, Easier to work and Se the damage.

Basically what I'm doing at this point. I'm kinda working my way into the car, but my dad more or less knows what's wrong with it at this point.

[flibberdipper]

Teeny update: We now have pretty much all of the main parts that we need. We plan to work on the ol girl tomorrow a decent amount (if the weather allows).

 

Spoiler: Bumper that isn't beat to hell (don't worry, it's not fucked, the fender was just bending the plastic a bit. We took it off and it looks normal now).

 

[flibberdipper]

So a little update for y'all.

 

We got the parts out of the back of the truck and onto our trailer last night, and today I cleaned most of the shrapnel out of the bumper and we yanked the left side with our truck so that the door gap was about right (forgot how to explain it). Here in a little bit we're planning on moving it up to the garage so that we can get out the tools and start taking out bolts and such.

 

Also, I think I found Sylvania's new SilverStar Indestructible line of bulbs.

 

2016-01-22_03-46-51 by Travis McClelland, on Flickr

[flibberdipper]

*sigh* it's such a nice day out today, and I can't even work on it because of a pinched nerve.  So she sits there all alone. i cri evrytiem

 

[flibberdipper]

Alright, I was able to do some work on the ol girl, and I made some progress. I more or less removed the turn signals in the bumper and the general radiator deal.

 

 

And apparently it still had some freon in it when my dad had to cut the pipe.

 

And the computer is still good! WOOT BITCHES.

 

 

THERE'S SO MUCH ROOM FOR ACTIVITIES!!!

 

 

 

Also, dem rusty ass brake lines.

 

[flibberdipper]

THE PROJECT WILL LIVE AGAIN!!!

My dad has had plans for the past few weeks, but the weather has either been crap, or we've been busy.

[kelvindeschutter]

good looking forward

[MadyTehWolfie]

On 1/9/2016 at 3:38 PM, tmcclelland455 said:

Heh, this will be an unusual build log. This one is for my car, which I kinda inherited after my aunt rear ended an SUV. It's a 2005 Buick LeSabre Limited, and (as you can tell by the little video below), it is in need of some serious help. As far as I know right now, the grille, both fenders, the hood, radiator, and bumper need replaced. Not to mention the fact that the frame needs welded back together I think, and maybe some tubing and such along the way. Oh, and I think the trans needs some help.

 

But, last night my dad apparently got the parts car for it (which is a matching color thank god), which means that as soon as the weather allows me to, I can start to work on it. Pretty swaggy right?

 

But, this is not a "short" term "build it back to the way it was before and then be done" build log. I wouldn't mind throwing some extra things into the mix, which are also listed in the video at some point or another. And since I don't have a job or anything... This is a very long term build log.

 

 

I would see how much the parts cost relative to how much the car is actually worth. It might not be worth fixing in the end.

[flibberdipper]

21 minutes ago, MadyTehWolfie said:

I would see how much the parts cost relative to how much the car is actually worth. It might not be worth fixing in the end.

The parts we bought were about 200 USD, and given these go for 3 grand in crap shape, and 5 grand or more in good shape... I think it was worth it.

 

Before my aunt crashed it, this car probably could have netted around 6,500 or more, given the lower miles and low rust.

[MadyTehWolfie]

3 hours ago, tmcclelland455 said:

The parts we bought were about 200 USD, and given these go for 3 grand in crap shape, and 5 grand or more in good shape... I think it was worth it.

 

Before my aunt crashed it, this car probably could have netted around 6,500 or more, given the lower miles and low rust.

Each his own on the type of car but I can argue with the math ebhind it. Least it'll get you from point A to B which is something I can get behind. Plus you probably know its maintenance history.

[flibberdipper]

40 minutes ago, MadyTehWolfie said:

Each his own on the type of car but I can argue with the math ebhind it. Least it'll get you from point A to B which is something I can get behind. Plus you probably know its maintenance history.

Yep. Thankfully my dad has taken care of it for 130K of it's 200K life, and it's been babied the whole time. Even the last owner took immaculate care of it.

[PillowSmoke]

On 5/28/2016 at 11:23 PM, tmcclelland455 said:

Yep. Thankfully my dad has taken care of it for 130K of it's 200K life, and it's been babied the whole time. Even the last owner took immaculate care of it.

200k that's not low lol.