Bad news for my '67 Fury III hardtop

John Reddie

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Last week I was detoured onto a road I was unfamiliar with. I came to a 4 way intersection and was slammed into on my left front by a guy in a van. My stop sign was partly blocked by foliage. He didn't have a stop sign so despite the fact that his inspection sticker and registration sticker were expired, it was my fault. I have yet been to find out how he is. I am still in rehab with 4 broken ribs.
My Fury was towed to my house and is most likely totaled. I won't know for sure until I get a better look and can check it out. If it can't I will save it as parts for my '67 Fury convertible. It will be a little while before I'll be able to do much.
John
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I think it might be repairable. Roof pillar is still straight which usually means the door post is ok as well. You will need to pull the front fender and driver's door to get a better inspection. Also does not appear to have any serious frame or suspension damage as the driver front wheel is still straight. Check the passenger side fender to see if is is still straight. A passenger fender that is still lined up will usually means the frame has not been pushed to one side.

Dave
 
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There is an awful lot of thick metal in that front end. I agree with Dave, looks like fender, inner and outer fender, hood, door and front bumper. Hope you heal soon, good luck.

Bill
 
Sorry to hear and get well soon!
I agree the car should be assesed before condemning it.
The 4dr hardtops have 4 layers of metal in the rockers.
I dont see any cracks in the windshield nor kinks in the roof.
So that is a good sign the body is straight.
Worse case scenario a front stub frame and clip. Get her on a body jig.
 
Glad you are all right!

Might quickly send an operative out to the location to get a picture/video (from the driver's seat) of the partially-obstructed sign. Then ask who might be in charge of ensuring the trees around that sign (and others near there) are trimmed back so the view of the sign is not obstructed in any way. Proceed from there.

By observation, those Slabs are toughed than many might even suspect. Especially when compared to similar GM cars, by observation.

Get well!
CBODY67
 
Thanks guys for the positive replies. I love this car and will make every effort to repair it. In the event that the stub frame is bent I have a nice spare thàt came from a Fury 1 with a slant 6. The measurements appear to match up with my 318 frame according to my service manual. The difference is where the engine mounts attach it looks like. Any tips and advice are most welcome. The drivers front door glass did not break.
John
 
Glad you are ok. Looks like the impact was high enough that the stub frame might be fine. Since you have a spare it will be easy to take some measurements and determine if it's bent. Good luck with the repair!
 
Glad that the door glass didn't break - another good sign that things are possibly remaining lined up. Plus, it's hard on the noggin!! I thought it had gotten broken because of the plastic in the picture...
 
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Get well soon.You are very lucky he didn't impact you directly in the drivers door...might have been a very different outcome.
 
Sorry to see the smashed C's...but as long as they did their job and you survived to tell the tale, that's what is important.

I hope you're feeling better soon!
 
You might have a roadway defect claim against the town and possibly against the land owner if foliage was blocking the stop sign. I used to handle claims against towns, cities and counties in MA. Chapter 84 governs roadway defect claims and unless something has changed, the maximum recovery is $5k. Chapter 258 governs other claims against towns etc. with a $100k maximum recovery. However, timely written notification of the claim to the town with a letter containing pertinent info per the statute must be sentto a specific town employee. You may want to talk to an attorney that is knowledgeable on MA roadway defect claims and Chapter 258 claims.

General Law - Part I, Title XIV, Chapter 84, Section 15

Chapter 258

More importantly, I am glad to hear that you were not injured more seriously and that you car may be save-able. You will need to check the front stub frame to see if it was bent. Get well soon.
 
My stop sign was partly blocked by foliage. He didn't have a stop sign so despite the fact that his inspection sticker and registration sticker were expired, it was my fault.

Sue the **** out of the county for failing to maintain a "safe right of way" with sign blockage,, and sue the **** out of the other driver for negligence and failure to properly maintain a unregistered vehicle! Sorry about the ribs and the car! Good Luck
 
Get date-signed pictures of the obscured sign BEFORE someone cleans it up. Even better, put a newspaper with the print date in the foreground for proof. The INSTANT anyone gets wind of a pending lawsuit, that will be cleaned up and then you have no case.
 
Well folks, here is an update on my '67 Fury hardtop that got t-boned back in early October. I have recovered slowly but still a bit sore where the ribs were broken. As the photo shows, the windshield escaped damage but right after I was released from rehab, we had a big storm here with high wind gusts which dropped a limb and shattered the windshield (DAMN!). I have removed the busted glass and from I what can see, the frame is not damaged which is a great sign. My next step is to get it running so to keep things moving and then removing the busted parts so I can access what damage I have. I am hoping to repair the Fury and have a decent stash of spare parts so we'll see. I'll be 80 in January and move slower but I think I 'm still up for it.
One question, how are the chrome trim pieces that surround the windshield on the rubber gasket removed? I don't want to damage them as I don't have any spares. Thanks for any info here and and all the encouragement given.
John
 
One question, how are the chrome trim pieces that surround the windshield on the rubber gasket removed?
Think you need one of these, pretty simple, insert & slide, pry around the clip & pop.

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Try to stay away from the Taiwan version for obvious reasons.

This looks vintage off a eBay pic.

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There is a variety of tools for trim removal for all makes and models now. The newer cars need these heavy duty plastic pry bar tools to pop things apart just like you need to use to pop open iPads/tablets/cellphones.

Good luck, at a decade older than me your doing very well IMHO.

:thumbsup:

(edit) oh and pray that some jackwagon didn't inject sealer into the trim area to try and cure a leak. This may be possible happening over the years and a real PITA to get the trim off without bending it. I had a case like that on a fairly new Lincoln Continental Town Car where I included full trim pieces/price in the estimate... never heard back from the guy, he figured he live with the leak LOL.

.
 
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As mentioned get the proper tool to remove the trim.
Start with removing the bottom trim,then the sides and the one long piee on the top last.
The windshield gasket is available so it is best to cut the gasket to remove the broken windshield.
Then remove the remains of the gasket and clean the channels.
The interior garnish trim around the glass has to be removed and ditto the windshueld cowl.

It is best to get a pro to install the gasket and glass.
Hope this helps.
 
I made a windshield removal tool out of a knock off craftsman 1/4" screwdriver. Put it in a vise, heat the end with a propane torch and bend over about 1/4" to 90 degrees, then let cool.

Slip it under the trim and slide to where you feel a clip, rock it up and down (assuming side trim here, left and right for top piece) while gently twisting upward and the trim clip releases. Move on to the next clip. This is not a place to attempt to be Hercules, patience is a virtue.
 
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