UNBELIEVABLE, Newport hit last night by careless driver..

[70NPORT]

Well, nobody is going to believe this b/c I can BARELY believe it myself...and it is only b/c I'm so pissed off and that is what makes it very real. Last night while gassing up at a local WaWa gas-n-go my recently acquired (not TWO friggin weeks ago) Chrysler Newport 2dr HT coup was hit by a women strung out on opiate pain killers. She plowed her Dodge Ram pick up truck straight into the passenger side front fender, causing a fairly large dent and pushing part of the chrome loop bumper out of place, as well as damaging the BRAND NEW tire on that side. I had JUST finished tanking up and about to turn the key over when I happened to look up and watch her plow into the front of the car....WITHOUT even attempting to apply any breaks (there were no skid marks behind the truck). She had not the wherewithall to try and stop the forward momentum of her truck BEFORE hitting my Newport. After questioning her the cops found out she was taking strong narcotic medication for a back problem. I WONDER IF THAT HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH HER ABILITY TO CONTROL HER BIG *** pick up truck. I actually watched this happen in slow-motion, sitting in the front seat.
So now, I'm doing a thorough assessment of the damage: right front fender along w/ the turn signal hardware/wiring, BRAND NEW tire. That's just what can be easily seen. I have no idea what else may have been damaged on that side. The truck pushed the front of her a good 5 or 6ft to the left while in park. I'm glad we did not impact the actual gas pump itself, but I don't know if the actual kinetic movement caused any damage to any suspension parts/hardware or settings OR if the 727 sustained any damage as again she was in "park". I can't really drive her b/c the wheel well is pushed in to the point where it comes in contact with the top of the tire. I will have to pull that out someway so that it does not rub, and change the tire. Perhaps the damage may not look that bad in pics but I think it may be worse.

I know (HOPE?) fenders are still available for C body donors in salvage yards in the south/west areas. Any suggestions where to start first? Any good experiences with a particular vendor for this stuff? Does the turn signal marker and trim usually come with the fender or should that be a separate search?
Any experience is valued, thanks.

 

[1978 NYB]

OFF WITH HER HEAD!!!!




Sorry to hear about the damage.

 

[Aquaman]

Sorry to hear about the damage. I am always afraid some amateur is going to run into one of my Mopars. I am not that old..47 (well maybe by some standards) but it seems to me driving skill has dropped dramatically in the past 20 years. Please don't get me going on the people yacking on the phone, texting or putting on make-up when driving? BTW I just don't get the need to be in constant contact, I am trying to be in less contact! --- Although I am on here??? But not driving while I write.

 

[hotskins]

Freakin crack heads. I hate people. As far as parts goes, it will be something you will have to ask the seller. Maybe you can get a "package" deal. The "rest home" that has a few old c bodies down here where I live is better at making a deal if you are buying more than one thing. But you never know till you ask.

I hope the cops at least gave her a DUI.

 

[70NPORT]

Sorry to hear about the damage. I am always afraid some amateur is going to run into one of my Mopars. I am not that old..47 (well maybe by some standards) but it seems to me driving skill has dropped dramatically in the past 20 years. Please don't get me going on the people yacking on the phone, texting or putting on make-up when driving? BTW I just don't get the need to be in constant contact, I am trying to be in less contact! --- Although I am on here??? But not driving while I write.

Aquaman, you hit it on the head. I've driven up and down the east coast in numerous different mopar cars several times and I see the idiots out there and it's getting worse and worse. I really get jazzed up when I see people texting while trying to drive at the same time.....bad things happen like that.

 

[polara71]

http://www.cbodies.com/

http://www.vvap.com/


http://www.dvap.com/


http://www.wildcatmopars.com/

A few off the top of my head. Not that it matters, Which Wawa? My 01 Ram was parked at the one on 322 in Swedesboro when hit by a tractor trailer.


This news really sucks, I was ecstatic for you, finding a car that nice local.....................:4164823-pengforks::4164823-pengforks:

 

[detmatt]

Huge bummer! Sorry to see this. Glad nobody was hurt, there could just as easily been a little kid in between your car and her truck. She should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, seriously!

 

[polara71]

I doubt they will, since the cop didnt see it happen they cant (arent supposed to ) write a summons. If they do you have to show up to court to testify, otherwise it is dismissed.

Since the medication was prescription she may not be in too much hot water

 

[polara71]

Adding to that , as long as the car gets repaired.

 

[70NPORT]

I doubt they will, since the cop didnt see it happen they cant (arent supposed to ) write a summons. If they do you have to show up to court to testify, otherwise it is dismissed.

Since the medication was prescription she may not be in too much hot water

Nada. The cops wrote her enough tickets that she could lay them all out in the bed of the truck.....and deservedly so. Detmatt is absolutely right, the pump attendant could have been standing right there between my Newport and the truck, he would have got spooooged all over my hood...so its a good thing there was no one there at the time.

UPDATE: Found a couple of places with fender & parts I will need (my thanks polara71) to replace the banged up part. I had her in a shop and up on a lift this morning, looks like she withstood the impact with no major problems other then bent fender. I guess it could have been much worse, she could have plowed us into the pumps.....sparks-heat, WaWa/Chrysler bonfire and so on. Perhaps I should just drive around in an M1 Abrams with "Newport" scribbled on the back. Seriously thinking about it.:icon_shaking:

 

[BillGrissom]

My 65 Newport has been totalled 3 times so far by my insurance companies - uninsured driver, insured driver, deer into side door. Step one is take it to the shop your company suggests. In my case, all 3 shops reported "couldn't fix". Once they decide to total it, collect "comparables". They probably don't know that a pristine high-option 2-door you found in Hemming's might be worth more than yours. You will seem real reasonable by settling for half that listing. We usually agreed to ~$3500. Then buy it back from them for $700. Then worry about fixing it.

First one was a guy rammed a trailer we were pulling on I-40, which took out the whole rear and a quarter panel, but spared the trunk lid. That was in AZ, so I got the whole rear sheet metal and bumper from a yard north of Phoenix and threw it on the trailer. Found a 1-man shop in GA that welded it on. The big name shops didn't know how. Seems they know only how to "bolt a fender" or Bondo.

The other two were single door hits. I bought new doors from AZ, maybe $150 w/ shipping. The biggest problem is having to repaint, but that was an opportunity to fix other damage like the tree limb that put a slight crease on a quarter panel.

Hard to tell in your photo, but looks like a good body shop could fix your fender easy. It looks like all gradual bends that are easy to recurve. They might even be able to save the paint. Bumpers are routinely beat out, even much worse than yours. The problem is re-chroming. Used to be cheap but not since the EPA got involved. I paid ~$150 in GA years ago and it still looks great.

 

[Aquaman]

You were at Wawa with a "pump attendant" - must have been New Jersey?

 

[70NPORT]

My 65 Newport has been totalled 3 times so far by my insurance companies - uninsured driver, insured driver, deer into side door. Step one is take it to the shop your company suggests. In my case, all 3 shops reported "couldn't fix". Once they decide to total it, collect "comparables". They probably don't know that a pristine high-option 2-door you found in Hemming's might be worth more than yours. You will seem real reasonable by settling for half that listing. We usually agreed to ~$3500. Then buy it back from them for $700. Then worry about fixing it.

First one was a guy rammed a trailer we were pulling on I-40, which took out the whole rear and a quarter panel, but spared the trunk lid. That was in AZ, so I got the whole rear sheet metal and bumper from a yard north of Phoenix and threw it on the trailer. Found a 1-man shop in GA that welded it on. The big name shops didn't know how. Seems they know only how to "bolt a fender" or Bondo.

The other two were single door hits. I bought new doors from AZ, maybe $150 w/ shipping. The biggest problem is having to repaint, but that was an opportunity to fix other damage like the tree limb that put a slight crease on a quarter panel.

Hard to tell in your photo, but looks like a good body shop could fix your fender easy. It looks like all gradual bends that are easy to recurve. They might even be able to save the paint. Bumpers are routinely beat out, even much worse than yours. The problem is re-chroming. Used to be cheap but not since the EPA got involved. I paid ~$150 in GA years ago and it still looks great.

Bill, WOW....well guess I should stop complaining, although I've been hit in other cars. Honestly I could remove the fender and bolt a new one on myself..had to do that with my 340 Duster a few years ago. The Chrysler might be a bit more complicated I might suspect. I still have not received the police report but the one "good" thing about it is that they were ALL over her like glue b/c she was clearly not firing on all cylinders; in fact she was a blubbering mess..crying and sobbing all over the place and red eyed. Looking back now I "kind of" feel a bit sorry for her, just a tiny bit, but everyone is right she could have killed us, her and anyone in the general radius b/c again I was parked right next to the gas pumps and the Newport had a full tank.

Once I get the report than I guess it would be time to contact her insurance, but b/c of the age of her, I don't expect much from them. Your right the body shop I talked to the morning after had no clue how to get a fender and any related parts for this car. I was about to give them a few sources I had dug up but they did not want to hear any of it. I promptly had them take her of the truck, I pulled out the dent a bit and drove her home as I did NOT want her sitting in their lot another night (charged me over a hundred bucks just for the tow to the yard - not barely a mile away from the scene of the accident!!).

I have her at home now, so just have to wait for that report. I was able to find a fender source (thanks again polara71), but we have a family friend who owns a body shop in Philadelphia who says it'll be easy to repair the original. As for the bumper it has a few scrapes but its still has its shape, the fender took the brunt of the hit. If I have to get another bumper, I wonder if a 71' 300 bumper w/ intact hide aways will work? Same bumper, I guess it would be trying to retro fit the the hide away mechanism. I really like the hide aways. Might look good on her.

 

[70NPORT]

You were at Wawa with a "pump attendant" - must have been New Jersey?

Yeah, rt. 322 in Swedesboro NJ at an intersection, don't know the name of the intersecting road. I will NEVER be going there again.

 

[polara71]

Thats the one..................bad news there

 

[Fratzog]

Sorry about your luck but it's good to hear you were able to source parts. (You the man Dave!) IMHO penalties for operating a vehicle under the influence of prescription drugs should be the same as for driving drunk. Similar thing happened to my Charger daily driver last winter. In my case it was a terminally ditsey woman driver unable to handle a honkin crew cab pickup truck turning out of the parking spot next to my car. With the police report insurance paid with no problem or change in my rates. Keep us up to speed on your progress with repairs.

 

[state_vampire]

Wow. Sorry to hear.

 

[70NPORT]

Sorry about your luck but it's good to hear you were able to source parts. (You the man Dave!) IMHO penalties for operating a vehicle under the influence of prescription drugs should be the same as for driving drunk. Similar thing happened to my Charger daily driver last winter. In my case it was a terminally ditsey woman driver unable to handle a honkin crew cab pickup truck turning out of the parking spot next to my car. With the police report insurance paid with no problem or change in my rates. Keep us up to speed on your progress with repairs.

Thanks Fratzog, I'm hoping everything will go smoothly as it possibly can. I just want to get her back to the way she was when I bought her.

 

[BillGrissom]

Sorry about the towing. That seems to be a scam the Police may be in on. My wife's minivan was hit at a red light 3 blocks from our house. The Police had it towed before I got there, even though no traffic was impeded on the multi-lane road. The tow truck took it right by my house and my wife asked them to leave it there, but the driver refused and towed it 3 miles to their yard, where they charged high storage fees. I called the Police and requested they charge the tow company with auto theft and extortion if they didn't return the van to my house. One detective said it was unlawful for them to not leave it where we asked, but wouldn't pursue charges. I had to pay their $250 extortion to get our van back the next day, plus pay another company tow it home, where I fixed it. We also got shafted on the accident when Geico said "both drivers equally at fault, don't have to pay anybody under GA law". Both cars were Geico insured. We got some money after suing them.

I read about another incident in Atlanta where the Police saw a man pushing his car car down an empty side street after it stalled. He threatened that if he didn't have it off the street next time he passed he would have it towed. He came around again and started arguing with the man, then called his buddy cops to help beat him up. While piled on, the man got a gun away and killed another cop who running up to join the beating, and got away. I forgot the outcome, but had I been on the jury I would have voted for aquittal. Self defense in a gang attack. "Serve and Protect" is usually "harass and fine" whenever I have lived in a big city.

 

[commando1]

Sorry about the towing. That seems to be a scam .

Broke down on the Cross Bronx in my company truck one night with two flats. Company sent their tire guy out to replace the tires. A tow truck "authorized" by whatever agency controls the Cross Bronx showed up and charged the tire guy $100 to be "allowed" to change the flats or they would call the NYPD....
Now there's a legal scam.