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Q-Dog Samba Member

Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8800 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:05 pm Post subject: Disaster! Buggy wrecked last night. |
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After 3 months of driving the buggy almost every day, disaster struck last night. I went out for a late night drive, just to enjoy some cool night air and came across an accident. A young man drove off the interstate and rolled his SUV. I was the first person on the scene and immediately called 911. While still on the phone with 911 and waiting for help, another vehicle hit my buggy as it sat next to the accident scene. The road had no shoulder so I had pulled off as far as I could.
The driver that hit me was arrested for DUI. Troopers wanted to ticket me for obstructing traffic, but I convinced them there was really nowhere else for me to stop and they decided not to cite me.
The buggy was hit in the left rear wheel. I really expected to see shattered fiberglass everywhere, but the body has only minor damage ... a couple of cracks and some damage near the left torsion cover. The pan however may be unsalvageable. The torsion arm is severely bent and the torsion housing also has a bend in it. The wheel is broken and at least one CV came apart. The transmission mounts sheared off and the trans ground strap broke loose. The pan does not look it buckled and the frame horns seem OK, but I won't know until I can get the thing apart and do some measurements. All welds in the pan where it was shortened seem to have held, but this is just from a quick look over. I'm too upset to really give it a good going over.
I'm so disappointed in what happened, because I just wanted this car to be a driver and not have it turn into a long-term project. I'm lucky no one else was hurt, but this just sucks.
I just got the car into my storage shed and talked to my insurance agent. He says he'll help as much as he can, whatever that means.
So, can I straighten a torsion housing?
_________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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phillipmurrieta Samba Member
Joined: May 11, 2010 Posts: 139 Location: Murrieta, CA
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:08 pm Post subject: |
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That is such a bummer dude. No, i dont think i'd attempt straightening a torsion housing.
And to try to give you a ticket for obstructing (drunk) traffic, geez. That stuff pisses me off. |
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LouisB Samba Member

Joined: August 16, 2004 Posts: 1027 Location: Tallahassee, FL
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:14 pm Post subject: |
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That sucks man. While I am sure it could be fixed I am not sure I would try it. You could maybe get away with just back-halfing your current pan instead of doing a while new one. Until you get the body off and can really measure to see how far things are out of whack you won't really know.
--louis _________________ Louis Brooks
'67 Manx II
Old people at weddings always poke me and say "Your next." So, I started doing the same to them at funerals. |
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Baja68 Samba Member
Joined: June 08, 2007 Posts: 576 Location: Houston Texas
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:27 pm Post subject: |
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I can't belive they wanted to ticket you for trying to fallow the LAW to stop and render aid total BS.
So sorry your car got hit I switched my rear from swing to IRS was a faily easy job and the IRS rear section cost me 100.00 so not that big of a deal in my opinion.
Just sucks you have to tear it all down again.
Good luck
Shawn _________________ My Build Page http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3852984&highlight=#3852984 |
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TC/TeamEvil Samba Member
Joined: February 16, 2004 Posts: 1769
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:31 pm Post subject: |
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"A young man drove off the interstate and rolled his SUV."
Why on earth would you stop ? ! ? ! |
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phillipmurrieta Samba Member
Joined: May 11, 2010 Posts: 139 Location: Murrieta, CA
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:36 pm Post subject: |
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TC/TeamEvil wrote: |
"A young man drove off the interstate and rolled his SUV."
Why on earth would you stop ? ! ? ! |
Wait, don't tell me, you're from Brooklyn. |
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GTBRADLEY Samba Member
Joined: February 27, 2009 Posts: 578 Location: Texas
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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Put you a Berrien Frame under it. There is a dealer in Mississippi. _________________ Thunderbug by Bugformance 1969 |
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kustoms Samba Member

Joined: November 20, 2003 Posts: 1313
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 1:39 pm Post subject: |
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Every one here at Tijuana Kustoms send our best wishes and we feel your pain. _________________ Google this.
"Bread and Circuses"
And wondering what the heck happen to my Samba post count?!?
Tom Thompson
Tijuana Kustoms Inc. (TM)
1-516-338-8746
www.tjkustoms.com |
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phillipmurrieta Samba Member
Joined: May 11, 2010 Posts: 139 Location: Murrieta, CA
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Q-Dog Samba Member

Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8800 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:14 pm Post subject: |
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TC/TeamEvil wrote: |
"A young man drove off the interstate and rolled his SUV."
Why on earth would you stop ? ! ? ! |
He was in the long grass off the service road. Couldn't see him from the interstate. I heard the guy screaming for help as I drove by ... he had probably been there 10 or 15 minutes and I was the first person on the scene.
I would do it again, as I hope someone would stop and help me if I ever needed it. _________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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Derek Cobb Annoying

Joined: March 11, 2004 Posts: 2565
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:38 pm Post subject: |
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"let no act of kindness go unpunished"
I always stop for people in trouble. Flat tires, out of gas, stuck in a ditch, etc. I'd say about half the time I regret it, but the other half makes me feel good about myself. |
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LeeVW Samba Member
Joined: June 14, 2006 Posts: 1016
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:46 pm Post subject: |
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Suddenly, the little problem I had last year seems very minor!
I'm VERY glad no one was in the buggy when it got hit. At least the body escaped the brunt of the damage. I'm sure you'll get her back together, when you're ready.
Lee |
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greenmanx Samba Member

Joined: November 28, 2005 Posts: 152 Location: The Lone Star State
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 2:57 pm Post subject: |
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Just be glad you weren't in the buggy when the drunk hit it.
give Hawkeye Buggies a shout http://www.hawkeyebuggies.com
I have one of his chassis, they're awesome. A year or so ago, we wanted to see if we could switch my completed-running buggy from my pan to one of his chassis in a weekend....we made it. _________________ GR |
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Q-Dog Samba Member

Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8800 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:04 pm Post subject: |
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A closer view. Hard to see in this picture, but something from the other vehicle went through the tire and punched a hole in the wheel.
_________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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phillipmurrieta Samba Member
Joined: May 11, 2010 Posts: 139 Location: Murrieta, CA
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:06 pm Post subject: |
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Man, that must have been a horrendous impact. How far from the buggy were you standing? That must have been heart stopping. |
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Q-Dog Samba Member

Joined: April 05, 2010 Posts: 8800 Location: Sunset, Louisiana
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:24 pm Post subject: |
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phillipmurrieta wrote: |
Man, that must have been a horrendous impact. How far from the buggy were you standing? That must have been heart stopping. |
I was about 12 feet away, on the phone with 911. Sounded like a small explosion to my left, then I saw my buggy take a hard right turn and run down into the ditch. Other car's passenger side air bag went off. _________________ Brian
'69 Dune Buggy
'69 Beetle Convertible
'70 Beetle |
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phillipmurrieta Samba Member
Joined: May 11, 2010 Posts: 139 Location: Murrieta, CA
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:31 pm Post subject: |
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Well, i'm glad you came out unscathed anyway. |
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hottarod Samba Member
Joined: December 14, 2007 Posts: 507 Location: Jefferson
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:34 pm Post subject: |
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I have a 65 mustang fastback and I'm doing a very extensive re-build on it right now. Before I started this it looked really nice and I drove it around quite a bit and I also drag raced it.
I had an incident where some punk juvenile threw a brick through the back glass at the movie theatre. Cops said he did it because his dad had one and he hated his dad. I drove my car with plastic taped over the back glass. They generally run about $600 and are all originals. At that time nobody sold a repop rear glass for a 65 fastback. Nobody would ship one either. You had to go in person to pick it up. I found one in Kansas City once. It and it took me 6 months to find one within driving distance.
Another time I came out of a place and somebody had pulled all the lug nuts but the last 4 off my Magnum 500 wheels. They were just about to take them. Those wheels, center caps and tires together go for over $1750.
Another time I was in the video rental store and somebody came in and said hey is that your black mustang because somebody is doing something under the hood. I ran out and they had left. About 4 miles later I discovered they had loosened the distributor hold down and were about to steal my MSD distributor. When it spun it snapped the roll pin off the gear. Fortunately nothing was destroyed that time.
2 other times I had drunks try to goad me into lighting up the tires for them or race them and when I wouldn't do it they threw empty beer bottles at my car driving down the road trying to bust out some glass.
After all that I decided my car was safer going from inside my shop to my trailer to the drag strip and then back home. I've been drag racing it ever since.
I've read many cases of vandalism on the mustang forums. After my car is done I won't be able to drive it and leave it anywhere unattended for even 5 minutes because it will get spray painted or keyed, stolen, have the glass busted out, something.
I fear for my buggy in almost the same way. I'm putting a lot into it and it would be a bit devastating to have some nut brain out there ruin it all. No amount of money would replace all the stuff I'm doing to it not to mention that it appears so far to be 1 of the last 2 in existence.
You put your heart and soul into building something nice like that just to have somebody tear it up. Words aren't enough but I'm sorry to see your car like that. Hopefully its not quite as bad as it looks. |
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1966dunebuggy Samba Member

Joined: June 21, 2007 Posts: 188 Location: Vancouver
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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Man that sucks!
But it could have been a whole lot worse, imagine he rear-ended it, then the whole thing woulda been gone. To me the most valuable thing in a fiberglass buggy it the body, cage and interior pieces. The pan and rear torsion area can be replaced, it bites since everything has to come apart but at least it's repairable. I hope you at least get something from the insurance company. |
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Manx102 Samba Member
Joined: June 07, 2010 Posts: 484 Location: California
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Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2010 4:31 pm Post subject: |
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Q-Dog wrote: |
He was in the long grass off the service road. Couldn't see him from the interstate. I heard the guy screaming for help as I drove by ... he had probably been there 10 or 15 minutes and I was the first person on the scene.
I would do it again, as I hope someone would stop and help me if I ever needed it. |
I commend you for your actions Q-Dog. Sorry that overall it turn into a such a mess for you.
Randy _________________ "The simplest of outdoor adventures - the most treasured memories." - Bruce Meyers
54 years of "outdoor adventures" and "treasured memories" with our Manx in my gallery. |
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