rmaynard 16,748 #1 Posted December 31, 2025 Some of you members who go to the Wheel Horse show, know my Grandson Mason. Well on December 14, we had our first snow, and Mason has his first time driving in it. Unfortunately, he and his Subaru Outback had an untimely meeting with an F-350 pickup truck, his own. This was in the driveway. The F-350 won. He was quite upset but said that it would be back on the road in time for reopening of schools. So, Mason did not want to report it to insurance for obvious reasons, and he did not want to take it to a body shop, so he proceeded to disassemble it. After determining there was no frame or engine damage, he started his search for parts. He found a bumper cover, left fender, and hood, all the same color. He purchased a new core support and radiator, two new headlights, and a grill. He brought the car over to my house yesterday. The whole job was done outside in 15 to 35 degree weather. Total cost? $1400. That's perseverance. 12 8 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sparky-(Admin) 24,112 #2 Posted December 31, 2025 Impressive! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 10,809 #3 Posted December 31, 2025 It is very difficult to find a Salvage Facility that is willing to sell a nose that is not complete - unless the RF fender was already damaged on the donor vehicle. Front end crash parts are always in demand. Keep the spare set of fog lights - being down low, they are very susceptible to stone damage... Nice job on the alignment and gaps of the panels. Had the hit been lower and the airbag deployed, it could have been a game changer. The OE core support - was it welded or bolted in? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 16,748 #4 Posted December 31, 2025 1 hour ago, ri702bill said: The OE core support - was it welded or bolted in? OE was spot welded. He drilled them out and bolted the replacement. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 10,809 #5 Posted December 31, 2025 5 minutes ago, rmaynard said: OE was spot welded. He drilled them out and bolted the replacement. That takes gloves & patience !!. You think you have them all & there are a few you missed! Done a few replacement panels; I would drill 3/8" holes and braze them on using the approximate locations of the original welds. Done right, it's hard to tell the difference. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darrenw85 693 #6 Posted December 31, 2025 Good job Mason!!! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 16,748 #7 Posted December 31, 2025 37 minutes ago, ri702bill said: That takes gloves & patience !!. You think you have them all & there are a few you missed! Done a few replacement panels; I would drill 3/8" holes and braze them on using the approximate locations of the original welds. Done right, it's hard to tell the difference. He did the best he could all things considered. He doesn't have any welding equipment, but his dad's garage is like a hardware store. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 10,809 #8 Posted December 31, 2025 The next owner may have questions, but the results look great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JoeM 9,333 #9 Posted December 31, 2025 It doesn't take much to bend them up now. they fold pretty easy by design. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ri702bill 10,809 #10 Posted December 31, 2025 2 hours ago, JoeM said: they fold pretty easy by design. Crumple zones - engineered energy absorbing and dissipating areas. Safer cabin designs. Windshields that stay put are actually past of the airbag deployment system. All good, but costly stuff. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
squonk 44,979 #11 Posted December 31, 2025 Reminds me of this girl that worked in the same office as my Brother in law. She had a white Saturn. She had totaled 2 previous cars. Her brother had this puppy that ate the front bumper, L fender, half of the hood and the drivers side mirror. All plastic. Saturn's were scarce at the time in salvage yards. She didn't want insurance involved. I don't know how they would have handled it. I ordered most of the parts aftermarket but the mirror had to come from Saturn. I'm picking up the mirror at the dealer and I have the old one with me to make sure it was correct. The service manager sees the chewed up mirror and says " what happened to that? " I had to match the paint. There were 4 alternate formulas for that paint code. Shot the old panel with a color meter and ended up with a Ford formula. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
adsm08 3,921 #12 Posted December 31, 2025 Nice work. I wish I'd been so lucky with my deer hit, it bent the structural member behind the fender. Fixing it is out of my skill set because it's too foundational on a unibody (same part is easy to do for a body-on-frame vehicle) and I can buy a 1 to 1 replacement for that vehicle, with less rust, for less than I'd pay a body shop to do that one part of the repair. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
953 nut 63,341 #13 Posted 5 hours ago 8 hours ago, rmaynard said: Subaru Outback had an untimely meeting with an F-350 pickup truck, his own Mason is a good young man and sure has shown it on this little learning experience. Did grandpa buy him snow tires for Christmas. Bet tie F 350 didn't have any damage. Low car vs. tall truck; truck wins every time. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rmaynard 16,748 #14 Posted 2 hours ago 2 hours ago, 953 nut said: Bet the F 350 didn't have any damage. Low car vs. tall truck; truck wins every time. No damage to the F-350. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
