CRASH

[Doug G]

Yesterday an idiot stopped then instantly reversed on a main road into my moke. I had stopped (disk brakes) about 10-15 feet behind him.

I have two independent witnesses (they have given statement to Police) that saw him reverse into me, even though he tried repeatedly to say I ran into him.





Initial costing for parts is over £1,300.00, excluding installation and painting!!!!



I can now fully understand why road rage occurs.

I need a loud horn e.g.

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

If nothing else it shows how (in)effective those under slung bumpers are. Have you got your whiplash claim in?

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

Don't forget to include the cost of a new inner wing in the quote, and be sure to check the idiot hasn't pushed the subframe back too

[spider]

Oh Doug, mate, really sorry to learn of this mate, hope it all gets sorted without too many headaches for you.

It does appear that there is at the very least some subframe bending, maybe out of shape, I hope it is checked. I also hope they do a quality repair.

[Tim]

Doug, that's awful, and now you're going to have the problem of getting all those difficult parts delivered.

If insurance is going to cover it you can probably have the whole front end replaced, but if you have to pay for it yourself you could look into getting the flat panels straightened, then modify the front to take a removable grille. It would still look fine (just like a later model), but would be a lot cheaper than trying to straighten the grille itself.

Tim

[Doug G]

Doug, that's awful, and now you're going to have the problem of getting all those difficult parts delivered.

If insurance is going to cover it you can probably have the whole front end replaced, but if you have to pay for it yourself you could look into getting the flat panels straightened, then modify the front to take a removable grille. It would still look fine (just like a later model), but would be a lot cheaper than trying to straighten the grille itself.

Tim

Absolutely. BUT I could take the money and then get the panels straightened.

[Doug G]

Have now discovered that the front left wheel is an inch or two closer to the rear of the arch than the right wheel.

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

Now that IS bad news. Really the only way for that to happen (assuming the gap was the same both sides before the accident) is that the subframe has moved back on that side.
Ive seen it on Minis before and when you lift the cast on the affected side you find the bent bulkhead.

There are two possible cures in those cases,
1. A large sledgehammer. Or
2. An insurance write off

[Doug G]

Now that IS bad news. Really the only way for that to happen (assuming the gap was the same both sides before the accident) is that the subframe has moved back on that side.
Ive seen it on Minis before and when you lift the cast on the affected side you find the bent bulkhead.

There are two possible cures in those cases,
1. A large sledgehammer. Or
2. An insurance write off

Ooer!

[spider]

Have now discovered that the front left wheel is an inch or two closer to the rear of the arch than the right wheel.

How has that been measured? It may have been like that when it rolled off the production line.

I know my own current Moke is 10 mm shorter on the LH side than the RH and my friend Cyclops's Moke is 23 mm shorter on the RH side than the LH. Mine has never been in a prang and niether has Cyclops, though it had been paddock bashed and some of the panels were bent, there no way that could have shortened it.

Doug, can you take some good photos of the front floor of your Moke? Mainly the Toe Board, we're looking for buckling of it.

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

Have you been underneath and had a look around to see if there is anything that looks as though it's moved? It's always hard to speculate about these things at a distance i.e. Not being able to see it on the flesh.
My general rule of thumb is that whatever damage you see in the first ten minutes after any crash will probably be about 20% of the total you'll find eventually.

[Nigel(no top)Sykes]

Spider, I've been thinking about that and wouldn't there be more chance of the subframe bolts pulling through the body mounting than bending the toe board (as in a mini)

[spider]

Spider, I've been thinking about that and wouldn't there be more chance of the subframe bolts pulling through the body mounting than bending the toe board (as in a mini)

Yes and no. Depending on the shunt. Looking at Doug's first photo, it was a front impact, which from my own experience pushes the toe board up, ie, the subframe tends to 'pivot' about the Tower Bolts.

Anyway, until we all have a good look, this is all academic.

[spider]

My general rule of thumb is that whatever damage you see in the first ten minutes after any crash will probably be about 20% of the total you'll find eventually.

Apologies here, getting these posts out of order now!

I would very much agree with you here Nigel - on probably every other car made except a Moke! There's so little hidden away being panels over panels, trim, sound system, wiring harnesses and pipework on a Moke that it's all just about on show for everyone to see just about all the time.

They are - for the most part - an incredibly rigid construction. If I recall right, the Moke is THE only car tested at the UK's Gov. Crash Centre that could be wheeled away on it's own wheels, ALL other vehicles tested there since they started testing cars (I think going back to the early 60's) either needed a rolling jack or a folklift to be moved This can be viewed as good and bad though!!! It would be a bit rough on the occupants in a crash!

[Tim]

I used to know a guy who was a body expert in charge of an alignment bench. In the simplest form it's a bench that the body is fixed to using special clamps. It has sections that can be moved hydraulically. The one he operated was computer controlled. The way he described it, you clamp the body up at a series of specific points. The machine works out where the specific points are, and compares its measurements to where those points should be on an undamaged car of that model - then it moves them there. The old mechanical ones are effectively the same, except that the operator makes the measurements and pumps the handle up and down on the hydraulic ram himself.

Assuming that the body damage isn't too severe, and that there isn't a lot of structural problems on such an old body (like rust) an old fashioned body shop should be able to get the body pretty straight. You'd need to replace the front subframe too, but if it's had a knock hard enough to shorten it on one side, thats pretty much a given.

Tim