A moment of silence for a fallen car.. Penny goes down..

[mazspeed]

Originally Posted by JimM

What they should, and probably will do, is let you take it to the shop of your choice, and pay the entire bill with no quibling. You shouldn't even have to be involved.

I put a 98 vette into a ditch leaving my lakehouse in wisconsin once. Then tried to drive between a large sewage pumping station and a 2' diamter oak tree. Unfortunatley, the space was 6" narrower than the car. She lodged just in front of the doors.

I actually tried to back her out, looked in the rear view mirror just in time to see one of the front tires hit the ground 40 feet behind me. That damned LS2 was still purring like a kitten, but the PCM was laying on the ground in a puddle!

A neighbor recommended a shop about 40 miles away that retores corvettes. Insurance company had it tows there, and 4 months later I got it back good as new. Never saw a bill, never saw an estimate, just handed the shop owner my check for the deductible and drove her home.

Damage was 17k plus

I have been on the other end with an insurance company. I got rear ended in an older Porsche, and their insurance tried to tell me where to take it, and that they were only going to pay so much for the claim. I pretty much told then to get f****d and we haggled to the point where I almost hired a lawyer, and after that they caved, but I had to produce receipts to replicate the work done on the car. It was a major pain in the ass. Not only that, they wanted to use after market body panels, not Porsche panels.

[rwhite692]

Steve - I've been away for a while, just seeing this thread now. I'm so sorry to hear. Thankfully (and most importantly) no one was seriously hurt. I'm sure she will be even better when BOS gets done. Hang in there, man. -Rob

[TonyG]

I would be in jail for murder. That is absolutely insane..

Hate for everyone that worked on this project and put there heart and soul into it.

[JamesD]

I'm not gonna lie, living vicariously through your car build has been fun. Hate to see it end up like this. Glad you are well. Now that you will have the back end all apart, ever think of replacing the SS tank, with a real bladder lined fuel cell? Would one fit with the LD three link?

[Steve1968LS2]

Originally Posted by JamesD

Hate to see it end up like this.

Not "end".. just delayed.. Penny Version 1.2 will be back on the road in a few months.

Yep, alreayd working with Fuel Safe on a tank with a bladder. HOWEVER, the tank for Rick's held tight even with a big hit. That says a lot about the quality of thier welds and workmanship.

Oh, and the fuel cell would have zero problem fitting with the LD 3-link system.

[ChevyThunder]

Wow.. I just read this thread... at least the guy who hit you didn't even try to candy coat it and took full responsibility. That is rare these days. I had the same thing happen to a Porsche I built. It was on a 70 chassis and it had a full tube frame and the body panels, roof and everything was carbon fiber. This was only 400hp but wieghed 1900 lbs wet All the aftermarket Porsche body panels fit like crap so just to make the panels fit perfect and paint was very costly . Got hit.. and I have to say , Farmers paid out almost 30k after I supplied them with some photos of build and receipts, met with the adjuster... and I was paid in less than two weeks. Hopefully your experience will be as good.
And I am glad you were belted.. guys don't realize that the human body and belts stretch in an impact.. and an unhelmeted head doesn't like eating chrome moly or mild steel tubing !

[markss28]

Dude I feel so bad for you and your car. I have always loved your ride. Especialy the color. My 73 camaro is Dupont Sinful Cinamon which is similar to yours. I hope everything is done soon and even better. If that possible.

[Gr8t68]

Steve,

I was shocked and sorry to read what happened with you an Penny. I have pictures of Penny in my garage and she has been an inspiration. Glad your'e ok and that Penny will turn up again. Keep us all informed of the progress.

[SuperSport]

Steve please keep us updated on the insurance work. I hope you have Classic Car Insurance because I thought the insurance company's just go blue book value on you. They might say your car is totalled and pay you blue book value on a 1968 Camaro. In the State of California you have the right to take your car to a repair facilty of your choosing. You probably all ready know that though. Keep us updated and sorry for the damage. Hope you feel better, SS.

[Beast2831]

In memory of penny, I saved your picture (15 hours prior to the incident) and put it to my desk top. I'll take it off when she's back on the road so keep us posted. Keep your head up, everything has a way of working out.