Silverado front end damage, is it worth to repair?

I work on cars a lot (so all mechanical parts - engine/transmissions etc etc) but seriously avoid bodywork typically.... And with just looking at this... It Unfortunately looks like this would probably be outside of the reasonable amount. With that said if you're doing the work and know where to get parts and it has sentimental value it is doable... But it's more of a project of love etc..

Anyway before all of that, what's the year and miles on it? And does it just have front airbags that deployed (or more)? Does it have 4x4 and other than frame/frontend/radiator damage just looking at it.... Does the engine still turnover/run or was it impacted? And hard frozen etc

I'm by no means great at bodywork (yet), but I can attempt to answer what would probably be needed if you can let me know...

Also... If you want to make money and don't care about time... This vehicle is worth more than a few hundred just parting it out.. But that also requires time.

Lastly going back to first point, would you be doing all the work, because if it's on someone you're paying.. unfortunately, this will get expensive very fast.

Edit - I didn't see the other pics... Ouch... I'd honestly be hesitant unless you really are attached or it was something you really wanted as a project (and you're doing all the work/parts. Like assuming everything was great you'd almost be better getting a junkyard truck and swapping over, but if you do that... Then it's probably not the same truck to you.

 

New hood. New front right quarter panel. New bumper. New grill. New Radiator. Plus the lights and related hardware. It will be really expensive. I assume even if you do all the work, you'll have to pay someone to paint.

And if the frame has been bent, it will never be the same and will wobble, shake, etc. For someone who doesn't do that for a living, I would have trouble determining exactly.

This would be a really big job unless you are a car guy. I'm not and I wouldn't attempt to do it myself.

 

I am guessing 5k+ damage on a $2500 truck

 

the amount you're likely to pay to fix those damages in total would cost more than what the car is worth itself. not worth it to me

 

That thing is totalled.

 

Sorry, dude.

 

I'm really sorry to see this, it definitely sucks (to say the least) especially with the sentimental value, but unless you make this some long side project where you can take your time and get all the parts cheap or have other family members that might be interested in a restore/bonding project for the family (and some members have experience with cars/access to a lot of tools) this is going to be a very expensive job.

To start, depending on the damage to the transmission (if this is confirmed, if you have a mechanic do it, it's going to probably run anywhere from $500 (if they're honest and know what what they're doing/not serious damage) to $1500+ (and they still might be legitimate on the price depending on what's all wrong with it, transmission jobs can be a pain, and the billable hours are real, especially if they do quality work), the other part that really hurts here is depending on how the engine got hit/stopped instantly it might need work where it attaches to the transmission (in addition to the drive shaft/rear dif) I'd have to see more pictures or be there probably to try to give you a better idea. But then you add in the radiator, front end, grill, panel, tires, possibly frame damage etc etc it's going to approach the figures you've seen mentioned in this thread quickly. Easily $5k+ and unfortunately probably more because this is going to involve body work/paint and air bags/air bag sensors etc.

If the damage wasn't extensive like it's looking so far... And you were doing the work on this (so free labor), you could rebuild the entire transmission for $150-300 (just an example of labor cost). Like you might be able to get this down to $2k total (assuming the engine isn't bad), but it's a ton of labor/salvage parts/time to find the best deals etc. and unless you have tools and the time to spend or have access to family who work on cars I think this will be best to move on.

Just to add, I've been working on all kinds of makes of cars for 20+ years and unless this was some classic sports car that could have value afterward as it ages and be passed on within the family (especially since the title would still be clean), I'd probably have to let this go or part it out. I mean I've done it on cars I didn't feel were worth it after a wreck obviously your situation is a lot different, and sentimental value can be huge, but I think depending on what you hear on Friday it'll probably be best to move a different direction. To put it another way, if this was my vehicle, even though I can do the work and get it nearly reasonable in price, let's say even $1000 somehow (that's definitely pushing it even w/ free labor and some miracle salvage finds), I'd probably pass and let someone take it off my hands because of the amount of labor from me and time needed. Again, this is my personal opinion, and doesn't take into account the sentimental value you have.


Regardless, Sorry for the loss of your grandfather, and again, sorry to see the truck get damaged like this. One last thing, if you feel you might have a lot of sentimental value and there were certain aspects of the truck you recall that remind you of him you might consider making something out of it vs restoring it. Like maybe something like turning the tailgate into a bench or other concepts like that. That'd be a lot easier and you could probably grab the rear taillights/bumper/plates etc to make it look even more unique, but here's an example: https://project.theownerbuildernetwork.co/2015/01/22/tailgate-wall-bench/ I'm sure they'd still take the truck off your family members hands for near the same amount after removing some things. Obviously this isn't quite the same as restoring but it might be something to think on.

If you have any questions let me know and I'll be happy to help!

 

is it more of the just the sentimental value of being your grandfather's truck? Just curious as to why you wouldn't just use that money towards another newer truck

 

gotcha. Some things you can't really put a price on when it comes to things like that.

 

Damn, nice truck. It's a restoration job now and those jobs are all about feelings and not logic.

 

Still, did you consider the idea of salvaging some piece of it instead - eg, the bench, or a door or whatever? Hang that in the garage and you get to see, touch it more often/frequently and perhaps hits the same sentimental feelings for you?

 

1200-1500$ , frame most likely fine , radiator + front grill= fog lamp 300-450 $ , the rest is straightening & bondo

 

Sounds good and happy to help! I definitely understand your logic behind wanting to do it. Let me know what the quote comes back at or what they notice, if you can get me a breakdown I can at least let you know the avg rate. And if you're able to get pictures of underneath the truck/under the hood I can try to help more.

Also, one other option is to repair the truck in parts, like dire need would be some tires/straightening some for the radiator etc, and then slowly work on other parts. Since the transmissions can be pretty solid you might get lucky and just be able to at least get it moving for now.

 

I don't disagree with you on the frame since you might get lucky and the bumper/grill/hood took it, but going rate for a radiator parts + labor is $500-900, obviously if you do the labor yourself you can get it to the more reasonable prices you're mentioning (especially using different places for parts), but even a decent/honest shop is going to run the bill up, unless you have a special hookup.