thisismatt Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 Man I'd be pissed at such incompetence. Sorry that happened to you and such a nice car :( 1 Quote Link to comment
q-tip Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 Shitty thing is insurance will probably total it. To them I talked only worth about $2k Quote Link to comment
fisch Posted September 16, 2017 Report Share Posted September 16, 2017 Heartbreaking, I literally felt my hear sink. Glad you and fam are OK! Quote Link to comment
Tedman Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 Man, that really sucks, Carter. Glad y'all are ok. The car was looking really good, too. At least your LF wheel made it through unscathed. Small consolation, I know... Quote Link to comment
Crashtd420 Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 So hard to see that.... Had to look at the "post tits " to make me feel better.... Glad everyone's ok.... Quote Link to comment
r0p0doe Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 My heart hurts, I'm curious to see how this plays out with insurance repairs as you were driving a unicorn and not something you see everyday. Glad yall are all ok for the most part :hug: Quote Link to comment
racerx Posted September 17, 2017 Report Share Posted September 17, 2017 Not sure about ur insurance but start gathering information ur datsun, craigslist, EBay, BAT, and keep info. You want to prove that our cars are worth money. Keep info handy in case they try to total ur car. They tried that with me awhile back and showed them how much these cars are worth when I got into an accident. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted September 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2017 Thank you all for your comments. I have over 2,300 510 ads going back 9 years. None of them really do me any good since this is an imported Bluebird vs a standard 510 but I have a few of those as well. Got a call back from my insurance company this morning, took a recorded statement, sent them photos form the scene. We'll see what happens next. I'll keep you posted. 1 Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted September 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2017 After letting things settle over the weekend, I went out today to take a closer look at the damage: It's amazing how much stuff got messed up. The grill is toast of course, even breaking all the mounting tabs off the back of the center section. And look at the poor A/C radiator: The tow truck driver pulled the bumper out of its mounting holes so I could get home. Ooh that's ugly!!! NOS mirrors are only new 'till you mount them right? Almost looks like photoshop Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted September 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2017 Here you can see that the fender was pushed back into the door. And the hood and fender pushed back into the cowl. Ready to have a look inside? Surprisingly the hood latch worked, but I couldn't reach the secondary release lever from the front since the hood is curled down over the gap, but from the side I could get it with a long crowbar. Tada! Battery broke free from it's mounts. I will not use these crappy mounts again. Check out the upper radiator hose. That gives you an indication of how far back the core support was pushed. It may be an optical illusion but I'm pretty sure the left strut tower is bent in toward the engine. The fan is right up against the radiator and has left a nice impression. It still spins if forced but rubs pretty bad. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted September 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2017 Buckle line on right side of radiator opening Buckle line at rear of upper frame rail to firewall Another view of the same. Hopefully that's as far back as the damage carried. Another radiator/fan view Not an Instagram filter Only a surfer would like the curl on this hood Insurance adjuster is supposed to visit Thursday morning. Quote Link to comment
thisismatt Posted September 19, 2017 Report Share Posted September 19, 2017 Strut tower definitely pushed back. Free caster Quote Link to comment
Colbino Posted September 20, 2017 Report Share Posted September 20, 2017 shit. i hope insurance takes in account the rarity of your car as well as the cost asociated with importing it. probably gonna try and total it out for pennies on the dollar conpared to U.S. pl510's. Quote Link to comment
q-tip Posted September 20, 2017 Report Share Posted September 20, 2017 Looks like you need to find a 510 that got rear ended.... Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted September 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 Insurance adjuster came out this morning. He understood that this is not a Honda minivan and that special attention will be required during the process so we're off to a good start. He also understands that a typical collision repair shop would not be able to do the work. Anyone here have good 1st or 2nd hand experience with a vintage/collector car restoration shop in the NW that you might recommend? Quote Link to comment
racerx Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 No, but had a similar situation w accident and told the guy not to total my car, damage was not as bad but they gave me money, I changed the bumper, some trimmings and driver fender. Quote Link to comment
Oscarmaier Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 D&L Restorations in Mukilteo does amazing work, granted they are friends on mine. Check them out on your way home from work, they are just down the way on Mukilteo Speedway. http://restoreyourcar.com Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted September 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 I will have to drop by, thanks! --carter 1 Quote Link to comment
DatMo Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 Best of luck my man. Quote Link to comment
Duke Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 If you don't mind going north of the border, the work that Tyson (I think that's his name) at Big Time Motors in BC has done on a few 510's on the 510 realm looks to be top notch. He is a 510 guy himself so that helps. Hope to see this car to get fixed right! Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted September 22, 2017 Report Share Posted September 22, 2017 MetalGuy541 on here does great work too. I'm guessing it would be easiest to stay local though. Quote Link to comment
carterb Posted October 6, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Things are progressing VERY slowly. The original insurance adjuster quickly confirmed that this is not a Honda Minivan and therefore is not in their database - so he handed off my claim to another person. Person #2 is in the total loss department (not a good start) but has "experience with older cars - I think she even has some" older cars that is... Not Datsun Bluebirds. Unfortunately person #2 was on vacation when she first got my file. Then, when she got back, she had purchased tickets for her and her niece to go to a certain concert in Las Vegas. She was not feeling well that evening so she had her niece take a friend instead. That night her niece was shot in the abdomen and spent 11 hours in surgery. I haven't gotten an update but it really seems silly to try and deal with a smashed car when the lady is trying to make sure her niece survives to see another day. She claimed she wanted to "get back to work" to give her mind something else to think about so gave me a brief summary of where we are. Basically she is limited to NADA values for a Datsun 510 and cannot use any of the Japanese sales figures I sent her - only US sales. There are only what - 5 or 6 bluebird sedans in the US? So there have not been many sales recorded but I do have a few which I sent her. They are constant with all the ads I collected from Japan. I also sent her a bunch of Bluebird Coupe adds too because it helps show the distinction between a Bluebird and a standard 510. Just so you guys know, I thought NADA was an abbreviation for North American Dealers Association but I think it is just simply Spanish for "nothing". NADA lists the following for 2dr and 4dr 510's: http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/1972/Nissan-Datsun/510/2-Door-Sedan/Values http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/1972/Nissan-Datsun/510/4-Door-Sedan/Values http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/1972/Nissan-Datsun/510/4-Door-Station-Wagon/Values Hagerty is slightly more flattering: https://www.hagerty.com/apps/valuationtools/1972-datsun-510 Unfortunately, all of these are limited not only by their reference to US 510's but also to their valuation of "stock" vehicles only. Anyway, we'll see what happens. I told her I didn't plan on contacting her 'till next week as I want to make sure she has all the time she needs to take care of her niece. I pray for her and all the others. My car is meaningless in comparison to their lives and well-being. Quote Link to comment
f1ndM3aTaco Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Damn this is just such a crazy story, especially about your insurance adjuster and her niece. You're definitely right that this is a small world. Sorry that you have to go through this, and even worse having to look at that bluebird like that. I really hope the best for you and that you can find a good bodywork guy to fix it. Here's a video from Arthur Tussik's, the bodywork master of the east, for some inspiration. I'm sure your granny can be fixed. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBryZaK9Qzc Quote Link to comment
racerx Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 Nada is just a guide. Show them BAT, ebay, Craigslist and classifieds on Ratsun. Its to their interest to total or salvage your car. This happened to me like 10 years ago. Luckily I had an adjuster that was knowlegable about classic cars because my fender bender I had almost totalled my 510. Good luck. Quote Link to comment
q-tip Posted October 6, 2017 Report Share Posted October 6, 2017 The unfortunate thing is that there are so few bluebird sedans in states to have reference too. Like Carter said there is only a handful and they are rarely for sale. 1 Quote Link to comment
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