Long story short, I hit a 4x4 buck at about 60 in my '95 and I know for sure that I need to replace most of the front end. Fortunately the radiator didn’t buckle back so far to even damage the radiator fan.
I know I need to replace:
Hood
Entire front bumper and trim
Entire grill
Radiator and Radiator mount
all front lights
And I’m not sure yet, but I may need to replace the front fenders but I don’t think they are bent beyond repair.
Any advice on where to start?
Start looking for used body parts from a local auto recycler or U-PULL yard.
I replaced the entire front end on the wife’s Jeep with used parts from a U-pull yard for less than $200.00.
And the color even matched.
Tester
Thanks for the advice, Tester, I’m definitely going to the wreck yard for parts, brand new they would be about $650. I was wondering though if its better to start at the bumper and work my way to the radiator, or start with getting the radiator out?
I assume you do not have full coverage insurance and are doing this yourself. That being the case remove everything that is broken or needing replaced before even buying anything. You don’t want to do something more than once. It is also possible that you find enough damage that it won’t be worth it.
You want to take things apart where you can get a good look at the radiator support, and if it’s welded or bolted in.
A Porta-Power sure comes in handy in these situations.
Tester
Will do, thanks, VOLVO.
If you like air conditioning make sure all is good, daughter hit a stick and broke a condenser connection.
I’d work from the outside in, radiator later, not earlier.
DIS-assemble FIRST . .
then make your list before heading to the yard.
Yeah, first thing I’d get the hood open and then take a good look inside for bent or damaged items. Then crawl underneath for another good look. Then I guess you just have to start taking the parts off. Most likely bumper and grill first and go from there. Hard part is getting access to the bolts when its all bent up. One thing though is taking pictures as you go so you can remember what goes where and in what sequence. Its not hard to get confused over a couple weeks or more work. For me I can’t remember at night how something goes back together from the morning.
Start by a license plate and license plate frame.
Hope everything will be ok.
This might be covered by your comprehensive insurance. If the deer was standing in the road when you hit him, that’s a collision. If he was running, leaping through the air like they do, then you were hit by a falling object, in this case a deer, and it should be a comprehensive claim.
If all you have is liability insurance, then forget this note.
I think you need to start with the frame. Chances are it’s bent, and unless you get it straightened out, I wouldn’t worry about the rest.
Deer come in 4-wheel-drive now?
Hey, before you dive into a salvage yard and get a bunch of mismatched parts, check Rockauto. Your vehicle is old enough that they’ll have lots of stuff on clearance and you’re likely to get ridiculous prices for it. I redid the entire ignition system in my truck for less than 30 bucks.
Disassembly.
Even though it’s bent up, the parts still need to come off in normal order. The fact they are bent may (will) require feats of strength unless you have one of those porta power units or something equivalent…
Others may disagree but careful careful on any after-market body parts. They are called “sorta fit” for a reason. If they were made to the exact OEM fit, they would need to pay royalties to the auto companies so the Taiwan shops mess with the dimensions some. Often you’re better off using used OEM parts or new OEM. I don’t know what the prices are now but I paid like $80 for a new Buick fender.
4 points on each antler, shadowfax lol. Thanks for the website i’ll check it out.
I know… But the urge to be sarcastic was simply overwhelming!
