Subject: [Mgs] 64 B rear ended

From: "Councill, David" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:30:06 +0000

Just made it to work, been driving my 64B as my seasonal daily driver (less so
in the winter, weather permitting). But this morning while stopped at a red
light, a car ran into the rear - a pretty fair impact so I'm guessing the car
was still traveling at maybe 10 mph. The bulk of the impact was on the
passenger side over-rider which was pushed into the body next to the gas tank
filler, leaving a fair indentation. Trunk appears undamaged but won't latch
shut. So it looks like a call to the other driver's insurance company, body
shop estimates. I'm not sure the procedure the body shop would or should use -
I see Moss has a complete bumper with over-riders as well as the back panel
piece, probably some welding involved to install it. I'm just checking to see
if anyone has suggestions or experiences on this type of damage which should
be somewhat common as far as body damage goes.

David Councill
64 B
67 BGT
72 B
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From: Max Heim <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:06:51 -0700

Something similar happened to my other vintage daily driver back in July. It
isn't in the shop yet. When my MGB was backed into several years ago, it was
a similar story -- no body shop in the region was interested in even looking
at it. The insurance agency's "recommended" shops are only interested in
repairs that are "in the book" -- that is, late model cars for which the
hours and parts costs for every operation are spelled out in advance. In
both cases, the insurance adjuster was called in to work up an estimate in
order for them to cut a check. So good luck in finding a shop that is
willing to take on a "vintage" project. At least around here, you are pretty
much limited to "restorers" and "customizers" -- the plain auto body repair
shops want no part of you.

--

Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149
If you're near Menlo Park, CA,
it's the primer red one with chrome wires
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From: Max Heim <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:59:38 -0700

You are probably better off in a smaller community, for this purpose. The
shop wants to get whatever business is available.

In the SF Bay Area, there are so many people with money, and so many bad
drivers, that the shops have all the business they need just handling late
model stuff. So not only are they not interested in "hassle" jobs, they
aren't trained or qualified to make estimates on anything that isn't covered
in the books.

Here's an interesting tidbit: I was talking to a restoration specialist, and
somehow the subject came up about the poor quality of paint on many new cars
-- that they often have "orange peel" right on the dealer's lot. This guy
claimed that they do it deliberately; or rather, that they don't do anything
to prevent it or fix it, because if they did accidentally put out a few cars
with perfect paint, then everyone would want them, and the others would sit
on the lots. He also claimed that the factory paint formulas in the repair
guides are designed to replicate the orange peel finish, so panel repairs
will match. That's why he never uses formulas. At any rate, that was his
story.

on 9/19/12 12:38 PM, Councill, David at [email-masked] wrote:

> After a few calls, I found that the lady who ran into me did notify her
> insurance company. I notified mine too just in case (I thought I only had
> liability but actually I have full coverage minus a $1000 deductible). Max
> said there may be a problem finding a body shop to work on the car. This is a
> relatively true statement, more so in a smaller populated area where I live.
> But I took it to the one body shop my insurance company (USAA) recommended.
> The shop wanted to know if I know where they could get a rear bumper so I
> referred him to Moss. I l already looked it up and a full replacement with
> over riders lists at $320. The other seriously damaged part is the back panel,
> just to the left of the gas tank filler, which is pushed in maybe 1/2 - 1 inch
> from the force on the over rider. The body guy said it would be better to
> straighten out that part rather than weld in another piece. They gave me a
> repair estimate - for $2400. So paperwork is in the process and maybe a repair
> in the next several weeks to a month.
> 
> David Councill
> 64 B
> 67 BGT
> 72 B
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Charley & Peggy Robinson [mailto:[email-masked]]
> Sent: Wednesday, September 19, 2012 1:22 PM
> To: MG List
> Cc: Councill, David
> Subject: Re: [Mgs] 64 B rear ended
> 
> That got me to wondering, so I went out and looked at my '69 B's rear bumper.
> The overrider on the passenger side is partly to the left of &
> behind the gas tank filler cap.   The right edge of the overrider
> overlaps the left side of the gas cap.  If the overrider was tilted straight
> ahead it would contact the gas cap; it would have to be pushed or twisted to
> the left to miss the cap.  I don't know if the overriders on the '64 are
> narrower than mine or perhaps located a little differently but I suggest that
> the '64 be taken to a body shop right away in order to assess the damage.
> 
> CR

--

Max Heim
'66 MGB GHN3L76149

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