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My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:50 am
by beretta
This makes me soooooo sad, i think i actually cryed for the first time in 20 years when this happened to me. Instead of posting these pics all over other threads im just going to lay it all out here.
Had just moved, nothing but problems for me since the move, was 1 thing after another going wrong for me.
So i had left home one evening and i dont really know what happened, i was kinda dazed out had a lot on my mind, i was on my way to find my boss to get some pay that i had not had in 3 months waiting for a job to get finished and going 3 months with no pay and working every single day and long hours. I got around the corner heading downhill from my house 1/4 mile away and seen a small animal from the corner of my eye dash out in front of me, first reaction is to hit the brakes, well i guess i smoked on them pretty hard and almost instantly the car was sliding. Never ever never has my car reacted like this before, seems my abs never came one which always worked good and kept the car straight in full lock up on the brakes, i only left rubber from 1 set of wheels front or rear, im thinking it was my fronts that locked up and heading downhill it caused the ass end to swing out. I didnt have much time to respond and within seconds i found myself upside down in the ditch. Looked for the closest way out took my seat belt off climbed through the passenger side noticed my fire extinguisher sitting there so grabbed that quickly looked for any flames then realized it was still running so reached in shut it off then ran for home to use the phone. By the time i got back someone seen it and called the police. My dad towed it out for me, got charged with careless which im going to fight here shortly (wish me luck) lol.

I got her home and tryed to crank it, oil locked, so pulled the plugs rolled it over stuck the plugs back in and she was alive and sounded better then ever.
This was my only vehicle on the road and just moved to the country, i have to drive my kids to shcool because they are registered out of district so i needed a vehicle..
I started gutting it and in about 3 hours i had the whole interior out, started jacking and prying and jacking and so on until the roof line came back into place. Changed the passenger door, put a new windshield in that i had, really wish i had kept a rear window from any of my parts cars guess i figured i would never need one. I had it back on the road driving within about 6 days.

Everyone thought i would have bent the unibody, i dont think its bent, the doors still close perfectly nothing from underneath looks twisted, it drives straight and rides fine. The kinks in the rear 1/4 is just the outside panel nothing on the inside was bent, i can push the dent out from inside the trunk and its just the outer panel. The car is rust free and solid solid and more solid so its a shame to scrap it or part it out, just needs some cosmetic work lol.

I have thought about putting another roof on it... I am going to properly fix it, i have to. its a 96.. its my baby, and its supposed to go to my wife, in return for me buying a black 96 as my play toy. If i find a good shell i will just swap everything over to it and turn it into a 96 z, or if i find a good deal on a rotted out beretta i will use the roof. Figured i would drill all the factory welds and remove each piece 1 by 1, and re weld it in the same way, 1 piece at a time.
Everyone says oh it wont be as strong and oh its not safe, well people chop roofs on hot rods and make trucks into convertibles without even having a door post so im pretty safe to bet welding a roof on my car will be fine. Its not that i planned to roll it, things happen, and for me just seems 1 thing after another.
I put my wifes 99 lumina on the road, shes had it for 5 years, been sitting for 2, first thing i replace a brake line, i got to town fill it up all the gas runs out, i get a gas tank, go to town put gas in it stays, then trany line starts leaking.
Anyways here is some pictures to follow my long boring sad story LOL..

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Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:12 pm
by GTU89
Sucks that had to happen, but damn, looks like your doing a good job on the repair!

I don't quite see why people think it will be any different safe wise, as long as you do the welding correctly, should be all good. I imagine its just spot welded from factory, right?

Did it get totaled? Or didn't you put in a claim?

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:34 pm
by Money pit Beretta
I brake for animals too. Humans is another thing....they know better. That is why I like Vagas, cars have the right away and they always should do to weight. It takes alot less time for a human to stop and turn around. People around here will walk out in front of you and look you right in the eyes. They also do not use sidewalks.

Yeah a wire weld would be better than a spot over all. That is if you don't get that thin metal too hot.

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 12:43 pm
by speedy
ive hit one person, 2 deer, a cat, and a few rodents with the car...

the train... well, i cant count the deer on my hands and feet, never hit a person, hit 2 dogs(its a sad feeling), and countless small animals(skunks, rodents, fox, cats, possums, raccoon's, and more)

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 1:04 pm
by themadness
thats one hell of a repair job for sure.

how much help are you getting because that looks like a huge task.

what is the criteria for labeling it safe to drive? what sort of inspections and guidelines do you go by?

btw, you are lucky to be in one piece

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 10:55 pm
by Travelor
Ahhh! Hello Rollo-Brother!

Sorta before...
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(Could not find a pic from when I bought it, $250..)


After!
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I actually find myself missing this car... Would have had its doors welded shut by now and been a convertable. Sa la vie

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:11 pm
by scd88ga
Is it a requirement to install the 15'' GT Crosslaces after a rollover?

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:16 pm
by Travelor
Yes. There are actually groups for the ethical and fair treatment of cross lace rims.

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:17 pm
by scd88ga
AWESOME!!!

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Thu Nov 15, 2012 11:38 pm
by 95BerettaBase
Travelor wrote:Yes. There are actually groups for the ethical and fair treatment of cross lace rims.
This made me LOL.

Sorry to hear about your luck man. I'm surprised at how good it looks after pulling the caved in roof.

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Fri Nov 16, 2012 2:03 am
by beretta
scd88ga wrote:Is it a requirement to install the 15'' GT Crosslaces after a rollover?

Well it had a little vibration first few times i drove it, i thought i might have bent a rim so i just swapped the gt wheels over to it and still had the same feel.

I think because the rear window is not there and every single crosser in the roof is broken off and everything just being pushed back into place doesnt really hold it there solid so the rear pillars sort of vibrate a little from the bumps and crappy roads.

She is parked now and will remain parked for the winter. I was supposed to buy a white 95 base for $300 car looked clean and just swap everything from the 96 to it and make it the same car it once was. Had a cash price set with the person emailed them a million times never herd back, car was still listed. i emailed them 2 months ago never got a reply then randomly got a reply saying they still had it gave me the price, told them i would be there that week to pick it up with cash and never herd from them again.
If i can find one at the scrap yard i will be able to buy the whole roof for $50 maybe $15 for the rear window and have a long winter project ahead of me lol.

And im the only one helping myself, I hope to get my wife in the garage this winter and have her help me with some stuff on the repairs so she can see how much work i actually put into these cars.

Re: My white 96 Z26 wrecked

Posted: Sun Nov 18, 2012 4:04 am
by daguse5853z
There was one time that I was driving down to Va beach which is a good 8 hour drive from here and it was raining and I turned off at the exit and the turn was WAY sharp, there wasn't any signs up warning this, and I hit that turn and just went right off the bank sideways pretty much. Once I got it back on the road and parked I saw that both drivers side rims had scooped the ground up and it was stuck on the rims. At this time I had 17" Shoguns the same as Heavywoody. Yeah I should have rolled that thing a couple times right there but somehow didn't.