Not good at all...

That makes TOTAL sense.

My front end was banged up - one little whack on the bumper bent the valence, the quarter, the rad support, and everything in between. I bought a cheap hammer and dolly set and proceeded to start straightening the pieces - problem was - everything I took off needed to be straightened before the front end would go back together again.

I did some research in metal bumping and and practiced and learned a few lessons - PATIENCE to gently bump a panel back into shape, REALIZING that the cars were not exactly "true" to begin with and you can push and bend panels by hand to make them fit again, and that a panel peppered by small hammering dimples looks much better with a skim coat of bondo to make it look smooth again - is all acceptable.

I have been to two cars shows this year - some of those guys that own antiques have no option but to hammer and paint fenders and panels as best they can then paint them (I'm talking about 40+ year old British cars here) and one 1948 panel van had a front fender that looked like it had been hammered back into shape with a 2x4 then it was sprayed afterwards but to me it just added charm to the vehicle.

Your car looks pretty nice - I can't see scrapping it for corner damage if the rails are still straight. And if damage and bondo are done properly, the car will look good for a long time. I'd say do it yourself (bodywork tends to suck but it's rewarding and cheap if you have patience and do it right) - my dad had his Jaguar fixed by a good shop and it looked perfect - but I wound up with cheap, rushed body work and paint job on my Buick convertible - they did the whole car in 3 days and after 6 months the bondo lifted and the paint bubbled. Looked like crap.

I hate to say it but the early model small bumpers offer no protection for body and frame damage. Both my Comets have "dimples" in the roof from bumper impacts. That 3 mile an hour impact goes straight to the frame and roof and you probably felt it in your teeth when you hit the pole. The bumperettes help - but for a daily driver I think my next Comet will have those huge post-Ralph Nader park bench bumpers.

 

Wow that really sucks!! I feel bad just looking at the pic's!!
Looks like a simple fix, like most guys have said, a good body man ca fix that up, even if you can find that section in the wreckers, cut out the corner, and weld it in...

 

The hit sucks.
But most cars from our era have some glass in them. Skim coats whatever. There is some good advice in this thread and your car can be fixed. Be patient and what the hell try what Mavaholic suggested.

 

Feelin' for ya' ...

If that is the only area on the car like that, I'd say fix it. Do the magnet test. If the whole car is like that (really doubt it ...) it may be time to make other plans.

Mine is likely in similar shape ... signs of failing 20+ year old filler on the drivers rear quarter. I am mentally prepared to replace the whole quarter if needed, but the inside of the trunk makes it look like an isolated ridge that could use more attention than it got by the monkey who repaired it. Same guy that aligned the door by slamming it on a 2x4 until he broke the hinge post away from the rocker panel.

What does it look like inside the trunk? Might give you a much better idea of how much damage there was to begin with.

 

You know i got to say this, Maybe them big bumpers ain't so bad after all. No offence to you or anyone. If you don't want to tackle the job, I have a friend that does body work for a living. He is pretty good on older stuff as well as new. If you are in Memphis hes not but about 100 miles away. I dont know what kind of air system you are looking for but i have a dealer installed under dash system on a 75 model.

 

My Comet has the same corner damage on the drivers side. No dent in the panel, just a nice quarter extension rolled under from a low speed hit.
I hate it but I love my car too much to let that keep me from enjoying it.

Good luck with your repair and I hope it comes out better than ever. Sure is a good looking car in all other respects.

 

man that stinks, i hate those gas station poles. They should have flag because they are just short enough that you cant see them from in the car. I agree that particular damage is repairable. the grabber had bondo on the passenger rear quarter that ended up being pretty thick, that i found when the rear got tapped. i hammered the sheet metal back to a straighter line with the rear and only have the skim layer now less than a dimes thickness. the hard part will be getting the back panel completely straight... good luck!

 

Honestly....if the rest of the car has that much bondo in it....might want to start looking for another body before you put $1500 into just that repair.

 

Here's my rear extension damage(and dirtyness):

You aren't alone dude. There are others facing this repair too so you have plenty of support. Don't give up yet. There are lots of members here that are more than willing to help out with advice and even sweat to see your car ride again.

If that car is as nice as it looks I'd keep it. Even if it was to have the best parts car on this site to make another awesome Maverick.
If it goes to a junkyard it will be crushed and then no one wins.

 

You bumper guys need to look at the pics better.The hit was above the bumper,so the sheetmetal took the direct hit,big or small bumpers mean squat in this case.
Drew,If the car has several other problems I would start looking for a donor body.Since you can't stand to look at it(I understand that),why not do like Mavaholic suggested & work it out yourself the best you can & prime it.It won't cost you much and maybe you can live with it until a good body shows up later.I priced getting a quarter put in my Comet and got an estimate of around $800 primed in(not painted),you could probably find a solid body(shell?)for that or less.
You've done alot of work on this car,consider it a learning experience;and,it being a DD a little primer/less than perfect bodywork won't hurt too much.Give it a few days & you'll be ok with it(crap happens).

 

I was facing the same dilemma a few weeks ago when I crawled under my car and found the frame rails were cracked. I probably laid under the car for a good 20 minutes, not saying a word. I've since decided to just go ahead and have them reinforced, and do my own bodywork so it can stay affordable, plus I've always wanted to learn bodywork.

 

hey, dont feel bad.... my '71 had a hit something like that on the passenger side..

 

In my opinion, you have to get it fixed and it'll be a story you'll tell about your cars years and years later. It's a beautiful car you have and I'm sure there are people on this board with some gremlins in their cars too. It's the love/hate thing about these older cars. I really hope you keep it and think of it as acne on your car until you have enough money to take her to the dermatologist.

 

Big bumpers connect directly to the frame with very stiff mounts in the front and back. In a wreck, all of the energy is going directly into the frame, and it stands to reason that a bent frame is much more likely in a relatively minor accident then with small bumpers, where the bumpers and mounts are soft and will give before the frame does. I'd rather have bent up sheet metal then a bent frame..

 

jamie hit it on the head, new cars went back to having flimsy sheet metal that bent easily and called it a "crumple zone" there for your "safety" heck you could put a plastic replacement for the small bumpers on with some honeycombed plastic hidden under it and have the same exact technology!