frame damage? lots of pics..

[entrapm3nt]

Sorry this is kind of a long thread with a lot of pictures. Just trying to be as clear as possible.

I bought this 91 300zx red 5 speed black leather 90k miles clean title for really cheap. Now i think i know why lol. I did not check it out before i bought the car because it was basicly slammed on the ground with all 4 flat tires. Guy said u could pop it out but i dont think so. He didnt know anything about Z's. Only his mechanic that was there. Just wondering what u guys think. I knew it had damage just not bent frame. Possibly is not even that bad. I am worried that if i get a new fender it wont line up with the old bumper now that its kinda caved in. So might have to get a bumper too but maybe the metal behind the fender wont let me line it up correctly. Dont want to waste money.. Here are A LOT of pictures so u get what im saying. Please bare with me.

I dont know what he hit. he said ht was the owner before him.


Look at this pic and then the next one. Huge difference.


Other side...


Hood is slightly off. And for some reason. The good fender has a huge gap at the drivers side door. 2x pic angles

rear angle of gap


Ok last few pictures. Im in front of the car looking at the radiator from under the car. Its missing the plastic piece to protect it. I also grabbed a LOT of leaves out of there... Im gonna go from Right to Left from where im standing taking 3 pictures.

Drivers side (no damage)


Middle


Passenger side (damaged)


Is this fixable? My alignment is way off. The steering wheel is sideways but the tires are straight.


Thanks for your time in advanced

[itsa300zx]

Hard to believe that size of dent on sheet metal will cause the frame to be bent. There might be more to it. You really need to get under the car and in the engine bay to have a good look at the frame.

[Ace2cool]

Yeah, there's really no way to tell with everything "in." There are measurements in the FSM for body panels and inner frame dimensions in the body section though. That would be the best place to look and try to take measurements from. And as far as your question about it being fixable, there's always a way to fix something, but it's a matter of how much you personally want to spend.

[DCaff300ZX]

Like Ace says it depends on how much time you want to spend, how much it's worth to you. If I had paid for all of the work done on my two Z's it never would have happened as my hours involved are insane, and done because that's the ONLY way it could happen. If banging chicks and beers and hanging out is your thing then forget it, but if you want something special then you have to make the time.

On the surface, your situation seems fixable as really there isn't a lot that can go too wrong up front there frame-wise from the amount of damage you have. Lots of little brackets and such that beyond the bent fender are helping holding that shape, replacing the fender will possibly allow the bumper to fit again correctly after you bend back the bumper brace piece and other brackets and re-attach everything correctly. You most likely will also have to do some work in the front area as well because there are a couple of brackets there that surely will be tweaked as your broken splash guard shows.
As for your steering that seems an issue with either the steering knuckle possibly being broken/damaged from the accident that caused your dent and damage, which hints that there may be more damaged items elsewhere. Removing the bumper and liners will allow you more ability to check for other damage.
Pull off your bumper cover (20+/- minute job) and what's left of the splash guard and your fender liners, and take some pics and we can probably help more- looking at it from the outside really doesn't allow much more than speculation. Also, I have some internal pics from my own front repairs early in my build link/sig you can look at for some idea of what I am talking about.

[DCaff300ZX]

Here's what it looks like under your fender with the bumper removed

This brace showing here mounts to your bumper and will need to be repaired or replaced most likely along with another smaller piece inside, but that's all that's in there so your frame is safe from THAT damage at least. Removing your bumper will show you any other damaged brackets/braces.

[entrapm3nt]

Thanks for all the great info guys. Im actualy going to pick up a fender and bumper for cheap tomorrow. 150 for both But i might not even need the front bumper. still a good deal. have to paint match them tho -_- Also someone was asking about my time. I just got laid off so I literally have nothing to do except troll these forums, work on my cars, and play video games.

But yeah, hopefully they line up without too much work. Ill take pics tho and update this in a day or 2.