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Spring damage from accident, State Farm may total truck?!!!

Mav2u

Mav2u

1/2 ton status
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May 22, 2002
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Location
Palm Bay, Florida
I had an accident with my truck last week where a idiot pulled out into traffic and I hit his pickup with the passenger bumper and my passenger wheel to all the impact.

I had the truck put on the alignment rack to see what was going on as the right side tire is now 2 to 3 inches pushed back in the wheel well compared to the driver side wheel. Of course State Farm paid for the fender damage and new bumper parts to be done already. The truck is going to the body shop on Monday.

I can't seem to figure out what is bent though. Nothing stands out. Only thing I could suspect is that the spring is bent up and back which would rotate the camber forward and move the wheel backward at the same time.

Can State Farm total my truck out? Kelly Blue Book lists my truck at 2300 for a 91 as they don't go back to a 89 model. I'll be damned if you can find one in decent shape for anything less than $4000. Can they just decide to total my truck. It is my classic automobile, it is scheduled for a full repaint and restoration this coming spring 2012.

I guess if the spring is bent that is cheap to replace both the front ones. Hopefully the axle isn't bent instead. I can't image the frame would be bent. The collision was only at 20mph or less.
 
May have sheared the center pin. Look on the spring and see if there is a clean spot where the spring plate used to cover. If so easy repair.
 
Chances are a broken center pin like Chris said. Any way you can take pics and post them up?
 
30+ year old center pin if orignal or even lift springs it dont matter.

the pin will shear off easy .

i saw a 67-68 mustang that was 6k clutch droped in reverse :doah: short story is it shered the pins both off and at each leaf thay cut right off like little plugs. even shoved the leafs back in the pack . had to remove both packs and rebuild with new pins. and that wasnt all the damage by the way trust me. :whistle::popcorn: and it wasnt me :D
 
Some photos of the passenger side.

I looked at the springs but they are still in the same location. Spring tab is not broken. Axle is same distance from spring front as the drivers side!

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Here is the alignment paperwork after the accident. Took it to the shop to see what the alignment looked like. Monday it will most likely be on the frame rack at the body shop I imagine to see what might be bent. But I hope it is just the spring that was pushed up and bent. Axle would be expensive and State Farm would probably want to total out my ride. I don't want it totalled, I want it fixed.

PDF of Alignment


I need my rig back on the road! I hate driving around in this rental pickup!
 
PDF report says your toe-in is way different on one side. I assume you checked for a bent tie-rod or broken balljoints?

-Brian
 
Ball joints were tight and locked on. Toe is obvious from the accident. It's the fact the tire is almost 3 inches back on the right side of the truck but still in the center of the spring where it suppose to be that is puzzling.

It is almost like the front axle is shifted to the vehicle right, then the vehicle right wheel is pushed back.

But when measuring the front axle it is in place on vehicle left of where it is suppose to be.

So the only thing I could think is that the spring on the passenger side is bent and twisted slightly. Worse thing is State Farm seems like they are getting close to totalling the vehicle out already.
 
set the toe its easy and cheep. you can do it with a tape measure. you would be amazed what setting the toe will do for tire centering on some styles of vehicles.

and just cause a part is tight dosnt make it good after a accident . my dads old k10 slid sideways in a ditch in the snow 1 winter 10mph . after that the toe was always good. but the 1 side always would eat tires on the front. it was a bad ball joint bent or bent axle housing. but i solved the problem when i swaped in a diffrent axle i had.

and if thay have fixed stuff already then its less likly thay will scrap it as thay have cash in it. but not always the case.
 
Our '66 Chevelle was wrecked years ago, not our fault rear ended. The insurance company (can't remember who) tried to total it. We told them no way, they fixed it.
 
Fight them about it or just buy it back after they total it.
 
I thought they had to fix it if that was your wish? I mean i realize some stuff is not repairable, but i think that even if the cost to repair exceeds the total value they give you the option to fix or total.
 
No, that'd just be them pissing away money. Why put thousands of dollars into a vehicle only worth $1000?

There is some wiggle room though.

They total it and then you can buy it back for a small price. However some insurance companies might not insure it after that.
 
My 91 K5 was totaled by my insurance and they gave me the total value minus salvage value- $250.00 Ended up with $3200 + the truck.
 
But then is the truck title a salvaged title? Not that it matters as I plan to be buried in the truck. But I imagine the insurance companies might charge higher or not insure a salvaged title for the same price as a clean title?

Can you buy it back then do the fix, get it inspected, an get the title turned over to a clean title again?
 
Yes, that would be a Salvaged title.

Not sure on Florida laws about getting around that. You'd need to talk to your insurance company and other insurers about what that would do to the insurance on it.
 
i totaled a car in newyork years ago. i purchased it back. my title never changed hands and stayed clean. i got 950 minus 100 for car. took 250 in parts to fix it . and drove it for another year and sold it.

i put a new front clip on the car ( even same color from junk yard car ) and radiator from a deer hit. no unibody damage at all.

its prob diffrent per state. this is why i will never use carfax or other companys. to much not reported or little stuff that ruins a vehicle history.
 
Do you have the option to NOT file a claim on the front end or limit the claim to an amount just under the salvage breakpoint? Just have them pay for the fender etc. and pay out of pocket to fix it yourself. I know that it sucks to have to pay for that, but you will avoid the salvage title.
 
and a salvage title wouldnt scare me on these old trucks. as how many of us have a premo 100% orignal unit ?
 
I think in WA the insurance company can claim the car salvaged and you have no choice in the matter. How the law is written it is in favor for the insurance companies.
 
Yeah, I just went through this with my Acura. In WA state, once insurance totals the vehicle the title is reported as salvage and it has to be inspected by State Patrol in order to be licensed for on road use again. I just parted it and sent the body to the crusher so it didn't matter much in my case.

The only way you could get around the salvage on the title would be to not report to insurance...but then you'd have to eat all the repair costs. Personally if I knew I wasn't ever planning on selling the vehicle anyway I'd take the money and the mark on the title and call it even.
 
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