ford ranger versus the deer

Cat wrote in news:3eca4daa-6fca-4b7e-bc5a-c537270e8d27 @35g2000pry.googlegroups.com:

It's just good that you're alive and unhurt. Deer strikes kill people. The fact that you were in a tall truck rather than a short car was a very fortunate thing. Better the deer's body mass go through your rad than through the windshield.

We have a LOT of deer around where I live, and this is a constant concern.

You have no insurance for this?

we have liability. im just assuming that doesnt cover this... it just covers us hitting someone else, and covering their damages.

i should call them. i would hate to call and have no benefits and ruin my three star rating.

You might want to take off the bumper, fender and other headlight.

Then take it to a bodyshop that specializes in frame and uni-body repair. So they can pull it out to the proper measurements.

What holds in the radiator is called: "A Core support" you might need a new one. and if you never did one, and don't have a mig welder. Get that part done at a good body shop.

Nope, it's a radiator support, doof.

Pull it out with a rope to a tree if you have to. It's just sheet metal, all your damage is sheet metal. It can be bent,bent back, cut, welded painted, whatever. Get a big hammer and MAKE it point the right way. Duct tape and stainless tiewire have kept legions of walking wounded on the road. When you get where you get where you are going, give her fender a pat.

I would agree that, for the most part, this can be patched together at home. It might look ugly but it will be serviceable. I'm not sure, however, that all of the damage is "sheet metal". I have an '01 Mazda B4000 that had a very minor tap with the front end and the frame was bent. I would have a frame guy check that and staighten it, if necessary. Than have at it by any means necessary to straighten the parts that don't really matter. RNR

Cat wrote in news:8067b4f9-c84e-41df-b4c0- snipped-for-privacy@o4g2000pra.googlegroups.com:

Call the insurance and ask them a "hypothetical" question, which would be: Will I be covered for car damage under any part of my policy if my car were struck by a deer, and if so, would my rates go up (either with a first incident or with a second of the same type).

Remember, you're "just wondering"; it's "hypothetical". You've heard of people hitting deer and extensive damage resulting; you want to know for the future, just in case.

If you /are/ covered and your rates /won't/ go up, then you admit to the car being struck and they help you get the vehicle looking pretty again.

If you /are/ covered but your rates /would/ go up, then thank the agent and hang up. Then you do the wrench/chain/tree stuff on your own. I've done that kind of thing before myself, and it looks like crap, since it's just about impossible to get everything lined up properly again with home tools. There's not a lot of finesse when you're doing it yourself, just brute force and lots of prying and hammering in just the right place.

i called. no benefits under liability. :(

ide quoted text -

this is what we were thinking, but we didnt want to cause more damage than there already is. we just want to get it running and on the road again, and work on cosmetics later!!!

this gives us great hope. thanks!!

thanks to everyone for their comments and support... if you think of anything else, let us know.....

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A hydraulic jack is also very handy for pushing fenders and front parts back out, but the rope to a tree 'does' usually work.

The radiator is also cut from the sheet metal or fan, hopefully not rotted out. If it isn't sliced up 'too' bad, it can be soldered back together. Even crimping off some badly mangled tubes and soldering them or cutting them out and soldering a penny over their opening on the tanks works very well. A friend punched a tree through the center of his rad once and we crimped all the ends of the tubes and soldered them up. That rad was still in it years later when he sold it.

I have also seen some nice hardwood bumpers...

Mike

SNIP

That would be the core support. It holds the radiator, A/C condenser, headlight supports. Plus a few other items.

The best solution is to have the vehicle checked at a frame shop FIRST. A deer hit MAY not have damaged the frame but it could very easily. The bumper being bent may or may not indicate a problem.

Once your sure the frame is OK then proceed to replace the bent parts. Most of the parts are bolt-ons.

In that case the easiest solution would be to get the front clip off a same year (and if you're REAL lucky same color) truck. It is all bolt on from there. No bending of sheet metal and when you get done you have a nice vehicle again. And it will take FAR less time overall for less money as well.

The basics would be to disconnect the wiring harness and anything attached to the core support and inner fenders. Most of it will unbolt and drape over the engine. The A/C stuff can be disconnected and capped (if it has A/C). Then unbolt the rear edge of the fenders, the bottom of the inner fenders and the two large bolts that hold the core support to the frame and lift the entire nose off in one piece. Two people can handle it easily. Set the replacement on and reconnect all the stuff you took off.

If you are handy with wrenches and tools it should take about 2 days to strip the nose off and start reassembling the truck. Total would be about 4 days (6 hours of work or so per day)

If you have a digital camera take pictures of the items as you take them off, they may help you when you're putting it back together.

Other than checking the frame for damage all the work can be done at home (frame could be checked as well but a frame table and the correct measurements make a WORLD of difference) The main reason you want to check the frame is that if it is bent it can cause a lot of headaches that you don't want. Odd tire wear, weird handling, drive train problems if parts are out of line are just a few.

Local insurance agents in your locality would be aware of the frequency of vehicles hitting deer, so your information should not harm your rating. If you bought insurance from company HQ on the internet or by mail, you may be dealing with an agent who has never seen a deer except in a zoo.

Rural garages in this locality are used to cut-price repairs for damage like this. (E.g. there are two such local garages within 5 miles and one large wrecker's yard with abundant spare parts.)

if you decide to do the rope or chain around a tree gig, be very carerfull, let no one stand anywhere nearby... if the rope or chin breaks or lets go, it can whip around and cut someone in half in a split second...this is for real...be careful.

Mark

Use a come-a-long!

How ugly of a truck can you live with?

When I was poor, I was able to repair exhausts with beer cans. I have a dirt track Camaro that has a properly welded roll cage, but the body is equal parts crinkly sheet metal, duct tape and zip ties.

If you need the truck working NOW and aren't worried about looks, you'll mostly need a big hammer to pound stuff back into "place" and out of harm's way. Fix all the leaks and replace and aim the headlights. The rest... no need to worry... as long as ugly isn't an issue.

A tape measure can go a long way towards assuring yourself the vehicle is still square - measure the wheelbase on both sides (center of the wheels.) If you're out more than a half inch, you're gonna need a frame shop. (If it was my car and it was more than about 1/8 of an inch I'd be getting it on a frame machine.)

That said, ugly is ok. Unsafe is not, especially because you've already whacked a deer once. If it was my vehicle, making sure it's still structurally sound would be first and foremost.

Ray

Cat wrote: (RE: Ford Ranger vs. Deer)

We have liability insurance. I'm assuming that it doesn't cover this situation - that it only covers us hitting someone else, and covering their damages. I should call the insurance company to find out, but if I am not covered I'm afraid my three-star rating might be ruined just for asking. ______________________________________________________________________

You are right to worry. Any event goes on your insurance record; even if someone drives into the back of your car at a stop sign; even if someone drives into your yard and strikes your unoccupied car. Insurance companies keep tabs on those who have non-fault "events", as well as those who actually cause accident losses, and the suspicious insurers consider these events when setting your premiums.

In this particular case, you have no coverage for your damage, so your call will get you nothing but a notation in your "event" record. Or worse - they may worry that you (and they) could be liable to the owner of the deer for the damage, and they may jack your premium sky-high. The best thing to do is to keep quiet and lay low until it all blows over.

Good luck.

Rodan.

yep thanks rodan, i called and just lost my three star discount and my premiums just went up thirty dollars a month... those sneaky bastards!!!!!

we actually switched house insurance companies a few years ago because of crap like that. My current house insurance company is more than willing to discuss stuff before officially opening a claim, and even if we did file a claim, we can cancel it without any penalty.

Ray