/diy/ - Do It Yourself

[Anonymous No.1184523]

How do I pull a structural chassis dent out of my car?
I do realize my car is legally totalled
And I do realize this could potentially make my car unsafe/hazardous/dangerous
I am a highschool student working at McDonald's who cannot afford to buy another car. This one still runs, but would like to remove the dent.

[Anonymous No.1184524]

[Anonymous No.1184526]

[Anonymous No.1184527]

[Anonymous No.1184529]

>>1184523
Ideally you'd cut new pieces from a junkyard car and weld them into yours, but it sounds like your options are limited. What equipment do you have access to?

Also I'd still drive that thing. Fuck it.

[Anonymous No.1184533]

>>1184523

Tractor?

[Anonymous No.1184539]

>>1184529
The problem is finding another one of these. It's a 1989 Mazda 323 hatchback, and I live in the middle of the US/Japanese cars are harder to find. I have all the tools to do that, but I can't weld to the extent of repairing structural things such as this.
And yea, that's pretty much what I'm left with. It just looks really bad, and the door doesn't open/close very easily. I plan on hunting down a door either on eBay or a junkyard (haven't had time to call around yet), but I'm not sure as of how to fix the chassis dent.
>>1184533
Huh? To pull it out? I'm considering it, but I have no idea where or how I'd attach anything to it...

[Anonymous No.1184540]

>>1184523
F

[Anonymous No.1184545]

>>1184539
You would have to cut the floorpan away from the rocker panel and wrap some chain around it to pull it.

[Anonymous No.1184561]

>>1184545
So, you mean like make a hole through the car's floor? I have a feeling that it would work in pulling it out, but at the same time, would crimp the rocker panel...

[Anonymous No.1184562]

>>1184523

Passenger side damage, who cares.

Drill some holes in the door, a couple in the floor and loop some cable through the holes.

Get that cable with the plastic coating, the thin stuff that you use to cable a dog when your working in the front yard, then lock it with a padlock or bolt.

If the window is gone get a contractor grade heavy plastic bag and duct tape it.

If your obese girlfriend can't climb over the drivers seat, tell her she can walk.

I drove a car for three years with no doors, no windows, except the windshield, no interior at all, not even a dash, just the drivers seat, no hood or trunk lid.
My car was stolen and stripped, got it back and it still drove, so off I went, figured no one would ever swipe it again, I was right.
Dad made me park it down the street, leaked a quart of oil a day and went through radiator water like a drunk at a hosted bar.

Miss that beater, was a 1980 Datsun 210 Coupe.

[Anonymous No.1184572]

>>1184562
Window is still in place. I'm not worried about someone breaking into my car (I don't keep anything valuable in it, and crime rates are relatively low where I live) but rather the functionality of the door itself. And I also don't want small animals or bugs to get in, but at this point I think I'm asking a lot.

[Anonymous No.1184580]

>>1184523
Pulling it out wont suddenly make your door work again, it wont make it more structurally sound either.
Beat the living fuck out of it with a big hammer till you get your door working again. Bend up the door hinges till it hits the striker well enough to close and lock.

I did it to an old Neon that was slammed into while parked.
Eventually got the door to open/close/lock, which is all you can really ask for in this situation

[Anonymous No.1184596]

>>1184539
>Japanese cars are harder to find

Its getting to the age that if you don't have a few available as spare parts cars its time to let it go. I have a slightly older one but have had three to use as spares. They hardly ever come up on 2nd hand car sites any more.

[Anonymous No.1184658]

>>1184527
bent seat mounts, nope.

Forget it, some cop will notice and make you pay.

[Anonymous No.1184665]

>>1184523
>i'm poor so it's ok to put myself and others in danger knowingly
kys

[Anonymous No.1184671]

>>1184523

Ask your self this bro, is the amount of money you save keeping this death trap running a little longer worth you possible injuring your self or others or posibly your death. Scrap it save up a little get something else.

[Anonymous No.1184694]

ei

[Anonymous No.1184697]

>>1184694
ela

[Anonymous No.1184698]

ela ama s parw thl pio meta k s pw na ertheis einai h idia wra p eipa kai xthes apla simera

[Anonymous No.1184699]

ennoeis aurio

[Anonymous No.1184701]

ennow avrio to prwi nai idia wra

[Anonymous No.1184702]

>>1184671
>Ask your self this bro, is the amount of money you save keeping this death trap running a little longer worth you possible injuring your self or others or posibly your death. Scrap it save up a little get something else.


Are you a person? Were you even ever a teenager?

A typical 18y/o male would risk death for 5 bucks, let alone a working car. That kind of shit doesn't switch off till your late 20's or your first kid.

[Anonymous No.1184727]

>>1184580
Looking at it, if I get a new door, then it will close and open without problem. The only thing that would prevent that is if the door opening itself is now smaller by a few millimeters. I'll probably still take a hammer to it though. I'm not worried about structural soundness, I just want the door to work/look semi normal.
>>1184596
I totally agree with you. However, I do actually have a spare Mazda 323, the only problem being, it's the Sudan version. Everything else is cross compatible.
>>1184658
Really? What if I hammer it straight again?
Do you legally have to have a passenger seat? Just curious.
>>1184665
See
>>1184702
>>1184671
I ask myself that every time I buy something for it, "Is it worth it?" And question how much it's worth investing into it. I just got two new tires for it, which was like 200$. That's probably the last large investment I'm putting into it. It has a cracked exhaust, but I'll just have my friend of a friend pass the inspection for it, and not worry about it. I'm going to hunt down a door, but won't pay more than 50$ for it. At the moment, I don't have any other options. I totally get what you mean though.

[Anonymous No.1184740]

Does it still run?

Pull it with a winch until it looks straight-ish and you can get the door kinda right maybe. Continue driving. Safety concerns are silly. I drive a truck that never came with airbags.

[Anonymous No.1184744]

I remember my first time trying to drift. Just drive it as is and save up for a new car.

[It's time No.1184749]

>>1184744
>drifting
>in a mazda 323
>a mazda 323 even running

you jest surely

[Anonymous No.1184750]

>>1184727
>Sudan version

Was it full of Africans and ak47s?

[Anonymous No.1184766]

>>1184523
it's fixable brah
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbj1Kg-CxM8

[Anonymous No.1184771]

>>1184727
>I just got two new tires for it, which was like 200$
> a door [for ]50$
You could have gotten a new car for that.

[Anonymous No.1184779]

>>1184740
Yea, it still runs. I guess I shouldn't worry too much about it. It just looks really rough at the moment, and the locking mechanism is easily bypassed. I'll try pulling it out.
>>1184749
My car was facing in the completely wrong direction on the side of the road by the time it stopped...
>>1184750
Sedan*
And no, unfortunately not.
>>1184771
Show me a functional car that has less problems than mine for 250$. And doesn't need new tires.

[Anonymous No.1184787]

>>1184779
>has less problems..
sure - yours only has the one problem, shame its a terminal one - dont the DMV run inspections and shit in Murica?

>And doesn't need new tires..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTPDxWl5Og
yup, it may drive sideways, but, its got new tires.. which'll last maybe a month on a bent frame. I'd part it out, that ain't gonna fix, obtain new scrapper with proceeds.

[Anonymous No.1184791]

>>1184787
>dont the DMV run inspections and shit in Murica?
State by state basis and there's only a checklist of safety features most of the time. If it passes emissions (on OBDII cars) and all requisite signals and lights function the car can be streeted.

So yes we have the freedom to drive anything we can make run.

[Anonymous No.1184814]

>>1184787
>dont the DMV run inspections and shit in Murica?

Depends on where you live

Where I grew up, there is no emissions or inspection.
I literally walk into the DMV with a title, sign it, pay for it, I get a new title in the mail.
I call the insurance company, give them the VIN and mileage over the phone, pay and I have insurance cards come in the mail.

Its a double edged sword
Paying for emissions testing and inspections sucks. It forces people out of decent running vehicles that could run for a lot longer.

With that said, the sort of rattletrap hunks of shit that I drove as a teenager were horrific. Forcing people into safer cars is ultimately a good thing, even if the ulterior motive is just city revenue with inspection stickers.

Also you can just tell the cities that force inspection and emissions and though who dont.
It makes the city look better honestly.
Nobody driving around 1989 Mazda 323s shitting out smoke and killing the driver in a 40mph collision because it has awful automatic seat belts and no airbags

[Anonymous No.1184842]

>>1184527
From this pic alone I can tell you.. that car is done OP

Once a unibody frame is bent that badly there's really no repairing it. Body on frame is a totally different story, which obviously won't do you any good in this case.

If you're going to put effort into anything, do it by working more to buy a new car. Beyond that drive it as is or junk it

[Anonymous No.1184876]

>>1184842
He can buy a rolling chassis with good title and transfer all his parts over to it.

[Anonymous No.1184910]

>>1184527
Lol no, it's fucked, don't even try to fix it.

[Anonymous No.1185061]

>>1184842
How does spending half a day with a hammer on a day off take away any effort from saving up from a new car? Simply put, why not both?
I realize it will never be like new, but at least I can make the door seal more correctly...
>>1184876
My mechanic friend actually recommended I make the other Mazda I have run with parts from this one. However, the other one is literally just the chassis now, which would mean I'd have to transfer everything... Which I'd rather not. That's where I draw the line of how much effort I am going to put into making it a fully legal functioning vehicle...
>>1184910
Again, the car is fine, it's just legally totalled. I don't see why taking a hammer to it for a few hours will do any more harm than is already done...

[Anonymous No.1185120]

>>1185061
If the car is legally totalled you cannot have it back on the road beyond processional tier restoration. Period. End of story. You fucking troll.

[Anonymous No.1185131]

Just go buy something for $500. It would be less effort than this and safer. You got a job, so you could apply for a bank loan.. and start establishing credit worthiness. If a $500 loan default sinks you.. ( you cant pay it off) well then you need to start studying a trade.

[Anonymous No.1185146]

>>1185061
>Simply put, why not both?
Get a hammer and go to town, post results

[Anonymous No.1185475]

>>1185120
I've already got a guy who's willing to pass its inspection for me...
>>1185131
No car in my area for 500$ would be better than this. Anything under a grand is either totaled, has a blown engine/trans, or is only good for parts. I'm going to start saving for a new car, but I don't expect to get one for a while.
I'm in no position to take out a loan.
>>1185146
I will. Perhaps in another thread, but I will.

[Anonymous No.1185742]

lmao, you don't.

[Anonymous No.1185765]

OP stop kidding yourself, you're not going to do any sort of decent repair and you're too broke to really do anything about it. You're just wasting time on this thread. What you need to hear has been said, polish your turd of a car or drive it as is

[Anonymous No.1185791]

>>1185061
I'd make the door work first with method X. Then I'd weld a thick enough long angle steel on tip of the bend for reinforcement. If it's just one part that's bent instead of the whole car that would be enough for me.

And remember kids. The biggest liability in traffic is the driver himself. Sure, you can argue that "there always will be drunk drivers and fuckups driving other cars" but you meet then very seldom. Whereas when you drive yourself you are 100% in traffic with yourself. If you are a driver that takes risks then the math is easy...

[Anonymous No.1185809]

>>1185475
Just put some bungie cords on the door and and attach the other end to the centre console. Keep it closed. When you want to give some fat slut a ride, just unhook the bungie cord from the inside and let it pop open, it will look badass, like an automatic door.