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MG TD TF 1500 - Warning-Adults Only

I am the third of three cars in line waiting for the traffic to clear so we can exit the gas station. The second car decides to back up to the pump to get some gas. I see it coming and hit my new (useless) air horn to no avail. He just keeps on coming. The only brake he hit was my right front fender. Then instead of stopping he pulls forward. So much for my bumper.

A very nice and most apologetic visitor from Italy in a rental. Could not stop apologizing. Of course that didn't do my car much good. He even apologized to the police.

Had to pull my beautiful right fender out of my beautiful new wire wheels. From what I could see the damages are:
Fender
Bumper
Bumper brackets
Dumb Iron
Frame
Front apron
Anti sway bar

When I can stomach it I will investigate further. Concerned about the oil cooler and other potential leaks.

I was only a couple of miles from the house. The police helped me pull the fender off the tire and I drove it home.

With a mix of damages like this (frame, body, paint, parts) how would I go about managing the repairs?



Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

next


Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

another


Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

Mercifully the last one.


Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

Hope this nice man has insurance that works in US!!! What a shame!
efh Haskell

Oh, my! I am heartsick for you.
J E Carroll

OH boy this is bad , I wish you all the luck with the repairs and above all : GOOD LUCK with the appraiser / insurance company.
Gerard Hengeveld

My daughter says "If you need it welded, she will be available in 5 weeks"

Jim B.
JA Benjamin

Mort -- Not your wonderful Mobius! D@mn and double D@mn. So very sorry for you. Hope the repairs go quickly and perfectly and you and Mobius are soon back on the road again. Keep us posted on what transpires with the repairs.

John
John Brickell

Oh, Mort! I am so sorry!
It really is not as bad as it looks. A good fender man can fix that fender quite easily. FWIW both fenders on my TD were much worse than that when I got the car.
The bumper is an available and inexpensive part. This may be the time to make the frame straight and true. Should be in the shop for a few days.
Be thankful that grill shell got spared.
How is it running? If you need a change of scenery, you can always come up to Bennington for the Kimber Fest next weekend...
Best of luck,
-David
D. Sander

Oh no, I'm sorry. The guy is lucky he is alive. Could have been much worse, ad David S says. George
George Butz

Mort, I feel your pain. I was sitting in a parking lot trapped on both directions in my 67 Camaro and a little white haired lady backed into my door. Like you, the horn didn't work. She was most assuring when she said it doesn't look that bad.

Bill
TD24570













Bill Brown

That is not clever, driver must have had a head of steam up to do that much damage. Sorry mate only good thing I observe is that you can remove the "bog" from the guard when you make the repair. That grill appears as though it may be damaged in the last image, hope its an optical illusion.

Good luck with the repairs.
G Evans

Bill Brown, My horn functioned nice and loud. What I meant by it being useless is it did not stop him from hitting me.

Well I use Hagerty Insurance and they say they will fix it up and go after the other party. I'm not positive, because of the language barrier, but I think he took the rental agency insurance. Hopefully the adjuster has good classic car experience.

Thank you all for the comments. Any ideas on the repair procedure would be welcome.

I'll keep you posted.

Mort
Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

I am very sorry for you Mort. What a bad luck! But wonderful that you did not get injured.
However, a panel beating job to that fender will do miracles. Key is to keep it fitting with the frame and the headlight bar where it alligns with. Good thing that the radiatorshell looks untouched.
I would carefully inspect the wheel support: the A-arms and the shockarms. I think that bumper bracket will be still ok since they are sooo thick and strong. Probably just the connecting place from the dumbiron has been misformed.
Great that the other fender is still ok so that would make a nice reference for measurements.
Good luck with these repairs, Huib
Huib Bruijstens

Very sorry to hear about and see your damaged car Mort! Not so strange that most people outside of our International brotherhood/sisterhood of MG owners have no idea of the hours of intensive work it takes to make a car look like yours. Only we can visualize the gut wrenching feeling you must have. Hagerty ins are good people. They replaced my windshield on our MGB with a Triplex and because I refused to let anyone else touch the car, Hagerty paid me to install it! No joke, I'm serious. PJ
Paul sr

man I'd be sick if that happened to mine. But....it could have been worse. The fender can be fixed, thank god he didn't get that bonnet or radiator.
L Rutt

:-0 :-( Poor Mobius!
IMHO: Main thing is you are OK so you will be around to fix her! Thankfull for that.
David Sheward

Some drivers live in world of their own - hopefully the insurance battle won't be too bloody. Have an extra wing and some bumper brackets if needed. Hang in there. Dan

P.S. No big deal - but looks like a TC grille shell.
Dan Craig

CRAP! Mort!
Well, stuff happens...So sorry to see that...If you're like me, you just stood there and cried!
The good news, is a good body shop can fix you up....
Take it to a pro....
You may get lucky and find a good used fender on ebay.
Edward
Edward Wesson 52TD

Mort,
I am really sorry to see the damage,,, As soon as I saw the thread title, it was a hint that something bad had happened,,,

SPW
STEVE WINCZE

Mort, there are some very good body men out there that can do magic with metal. This kind of work, you don't need a rookie. Look at a bunch of before and after photos and get references before turning it over to them. I bet Hagerty can help point the way.

Best of luck,
Bill
Bill Brown

From what I have heard about Hagerty they are very good. I am not blowing their horn, but as an Ex Insurance Adjuster I have heard that Hagerty uses experts and that they go to the ends to get parts for you and repairs done. Keep us posted on this to let us know If they treat you right... thanks and sorry for the loss. tom
Tom Maine

Those pictures made me Ill. I would look for a fender. There were a few on e-bay ( check out 280627441766). While it may be possible to weld that one, and bang it out, the amount of work is probably high. Get them to purchase a good fender, strip it and repaint. Check everything (have it put on a frame machine to check the straightness just in case)
Bruce Cunha

Brings the term, "justifiable homicide" to mind. Damn wrong time of year for you too!

K Simonsen

Mort, I have no words in regard to repair scheme. Hagerty is good..they will be your resource..they see more of this in the first 20 minutes after lunch than we will see in a life time. Good luck! Regards, tom
tom peterson

Does anyone see a problem getting a new fender from Moss?

Mort
Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

"does anyone see a problem using a new fender from Moss?"

YES! Don't do it! You will have much better luck fixing your fender. A moss fender will not fit, or match the other fender without a considerable amount of work, and it is an overseas copy of an original.
Find a decent body and fender shop, and get yours fixed. Next time I see you, I wil show you what my fenders looked like when I got my TD.
-David
D. Sander

One problem I just found was that they don't stock them. They come from the UK and its 4 to 12 weeks to bring it in. Grrrrrrr.

Anyone know where a good used one would be?

The one on eBay (280627441766) looks pretty rough.

Mort
Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

It could take quite some time to gather all the parts needed, get everything fitted and painted. I figure anywhere from 2 to 6 months.
So as not to miss the driving and show season I have a solution.


Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

I second David S regarding repro. I also agree that it would not be a big deal for the right guy or shop to fix that. Try asking around locally, and ask the insurance carrier if they know anyone local to you. If you change the wing out for a different one, you may have fit issues at the running board, bonnet, etc. Also, ring up Abingdon Spares as they have a lot of used body parts, etc. George
George Butz

Mort, this is right off of Hagery's site

"Our service and knowledge are unparalleled.
We understand the collector car market and the importance of insuring your car for its true value. We also know how to handle claims on damage to your classic cars. For example, we have a Parts Specialist on staff whose only job is tracking down the perfect replacement part.

I think I would tell them to go at it.

Bill
TD24570
Bill Brown

Mort, also, there is one listed on e-bay $500 but it is going to take some work.


MG TD FENDER RIGHT FRONT OEM (3154)


Bill
Bill Brown

Love the sign!! If the running gear and frame are good, I'd go with it and save the "fix" for some time during your cool NJ winter.

Jud
J K Chapin

Mort,

My father in law, an old time body man, would look at that and say "no big deal". I've seen what he can do and when he's done it takes no more than a skim of filler to fill the file marks.

When he first started they were using lead, so they got the base metal as near perfect as they could. They were expected to repair things, not just replace panels.

Unlike the high-strength metals they use today for lightness, the metal used in our old cars is forgiving and can be reworked.

It would be nice, however, to have a replacement all painted and ready to install so as to save the downtime.

Good luck, it just hurts to see it damaged.

Jim
J E Carroll

Jim,

"J E Carroll, New Hampshire, USA

Mort,

My father in law, an old time body man, would look at that and say "no big deal". I've seen what he can do and when he's done it takes no more than a skim of filler to fill the file marks."

Is he still available?

Mort
Mort Resnicoff (50 TD-Mobius)

Sorry Mort,

He'll still work for his favorite daughter's husband but for everything else he's retired.

He and I a great friends with a lot in common. I was lucky to get him as part of the deal!
J E Carroll

This thread was discussed between 07/04/2013 and 12/04/2013

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