So, I took the car to a wheel re-furbish shop in town that specializes in aluminum wheels of all kind, porches, corvettes, exotics, etc....

I went to pick it up, and the driver side looked amazing, like brand new...
As I went inside to pay, the manager said he had some bad news, he led to me the passenger side where I saw about a 2" gap between the door and the fender. They dropped the car off the jack stands!. So, the right fender is bowed out about 2-3", it has the above mentioned gap, the hood doesn't line up, it looks like its now out of alignment, fiberglass ground affect is trashed, custom exhaust is crushed...and it looks like the A pillar is bent. Needless to say, I didn't pay for the wheels and it goes tomorrow to the shop that did all the bodywork. I'm beyond pissed, 2 plus years of work and a stupid amount of money and now its worse off than when I started. My question is what can I expect if the A pillar is indeed bent, and what front end damage can be expected? Regardless of them paying, it looks like another few months in the shop again...

 

That is heartbreaking. Everything you listed is all available, albeit expensive. When you say 'A' pillar, do you mean the lower arm assembly? (The lower ball joint sits in it...)

Im so sorry man. At least THEY did it and its not going to come out of your pocket....

 

The pillar is the "framd looking" component that comes from below the windshield to the rocker panel. Its a pretty crucial part of structure, and that is the part I'm most concerned with.

 

pics? Damn with something like that i wouldn't even have them fix just replace the car. I dont care what anybody says. Frame damage never ends properly fixed.

 

I need to let the body guy look it over well, he said there is some damage, but at this time looks repairable. The wheel company will pay for everything, but beyond the cost of the body/paint work, I would need a lawyer. I've got over 20K into that car, so replacement isn't really an option unless it was a cash out deal. Even then, after owning it for 17 years and spending over 2.5 years working, and paying for it, it wouldn't be easy.

 

Only jack stands? That's not a very far fall to do so much frame/body bending. You sure it didn't take a nose dive off a lift?

 

They didn't use a lift. I'm hearing conflicting stories, but what I think happened is that they did the back wheels first and the front was on stands, when the lifted it to put the wheels back on,the jack stand slipped it would have fell on the rotor, however the jack was under the rocker panel. Falling on the jack is what caused the damage. I still believe it hit the rotor, because there is a fresh mark on it. Either way, I won't have it for quite some time. He said the whole car may need re-painted. Since it was down to bare metal the first time, that is what he wants to do again....

 

if the a-pillar is bent, the windshield would have cracked. if its not cracked, its not totaled. but thats pretty messed up though. make sure they fix it right and ***** about an minor defect when its done. you own them now, for the time being

 

The A pillar is bent from the bottom, you can tell where it must have eventually came to a stop on the jack. I never thought totaled was a scenario. I was more worried that if tweaked it would lead to problems down the road. As of now, everything looks like it can be handled correctly, it will just take some time. Color matching may be an issue at this point. I'm not looking to screw over the wheel refurb shop, the wheels themselves look amazing. They machined everything correctly, down to the swirl pattern by the lugs, I just want them to make it like it was before it fell, and to make sure I won't have any future problems as a result of it...