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Project/repair build, very little auto body and mechanical knowledge.
I recently purchased a 1995 ls400 as a project car, it has 146,300 miles on it, the car was well maintained by the previous owner (I am the second owner). I found the car on offer up for $3,500, the previous owner was in a 3 way collision and was t boned, will need a new door and some b pillar work maybe also a new rear passenger door. There is also a little damage to the front bumper, I was able to talk him down into selling it to me for $2,700. The car is in very good condition and runs smooth, the transmission feels like it jerks a little going into second gear and the brakes could use some work but other than that the car drives and runs fine. I bought it mostly to gain experience and fix it myself, I just really have no idea where to start or what tools and equipment I would need to repair the crash damage.
Two ways to repair that. Put it on a frame machine and pull out the damage, or cut and replace the damaged sections. B-pillar is a tricky section to repair there are so many layers of steel plus it all molds into the floor pan. You can repair that at home but you're going to need a bunch of specialized tools. Better solution is strip the interior and take it to a body shop.
Two ways to repair that. Put it on a frame machine and pull out the damage, or cut and replace the damaged sections. B-pillar is a tricky section to repair there are so many layers of steel plus it all molds into the floor pan. You can repair that at home but you're going to need a bunch of specialized tools. Better solution is strip the interior and take it to a body shop.
thank you for your reply, I mostly bought this with the intention of gaining knowledge/saving money. I have also thought about pulling off the doors and seeing if a shop will pull or section just the b pillars. I’m willing to put the time and money into buying new tools if it means I will be saving money.
what exactly do you mean stripping the interior ? Removing the passenger seat ? Removing flooring etc ?
Recommended in the Lexus collision manual,The proper way to repair this is to pull out the pillar, then to disassemble the side of the car, cut out the old pillar, and weld in a replacement pillar .
not sure exactly what is meant by disassemble the side of the car.
Last edited by KronaSire916; 11-24-23 at 08:35 PM.
what exactly do you mean stripping the interior ? Removing the passenger seat ? Removing flooring etc ?
Carpet, seat and any interior trim in the B-pillar area. Less things in the way the better you don't want to be paying a body shop to do it for you. Problem with repairing at home is that area of the car is extremely strong to resist side impact. Trying to pull it out without heavy duty tools is very difficult and can be dangerous.
11-24-23, 07:47 PM
Project/repair build, very little auto body and mechanical knowledge.
