Front end wreck. Bumper pushed in. Need advice on how to get it back on the road.

It's a 2003 base truck.

The truck has under 60k miles and I think it's worth repairing.

It was stopped at a light, hit from the rear on the driver's side, and pushed into the vehicle in front of it, again damaging the driver's side.

Looking under the truck at the frame, I can't see any damage on the frame.

The truck can't be driven due to the front bumper and driver's side fender interfering with the tire. Also, the driver's side of the radiator was pushed back into the fan (not badly though), the radiator appears to be intact.

Are there any experts out there who could give me some advice on a do-it-yourself repair whereby I pull out the damaged parts using either a come-along or pulling out the damaged areas using a chain or tow rope attached to another truck?

It may be best to take off the front bumper (if I can), attach the bumper mount to a chain (attached to a tree), and push the truck back by hand to 'pull out the damaged area. or maybe use a come along? What i don't want to do is pull it out too much and really bugger it up so it would cost even more to fix it.

Once i get it drivable, I can get it across the border to Mexico to a guy who will help me make basic repairs for about 1/5 the cost in the US. I live 5 minutes from the border. I have a Mexican buddy who has already done this with his Taco that was wrecked. He bought the used parts and had the guy install them, do some bodywork, and painting for under $300. and it looks pretty damn good. in the US, it would have been something like $1200 for the labor alone (if not more).

Any advice or better ideas would be greatly appreciated.

If I'm posting in the wrong forum or if there is a better site on the web for my question, please let me know.

I'm out of a job right now, so I have more time than money. Thanks in advance for your help. Toyotas are great.

 

is insurance not picking this up?

 

I bought it from a buddy whose insurance company totaled it and he didn't want to deal with it.He got a newer Acura, but I like the truck and think it would be good once fixed. So I bought it as is.

 

well imo just scrap the bumper and pull one off another tacoma at a junkyard. You won't be able to pull it out and fix it

 

good idea. I was already thinking about getting a used bumper at the junkyard or CL. I see them on CL for about $75-$150.

But the problem remains that the radiator is pushed in just enough to "kiss" the fan so I don't want to drive it like that. I'm thinking that if I pull out the bumper mount, it will also pull back the radiator cross bracket (or whatever that white bracket in front of the radiator is called) just enough that I can drive it to get the basic repairs done.

 

take off the bumper and then throw a couple pics up so we can see what you're dealing with

 

I would do the same thing you are planning for good vehicle like that. But be sure you check into the local laws concerning restoration and re-titling a vehicle that was totaled.

Here in GA they have gotten very strict on doing that, thanks to certain elected officials that hapeended to own collision repair businesses. They have it where the DYIer can barely do it anymore due to all the strict inspections required at multiple stages of the repair. Also they won't inpect it if you drive it in, it has to be towed, because legally it has no road title/registration yet. And it just about has to be a perfect professional repair for them to pass it, no straightening out of bent parts and such.

 

EXACTLY what he said ^^^^

When you get a "salvaged" vehicle, most states require that only a licensed salvage repair facility repair and restore a vehicle, and then title it. The average person cannot simply buy a wrecked vehicle and fix it up himself. Part of the reason is when a vehicle is totalled, it usually means the repair cost exceeds the percentage value of a vehicle. I can't see past the grille or the fender, but I can tell you from those photos that the radiator support has been bent in, and the left front cab clip assembly is damaged. You would need a good body machine to return that to proper and safe conditions. While it may seen simple enough to pull it out yourself, the integrity of the cab designs has been affected. If you were to pull it out yourself, and then replace a fender and bumper, you won't know for sure if the structural integrity of the cab is optimal. This means that if you were ever in another accident, an occupant of the truck could be injured more than they would have been if the cab clip were fully restored to factory integrity. This means increased liability risk for an insurance company, and the reason why almost every state now requires a salvaged vehicle to only be restored by a licensed restorer. I would do a LOT of research on that truck before I spent a DIME on it.

 

Looks like you don't need a lot of expensive parts. The good thing is that the hood looks OK, but it is hard to tell. The grille might even be OK to reuse, but may have things busted off on the back. There may be some other supports that are messed up underneath, but most of the time you can hammer those back into good enough shape to work.

Just checked RockAuto, they have all the above parts for pretty dang cheap. Not sure even a salvage yard can beat those prices, but you could look. Only part not finished is the fender, and you can get rattle-can matched paint and do that yourself. Here's the parts list:

2003 TOYOTA TACOMA 2.4L L4 DOHC
Body-Exterior : Bumper
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO1002175 {#52101AD020}
prefinished gray; Front face bar A
$60.89 $60.89
Body-Exterior : Bumper Reinforcement
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO1006184 {#52131AD010} (Only 3 Remaining)
Front reinforcement
* Stocked in outlying warehouse--shipping delayed up to 1 business day B
$25.89 $25.89
Body-Exterior : Bumper Filler
VARIOUS MFR Part #

$15 TO1088108 KYYET Front Bumper Grille Headlight Filler Trim Panels Set For Tacoma 2001 2002 2003 2004 Pickup TO1089108 TO1088108

TO1088108 {#5251335060}
filler to grille; primed / ready to paint; Left Front bumper filler A
$2.72 $2.72
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO1089108 {#5251235050}
filler to grille; primed / ready to paint; Right Front bumper filler A
$2.72 $2.72
Body-Exterior : Valance Panel
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO1095131 {#53901AD010} (Only 12 Remaining)
2WD; except Prerunner; w/o Ground Effects; Front bumper valance A
$13.39 $13.39
Body-Exterior : Grille
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO1200249 {#5310004250B0}
w/o S-Runner; argent & gray; Assembly
* Stocked in outlying warehouse--shipping delayed up to 1 business day A
$48.79 $48.79
Body-Exterior : Fender
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO1240180 {#5380204070}
w/o wheel opening flare; Left Front assy A
$42.79 $42.79
Body-Exterior : Parking Lamp Assembly
VARIOUS MFR Part # TO2520160 {#8162004070}
park/marker combo; w/gray bezel; LH A
$8.60 $8.60

Total $205.79


As far as pulling that stuff out, you really need to anchor the frame to something using chains, and you can try a come-along. The tough part is finding somewhere to anchor things unless you have access to a garage with tie-downs sunk in the floor. That may work to get it driveable, but maybe not perfectly straight.

Not sure what you paid for the truck, but that is not a lot of bad damage, looks like you may have gotten a great deal

BUT LISTEN TO BAMA AND THE OTHERS FIRST!

 

I really appreciate everyone's great advice, and if anyone else has any tips on how to just get it drivable, please post it.

I do agree that the structure has been compromised, but an educated guess is maybe 5-10%. From what i can see it was more of a "superficial" type accident. Frame looks straight These newer trucks are so much safer than the old vehicles I am used to driving that I will feel safe in it compared to an old car or truck, if that makes sense.

 

tenbeers...thanks for taking the time to get the parts list. Seems like you know what you are talking about. do you think that might be a pretty complete list?

Also as far as tying down the frame, would it be ok to do this by 'anchoring' the differential or rear axle? I'll have to check but maybe these trucks have the 'tow hook' typically found on cars in both the front and the rear under the bumpers

 

he signed over a clear title to the truck, so maybe it wasn't officially totaled as far as a salvage title? anyone knowledgeable on this?

Also, I'll take some photos once I get the bumper off and post them as recommended by saundern

 

I would have the title checked. If the insurance company actually totaled the truck, then the title is locked. Since I obviously don't know the details, I can only speculate. My information was based on your opening post that appears to now have been edited. If the insurance company did not total the truck, then you are fine to do all of your own repairs of course. The biggest concern I would have would be the radiator core support. It is the cross piece that structurally connects the left side of the cab unit to the right side of the cab unit in the front. If your radiator is close to, or has touched the fan, then you can be assured that that piece is bent (As it appears to me in the 2nd photo, looking at the headlight area) The parts list above would repair/replace the body and bumper, but not the damage that has been done to the radiator core support. There you would need to repair or replace this piece:



You can pick this up for around $100 from ebay or other locations.

 

Just curious, how are you going to get an untitled, unregistered, uninsured vehicle across the border to have it worked on? ....or maybe you shouldn't tell me.

 

Great posts thanks

Bamatoy 97, you are right. I did put down totaled. It's still in post #3. He told me it was totaled, but who knows. He did give me a clean title and it is the most current one. He would not pull a fast one on me as he is a friend

And thanks for the link to the radiator core support.


Good question Ghoster, but let's stay on topic .

But since you ask, Arizona does not require a DMV inspection when you buy a vehicle from someone in state (remember we were a territory only a hundred years ago, so we are behind NY and CA). So you bring in the title and they issue you a new one. I just got the title and will do this in the next few days. If I my new title from DMV is clean, I'll fix the truck to make it drivable, put it on my insurance, and drive it across for the tweaking. Sound reasonable?

If I end up somehow with a salvage title, then I guess I just bought me a parts truck

My plan was to do the work myself, but I saw my buddy's truck before and after the $300 worth of work in Mexico, and I am not kidding you guys, this body man in Mexico is very reasonable and seriously you can't tell it was wrecked before (I'm sure you could tell if you looked real close and opened the hood, etc but from a couple of feet away it looks very good). What i don't know is how good his paint work will hold up over the years, but for the money, who cares. If I did it myself, it would probably look amateurish. I'm good at mechanical work, but never did bodywork. I hate to spend money when times are tight, but if it makes it look nice, $300 (for labor, I would furnish the parts) is not too much to spend.

 

No worries, it didn't take long. I used to do paint and body work (25 years ago) and am slowly restoring an old Celica, so I consider myself a well-experienced amateur. Others here have current knowledge around some state laws that may make a difference, so do that research as they said.

That list is for just what I can see in the pictures. There may be supports and brackets underneath that should also be replaced, but they are not very expensive. Until you take stuff apart, you may not know what you can repair or what you need to replace.

As others have pointed out, the underlying structure may also have some damage that would affect the vehicle's crumple zones and safety (and your ability to register and insure the truck). If you don't have any local laws prohibiting you from fixing it yourself, it may still be worth having someone look at the structure underneath it and repairing that part professionally, then assembling the rest yourself. Functionally, as long as the frame is straight, you should be OK.

 

tenbeers, that is good advice, I'll follow up on it.

 

Ok, I will buy that ....for now.

Look in to the salvage title. It is very different in each state. For instance, NC will issue a salvage title that can be registered and insured and driven. No big deal, just has to pass a safety inspection inspection, dosn't matter who did the work. My brother drove a Thunderbird for years that was a salvage. It was actually two cars welded together. You would never have known it from casually looking at it. You could tell under the car where the seam was. That car passed the inspection and it was so crooked it couldn't be aligned!

 

After doing some limited search for Arizona (Where the OP lives) this is what I have found:

Arizona DMV helpful information:

Sometimes cars that have been stripped, damaged in an accident, or waterlogged don't get a second chance―but sometimes they do! It depends on whether your insurance company considers it financially prudent to revive the car or just send it to the junkyard. If it goes with the latter, the Motor Vehicle Division (MVD) will certify the automobile as "salvage," deeming it unfit for use on the road. It will be issued a new title branded with the term Salvage.
However, even that does not mean the end if you believe in restoration. You can choose to restore the salvage vehicle to make it ready for the road, but it will be the MVD that has the final say. Once you have completed the necessary repairs, your salvage vehicle needs to be inspected to verify that it is fit to drive on the open road.
You will need to make an appointment at one of several MVD enforcement inspection facilities to do so. When you go, bring proof of ownership (likely the title), your driver license, money to cover the varying fees ($20 or $50 depending on the level of inspection required), and the receipts for the work and parts you have put into restoring the vehicle.
If you cannot get to one of the following inspection centers, contact the MVD at (800) 251-5866 to make other testing arrangements:

• Glendale

• 16380 N 59th Ave

• (602) 712-2431

• Mesa

• 4123 E Valley Auto Dr

• (480) 632-8747, ext 50

• Scottsdale

• 7339 E Paradise Ln

• (480) 778-1888, ext 40

• Tempe

• 2500 W Broadway Rd

• (602) 712-2340

• Tucson

• 3665 S Broadmont St

• (520) 838-2706

Once your car passes the inspection, it will be issued a new title branded with the term Restored Salvage. This will alert all future owners that it was rebuilt after being greatly damaged.




So it seems that Arizona is one of the more lenient states on salvaged vehicles.

 

Update

Registration cost $70 and I have a clear title. The other good news is that my Mexican friend took a bunch of photos of the front and rear of the truck and showed them to his body man in Mexico. $550 to do the body work and paint it. All I need to do is provide the parts (used if I can get them or may Rockauto)...any suggestions on where to get cheap parts would be good. There is a U Pull IT junkyard about an hours drive away and their online pricelist looks very reasonable.

I bought the truck for $600 bucks, so I think I'm in it ok for the price. I think I can get it looking pretty good for 1500-$2000 total price.

thanks for all the help on this list....the members here are great.