hydroplaned car, help (pics)

[christopher h]

****first post****
so some moron in a cherokee cut me off while making a left turn, and i managed to hydroplane the car. :mad: it came up on to the curb. the front left wheel is pretty useless now, as with the rear left wheel. there is no visible damage on the outside of the car (except to the wheels) but here is the problem. the rear left wheel was wobbling when i drove it home. i took the wheels off this morning and saw this.
also the rear RIGHT wheel sticks out a bit more then it should (and inch? or a bit more) and the left rear wheel is equally tucked in to the wheel well. i put the rear wheel back on and set the car down (off the jack) the wheel is ALOT less wobbly. help??? do i just need to replace that bent peice and my wheels? how much is that peice going to cost me, and can i install it myself?

[ March 16, 2003: Message edited by: christopher h ]</p>

[nikon]

well your rims are most likely bent and all scratched up, there are places that can fix rims depending on how bad they are, or you might have to replace the rims, the peice your talking about...is it the sway bar?...if so ya you can replace that yourself, and if you said the right rear wheel seemed to stick out more, you may have bent something else as well along with the sway bar....I know how bad that is, my friend did it on his 300zx...ouch [img]graemlins/crybaby.gif[/img]

[Wicked 3800 V6]

You need to replace the panhard rod, that's the diagonal (bent) piece. You can buy my old (stock) one if you like -- it will recenter your axle. Or you could go with a hi-performance one with different bushings. Your call.

Replace the two wheels (I have two of those if you need them, not sure what kind of car you have). Check if your front left suspension is messed up. But be glad all you did was bend the PHR. Your LCAs might also be bent, those are the front to back black arms that go from the frame to the rear axle (and I've got a stock pair of those ... aren't I just resourceful today?)

Edit: If the rear sway bar is bent, I've got one too. You could get the whole "Hit a curb" package! (and don't worry, dude, I smacked a curb in the rain and did some damage too, it's an F-Body thing)
Drop me a line, or post here! Good luck!
-Rob
Edit2: Looks like your upper PHR (brace) is ok, so that's good news.
[ March 16, 2003: Message edited by: Wicked 3800 V6 ]

[ March 16, 2003: Message edited by: Wicked 3800 V6 ]</p>

[fbody4life]

First of all WELCOME to the board, but I'm sad to see that this was your first post [img]graemlins/crybaby.gif[/img] As far as the car, I can't help because I don't know much about suspension. Good Luck [img]graemlins/thumbsup.gif[/img]

[christopher h]

im so cool, i have the stock camaro hubcap wheels. if those are the 2 that you have, then ill gladly take those off yur hands. if not, then how much for the set of 4 (assuming you have 4). also, how much for the panhard rod? lastly, where do i check to see if the sway bar is bent?

[Wicked 3800 V6]

Where are you located? I don't have any hubcaps, but you can get them at WalMart or wherever to fit your size. I do have wheels with some eagle GAs (that's why I ask where you are, I'd rather not ship).
As for the PHR, how's $20 shipped sound? I can put it in the mail tuesday if you like. (PayPal works good for stuff like this)
-Rob

[hockeyman]

Wow, your panhard rod is trashed!
Just hope that the curb you hit didn't also bend your axle(s).
Good Luck!

-Marc

[Jason McCallister]

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by christopher h:
lastly, where do i check to see if the sway bar is bent?<hr></blockquote>

[Texas4ever]

When my wife did this in my car about 1 month ago, the back rear hit the curd hard enough to bend the left back axle shaft. She also ruined 2 of rims. Stock 16x8 rims for my '97 'Maro were $523.00 EACH from GM...!!! I bought mine from Discount Tire here in Houston for $180.00 each.

After you replace the bent Panhard rod and the rims if you can get someone to drive behind you and watch your tires from the rear as you drive down the road. If the tire woobles in and out of the fender well, more than likely the axle shaft is bent too.

Maybe you got lucky and did not bend the axle shaft, but from the pic's it looks like you hit the curb pretty hard..!!

As for the front end you will definently need and alignment and depending on how hard you hit with that wheel you may have bent stuff up front..?? Have you checked your tie rods and other various items under the front end..??

sorry about curb dude... I know how you fee.... :mad: :mad: :mad:

[christopher h]

how much does the axle shaft cost??? o lord. well the front end LOOKS okay. but hell, the car isnt driveable yet. i bought a new panhard rod, so i should get that in sometime this week. HOPEFULLY i should be fine. The front wheel came up on to the curb, thats why it bent in. so i hope nothing was messed up on the front. a visual check proves okay. any tips on visual checking my car some more?

[Texas4ever]

The axle shaft itself you can get for around $140.00 from a place in Cali. But unless you know how to install it, it could cost you around 3 hours labor time at whatever your shops going rate is. A shop near me gets $87.50/hr. But don't freak out just yet. You may not have this problem. Just get everything else fixed then check out what I mentioned with the axle.

As far as the front end goes the best way to check it visually if you are not sure what to look for is just look at the right side then the left and see if there are any differences. The tie rod is single steel rod that actually turns the wheels.

In the back and front check sway bar's and bushing's that look bent or flexed or out of shape. The rubber bushing is what the sway bar is supported with.

Be sure and check BOTH sides of your car. Just because you only hit the curb on one side does not mean the other side could not be damaged too. Weird things happen in wrecks, and depending on how and where it was hit it could damage something not really near the impact point.

If you are not really sure, you may want to have a shop look at it. You do not have to let them do the work, but you might could get a better idea of what THEY say is wrong. Just be careful if you do this and if you believe what they are saying is [img]graemlins/bs.gif[/img] then post it here and we will try to help.

More pic's from the front and rear at different angles would also help us look at your car with you....

hope it all works out....!!! :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
hate it when my ride is down...!!!

:mad: :mad:

[Wicked 3800 V6]

Dayumnnnn Texas I woulda hand delivered those rims for $180 a piece, muchless $523. Such is the bane of wheels ... When I cracked mine, I ordered 4 from SLP ... but was similarly considering buying some junkyard / discount tire ones. All of this was waaay before I learned that you could easily pick up wheels from message boards for $50 each. Now, hell, I buy everything from boards.
-Rob

[Domestic Violence]

first, have the tires removed from the wheels and get them checked. once you do that, replace the bent PHR.

when all that's done, jack up the back end and rest it on jackstands. start the car and put it in gear. take two screwdrivers and make a 'T' shape with them. rest one screwdriver on the other. hold the T shaped screwdrivers against the wheel about 1/4 of an inch, but not quite touching. one should be on the ground, and one should be parallel to the ground and pointing at the wheel. as the wheel turns, watch the gap between the screwdriver tip that's close to the wheel. this will tell you if you've bent the rear axle.

would you believe that it's cheaper to get a new axle WITH tcs as opposed to without?

[Texas4ever]

Thanks for the tip, Wicked 3800 V6... [img]graemlins/rofl.gif[/img]

christopher h, where are those pic's...?? [img]smile.gif[/img]

if need more help you need to provide more info... :cool: :cool: