ford ranger versus the deer

1. Hit a deer Sunday night, while driving the 01 Ford Ranger.

2. I have no headlights, the entire lamp is gone, just a bulb hanging
out.

3. I have no grille.

4. The bumper is bent down, inches from the tires.

5. The metal frame, the grille was attached to, that the radiator is
attached is pushed back a couple inches to where we cant get the
radiator out, and hose appears to be resting on the air compressor
belt.

6. Radiator is bent, and leaking.

7. I am not mechanically inclined and have no idea what the official
names for these parts are, so bare with me... Im just trying to gather
info for my husband.

Other than, it runs great.

I live in the country, thirty minutes from town.

We only had liability insurance on this truck.

My husband works 12 -9p and i work 8-5, so carpooling and sharing the
car is going to be difficult and extremely challenging when you throw
in three kids that have to be picked up from daycare...

We live paycheck to paycheck.

We do not have a lot of money setting around to sink into this.... AND
ITS CHRISTMAS!!

We need this truck.

Im sure there is at least a couple thousand dollars of damage to this
if not more, if I was to take it to a collision shop to be repaired.

If we were total it out, it would be months before we could save up
enough to have the down payment for another.

We need this truck to work, and as soon as possible.

My husband works for a parts store, so we can get discounted parts.
He knows a little about cars so we can prob do the work with out a
mechanic.

Here is our plan so far.
1) Get the front part, the main metal piece that the radiator, grille,
lights was attached to, get this piece pulled out away so we can
remove radiator.

2) We have a radiator ordered, but if we cant get it out of the car,
its not going to do us anygood. We need to get this metal piece
pulled away , back to its original spot.

3) We have a friend at the salvage yard, who can help us with any
other necessary parts.


So, I need your advice. Please, I need everyones comments, good, bad
and ugly.

What would you do in our situation?

HOw do you recommend pulling the front part out, so we can get
radiator out, WITHOUT taking the car to a body shop?? Any home
remedies here? Tie it to a tree and pull? hah?

What should we be looking for in addition to what we already know for
any unforseeable issues in the future?

Ill be more than happy to email anyone a pic, if you can help us!!

Cat > wrote in news:3eca4daa-6fca-4b7e-bc5a-c537270e8d27
@35g2000pry.googlegroups.com:

> 1. Hit a deer Sunday night, while driving the 01 Ford Ranger.
>


<snip>


>
>
> So, I need your advice. Please, I need everyones comments, good, bad
> and ugly.



It's just good that you're alive and unhurt. Deer strikes kill people. The
fact that you were in a tall truck rather than a short car was a very
fortunate thing. Better the deer's body mass go through your rad than
through the windshield.

We have a LOT of deer around where I live, and this is a constant concern.



>
> What would you do in our situation?



You have no insurance for this?



--
Tegger

> > What would you do in our situation?
>
> You have no insurance for this?
>
> --
> Tegger


we have liability.
im just assuming that doesnt cover this... it just covers us hitting
someone else, and covering their damages.

i should call them.
i would hate to call and have no benefits and ruin my three star
rating.

You might want to take off the bumper, fender and other headlight.

Then take it to a bodyshop that specializes in frame and uni-body repair. So
they can pull it out to the proper measurements.

What holds in the radiator is called: "A Core support" you might need a new
one. and if you never did one, and don't have a mig welder. Get that part
done at a good body shop.

RK
"Cat" > wrote in message
...
>
>> > What would you do in our situation?
>>
>> You have no insurance for this?
>>
>> --
>> Tegger
>
>
> we have liability.
> im just assuming that doesnt cover this... it just covers us hitting
> someone else, and covering their damages.
>
> i should call them.
> i would hate to call and have no benefits and ruin my three star
> rating.
>
>
>
>

Refinish King wrote:
> You might want to take off the bumper, fender and other headlight.
>
> Then take it to a bodyshop that specializes in frame and uni-body
> repair. So they can pull it out to the proper measurements.
>
> What holds in the radiator is called: "A Core support" you might need
> a new one. and if you never did one, and don't have a mig welder. Get
> that part done at a good body shop.
>
> RK
> "Cat" > wrote in message
>
...
>>
>>>> What would you do in our situation?
>>>
>>> You have no insurance for this?
>>>
>>> --
>>> Tegger
>>
>>
>> we have liability.
>> im just assuming that doesnt cover this... it just covers us hitting
>> someone else, and covering their damages.
>>
>> i should call them.
>> i would hate to call and have no benefits and ruin my three star
>> rating.

Nope, it's a radiator support, doof.

Pull it out with a rope to a tree if you have to. It's just sheet metal,
all your damage is sheet metal. It can be bent,bent back, cut, welded
painted, whatever.
Get a big hammer and MAKE it point the right way.
Duct tape and stainless tiewire have kept legions of walking wounded on
the road.
When you get where you get where you are going, give her fender a pat.

On Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:20:34 -0600, "wws" >
wrote:

>Refinish King wrote:
>> You might want to take off the bumper, fender and other headlight.
>>
>> Then take it to a bodyshop that specializes in frame and uni-body
>> repair. So they can pull it out to the proper measurements.
>>
>> What holds in the radiator is called: "A Core support" you might need
>> a new one. and if you never did one, and don't have a mig welder. Get
>> that part done at a good body shop.
>>
>> RK
>> "Cat" > wrote in message
>>
...
>>>
>>>>> What would you do in our situation?
>>>>
>>>> You have no insurance for this?
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Tegger
>>>
>>>
>>> we have liability.
>>> im just assuming that doesnt cover this... it just covers us hitting
>>> someone else, and covering their damages.
>>>
>>> i should call them.
>>> i would hate to call and have no benefits and ruin my three star
>>> rating.
>
>Nope, it's a radiator support, doof.
>
>Pull it out with a rope to a tree if you have to. It's just sheet metal,
>all your damage is sheet metal. It can be bent,bent back, cut, welded
>painted, whatever.
>Get a big hammer and MAKE it point the right way.
>Duct tape and stainless tiewire have kept legions of walking wounded on
>the road.
>When you get where you get where you are going, give her fender a pat.
>

I would agree that, for the most part, this can be patched together at
home. It might look ugly but it will be serviceable. I'm not sure,
however, that all of the damage is "sheet metal". I have an '01 Mazda
B4000 that had a very minor tap with the front end and the frame was
bent. I would have a frame guy check that and staighten it, if
necessary. Than have at it by any means necessary to straighten the
parts that don't really matter.
RNR

Cat > wrote in news:8067b4f9-c84e-41df-b4c0-
:

>
>> > What would you do in our situation?
>>
>> You have no insurance for this?
>>
>> --
>> Tegger
>
>
> we have liability.
> im just assuming that doesnt cover this... it just covers us hitting
> someone else, and covering their damages.
>
> i should call them.
> i would hate to call and have no benefits and ruin my three star
> rating.
>
>
>
>



Call the insurance and ask them a "hypothetical" question, which would be:
Will I be covered for car damage under any part of my policy if my car were
struck by a deer, and if so, would my rates go up (either with a first
incident or with a second of the same type).

Remember, you're "just wondering"; it's "hypothetical". You've heard of
people hitting deer and extensive damage resulting; you want to know for
the future, just in case.

If you /are/ covered and your rates /won't/ go up, then you admit to the
car being struck and they help you get the vehicle looking pretty again.

If you /are/ covered but your rates /would/ go up, then thank the agent and
hang up. Then you do the wrench/chain/tree stuff on your own. I've done
that kind of thing before myself, and it looks like crap, since it's just
about impossible to get everything lined up properly again with home tools.
There's not a lot of finesse when you're doing it yourself, just brute
force and lots of prying and hammering in just the right place.

--
Tegger

i called.
no benefits under liability.

>
> Pull it out with a rope to a tree if you have to. It's just sheet metal,
> all your damage is sheet metal. *It can be bent,bent back, cut, welded
> painted, whatever.
> Get a big hammer and MAKE it point the right way.
> Duct tape and stainless tiewire have kept legions of walking wounded on
> the road.
> When you get where you get where you are going, give her fender a pat.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

this is what we were thinking, but we didnt want to cause more damage
than there already is.
we just want to get it running and on the road again, and work on
cosmetics later!!!

>
> I would agree that, for the most part, this can be patched together at
> home. *It might look ugly but it will be serviceable. *I'm not sure,
> however, that all of the damage is "sheet metal". *I have an '01 Mazda
> B4000 that had a very minor tap with the front end and the frame was
> bent. *I would have a frame guy check that and staighten it, if
> necessary. *Than have at it by any means necessary to straighten *the
> parts that don't really matter.
> RNR- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -


this gives us great hope. thanks!!