A Couple of ???

[SwanginOn4z]

i recently wrecked the front end of my 97 grand marquis, the car still runs and drive great but its about time i fix it.

ive already purchased 2 parts that i need.
*front bumper cover
*header panel

and still on the list to be purchased are..
*left headlight
*steering wheel
*left fender
*chrome trim stuff
*both corner turning signals

my plans on fixing it...
buy all the parts needed and drop my car off to this body shop around my way, and they will install all parts for $400. after i get the car back with all the parts put back on i will send it to a cheap paint shop (maaco) and let them paint me for like 300-400.

now my questions are..
*do you have to pay extra for removing scratches when they paint?
or is that included?
*is that a good way to approach fixing it? keep in mind im only 18 w/no job might i add, and im not rich.
*will they still charge me the regular advertised price to paint the primed parts or charge extra for the prime parts?
*what do you think? lol

here is a pic....

[87gtVIC]

Maaco will just paint whatever you hand them the way it is unless you specifically say otherwise.

Personally I believe that if the damage is only cosmetic, meaning no structural damage is present within the chassis, you can most definitely remove and install the header panel, lights, fender etc. That will not only save you a bunch of dough but also teach you some appreciation on the difficulty in lining up body panels...but the thing i would care about is saving the money by doing it myself. You will want more than one set of hands during this process.

Thats all I can say about the situation.

[SwanginOn4z]

i see what youre saying but i dont think im able to do all that there. i mean i can tak a bumper off and put it back on but all that other stuff..nah.

i fixed my 2 door vic's bumper all by myself in the summer time after somebody hit me coming towards me and knocked my back bumper off.
went to the junk yard bought a bumper re-inforcement and bumper cover and put it on by myself. but as for a header panel and hood and fender plus grille moulding and chrome trim stuff and the bumper too? NOOO i will let the pros help me out.

[gadget73]

If money is an issue, I'd probably suggest putting the car back together yourself so you have more to spend on the paint. That should not be a big deal to re-assemble provided the rad support is not bent.

[87gtVIC]

One thing i noticed is that many people are afraid of doing things just because they have never done it before. You have everything in front of you to remove, just make note of where everything is and just reverse. It is just simple nuts and bolts, no major list of checks to make sure you completed ,like when building an engine. What I am saying is you cant go wrong. There is nothing you can fuck up. I am one that refuses to pay others for something that i can learn/ do my self.

[Smokestacklightnin]

I agree with attempting to do the repairs yourself. I'm usually apprehensive about repairing things I never have, but research and asking others helps. Best automotive education you can get is self experience. The more you do, the more confidence you will have doing the nex thing. Good luck!

[SwanginOn4z]

yeah i knw what you guyz saying. i have learned a little bit about mechanic work under my belt already every time some work gets done i look listen and take notes.
i can do a few things but body work aint one of them. lol imma just take it to the shop because i done tried puttin the bumper on but it wont go back on because the left fender is bent. so imma leave it to the pros but i will go up there everyday and watch them work on it though.

[gadget73]

Pull the bent parts off, and replace with the good stuff. All that stuff just bolts on, and honestly its not that hard to unbolt. If you don't know where the bolts are, you can get a Ford shop manual and it will give you the locations for all that stuff. Honestly there is no mystery to unbolting and replacing body parts. Straightening panels and pulling dents, thats a different story. There is a process for that.

[SwanginOn4z]

thats the thing my hood is slightly dented and im not buying a new one since they gone repair my og one. and without having that fixed its pointless for me to even attemp to put the other parts on.

[PICKUP6772]

If you have a U-PULL-IT in your area, that would be a really good way for you to go. You can get a feel for what you're getting into by pulling the parts off the donor car. This way you'll see what is involved, and where everything is supposed to go. This is also the best way to know that you actually have OEM parts. DO NOT use cheap, aftermarket parts, like the ones you find on E-BAY!! They never fit right to the point, even a seasoned pro will start pulling his/her hair out. If you do go the U-PULL-IT route, start with the bumper, then the header panel, and then the fender. Intsall in the reverse order ( fender, header, bumper), and watch your gaps along the way, as these are critical for door, and hood operation. Figure at least two days, as it is time consuming, but as mentioned, not hard to do at all. I almost forgot. If you do go, take a digital camera with ya to document everything, as you can get overwhelmed, and forget where thing go. Also keep all the hardware you remove, as something always rolls away, or gets lost somewhere.
MIKE

[gadget73]

You should be able to hang the fender and header panel, then drop it off to have the dents repaired. Just figuring if you do the fender and header yourself, you'll save some labor money. I'm useless with bodywork myself, so I fully understand dropping it off to let someone else fix the dents and do paint. I'll hang body panels but thats really about the limit of my bodywork capabilities.

[SwanginOn4z]

well i got this dude right, he say he's goin to sell me his steering wheel out of his 1999 grand marquis. is leather && woodgrain one, he says that its compatible with my 1997 grand marquis, is that true you guys? and the next question is, how can i fix the passenger airbag thingy? do i buy one at the junk yard, or can i? now with that said if both of these items can be installed on my grand marquis can somebody give me a step by step instruction or how to? i would love to take a stab at this all by myself.

pics of course...

[1987cp]

Honestly there is no mystery to unbolting and replacing body parts.

Well, locating all the bolts that hold fenders on can be a major pain. The fender I put on the wagon jiggled and rattled till the day I parked it.



BTW, have you tried car-part.com? You can search by state and prioritize by distance from a zip code, and it's an actual search, not an invitation to spamming. Place called Williams Auto Salvage in Houston is advertising a d/s fender for $35 (wonder what's wrong with it .... :p).

[87gtVIC]

I copied your post on the air bags and moved it to 4.6 tech in hopes of it getting more traffic, and eventually an answer here is the link: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=31429

[SwanginOn4z]

I copied your post on the air bags and moved it to 4.6 tech in hopes of it getting more traffic, and eventually an answer here is the link: http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=31429

thanx alot bro, and i see that ad for the fender for $35 but imma check it out tomorrow. if its legit imma cop it quick and have much more money to spend so i can buy more parts and i will have everything i need to do what i got to do. i feel the love on this site!!!!!