Fixing The Boo Boos

Poor old Dodge. Our best buddy and tow vehicle extraordinaire made it through 25 years of his life without any accidents. Then, within a five month period, he got hit twice. Luckily, Gary didn't get seriously injured either time. The first accident destroyed Dodge's left rear corner and several related parts. While the second accident was not as severe, there was still some visible damage and some hidden damage that needed to be repaired to make everything fit as it should. The bottom of Dodge's left front corner was pushed back by roughly an inch and a half. That doesn't sound like much, but it caused the bumper and grille to be misaligned, and the front edge of the driver's door rubbed on the front fender during opening and closing. We counted on Rampart (our parts donor van) to come to Dodge's rescue in supplying the pieces needed to repair all the damage from the rear end collision. And now, Rampart would once again supply the needed parts to repair Dodge's front damage. Just like with the previous repairs, master body technician and our good friend Chris over at Custom Coatings And Restorations, was the man we counted on to get Dodge back in shape. Chris came by our house and helped Gary remove the donor front fender off of Rampart. Gary had already removed Rampart's driver's door to use on Dodge. At the body shop, Chris removed Dodge's damaged parts, and with Dodge on the frame machine, Chris pulled out the lower corner that was pushed back during the accident. He then welded on the replacement fender, and attached the replacement door. Dodge's original lower door hinge was very worn, but a brand new replacement was purchased on eBay. It arrived right on time to be installed with the replacement door. The used parts aren't perfect, but there are no new parts available for old vans like Dodge. Once they are painted, nobody will be able to tell the difference. A paint job isn't going to happen for awhile. In the meantime, Gary is still trying to decide what color Dodge will eventually be. I vote for shiny silver with red accents, so that Dodge and I match each other. Time will tell if my vote counts or not. I'm not paying for the paint job, so I guess Gary will make the final decision. As I write this, Dodge is sitting next to me here in the Green Acres Garage. Gary is getting him mechanically ready for our upcoming camping season. Once all of that is done, and Dodge is wearing Rampart's front bumper and grille, we'll be ready to roll. It's been a long and extremely hot summer, and I'm looking forward to some much cooler weather and some quality time away from home with my two best buddies on the planet. Thanks for checking in. Catch you later!