Sad day, the end of my kit car days Foolishly went out to see how wet/dry the roads were for the last time.

I've enjoyed building it but thats it for me now. Mother nature is a lot harder than me and my car.




Thanks for all the help and advise I've had over the last couple years and I wish you all the best for the future.

Steve

Jesus mate - Are you and any passengers ok??

Poor KC but I'm sure he'll repair easily?

Don't write it off just yet Steve, get back leave it for a few days and then have a good look at what's needed....

You are ok, that's ALL that matters...

Steve

i know just how you feel

it is perhaps repairable, but mine ended up with a new chassis as the front end was fubar.

it came back better than the first though, just took a while. hope you fair better with the insurance company than me.

atb,
tom

I was looking at your stuff about the st170 engine looks good.

If the bulk of the chassis is straight it would not take long to repair.

You're obviously p****ed off today but give it a while.

Compared to a FWD eurobox these cars can definitely bite!!.

Hope everyone was OK

Oh funk!! Really sorry to see that matey... Damage always looks much worse than it is I reckon. The wishbones seem to have done a good job saving the chassis.

I'm guessing from your post that you did scare yourself shitless.

If you enjoyed building it the you probably enjoy rebuilding it too!

oh shite!! really feel for you. least your ok thats the main thing. as said give it a while for you to get your self back and see what the damage is. it not the end not by a long shot!!

atb

rob

I'm gutted for you Steve, after all the hard work you've put in.
These things happen at worse it looks like a new chassis and a few body panels and suspension.
I was looking forward to the st170 install.
look at this as a fresh start, don't give up now.
I'm sure will feel about it differently tomorrow when you have thought it all through what your best options are

Go for it rebuild it

Graham

FOOK,at least you are ok,like falling off a bike,get back on and be a bit wiser after your "lesson in wet weather handling"

Hope you are ok

Doesn't look too bad and could be a fairly straightforward repair - that's what insurance is for after all.

Don't be put off - just use this as a learning experience and save the fast driving for the track in future.

Cheers

Mark

Bloomin' hell Steve... I'm sorry about that!!!

Don't rule it out completely. Even if you can't face the repairs yourself, the insurance may cover a repair by someone like Mr Worx.

I'll give you a shout later in the week re: trailer....

Chin up mate!

Get that car onto some stands, get the bent bones off and take it from there.

You've come too far and acheived too much to just call a halt.

Like everyone esle has said, that can be fixed.

You have your trailer and your car can be fixed. Get it to some track day, hillclimbs, wherever it can be enjoyed safe from ditches etc.

It'll feel better in the morning.

the main thing is you are ok mate i wish you lots of luck in sorting it out keep your chin up all the very best paul

Stick it in the garage for a few weeks then go back and have a look at it with a fresh pair of eyes....

A few weeks to recover and a fresh pair of underpants does wonders (in my experience!!!)....

Don't give up, Get your breath back and fix it.
Hope you are well.
Steve.

No its not, couple of fings.......

I bought a couple of cars back to life from what looked like much worse condition.

Who are you insured with ? The road car I ditched was insured with Adrian Flux, I didn't think it would be covered for accident damage caused by moi to moi's car, Mrs said ring em, I did, assessor came out and they paid me to repair it myself, assessor took my word for cost of parts and paid me an hourly rate which I don't remember for 40hrs to repair it, came out other side with a better car.

Can we fix it ?
YES we can.

Description

[Edited on 17/8/08 by Jon Ison]

Bloody hell sorry to hear about this steve.
like has been said, give it a few days then give the car a good look over, i'm sure its nothing you can't fix.

you've only had it on the road for a few months haven't you? what have the insurance company said,

most important, glad to hear that you are ok!

All the best

Alex

Really sorry to see it like that mate. I hope everyone involved is o.k.

Don't give up too easily, I'm sure after you calm down and asses the damage, you'll sort it.

Thanks guys, I'm OK as it was a very slow crash, the back end twitched on some water flowing over the dry road and once the front wheel was on the grass all I could do was hold on and wait. The edge of the road dropped away and I slid down into the hedge with the front hitting a tree trunk.

I'm with FJ and they do cover accidental damage. The wishbones are bent and snapped but the chassis lugs are bent back as well. The nose cone is wrecked and the body is all strands of glass, I not looked any further as i think the chassis will be bent and I just can't face rebuilding it again.

I've been on the road 4 weeks now and was really proud of how it turned out, atm I'm totally gutted and feel quite sick. Doesn't help HWITNNO is giving me it in the neck. She reckons I should get rid and surf the net all day looking for porn!

This is the view from the road while I was waiting for the recovery.. the car was only about 5 feet from the edge of the road!


Steve

Glad all are OK. The thing about these cars to me is that you build them yourself and as such anything is repairable by tourself. I'm sure after a couple of days you'll look at it in a differrent light. I've seen a lot of damaged tintops in my time and after the wrecked parts are removed it looks totally different.

Chin up mate.

Glad that you are OK mate. The car has obviously done what it was meant to do, PROTECT YOU. Take a big deep breath and put it to one side for a while. SHMBO obviously cares about you and is/was only worried about you getting hurt in your 'toy' and she probably felt a bit envious and threatened by it. Your good lady WILL come around to the idea that the car 'did' protect you and no harm was done. While you are rebuilding it, she will at least know where you are and what you are doing, besides where could she meet a better group of friends than you have, and she has, on here.

Chin up mate, you WILL be back.

ATB

Clive.

OMG thats a real shame, I have been reading your posts as the car was built and you have put a lot of effort in.

I am sure it is not as bad as it seems and wouldn't take much to get it back on the road. When Marc had his crash in his MNR it was very simialr and probably at a lot higher speed and there was nothing wrong with the chassis. Before you right it off it may be worth having a chat with Marc and Chris to see what they think.

Bl@@dy hell - shouldn't there have been a warning sign i.e. 'Ford Ahead'?

Sorry to hear of your crash, but out of interest what tyres were you on, I was always fancying toyo R888's but others are warning me that they break away with no warning, ie are very sticky in the dry but when they let go, then they really let go.

Any comments..

It could've been a lot worse and at least you're ok. Is there anyone local who could pop around to have an objective look at the damage? It always looks worse to the one who has shed all the blood, sweat and tears. Don't assume that it will need a new chassis, you'd be amazed at what can be chopped out and replaced in-situ! If need be, drop Matt at ProComp a U2U. I've seen some of the Locosts and Kits that he's fixed after some significant "racing incidents" so he may be able to help.

Feel for you steve.

Today the club had arranged a run out, meeting up with steve and another 7/8 cars. I had just rung everyone as we had called it off due to the weather.
Just switched th computer on and seen the MNR reg,
gutted.

Steve, as everyone has said, the most important thing is you're OK.

Give it a few days, then look at the car again and decide what you want to do. Don't give it up just yet. Even a new chassis is not the end of the world.

I think I speak for most of us on here in saying that if you need any help for anything to get you back up and running (and I mean anything), just give us a shout.

Bill

bad luck.. glad your ok

Glad you are OK Steve.

As everyone has said give it a bit of time and see what the options are, it might not be as bad as you think.

Greg

Like has been sad many times, glad you're ok and hopefully this won't be the end for Steve and the 7.

Stick it away for a while, get the insurance assessor round see what he says, obviously they will want to pay you to fix it as you know the car inside out and will be able to repair it quicker than anybody else on an hourly basis but more importantly to the customers satisfaction!

Failing that supply a load of burgers and booze when the weather forcast is good and have a strip down party! I reckon you'll get a few good kind souls round to give you a hand.

I know you'll be a bit pi55ed off at the moment which maybe a bit of an understatement but you'll get it sorted eventually.

Keep your pecker up mate

Rich

Sorry to see this. Your posts and blog have been inspiration for me.

I hope you see the light and rebuild it. Think of all the learning you now have at your disposal.

David

Sorry to hear about your car, glad you are OK,

i was the driver in the ditch at ripon.the cars are a lot tougher than u think.just 3.5 days work new wishbones,cycle wings and a full body tub and i was back on the road.got lots of support from cris/marc (mnr)and the car was back on the show stand at peterborough.this is your chance to change any little faults you may have had,mine is a better car for it. " just need to learn to drive now"

Gutted for you, but stick with it...

really sorry to hear about that mate.
As long as you are ok then it's only a bit of metal and plastic at the end of the day...
take some time out and then review. Don't forget in the dry these things are awesome.............................

what a shame as others have said main thing is your ok

best bet is to get the car down to us so we can check and see what the damage actually is, ( insurance company will probably require us to look at it anyway as most insurance accessors are not familiar with this type of car ) and you have to walk them through all the parts etc

its often the case that it looks far worse than it actually is,

rest assured we will do all we can to get you back on the road again asap

as ian said its now a second chance to sort any niggles / and get any engine issues sorted


best regards

marc

Really sorry to hear this. Glad that you are OK. As above, take some time out and then decide on what you want to do and put it down to a learning experience. You are not alone and don't be too hard on yourself, it's happened to many of us, we all make mistakes.

As Marc says, may not be as bad as it looks, it can all be mended and you can have your pride and joy back in one piece again, as good or better than before.

Cheers

Ian

[Edited on 18/8/08 by mackei23b]

Hi Steve,

Very sorry to hear the bad news. Fence wrecker has stuffed his (or had it stuffed to be more acurate) a couple of times (hence the username). But there is always a silver lining. His last one was written off and he is now building a shiny new MX5 RT+ inboard!

Good luck, I'm sure you'll soon have it sorted!

What a shame! But don't even think about giving up! 4 weeks on the road is nothing. You have been to a track day, you know how good the car is, you know you want to experience it again in safe circumstances! Come on Steve, your blog has inspired many of us, don't just finish it here!
Gergely

Glad your OK Steve, if you need any help give me a call.
Best Regds
Ian

Sorry to see the pictures and at least you walked away, but as they have been saying in the posts,nows the chance to make it better, faster, etc. my SWMBO said about my last one the night of the accident, "Its been bent 2 times now, so sell it!! Then build a new one."
So hence the MX5 version, by the way the next day she told me she was "pregnant". So I now have a baby daughter and an MNR project and no time.

Dave

I've just found out Steve. Gutted for you.
Don't give up, fix it, you know it makes sense.
But the main thing is you were'nt injured!
Dave

Real sorry for you steve seeing as youve only had it on the road a bit. From following the blog start to now it was one of the cars that probably helped me on the way to getting an MNR. Was a real nice car and given some time give Marc's option a go.
Adam

Bloody hell!

Kris just called me. Glad you're okay.

Yea mate gutted for you i just heard, only yesterday hounddog was commenting on a nice build, i didnt even see your car in the flesh yet!!

hope its better once marc has fettled it back into shape for you, if you need a trailer let me know.

[Edited on 18/8/08 by Krismc]

Steve,

Ive only just heard about your off. Pleased to hear you are well. Car doesnt look too bad from the pics.

Will the drivers seat clean OK or is it stained?????

Let me know if you need any help. Fingers crossed for speedy recovery. Im guessing your biggest hurdle now will be convincing your good lady. My fingers are crossed.

what tyres you got again?
guy in aus raced his on slicks in rain (earlier thread) http://www.locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=94309

have you got over the shock yet?
can you get it to Marc?
Hope you get it on the road again really soon.....

Tyres are Halford cheapo's ... Runway Enduro's

Car is now down at MNR and getting fixed once FJ agree.

Thanks to everyone who replied and I'm still gutted but want it back on the road now.

Steve

Glad you've got your enthusiasm back

Enthusiasms not quite back, atm I want MNR to fit the body but there is a little niggle that's telling me to get some friends round and do it myself.....

Come on steve
Lots of runs arranged for the near future, We would all like to see you at next year camping weekend.

all the best

Get it fixed! might even have mine finished
for next years camping weekend

GeorgeM

nice one
glad it's getting sorted for you.
Marc Re-did my main body tub and i'm glad he did.
Hope to hear that you are back on the road soon.

as del boy would say ! you know it makes sense.hope to see you on the road soon

Give me a call if you need any assistance to get your vehicle back on the road.

Nice to hear you are still keen to get back on the road.

jee whizz

just read this

i totaly feel for you, i just about crashed mine twice on the way home from my SVA, in major wet conditions (pishing it down)

i can safely say that i will never take it out if there is even a slight chance of any sort of wetness on the road

once again sorry to hear about it and dont take it to heart, it could have happened to anyone

start a fresh over the winter for next year

all the best

Ok guys, what can I say? Thanks for all the support over my crash. Hopefully tomorrow I should get the go ahead from FJ to get it fixed.

The car is at MNR who will be repairing the chassis as it needs new bone brackets and fitting the new body tub for me. I would like to do it all myself again but after making an arse of the body tub the first rime I'm leaving that to Marc.

Some immediate upgrades will include decent tyres and maybe an lsd, although I'm not paying £600 for a Quaffe one and I'm kicking myself for not getting the lsd out of the Granada Cosworth that was in the scrappy last month (but gone now!:mad

I'm angry at myself now as opposed to crying myself to sleep I'm determined to make a better car out of this experience. The road I binned it on is 1/2 a mile from my house and is deceptive, I crashed my Z1000 up there way back in 86 and I've decided its now out of bounds. All my biker mates agree..

As Finlay says I WILL NOT be going out in the rain or damp, and may post a picture of the car in the ditch on the dash in case I get caught out in the rain!

Once again this is a big thank you to all who posted, u2u'd, emailed, phoned and the guys on the Ne7ers list for all your support.

You are all welcome to call at my house to laugh and poke fun, give me advise and enthusiasm. (not all at once tho)

A special big thanks to Chris and Marc at MNR who have been absolutely first class with their offers of help and support etc.

Thank you all,
Steve

Well done Steve!

Good news

GeorgeM

It WILL be a better car mate!!!

All the best,
Steve

Good to hear it's getting sorted
And just in time for summer

quote:

---

Originally posted by worX
It WILL be a better car mate!!!

All the best,
Steve

---

Steve, just remember that it's easier to rapair cars than people. Sevens and their owners go on for ever.
Good luck Mike.

You have to go out in the rain and combat your fears with decent tyres on it will be no probs

I have yokohama A539 on mine and have been out in all weathers and it sticks like sh1t to a blanket

Hi Steve,
Just came across this and had no idea about what had happened- all a bit scary - it's a pity they don't make BF Goodrichs to fit 7s!
Look forward to seeing MK2
tb
Mike

Hey Steve

I just read this post... sorry to hear of your misfortune. Ours has been built, then rebuilt (new chassis) then rebuilt again (wishbones and suspension mounts. All I can say is persevere, it's not nice seeing the damage but once it's out of the way and remanufactured it lights the old flame and you get the bug back.

That's not to say it's there all the time - it's a bit like your first love.

Glad to know you're ok - and to paraphrase; thats the main thing!

Steve

Steve,

I feel for you having made the same stupid decision to go out in the rain/damp and binning my Indy on a roundabout. As all have said, the car will fix and the main point is that you're OK.

Really glad you've got through the desolate stage of wanting to chuck it all in and walk away. I went through a couple of weeks of not being able to go into the garage for fear of kicking the car and making it worse I'm now taking the time to rebuild and tidy up a few previous "decisions" from the original build.

You'll end up with a better car for sure and IMHO more enjoyment from it for the overall experience.

Look forward o seeing the re-birth

As long as you are OK. Thats the main thing. The car can always be rebuilt.

As said above, it probably looks worse than it is.

Consider this:

The car has a limited crumple zone.

The energy is dissipated by bending of the wishbones, and even them breaking off.
This is exactly the right thing. Look at F1 Cars that crash, bits get bent and come off.
This is how they dissipate the energy in the crash. OK its not exactly 110% right, but its part of what happens. The cabin area is damaged less by the energy being lost in the bits that get ripped off or bent.

So your car, did exactly what it was supposed to do.

The hard bit is now having to rebuild it.
You have the skills, and its almost the end of the driving season.
So cash in the Road Tax, stick it up on the axle stands, dismantle and discard (Perhaps keep for the insurance man and the quote / proof) the bits, and start the rebuild.

You have all winter to sort it out. Whats more you WONT have to run the SVA gauntlet at the end of the rebuild!.

I'm Glad no one was hurt.

Now, with the greatest of respect:
You say you had only 4 weeks driving this. This is what can happen if you drive a car and lack experience of its pecularities.
Se7ens are great cars, but as everyone says they can bite you back, and sometimes hard.
Use all what has happened, as a learning curve, allbeit a steep one. (Others reading this, also take note)

We are all on here and are rooting for you to get it sorted and back on the road.

Speak nicely with your insurance people.
Assess the damage and reapir costs.

Consider whether to not go through your insurance, as it could put up next years premiums.

Dont get disheartened, look forward to next year with the car.

It will be worth the effort.
You do need to get back in the saddle and refuse to be defeated.

Always remember - Nil Illegitimus Carborundum!!
(Dont let the Bas***ds grind you down)



[Edited on 26/8/2008 by wilkingj]