Full Size Jeep Network

I hear what your saying, but my experience with insurance companies and claims on classic cars is that they're clueless and don't care. On my car that got totalled by a girl that didn't stop in traffic, I had them say my car was a slant 6, had a column shift, and valued it about 1/3 of what I wouldve. I showed them that it was a v8, 6spd manual, and presented receipts totaling 8x's their initial offer and they changed their approach.

My point in saying that is that I could fight to show them how much the correct hood costs (and might), but if the offer comes back at a reasonable estimate i can be miles ahead in time and money invested in this hood than waiting for the correct hood. I gutted the hoods reinforcements and have to relocate the latches to make the radiator fit, 2hrs of sheet metal work on the hoods shape will be nothing comparatively.

Well, they totaled the truck because the repair was 65% of replacement value ( 50% is the cutoff). So I need to find a clean title donor now, but still should come out even at the end of the day

So you get the truck and some cash? Can't get a salvage title or the FL equivalent?

Have you gotten your insurance co involved? Did they use the book value? Any consideration that it's restored and not a 60 year old beater?

When an insurance company tried to total my Cherokee I just told them NO. In the end they gave me all the money for repairs, and I kept the Cherokee with a clean title.

Well, it turns out that it will be a salvage title. I didn't get my insurance company involved, just theirs, and all hungs considered, their estimates are pretty fair (~20% higher than what I have invested in it). They told me that once it is deemed 'totaled' they cannot remove that, I could contest the valuation, but they only recognize a couple sources. In the end I feel good at where this all puts me.

Well, in he past month I've gotten the fenders and hood hung from rocklaurence. My dad deemed that the body panels were straight enough for the next step, so I trailered the truck down Friday for the bodywork to be done.

With a chunk of the insurance money I put a down payment on an 06 4x4 g56 ram 3500 short bed crew cab. It has 178k miles and isn't without flaw, but it's ran great in the time I've had it. It towed the 8000+lb trailer+ kaiser with little effort (as it should be).

Congrats on the new to you truck!

Shame Ram is the only one that stiff offers a manual trans on 3/4 and 1 ton trucks.

Thanks Stuka!

Not too much new on this thread except that my dad decided to keep the truck, so it won't be going too far. He's stripped the paint off the fenders which are very clean and have gotten them into primer.



I couldn't find a rhino grille in good shape, so I bought a fiberglass replica from a member, were going to massage the new gen hood to fit the contours before we can go further on the bodywork. The goal is to get the truck back on the road in a couple months from now

Visually not much new over here, but I thought I'd add this picture my dad sent me, this view makes the new radiator look as big as it really is. I need to rewelded the fuel tank, my dad is ready to finish painting the truck, the last fab job to do is the new front bumper.

Here's a bit of an update, we just need to put some bezels on and I need to tig a crack shut on the fuel tank...then re-register it with the salvage title.

One of the neatest things about this, is hearing about how much you and your dad worked together. Please let him know he is appreciated, I wish my father had spent time with me, but he had other things more important than his son.. You are very lucky!!
robin