Hudson-rod

Unknown

"Hi to all"

My Hudson hotrod is a 35 terrplane 4 door it's red with a 302 ford and c-4 trans costom weels a sweet looking ride. 4 weeks ago it got hit, rear end damage mostly and pushed it into the next car, front end driver side not to bad it go's into the body shop this week, its going to be a long winter so I'am going share some pic's this one is befor the blind lady drove the honda car up my tale-pipe.



Tony j.

rambos_ride

Nice looking ride. Too bad about the accident - but it sounds like it wasn't too bad and hopefully no one got hurt.



Good luck with the repairs and I look forward to seeing more pictures and hearing stories!

Unknown

the damage:

Unknown

note: If you know someone with a rear bumper for 1934-35 and mounting brackets, you can send me a e-mail at (vommpire@aol.com) title the e-mail with "HUDSON PARTS" and we can go from there. I have a fabricator that is going to make the rear valence after the body shop pulls the frame and body straight, but if someone just happens to have an extra one or needs one made let me know.



Tony

Unknown

Have you considered, or do you already have, a red brake light in the rear window.



Hudsonly

Alex B

Unknown

That's a cool old car....R.V.

rambos_ride

My 49 is the oldest car I have owned. In working on it and learning about it I am constantly amazed at the quality of construction for the time.



The damage to your sweet baby would be 10 fold on a new car - probably a total.



While not easily repairable a quality collision shop with a frame rack should be more than adequte to make the any pulls needed.



Just sucks you even have to go through it because of someone elses mistakes - it's a whole nuther story when it's your fault (been there done that!)

Unknown

I dropped the Hudson off at the body shop today and the adjuster stop by to take a look I think he had a hart attack, when I stopped back by he had stopped the shop from starting the job, so I had to take it back home. 2 hours go by an "Ron" from State Farm Ins. called me and ask me for the vin # of my Hudson, so I tell him that it's at home and I'll call him back tomorrow. The shop owner told me that Ron is going to have it appraised first and just pay me off so they can be free of the shop bills. "Ron" never said a word about an appraisal just the vin # and now I lose my shop window that took 4 week's to get. something fishlike is up with Mr "Ron" I just want my #%*!ing car fixed!



Tony

[Deleted User]

Once again, our buddies in the insurance industry prove they have nothing but your best interests at heart.

[Deleted User]

I would suggest calling a lawyer A.S.A.P. These insurance co.'s are notorious for ripping off people for as much money as possible. It's crazy that you have waited 4 weeks for a shop to take it, and then have to wait more for an appraisal. They are using stalling tactics to make you desparate to take a lower amount of money than what is necessary to fix your car. If the lady who hit you ran into a new brand x, they would have had it in a shop and had it fixed already. Additionally, make sure they give you a rental car for when it's in the shop, not that you'd want to drive it, but it will keep the insurance co.'s flame under the body shop's butt to get the car finished before too winter sets in - they don't like paying $30 a day for a Chevy rental for very long. BTW- I'm not a lawyer. I have been ran into 5 times in the last 7 years - Las Vegas drivers suck.

rambos_ride

tj35hud wrote:

I dropped the Hudson off at the body shop today and the adjuster stop by to take a look I think he had a hart attack, when I stopped back by he had stopped the shop from starting the job, so I had to take it back home. 2 hours go by an "Ron" from State Farm Ins. called me and ask me for the vin # of my Hudson, so I tell him that it's at home and I'll call him back tomorrow. The shop owner told me that Ron is going to have it appraised first and just pay me off so they can be free of the shop bills. "Ron" never said a word about an appraisal just the vin # and now I lose my shop window that took 4 week's to get. something fishlike is up with Mr "Ron" I just want my #%*!ing car fixed!

Tony

I take it State Farm is the persons insurance that hit you? You do not have to take an appraisal at face value - in fact you shouldn't in this instance because until the car is torn down there could be additional damages and if you "settle" for a check you might be faced with the additionals later.

The insurance company cannot dictate to you where the work is done or how it is performed. You have the right to decide.

From what it sounds like to me they want to total your car and cut you a check. Which would mean you would have to buy the car back from them for a salvage fee and your state title would have "rebuilt" on it.

Then you would be responsible for all costs associated with fixing the damage.

So be careful on this one.

If State Farm is your insurance for the car - it will be a battle if they are already balking at the repairs. If you have your own coverage you may want to get your insurance company involved (if you had collision) they will then pay for the repairs and go after State Farm for the damages.

Also don't be hesitant about calling the Better Business Bureau and your State Insurance Commissioner to raise some hell if needed.

Good Luck keep us updated.

Unknown

"Dan" State Farm is the blind lady's insurance and yes I am under full coverage on this car and I will be talking to my agent about this issue in the morning my vin is a 5 digit number with no salvage on the title I waited 9 years to own this car and finely got it this summer totaling the car is not in State Farm's cards!

rambos_ride

tj35hud wrote:

"Dan" State Farm is the blind lady's insurance and yes I am under full coverage on this car and I will be talking to my agent about this issue in the morning my vin is a 5 digit number with no salvage on the title I waited 9 years to own this car and finely got it this summer totaling the car is not in State Farm's cards!

Good - it sounds like you are prepared to fight for your car!

I did autobody work for a living in a prior life (in my 20's ) for over 8 years and have spent the last 15 years playing with my stuff at my friends body shop and have seen many people not prepared or not "in the know" about their legal rights when it comes to repairs.

The total/salvage scenerio is just a guess - but believe me I wouldn't put it past them. :mad:

It'd also be a good idea to have all your receipts and estimates of your personal time invested into both

1) work on the hot-rod and
2) the time you are having to spend dealing with this situation.

as this can eventually have a bearing on valuation of the settlement.

For instance if I have to spend a total of 3 hours making phone calls, getting rental cars, finding parts - you can bet the insurance company is going to compensate me. My business day time is worth money - and my personal time is worth no less than that!

rambos_ride

tj35hud - any updates? I'm anxious to hear the latest!

Unknown

I know I'm opening a can of worms here but I don't like being painted with the broad brush of "all insurance companies are out to rip you off". I've been maligned in the forum before for my profession but I make a public offer here:

If anybody would like assistance with a claim, please PM me. I'll do what I can to help you through the maze.



I will not discuss any company practices (even my own) on this forum. It turns nasty and snide in a heartbeat. I understand the frustration involved and the feeling that one was 'ripped-off' by an insurance company. I've been there, done that as a consumer too. Contrary to popular opinion, there is a fiduciary duty to pay what is owed, fair and properly. It's called indemnification of the insured party.



As has been said in this thread, it is probably not in the best interest of the insurance company to total loss this vehicle. It appears (by photos) that there is approximately 5-7K damage to a vehicle worth between 15 and 20K.

It would not be cost effective to total if the numbers were in this range. I'm just looking at photos, not judging the vehicle. Insurance settlements are a numbers game, there isn't any emotion in it. Other advice to "get a lawyer" may or may not be in your best interest, it is an individual choice. In most cases, insurance adjusters would rather deal with an attorney as there is no personal emotion attached to the vehicle on the attorney's part. The attorney has his most interest in getting the claim settled as quicly as possible, there is no money in the Property Damage (damage to your vehicle) portion of a claim, the money is in the Personal Injury portion for the attorney.



Last, a bit of my background:



I have owned and worked on cars since I was 12, some 40 years ago. I owned my own tow comany and wrecking yard for 15 years and ran another tow operation for an additional 4. During that time, I built and raced several nostalgia drag cars, restored from the frame up 6 very collectible vehicles and did all of the master fabrication on trucks including body work, welding, rebuilding engines/transmissions/full wiring harnesses/rear axles, etc. I have ASE certifications in suspension, engine, transmission and rear axles. I also am an ICAR certified welder as well as certified in boiler welding and full truck frame (1 1/2 ton and larger) sectioning. I was in the tow business before the "jaws of life" and have seen and done things that nobody should ever have to do. When I 'burned out' of the 365/24/7 grind that is involved in that business, I went into the body shop arena as an estimator/shop foreman.

I was hired directly from that business by a major insurance company to be an adjuster and now, less than 4 years later, I am a supervisor in the auto claims department.



I have owned several hundred cars over the years from the full classics as a 1940 Packard Limosine (with factory air) which I sold to Harrah's, to muscle cars of the 60's such as my '66 7 Litre Ford Convertibles (2) and 390 powered GT Mustang Convertibles, to full customs such as my '55 Ford Sedan Delivery that has been chopped 3" with '56 Dodge quarter panels added. I also ride an '82 Harley FLHTC. I just bought my dream Hudson, a 1951 Hornet Convertible (I'll post photos later). I have a lot of life experience and offer that freely to assist anybody in this forum.



HOPE EVERYBODY HERE HAS A GREAT THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY!!!!

rambos_ride

backtohudsons - you make good points.

Its easy to pick on insurance companies - I think mostly because many folks drive and pay premiums for years and years (paying hundreds and thousands of $$ later...) with no problems then when a claim is made the person(s) are already a bit traumatized and
don't expect to have to jump through a bunch of hoops to get things settled.

I'd have to say that in my experience in working in the collision repair industry and being around it for over 25 years that 98% of the claims I have dealt with were paid fairly and promptly by the insurance provider for the responsible parties.

Still the biggest advice I can give for folks to get the value from their cars with as little hassle as possible is documentation, documentation, documentation! :eek:

Armed with valid receipts for the purchase, repairs, and upgrades that have been done to a vehicle - its hard for an insurer to low ball you on the value of your car.;)

[Deleted User]

Dan, I had a ream of receipts on the loss of my Ford truck, TWO professional appraisals, pictures, history, and more. I might as well had no receipts, pictures, history, appraisals, etc. Did no good. I'm on the negative end of the above, so I have about zero respect for the insurance "industry". Backtohudsons may well be a straight-up guy, but from what I've seen of his compadres in the business, don't expect your best interests to be at the top of their agenda. Your premium money, yes. You and your loss, no.



That's the way it is.

Unknown

Dan, you're absolutely correct on many points. A lot of folks think that buying insurance is like a savings account, you pay your premiums for years and you should have extra when you want your way. I dealt with a customer of that notion last week who believed that since he had paid premiums for 10 years he was entitled to $7500 for his plain jane 1990 Chevrolet Suburban that was worth about $3000. The premium is to cover you in case of a mishap. Whether your fault, somebody elses's or Mother Nature.



An insurance policy is not a savings account. The greatest example of that is the guy that bought an policy and the week after had a heart attack at the wheel and seriously injured three people. The policy paid out $500,000 (policy limits). Would the insurance company ever get the money back in premium? No, not in any lifetime.



Document, document, document. It is the only way for a person to support his position on a claim whether it's with his own carrier or the adverse carrier. Most standard policies are written as ACV (Actual Cash Value) policies. All the work and effort we put into the vehicle do not necessarily add dollars to the street value of the vehicle. The bottom line is, what is it worth versus the repair costs. You are correct in your position that 98% of claims go well, I think the percentage may very be in the 99+% as I really have very few claim settlement problems come to me from my team.

There are those occasional glitches and that happens in any business.



I know this gets to be a tirade but that's one of the reasons I put my experience level in the first post. There are a few of us car nuts in the business and I stress that if you feel you are not getting somebody who understands the collector car, ask for an adjuster who does. If not, ask for his supervisor, that's what they're there for. I still supervise the handling of all collector car and Harley claims. That's where I come from and can put the best approach forward. Last week, I authorized $750 (18 hours of repair time for you body men) to repair a front fender on a 1957 Ford Ranchero. The original fender was pristine and had absolutely no rust ever and I felt that we owed to repair it right. The body man was an old timer and there was only a small skim coat of lead over the repair. Most adjusters feel the same way, we must educate them as necessary.



Again I offer my assistance to anybody having an insurance claim on their Hudson product, modified or not.

rambos_ride

66patrick66 obviously had 1 or more bad dealings and fell into the "badlands" so to speak. I've been on that end too and it really does leave a bad taste in your mouth (and wallet)

I'll tell everyone on the forum shouting OUTLOUD - BacktoHudsons generous offer to help out or offer advice on claims is no different than a body guy or mechanic showing you the ropes! Given his knowledge and length of time in the industry his help could not only be invaluable but also an education in what to do and what your rights are.

But of course..."You can lead a horse to water, but will he drink it?"

Thanks backtohudsons - if I get into a spot with my 49 - look for an email or 2 coming from my way!:D

[Deleted User]

backtohudsons - That is a generous offer to help forum members with claims. You're A#1 in my book. (I hope I never have to take you up on it!)

Unknown

Hi all it has ben a few weeks and it all most Xmas ho ho ho no Body Work yet no money and my Hudson is still setting in the garage next week I am loading it up on the hauler to take it to an classic auto appraiser for a independent appraisal of my car before it got hit an the value for the repair costs I feel that State Farm is low balling me on the market value of my 35 Hudson judging from my pic at the top of this thread can anyone guess what this car can sale for $$$ just for fun

Unknown

Hi all, stopped in to keep you all up to date on my 35 Terraplane a few days ago I loaded it up onto the hauler for a trip to the appraiser office, and I just got the paper work from the mail box and the appraised value is 4500.00 more than State Farms appraised value. Who woulda thought that!



Tony

[Deleted User]

tj35hud wrote:

Hi all, stopped in to keep you all up to date on my 35 Terraplane a few days ago I loaded it up onto the hauler for a trip to the appraiser office, and I just got the paper work from the mail box and the appraised value is 4500.00 more than State Farms appraised value. Who woulda thought that!



Tony

I heard State Farm is great unless you're trying to collect from them! Hope things turn out alright for you though.



Jay

Unknown

Hi all my terraplane is in the body shop now and will have a complete body and paint redo. All I have to say about State Farm is war is hell "stand your ground" and maybe you'll get what's fair on repairs! (Now to keep an eye on the repairs and soon more pic's to come from the body shop).



Tony

Unknown

I knew by the photos that they'd eventually repair it. I would have in a heartbeat. It just looks like the adjuster went the long way around. Glad it's being taken care of!!

Unknown

here's a couple of pic from last weeks visit to Wade's body shop in Lodi Cal. They specialize in Hot Rods & Restoration Work and now they are working on my 35 Terraplane beganing on 1/23/06 The first pic is the rear valance and left rear fender removed and in process, the second pic is the car at the frame shop (note how the doors line up to each other, the frame is bent above the axle and pushing up on the cab) that all for this week see-ya. :cool:



tony

rambos_ride

tj35hud wrote:

here's a couple of pic from last weeks visit to Wade's body shop in Lodi Cal. They specialize in Hot Rods & Restoration Work and now they are working on my 35 Terraplane beganing on 1/23/06 The first pic is the rear valance and left rear fender removed and in process, the second pic is the car at the frame shop (note how the doors line up to each other, the frame is bent above the axle and pushing up on the cab) that all for this week see-ya. :cool:

tony

Shouldn't be too bad of a pull as long as they have a good frame rack. You can see a buckle in the sheet metal just above the tire - I'm guessing this is the area of the "kink" in the frame?

[Deleted User]

tj35hud wrote:

here's a couple of pic from last weeks visit to Wade's body shop in Lodi Cal. They specialize in Hot Rods & Restoration Work and now they are working on my 35 Terraplane beganing on 1/23/06 The first pic is the rear valance and left rear fender removed and in process, the second pic is the car at the frame shop (note how the doors line up to each other, the frame is bent above the axle and pushing up on the cab) that all for this week see-ya. :cool:



tony

Good luck with the repairs Tony. Where is that shop? I grew up in Galt (8 miles north of Lodi) and lived in Lodi from 1980 to 1985. Used to know a guy by the name of Tony Mazerluft (not sure on the last name spelling) years ago who did hot rod work and helped me with my 42 Ford and 38 Dodge. Had a shop on Kettlemen Lane in Lodi.



Jay

Unknown

"jay" Wade's Automotive Restoration is 91 South Kelly St. Lodi, Ca. 95240,

Ph# 209.368.4912, at: www.wadesauto.com or [email] bob@wadesauto.com there is an ad in Feb 2006 of Drive! Magazine on pg 77. so-far a good guy and crew. :cool:



'Rick" thanks for the FYI I'll give it a try! :cool:[/email]

Unknown

:cool: Hi all here is this weeks pic's on the terraplane repairs it's back in the body shop and the frame pulling is done, all the doors line up and the back end looks a little better but there's still some more hammer & dolly work with a few spot welds here and there. After we left Wades body shop the Hunney and I drove up to Sacramento to attend the Autorama Custom Car Show at the Calxpo Fair grounds "Ahsome show" big, lot's of cars, trucks, hot bikes and a group of chick's walking around in stilettos.



http://www.classiccar.com/files/P1010001b.jpg

http://www.classiccar.com/files/P1010004b.jpg

http://www.classiccar.com/files/P1010019b.jpg

Unknown

Hi all :cool: here are some pic's of my last vsit to see the 35 hud at Wades body shop. :cool:.

I FIXED THE PROBLUM WITH THE PIC FILES TAKE A LOOK NOW.



P10100 IS THE WADES CREW IN FRONT OF MY CAR

P10101 IS THE BACK END VIEW

P10103 IS A SHOP WORK IN PROGRESS VIEW

P10104 IS A LH BACK VIEW





http://www.classiccar.com/files/P10100.jpg

http://www.classiccar.com/files/P10101.jpg

http://www.classiccar.com/files/P10103.jpg

http://www.classiccar.com/files/P10104.jpg