Friday father of the year went to take my mom to the doctor since we didn’t make it the day before and I had no way to go take her. Of course he spent most the day there and got here at like 4 pm. Knowing I needed things from the store and to take my truck to be looked at.
Soon as he got here I put the kids in my moms truck and flowed him to the body shop. The guy looked at it the best he could but said that we needed to take the bumper and things off because it was wrapped all around areas he wanted to get in and look at. He said to take that stuff off and bring it back he would put it on the rack and pull it for $250. He said that he didn’t think it was totalled.
He also had his wife pull up and give me a list of parts that were needed and prices for parts because I had told him I could get the parts for $1550 at the junk yard. I had called around earlier for that. Some would be new some would be used. He quoted me a price of $2500 and they weren’t all new either.
When we got home we figured out that I didn’t need a radiator, the plastic around the fan is pushed up into it so it isn’t letting it spin like it should. So then it is not turning like it should to keep the truck cool, that is why it starts to smell hot after running for a little bit. My friends husband came over for a minute looked around he said he thought that when they pulled the frame it would let the plastic around the fan back off and give it the room it needs to spin again. Father of the year started working on taking the lights, grill, bumper and the rest of the stuff that needed to come off, off of it. But I couldn’t do anything with it over the weekend because the body shop wasn’t open to drop it off or pull the frame.
I started looking on eBay and I found all the parts that I need for a lot less than what either place is quoting me and they are all new. I have decided not to get a new hood at least for right now. The hood is only messed up in the one little spot on the driver side front corner. It is rolled down a little. It dose not effect the opening or closing. I figure if it looks to bad once we fix it and the rest of the truck is done I will get a new hood in February. But right now it isn’t a big deal or a must have.
I found both fenders for just under $200, the grill for around $90, and the headlights with the turn signals and things for $88. Oh and the headlight and grill support rack or whatever it is called for around $75. I got a different grill than what was on it, because I have to buy the frame of the grill and then the inserts that go in it. I forget what the price of the frame is but it was close to $100 and the inserts were another $55 to $65 to go in it. The grill I got is a custom grill or newer model but it was only $89. I am getting custom headlights too. The ones I had are like $80 to replace I found some nicer ones that I think will be brighter for $7 more. I found the tail lights to go with them but it would be another $80 and I don’t have that to spend right now. I am going to wait and when I fix the hood or order a new one get the tail lights then. I am going to be driving this truck for years to come. I have to put the money into it to fix it and the stuff is the same price or a few dollars more I may as well make it look nice. It be crazy to pay more just to put the same parts on it when I can get the others for less and it would be crazy to update the grill and things and put the same lights back in it when I can get the updated lights for that little bit more. Besides look how much I am saving buy not having to buy some parts and finding them on line.
The only bad thing is I have to get the fenders painted. If I had got them at a junk yard, I could have just left them whatever color they were until I had money to paint them. Not what I would like to do but what I would have done to save some money right now. Since they are new I have to paint them right away I am told or they will rust. So I went Saturday to find a friend of father of the years he use to work with at a body shop. He really knows his stuff and dose a good job. I wanted to find out what he would charge me to paint the two finders and maybe the bumper. The body shop told me $125 off the top because of the kind of vehicle it is and then $167 each panel or the whole front clip, nose, bumper, both panels hood and everything for around $500. He was supposed to come yesterday and something came up he couldn’t come. He said he could come tomorrow. So I didn’t get to take it and drop it at the body shop yet because it wouldn’t be here when he got here to look at it.
I guess after he looks at it I am going to take it around to the shop and drop it off. Once he tells me it is ready and not totalled I am going to order the parts. I didn’t want to order the parts until the frame was done and everyone looked at it and told me what the cost for each part of their job was going to cost and I knew I had all the money to take care of it all.
The body shop that is going to pull the frame quoted me a price of $4500 just about for all the parts, body work, and lobar. I didn’t see where it had the price of pulling the frame in there so then I would have to add that too it. I’m told by a few people if I had taken it to some of the other shops in the area it would probably be more for lobar and things. If I had insurance that was covering it or it had been the other persons fault and their insurance was covering it they would have totalled my truck. Then I would have probably ended up with next to nothing to get something else to drive if they had given me black book value on it like they did my car. I really don’t think I would have gotten near enough to cover buying me another one.
The last few days have just been a blur really since the accident. Friday was wasted because I had no way to go anywhere and no help with the truck. Then Saturday we went to find his friend and then my mom called and started about her truck because we had it and where I was going in it and not to take it here and there. Then they wanted to go to the store and of course that took them hours, I didn’t get home until the middle of the night. yesterday from I guess standing and waking around all that time in the store on top of being hurt from the accident I hurt so bad I couldn’t stand it. I was in so much pain I felt like I was going to be sick and could hardly move. I stayed in bed most the day. I finally had to get up and go sit at the computer to get work for two classes done before 11:59 pm. I had 4 assignments due, 3 in one class, one in the other. I did the class that only had one due first, then started the ones for the other class. I took the test then did the board we have to do. By that point it was just a few minutes until everything was supposed to be in. I wrote the professor and told him I had been in a accident on Thursday and that I had been dealing with that and being injured. That I had gotten all my assignments done but that one and asked if I could have more time to get it done. I told him I could send him a copy of the report they gave me at the since, pictures of the truck of both if he needed them for proof or for records. I figured if I offered to do that he would figure I wasn’t lying and just didn’t do it. Once I wrote it I went straight to bed it was late. He responded almost right away and said he would give me until tomorrow to get it done and turned in that he would only take half a point off. I wasn’t sure if he meant to Monday tomorrow or Tuesday tomorrow since everything had to be in at 11:59 and I emailed him just before that and he replied at 12 something am. I had a big test and a board due for another class today and about 4 assiments due for a class Tuesday. I figured I would do my board and my test and then work on the work for that class. If I got it done I would turn it in today if not I would turn it in Tuesday and take whatever grade I got. But I was able to get it in today so I didn’t have to worry about it. I didn’t do to hot on my test. I only got 45 out of 60, as soon as I started it the guy came to mow the yard, the kids decided it was the best time to fight and run around the house and play, then try to go outside to see who was out there. I answered what I knew for sure and tried to go back and look up the others. I had planed to do my test Thursday when I got the kids to bed until all this happen. Then work on the rest of everything for my other classes. I am just going to have to buckle down and not let anything else keep me from having plenty of time to work on my assignments from now on and get really good grades on the rest of my work to make up for it all. At least this teacher I think drops the lowest of each grade for all our work. If I get back on track then that grade will be dropped and I will be ok.
It’s already 5 in the morning I have been to bed yet tonight. I got to get some sleep now that I am feeling tired. I have places to go tomorrow and those 3 assignments to get done and turned in by tomorrow night. Hopefully I will get at least 3 or 4 hours sleep before the kids start getting up and we have to go.
Single___Parent___Life 