Body damage worth fixing?

[donkeylips]

Here are some pictures:

The body on this car is otherwise in great shape. It has no rust (the rusty gusset plate, brake booster, and rear motor mount are from other cars).
I'm debating whether or not to keep it. I prefer my cars have close to perfect bodies and I'm wondering if this can be made to be close to perfect again.
It had this damage when I got the car, and doesn't seem to have too much of an effect on anything. The radiator core support has a pretty big dent. It looks like somebody ran over something to cause damage to both areas.

Can a body shop tell me if the car is otherwise straight, or if it's tweaked?
Say hypothetically that the car was worth some money due to its rarity. How much would this hurt the value (before or after a repair). Can it be repaired, how much will it cost, and how obvious will it be that it was repaired?
What would you do in this situation?


Also, I have a spare rad. core support that has been cut off of a galant vr4, but I don't have the frame rail section that it needs (had I known when I cut up 497/2000...). Is this the same on a base model Galant? We have a few of them in a local yard.

 

[CutlassJim]

That doesn't look bad at all and nothing goes there. I say leave it.

 

[kama1]

^+1,its just a dent.i dont think thats gonna affect anything.

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

took that chassis to a body shop years ago to make sure, the guy i talked to said 'sure, i can spend your money if you want, but it wont change anything other than the bumper fitment' which is off like .25 of an inch. not even really noticeable. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

 

[prove_it]

Nope it's junk. Better sell it to me. I'll give $400.

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

i'll give you 500!

 

[prove_it]

505!

 

[donkeylips]

We can start the bidding if you guys want...but it will be slightly higher than that.

 

[citymunky]

$505.01 /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

wait, why isnt there an engine in this car? does this mean i wont see it at shoot out this year? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[marvinmadman]

"frame" rails should be the same as any other Galant. I did it already. I spliced it between the Tranny mount bracket. But that was for WAY more damage than this. I'd just put it on a frame machine and pull it. Should cost about $300 and about an hour at most.

 

[IncorpoRatedX]

yeah i was definitely told it could be pulled but, like i said, it wasnt messing with anything, the front core support is the same as the VR4, the USDM GGSX even has the JDM VR4 FMIC mounting holes on it, pretty sure they're all the same (awd at least)

 

[marvinmadman]

I'd leave it alone also. FWD is the same except the mounting holes don't have the nuts welded in. Just holes...

 

[donkeylips]

Quoting Alpha Male:
wait, why isnt there an engine in this car? does this mean i wont see it at shoot out this year? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif


There's an engine in it now. I should definitely have a car at the shootout this year. There's a good chance it will be this one. I'm still dailying my winter car (924/1000), and it should still be in running condition for the shootout as well.