S550 2016 GT350 G0238 Tech Pack Build Thread Profile - S550 Mustangs

[captdistraction]

This is the Build Thread for 2016 GT350 G0238 Tech Pack. Reply below. (note: just for tracking some projects like adding diff and transmission coolers)

 

[Bill Pemberton]

With your other Stand the Massa NASA Blaster, assume the Tech Pack 350 will just be a fun cruiser and not as much of a bruiser? Seem to be quite a few on here that are multiple Mustang maniacs? Nice stable to enjoy!

 

[captdistraction]

This one comes to a close. Was a great car, but unfortunately someone else's negligence decided to take it away. Can't give details just yet, but a sad end to my mustang ownership.

Didn't think I had done a ton to the car modification-wise but it did have a nice spring/bar setup with goodies from OPMustang, some exhaust and shifter upgrades, some parts borrowed from the GT350R bin. It had some track miles, mostly as a lead/follow car when I did track instruction, but also did one mock race in NASA while the yellow car was down with a fellow racer who found his Civic similarly broken. Always wanted to do more with it, but had the other car to drain my wallet and will to live.

Couple photos of what was the most fun car I've purchased:


Last photo before sending it off for scrap:

 

[JeffV8]

That’s my worst fear while tracking my car.

 

[captdistraction]

This one met it’s end parked “safely” at home.

 

[JDee]

This one met it’s end parked “safely” at home.

You can't leave it at that! Do tell, I keep thinking what could happen when it is parked at home???

 

[captdistraction]

Once I get through the legal process which may take a bit of time, but I can say it was just at home on a normal day like any other. My wife's raptor also was damaged on the same incident to the tune of $5k by being parked adjacent. Hasn't been my week, month or year.

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Dislike.

 

[Tonymustang302]

When mine came back from the bodyshop after going into the wall on track……it looked so perfect in stock form. I still want a stock one again……but you only live once

 

[captdistraction]

A month and a couple days in, no real progress.

This scenario is likely to drag out for months as the insurance for the driver that hit the car won't provide the shop with their initial estimate or appraisal. They're constantly dodging calls, making broken promises for callbacks and I'm likely to lose the rental car I have through the third party. I can engage my own insurance to start rental coverage, albeit also at a 30 day cap.

I can and have engaged my own insurance to at least authorize a tear down of the shelby, but if I had to fight anyone over the value of my car I'd like it to be with someone other than my insurer. Prepping escalations since it looks like we'll need to. It is bewildering that they can't put together a CCC report in the span of a month as I have 3 others (from the shop, my insurance and a third party unrelated), yet they claim that timeline to be pretty standard practice.

What initial estimates I have are on the threshold for total loss, but the reality is once they dig in I fear it to be way over that TLT. Each estimate I have is currently missing a lot of things like brackets, trim pieces, a taillight on one side or the other, labor for removing the roof for proper sectioning of the quarter, removal of the floor, any damage to the rails or front end beyond the bumper cover (the bumper beam and headlight support structures are likely trashed), and finally the transmission is now misbehaving - it was in gear when it was smacked.

The rage this situation induces is wild, it should be a simple matter to make one whole but I guess the idea of purchasing insurance is to ensure they bully the non-responsible parties as much as possible before letting go any dollar.

My insurance is handling the raptor, and its making good progress, bedsides cleaned up and wrinkles removed. Paint is next.

Edit: rewrote this as I'm an awful writer when I'm furious.

 

[jaylarold]

A month and a couple days in, no real progress. Its likely going to be months to go, but the insurance for the driver that hit the car won't provide the shop with their initial estimate or appraisal and is constantly dodging calls, making broken promises for callbacks and I'm likely to lose the rental car I have through the third party (which I can engage my own insurance to start coverage, albeit at also a 30 day cap). I can and have engaged my own insurance to at least authorize a teardown, but if I had to fight anyone over the value of my car, I'd like it to be with someone other than my insurer. Prepping escalations since it looks like we'll need to. Just wild they can't put together a CCC report in a month, I have 3 others (from the shop, my insurance and a third party unrelated), yet they claim that to be pretty standard practice. Initial estimates are on the threshold for total loss, but really, its fairly over for the way most insurers calculate. For the estimates I have, they're missing a lot of things like brackets, taillight on one side or the other, removing the roof for proper sectioning of the quarter, removal of the floor, any damage to the rails or front end beyond the bumper cover (the bumper beam and headlight support structures are likely trashed), and finally the transmission is now misbehaving - it was in gear when it was smacked.

The rage this situation induces is wild. Should be a simple matter.

My insurance is handling the raptor, and its making good progress, bedsides cleaned up and wrinkles removed. Paint is next.

Does not sound like a fun process. Sorry for your loss, she deserved a better life

 

[cholmes1]

I’m sorry for what you are going through Cap. Insurance companies are awful to deal with when their client is at clear fault. For some reason it makes them dig in more.

Thankful that no one from your family was hurt by being in our near the cars when this happened. The fool must have been going way over the limit to do that kind of damage.

Sorry again for your struggles this year

 

[TMSBOSS]

Is it “Lawyer Time”???

 

[Ludachris]

A month and a couple days in, no real progress. Its likely going to be months to go, but the insurance for the driver that hit the car won't provide the shop with their initial estimate or appraisal and is constantly dodging calls, making broken promises for callbacks and I'm likely to lose the rental car I have through the third party (which I can engage my own insurance to start coverage, albeit at also a 30 day cap). I can and have engaged my own insurance to at least authorize a teardown, but if I had to fight anyone over the value of my car, I'd like it to be with someone other than my insurer. Prepping escalations since it looks like we'll need to. Just wild they can't put together a CCC report in a month, I have 3 others (from the shop, my insurance and a third party unrelated), yet they claim that to be pretty standard practice. Initial estimates are on the threshold for total loss, but really, its fairly over for the way most insurers calculate. For the estimates I have, they're missing a lot of things like brackets, taillight on one side or the other, removing the roof for proper sectioning of the quarter, removal of the floor, any damage to the rails or front end beyond the bumper cover (the bumper beam and headlight support structures are likely trashed), and finally the transmission is now misbehaving - it was in gear when it was smacked.

The rage this situation induces is wild. Should be a simple matter.

My insurance is handling the raptor, and its making good progress, bedsides cleaned up and wrinkles removed. Paint is next.

 

[captdistraction]

I had to rewrite the last post as anger drives my command of the English language down to a third grade level. I do have a couple options in terms of representation.

 

[captdistraction]

Still no movement, now in week 9 of waiting for initial estimate from Liberty/Custard (UPS). I've finally gotten some traction in communications, or at least the excuses getting fresh and unique from the old excuses. Raptor was repaired and getting returned (and looks great!), but took some pictures of the Shelby while out that way. After a bit of tear-down the damage is surprisingly more extensive than I had already considered. The frame rails up front were tweaked because the tow/recovery hooks on the raptor punched through the bumper beam instead of absorbing the force from impact so both frame horns are moved out of position. The hood and upper radiator support were roughed up a bit and the fenders no longer align.

Out back its as every bit as bad as I had thought - the floor is crumpled and the rails on both sides are bashed up, the rear bumper beam is about an inch out of position on the left which didn't look bad... until you realize the amount of buckling the floor sections did to allow it to move that far. I'm shocked the rear glass didn't break as the C pillar is tweaked and shows buckling on both sides along with the package tray being pushed out of shape. Transmission isn't operating correctly, but so far I don't know if it will be totaled, but its lunacy to think it won't be (the only reason it "wouldn't be" totaled is the CCC report from the insurer lowballing all the labor and parts to repair the vehicle).

If it does get total'ed out, this is it for mustangs with me for a while unless there's some miracle in the TLV valuation. The market is too high on the GT350 to go after another immediately, and the racecar drove me into the ground trying to keep that moving forward - I don't want to take on any more debt to get another fun car. The 200k mile raptor just signed up for a few more years of primary duty, but hopefully in a few years the economy is more supportive and I can go find a fun car again, would love another GT350, I worked hard for this one and it certainly filled the fun-car role the racecar had left.



The raptor looks awesome, I used Desert Vintage Restoration in Tempe, AZ and its such a fresh breath of air to have such a positive experience with a shop after all the nightmares I've had with other body shops over the years. Phoenix Collision and Custom Paint was another favorite of mine, but they're no longer around. That said, DVR killed it on the raptor repair and took care of some AC work and new tires for me outside of the collision work.