Hit a deer with my 95 ciera :(

[HTownCiera]

Well, I only had this car for about a month and then one morning on the way to work I hit a deer. Wrecked by front end and right quarter fender probably needs to be re-aligned since passenger door does not open. Does anyone have good recommendations for getting parts online? I can go search my local salvage yards but would rather get new replacement parts whenever possible. It was an awesome find, the car only has 54K original confirmed miles and has zero rust (southern car all of it's life).

Cheers.

[Keiths1976]

Depending on what parts check rockauto hood ,fender, radiator support , bumper has to be painted tho flat black was there option hehe. Honestly I would search the local yard cause you get the best gm parts as close to New as you can find . But you have to look for and stay with the 94/96 Ciera cause changes were done lastly to them . But as you get the parts in have the cradle checked and frame before you put them in so you know it's correct and straight then . Might shifted the body parts all over but not the cradle and frame to cause the door to not open right . Have the body shop check it all over and give you a list what it needs it might be cheaper if you find it all for him to replace and paint .

[a1veedubber]

Without pictures it is hard to say, but it does not take much of a hit to shift the fender back so that it interferes with the door while the underlying structure is unharmed. If you are able to find good rust-free OEM fenders they will be a much better fit than the aftermarket ones, and they have superior rust-protection as well.

As for aftermarket, Rockauto is pretty legit. Expect aftermarket fenders to need some 'massaging' to get them to fit, and usually there will be a couple of small dents here and there that need attention.

http://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/o...dy,fender,1380

good luck with the repairs though. At 54k miles that car is still virtually new!

[HTownCiera]

Thanks both for suggestions. Having a hard time linking photos to show the damage.

[Drop Top Olds]

join a site like photo bucket and load pictures on to your page there. Then use the [img]filename[img] to post them here. the photobucket site has a link you click and it copies the link so you paste it here. Delete out everything before and after the [img], then click go advanced on the post here to preview your message to check and see if the link works.

There is a detailed how to somewhere on this site.......

[HTownCiera]

Here are some pics of my 95 ciera

Before Deer:

[IMG][/IMG]


And after:

[IMG][/IMG]


I have ordered the header panel, radiator fan assembly, headlights from rock auto.

[turbokinetic]

Dude that sucks - similar thing happened to me a long time ago. In my case, the hood popped open and damaged the windshield, roof, hood, and one fender. The deer definitely did not survive....

If you have trouble finding some of the smaller parts or things Rock Auto can't supply - there may be members here who can help with small items from the junkyards. Never hurts to ask.

[HTownCiera]

So I am almost done gathering all the parts I need to complete repairs. At first I thought I could take this on myself but frankly I don't have the experience with body work or paint required to do the job right. So I have a good body shop guy here in Houston that will charge me 600 for labor (getting out the dents/bents/scratches/re-painting, realigning panels) only (as long as I provide all parts). He fixed my 2013 civic si and did a good job so I trust the workmanship.

I will post photos once complete hopefully by end of January.

One question I noticed was that the oldsmobile badge at the front was in the wrong side (e.g. passenger side), this made me think the car had been repaired once before and maybe they goofed and put the badge on the incorrect side. When I bought it the carfax came clean with no history so who knows.

[IMG][/IMG]

[turbokinetic]

Interesting that the logo is on the opposite side! I will have to look at them now and see if I notice any others that are like that.

Bodywork is not my strong point either. There's a good bodyshop in Birmingham, AL where I have been taking my cars for painting and dent repairs.

I have done some structural repairs such as pulling out smashed core supports, and straightening frame horns. That is not hard because it's hidden and as long as the parts bolt on and the holes line up - the job is good enough. The paint and bodywork is fiddly, fussy work that tries my patience LOL!

[Century7667]

Where in the state were you when the deer found you? Not too many in Houston.

Ken T.

[HTownCiera]

Where in the state were you when the deer found you? Not too many in Houston.

Ken T.

Hi Ken. It was actually within Houston metro area. Beltway 8 and Lockwood in NE side of town close to IAH. You might be surprised but there are quite a bit of deer (and wild hogs which my friend encountered with his new BMW 850 ) in the surrounding area. I know Where I live in Ft Bend Co I see them sometimes in newly developed subsidivions.

On another note, any suggestions on where to get Oldsmobile badges and emblems that's not eBay ?

[HTownCiera]

Dude that sucks - similar thing happened to me a long time ago. In my case, the hood popped open and damaged the windshield, roof, hood, and one fender. The deer definitely did not survive....

If you have trouble finding some of the smaller parts or things Rock Auto can't supply - there may be members here who can help with small items from the junkyards. Never hurts to ask.

Yea I guess it could have been worse. It was a juvenile not a full grown buck so maybe that helped.


If you have or know of good leads on emblems and badges I would appreciate it. Thanks

[Wagontech]

I have a 93 Ciera that I'm using for parts that still has the emblems on it. If you're just looking for the logo for the header panel I'd send that to you no charge. Providing I don't break it taking it off, that is.

[Century7667]

Hi Ken. It was actually within Houston metro area. Beltway 8 and Lockwood in NE side of town close to IAH. You might be surprised but there are quite a bit of deer (and wild hogs which my friend encountered with his new BMW 850 ) in the surrounding area. I know Where I live in Ft Bend Co I see them sometimes in newly developed subsidivions.

On another note, any suggestions on where to get Oldsmobile badges and emblems that's not eBay ?

I'm with you. I live in Fort Bend as well. I saw a couple off Hwy 6 near Sienna Plantation early on Sunday morning, and I know about the hogs. I think the most dense deer population I had to deal with is north west of Austin.

I hope you are able to get that thing back as nice as it was before!

Ken T.

[HTownCiera]

I'm with you. I live in Fort Bend as well. I saw a couple off Hwy 6 near Sienna Plantation early on Sunday morning, and I know about the hogs. I think the most dense deer population I had to deal with is north west of Austin.

I hope you are able to get that thing back as nice as it was before!

Ken T.

What a coincidence, I live in Sienna actually. You know when I bought the car I meant it as a daily driver since it had low miles and was in great shape and did not expect to put any money into it. Now I will spend at least double what it actually cost me and will not want something to happen to it so will have to go get another daily driver/beater to commute to work (lol). I am sure you are aware how hazardous (debris on the road, crazy drivers, pot holes, etc.) Houston roads can be to a nice car.