Current page status: Initial pictures from the salvage yard on 14 July 2000 until finish in middle of December 2000.
This truck was 'totaled' in a combination of two collisions in February through April 2008 and has since been replaced. {These are some old webpages from 2000 just for curiousity sake}
Several people have been curious about the "new" truck I bought in 2000. Instead of going to a new or used car/truck lot I had a wrecked vehicle rebuilt. Buying it salvage and having it fixed up should save substantially over the used cost for a truck of the same age and mileage (I hope). Below are pictures of the "before" phase through the finished phase.
The pictures below are of the vehicle have purchased: 1998 Dodge Dakota 4WD extended cab pickup with about 31,000 miles. It was hit in the passenger side. There was only a little frame bending and no damage to the drive train or inside the engine compartment.
The first set of pictures is of the truck in the rebuilder's shop on the frame straightening machine before anything was done to it: 14 July 2000.
The frame has been now been straightened. Most of the side with the damage has been cut out but there is still more cutting required. The truck bed had been lifted to get at sections at the rear of the cab.
Part of new side and door assembly is now welded on.
The orange spot is a reflection of the glow of the wood fireplace in the shop.
Almost all of new side and door assembly is now welded on. There are minor straightening to be accomplished before the last several welds are made. Finishing work is in progress on the front part of the truck bed.
Complete and Finished after "only" 5 months.
Last modified on: 10 August 2007
updated 3 October 2008 to indicate that I have lost this truck and have since replaced it due to a 'total' collision in Early 2008