Jason-Middle Tennessee
Enthusiast
PICTURES AT BOTTOM OF PAGE!!!!
by Jay Sicht
Topeka, KS—One 1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR: $82,000, plus options. A new OEM hood: almost $17,000. The frame: about $8,000. Preserving an adoring owner’s rare car: priceless.
For McAbee Carstar in Topeka, the Viper was the most expensive repair job the shop has taken on. Expected to exceed $60,000 by the time all supplements are turned in, the job has required expensive parts such as a $2,300 Koni coil-over shock and a $2,000 wheel. A standard Viper is not what you would call a run-of-the-mill vehicle. This snake, however, was an even more exotic breed, a competition-spec (although street legal) American Club Racer (ACR) of which only 15 units were produced for 1999, said McAbee Estimator Steve Schneider.
Complicating matters was the fact that not much was known about the ACR, including some information in the estimating database. At first, it was thought that even the frame, loosely described as a tube space frame, was aluminum, but it turned out to be a standard, Viper steel production component. The hood, however, was ACR-specific, as was the Koni coil-over shock and 18-inch BBS wheel. And of course, those parts cost much more than standard Viper parts.
"In retrospect, it should have been totaled," Schneider said, "but we’re far enough into it now that it is too late."
Schneider said he had read in a May issue of Parade magazine that the average Viper collision repair is $27,000, which he said means many Vipers that receive a hard hit are totaled and then go to a rebuilder.
All new OEM parts were used, except for a take-off hood purchased from Hennessey Motorsports in Texas, Schneider said. The Texas "tuner" firm specializes in modifying production Viper engines and adding its own bodywork pieces.
At almost $17,000 for a new OEM hood, the take-off piece was a bargain at about half the price.
What made the insurance company decide to spend $60,000 to rebuild a car that cost just over $80,000? Interestingly enough, six rebuilders looked at the car and were not interested in it, Schneider said. "This car was worth less as salvage than a regular GTS," he said. Schneider said the dealers were unwilling to put the extra money into fixing the car and then trying to recoup their investment on a high-dollar, salvage-title car. "Nobody’s going to shell out 100 grand for a salvage, rebuilt Viper," he said.
Additionally, some parts are not readily available for the ACR, such as the hood. Schneider said that since rebuilders typically look to sell a car quickly after it is rebuilt, they could not afford to have a car sitting waiting for a part to become available while they had $30,000 ******* in a car.
Although the original purchase price was about $80,000, Schneider said its rarity caused it to be valued at more by the owner. A similar car recently sold for $200,000.
The hit to the car damaged the hood, left rocker panel, the tubular frame, radiator and support, and bumper cover.
An estimate written by another shop indicated that it intended to section the frame, a process that Schneider said he definitely did not want to undertake. He said he looked at the estimating program, and it only took about 20 hours to replace the frame instead of sectioning it. He had contacted the owner about the chosen method of repair, and the owner was adamant about replacing it. "The owner said, ‘I’m going to be doing in excess of 200 mph in this car—I want to make sure the frame’s not going to come apart,’" Schneider said. "I told him, the only way to ensure that is to replace the frame."
Schneider said he pursued the job. "The car was already in another body shop, and I heard about it on the street," he said. "I knew it belonged at McAbee." He credits his brother, C.J., , with helping him sell the job to the customer. C.J. Schneider had worked at a Corvette restoration shop and reproduction parts manufacturer, and had just completed a hard hit on a Jaguar that totaled $38,000. "The owner recognized that we did high-dollar hits," Steve Schneider said. After he sold the job to the customer, he said he had the car hauled over that same day.
Authorization from the insurance company took another three to four weeks, he said.
Schneider said he placed some calls to DaimlerChrysler to get information not otherwise available. The entire body of the car is sheet-molded compound (SMC). The body, which includes the roof and the rear quarter panels, bolts to the frame/body tub through a steel reinforcement "rollcage." But after the bolts are removed, there is still adhesive holding the frame to the body. The engineers at first could not tell Schneider how to separate the two, but he said a little ingenuity on his brother’s part solved the problem.
As complex and exotic as the car may have seemed, ordinary wooden shims found at a hardware store for aligning door frames were the solution to the problem. C.J. Schneider used the shims to wedge between the body and frame, and tapped them in a little at a time to separate them. By the time the DaimlerChrysler engineers called back with an answer, the body was already sitting on sawhorses, Steve Schneider said.
Although the job has easily been the highest-priced one to come through the shop and the highest-priced estimate the insurance estimator has handled, General Manager Steve Church said it has not been the most difficult. "We had a Mercedes in here that ended up being a $32,000 job," he said. "That was a nightmare. This one, other than taking a lot of time, hasn’t been bad. It has been pretty straightforward, with switching the parts. It has been pretty labor-intensive, though. Having the right type of person to do it is the key. It takes someone very organized. For a full month, the only thing that was in that room pertained to the Viper."
C.J. Schneider said his experience working on Corvettes helped him with the job on the Viper, since some aspects of construction are very similar. "The way it is built is very similar to the front clip off a C-5 ‘Vette," he said.
Estimating information was another hurdle to overcome. Although there was information in the ADP estimating database about Vipers, it was not known if the labor times were accurate because information such as the time needed to replace a frame was largely based on an estimate of how long the factory took to put the hand-built car together. Steve Schneider said ADP will adjust its times in the database after the job is completed.
To get documentation for its estimating program, ADP was in the shop for two weeks videotaping the procedure as the frame was replaced. Carl Carlson, a veteran photographer for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, moonlighted by taking pictures throughout the process. Schneider said Carlson photographed the procedure with the same thoroughness as he would a crime scene, taking multiple photographs as he walked around the car, which is only fitting, considering the subject. "It is a crime to wreck a car like that," he joked.
Because the repair is a sort of pioneering effort for the shop, labor times are going to be negotiated with the insurance company, Schneider said, as well as paint times. The Viper came into the shop with spots on the paint, he said. It was refinished and polished, but days later, the spots reappeared. After consulting with his paint supplier’s technician, who had talked to a Corvette expert, they decided to strip the car down to the gelcoat, bake it, then refinish it using an epoxy primer, which solved the problem. It is still not known what contaminated the finish, but it is presumed to be brake fluid, he said.
Publicity generated by the job may allow the shop to seek additional high-end car wrecks with articles or ads in enthusiast magazines, Schneider said. "Between C.J. and Larry, there’s no question there’s no car in the world we can’t do," he said.
With almost $42,000 in parts, a smaller shop could not afford to take on the job as the corporate-owned McAbee Carstar has, unless the small shop took out a bank loan, Schneider said. The pay structure of the shop’s personnel has also assisted the type of work, he said. "C.J.’s not commissioned," he said. "This is the only non-commissioned shop left in Topeka. We have two commissioned body workers. That was the McAbee way, and change comes slowly. It was owned by McAbee for 43 years, and it has been a Carstar for two years."
Captions:
Steve Schneider, estimator at McAbee Carstar, says publicity resulting from the shop’s repair of this 1999 Dodge Viper GTS may attract other high-end vehicle repairs.
General Manager Steve Church says that although the Viper is the biggest repair job he’s seen, it is not the most difficult, adding that much of the total cost has gone to parts--about $42,000 of the more than $60,000 cost.
by Jay Sicht
Topeka, KS—One 1999 Dodge Viper GTS ACR: $82,000, plus options. A new OEM hood: almost $17,000. The frame: about $8,000. Preserving an adoring owner’s rare car: priceless.
For McAbee Carstar in Topeka, the Viper was the most expensive repair job the shop has taken on. Expected to exceed $60,000 by the time all supplements are turned in, the job has required expensive parts such as a $2,300 Koni coil-over shock and a $2,000 wheel. A standard Viper is not what you would call a run-of-the-mill vehicle. This snake, however, was an even more exotic breed, a competition-spec (although street legal) American Club Racer (ACR) of which only 15 units were produced for 1999, said McAbee Estimator Steve Schneider.
Complicating matters was the fact that not much was known about the ACR, including some information in the estimating database. At first, it was thought that even the frame, loosely described as a tube space frame, was aluminum, but it turned out to be a standard, Viper steel production component. The hood, however, was ACR-specific, as was the Koni coil-over shock and 18-inch BBS wheel. And of course, those parts cost much more than standard Viper parts.
"In retrospect, it should have been totaled," Schneider said, "but we’re far enough into it now that it is too late."
Schneider said he had read in a May issue of Parade magazine that the average Viper collision repair is $27,000, which he said means many Vipers that receive a hard hit are totaled and then go to a rebuilder.
All new OEM parts were used, except for a take-off hood purchased from Hennessey Motorsports in Texas, Schneider said. The Texas "tuner" firm specializes in modifying production Viper engines and adding its own bodywork pieces.
At almost $17,000 for a new OEM hood, the take-off piece was a bargain at about half the price.
What made the insurance company decide to spend $60,000 to rebuild a car that cost just over $80,000? Interestingly enough, six rebuilders looked at the car and were not interested in it, Schneider said. "This car was worth less as salvage than a regular GTS," he said. Schneider said the dealers were unwilling to put the extra money into fixing the car and then trying to recoup their investment on a high-dollar, salvage-title car. "Nobody’s going to shell out 100 grand for a salvage, rebuilt Viper," he said.
Additionally, some parts are not readily available for the ACR, such as the hood. Schneider said that since rebuilders typically look to sell a car quickly after it is rebuilt, they could not afford to have a car sitting waiting for a part to become available while they had $30,000 ******* in a car.
Although the original purchase price was about $80,000, Schneider said its rarity caused it to be valued at more by the owner. A similar car recently sold for $200,000.
The hit to the car damaged the hood, left rocker panel, the tubular frame, radiator and support, and bumper cover.
An estimate written by another shop indicated that it intended to section the frame, a process that Schneider said he definitely did not want to undertake. He said he looked at the estimating program, and it only took about 20 hours to replace the frame instead of sectioning it. He had contacted the owner about the chosen method of repair, and the owner was adamant about replacing it. "The owner said, ‘I’m going to be doing in excess of 200 mph in this car—I want to make sure the frame’s not going to come apart,’" Schneider said. "I told him, the only way to ensure that is to replace the frame."
Schneider said he pursued the job. "The car was already in another body shop, and I heard about it on the street," he said. "I knew it belonged at McAbee." He credits his brother, C.J., , with helping him sell the job to the customer. C.J. Schneider had worked at a Corvette restoration shop and reproduction parts manufacturer, and had just completed a hard hit on a Jaguar that totaled $38,000. "The owner recognized that we did high-dollar hits," Steve Schneider said. After he sold the job to the customer, he said he had the car hauled over that same day.
Authorization from the insurance company took another three to four weeks, he said.
Schneider said he placed some calls to DaimlerChrysler to get information not otherwise available. The entire body of the car is sheet-molded compound (SMC). The body, which includes the roof and the rear quarter panels, bolts to the frame/body tub through a steel reinforcement "rollcage." But after the bolts are removed, there is still adhesive holding the frame to the body. The engineers at first could not tell Schneider how to separate the two, but he said a little ingenuity on his brother’s part solved the problem.
As complex and exotic as the car may have seemed, ordinary wooden shims found at a hardware store for aligning door frames were the solution to the problem. C.J. Schneider used the shims to wedge between the body and frame, and tapped them in a little at a time to separate them. By the time the DaimlerChrysler engineers called back with an answer, the body was already sitting on sawhorses, Steve Schneider said.
Although the job has easily been the highest-priced one to come through the shop and the highest-priced estimate the insurance estimator has handled, General Manager Steve Church said it has not been the most difficult. "We had a Mercedes in here that ended up being a $32,000 job," he said. "That was a nightmare. This one, other than taking a lot of time, hasn’t been bad. It has been pretty straightforward, with switching the parts. It has been pretty labor-intensive, though. Having the right type of person to do it is the key. It takes someone very organized. For a full month, the only thing that was in that room pertained to the Viper."
C.J. Schneider said his experience working on Corvettes helped him with the job on the Viper, since some aspects of construction are very similar. "The way it is built is very similar to the front clip off a C-5 ‘Vette," he said.
Estimating information was another hurdle to overcome. Although there was information in the ADP estimating database about Vipers, it was not known if the labor times were accurate because information such as the time needed to replace a frame was largely based on an estimate of how long the factory took to put the hand-built car together. Steve Schneider said ADP will adjust its times in the database after the job is completed.
To get documentation for its estimating program, ADP was in the shop for two weeks videotaping the procedure as the frame was replaced. Carl Carlson, a veteran photographer for the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, moonlighted by taking pictures throughout the process. Schneider said Carlson photographed the procedure with the same thoroughness as he would a crime scene, taking multiple photographs as he walked around the car, which is only fitting, considering the subject. "It is a crime to wreck a car like that," he joked.
Because the repair is a sort of pioneering effort for the shop, labor times are going to be negotiated with the insurance company, Schneider said, as well as paint times. The Viper came into the shop with spots on the paint, he said. It was refinished and polished, but days later, the spots reappeared. After consulting with his paint supplier’s technician, who had talked to a Corvette expert, they decided to strip the car down to the gelcoat, bake it, then refinish it using an epoxy primer, which solved the problem. It is still not known what contaminated the finish, but it is presumed to be brake fluid, he said.
Publicity generated by the job may allow the shop to seek additional high-end car wrecks with articles or ads in enthusiast magazines, Schneider said. "Between C.J. and Larry, there’s no question there’s no car in the world we can’t do," he said.
With almost $42,000 in parts, a smaller shop could not afford to take on the job as the corporate-owned McAbee Carstar has, unless the small shop took out a bank loan, Schneider said. The pay structure of the shop’s personnel has also assisted the type of work, he said. "C.J.’s not commissioned," he said. "This is the only non-commissioned shop left in Topeka. We have two commissioned body workers. That was the McAbee way, and change comes slowly. It was owned by McAbee for 43 years, and it has been a Carstar for two years."
Captions:
Steve Schneider, estimator at McAbee Carstar, says publicity resulting from the shop’s repair of this 1999 Dodge Viper GTS may attract other high-end vehicle repairs.
General Manager Steve Church says that although the Viper is the biggest repair job he’s seen, it is not the most difficult, adding that much of the total cost has gone to parts--about $42,000 of the more than $60,000 cost.
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