I got an ouchie on my roadster...pictures!

[sshrum]

Car got a lili away from me in a turn and fishtailed out and back. Clipped a concrete post. The fender is toast and the rim is demolished.

I spoke to John a few months back when I was considering having a spare fender set and he indicated that if I needed them they could make them at any time for me so no worries there...

The body got a bit dinged in so I'm curious about the body work as well as the paint.

The rims are the hardest thing to find nowadays. I don't think the factory will have a spare set so I'm looking for either a complete set, partial set, or just the one rear rim if anyone has them.

[99panoz]

Man, I hate to see this and I know it must have made you sick.
Sounds like you've got a handle on the body parts and I'll keep my eyes open for a spare wheel. As I understand it though, the BBS RK isn't made any more so if you can find a decent used one, it'd probably be wise to snap it up even if it needs some minor repairs. A good wheel repair man can make it look brand new and turn true. I'm sure there are some good wheel repair specialist where you live, but I've actually used one here in Atlanta who did some great repair work on my BMW wheel that I'd recommend highly; in fact, they were actually recommended by Joey McBride at PADC when he was there. If you end up needing their contact information, just let me know.
Another option may be to just change out the entire set to an alternate or similar wheel. I always liked how the HRE wheel looked on the Roadster (see attached picture) but the $6K per set always kept me in place with the factory BBS wheels. If you decide to go with an entirely new set, at least you can offset the price by selling the remaining 3 to help soften the blow.

[sshrum]

Being fairly new to racing rims and all, does anyone have the specs that I should be looking for?

Seems that HRE are no longer produced???

I'd like to go with another racing rim and I don't mind dropping a few grand on them. Any suggestions?

[Second Wind]

Being fairly new to racing rims and all, does anyone have the specs that I should be looking for?

Seems that HRE are no longer produced???

I'd like to go with another racing rim and I don't mind dropping a few grand on them. Any suggestions?

From my notes (based on a conversation with a wheel manufacturer some time ago...but not verified), the front wheels on the 1999 AIV are 18 X 8.5, 5 X 114.3, Offset/ET 25 and the rear wheels are 18 X 10, 5 X 114.3, Offset/ET 20.

I suspect some of the various 18" aftermarket wheels available for the 1994 to 2004 Mustangs with the same (or close to) specs as noted would fit the AIV. A possible replacement with a similar style to the factory wheels would be the FR500 wheels available through several internet suppliers. The FR500 18 X 10 rear wheel has a deep dish style that is close to the factory wheel.

[sshrum]

Thx...I'll be shopping around for new rims as a used BBS RK seems to be going for $500.

[sshrum]

Panoz to the rescue.

Got the call from Panoz and the fender is gunna cost $1k to build and will be a week or two. The RIM...the RIM...OMG...I spent the last week trying to track down a used one. These rims are COVETED by Mustang guys...tons of "WTB" posts but no one has a 18x10 anywhere to sale so these things are incredibly hard to track down.

Panoz apparently has 1...and ONLY one BBS RK...and it's the rear! Schweet baby Jebus! Sounded like it was on a tire display they had at the shop. SOLD to me.

Now I'm off to find a easier to replace set of rims so I can keep these things.

[IkeCan]

Happy to see you found a rim! I had no idea the rims were that hard to find. I have a '98 AIV and they have a different style rim. Makes me wonder if they are as hard to find as the ones on your '99.

Have you found a shop that can work on the body? Hope you are back on the road soon!

[sshrum]

My normal shop forwarded the car to a shop that specializes in aluminum and composite bodies: European Motor Works in Newport Beach.

I stopped off at the body shop to look over the car and found some additional damage: cracks, mis-alignments, etc; not limited to only on the driver side but extending over to the passenger side as well.

- All 4 corners of the trunk opening have small cracks.
- The vinyl striping on the trunk doesn't line up with the striping on the body.
- There is some body panel separation in the trunk area.
- And to top it off, all 4 amber running lights aren't working (but blinkers and brake lights work).

Looks like it's going to be a couple months before I get the car back. The shop had about 30 cars in the warehouse (Tesla, Lotus, Aston Martin, customs, etc) so I think I'm just at the end of the list. That being said, I got asked a lot of ?'s about the car by the staff so even in a sea of high performance vehicles, the Roadster still likes to draw a crowd.

On a positive note, the cracks and blemishes that were on the car originally are going to get fixed as part of the insurance repairs as the damage is in the same areas.

[sshrum]

$24K....that is the repair estimate on the damage, most (if not all) of that being aluminum work. I have the body shop calling Superform is see how much a new body would cost (if it's even a possibility).

The insurance company called and they're having a specialist come out to appraise the vehicle. While I have all my receipts, a spotless maintenance record, and just over 5k miles on the car, along with it's rare status, I'm hoping for the best but I'm not liking the way this might be going.

I could see them totaling out the car if I wrapped it around a tree but come on...

Worst case, I buy the vehicle back off them, and part it out. Or do the work myself. Or get another estimate.

Crap.

Fingers crossed.

[99panoz]

I'd be surprised if Superform could sell any Panoz components as the body was designed by Panoz therefore the molds that created those body panels would be either physically owned by Panoz or protected intellectual property of Panoz Auto Development. I would think Superform would just redirect the inquirer back to PADC for parts replacement.

Also there are (14) body pieces to a single "sheet" panel (the hood has its own sheet) and cutting out each piece from the master sheet is extremely labor intensive so quite likely cost prohibitive from an insurers perspective.
Does PADC not have the panels in stock?

[sshrum]

THANK YOU!!!! I was under the impression that it was one piece. I'll call the body shop tomorrow as well as Panoz.

You may have saved my roadster.

[99panoz]

Happy to see you found a rim! I had no idea the rims were that hard to find. I have a '98 AIV and they have a different style rim. Makes me wonder if they are as hard to find as the ones on your '99.

Have you found a shop that can work on the body? Hope you are back on the road soon!

Actually the wheels on the 1997-98's are even more rare. I'd suggest keeping an eye open for some replacements (Ebay, Craig's List, swap meets, etc.) to hold back in case of an emergency. Their practically investments that aren't likely to lose value since they are in fact so coveted by Mustang owners.
The demand far outstrips the level of available supply and it'd be best to view it as just "supplemental insurance".

[sshrum]

Well, the current thinking is that it will cost more to weld the panels in versus just doing the body alignment with the existing panels. The appraiser that is going out tomorrow said he knew Dan Panoz back in the early 80's back when he was making kit cars. He indicated that he was well aware of the Roadster and all that it embodied so I'm hoping for some good news.

Worst case, if they total the vehicle, I'mm pretty sure I'll get what I put into it back out so no $ lost there (just that empty feeling). I'll just have to track down another roadster...and maybe buy back my original for "parts"

Best case, they fix the body...but there may be some "hidden damages" that still need addressing. My thoughts are on the rear gearbox. I fishtailed into that pole right on the axle head. I'm wondering about the frame, the axle, and the gears. Oh joy.

Guess it's just the waiting game til then.

[IkeCan]

Hope you receive good news from the insurance company! The body shop you sent your Roadster to looks to be one of the best I have seen. Looks like they have a lot of experience in working with aluminum. Prior to owning my Panoz I owned an Austin Healey 3000 that had aluminum fenders. I saw a number of poor repair jobs on other Healey's where they were repaired by a shop that did not have experience with aluminum.

[sshrum]

Freaking shaking in my boots for the past 2 weeks. Was dealing with the insurance company's Total Loss department.

Just got the phone call today:

The appraisal on my roadster came in at $45k,
Salvage value came in at $9k (that's a joke as I can get that for the motor alone),
Repairs are $25k

...ergo the insurance company has green lit my repairs!

OH HAPPY DAY!

The ppl at European Motor Works have been awesome. Included in the insurance repairs, they are fixing the license plate rub spot on the nose (about the size of a quarter), repairing the 2 stress cracks and blemish spot on the passenger rear. They are looking into removing, filling, and painting over the bonnet posts (I'll never use the top anyways).

Next step will be getting roll bars installed. Just need to find a guy in my area that can do it. Any one with roll bars have any suggestions/insights?