Pete the Rocker
Well-Known Member
Does anyone know anything about the roadster that had a wreck on the way back from the Goodguys event in Washington?
Roadster mishap from Puyallup
- Thread starter Pete the Rocker
- Start date
Not pretty, hope everybody is OK
cocobolo
Well-Known Member
Oh no! 
That looks like the new roadster that an acquaintance of mine (Ray) recently finished over in Cedar. Don't know how many cream/maroon rumble seat roadsters there would be out there, but it can't be many.
I might drop by his place next time I go over to town and check.
That looks like the new roadster that an acquaintance of mine (Ray) recently finished over in Cedar. Don't know how many cream/maroon rumble seat roadsters there would be out there, but it can't be many. I might drop by his place next time I go over to town and check.
Pete the Rocker
Well-Known Member
What happened?
30 ford
Active Member
Roadster
A big 4x4 ran over the top of him. Ray and Joe are ok just a few minor facial cuts, very very lucky as the hood came through the windshield. Ray has the car home and is going to rebuild. What a shock seeing a friend’s beautiful car all smashed that he has been working on for years. Just glad no one was badly hurt.
A big 4x4 ran over the top of him. Ray and Joe are ok just a few minor facial cuts, very very lucky as the hood came through the windshield. Ray has the car home and is going to rebuild. What a shock seeing a friend’s beautiful car all smashed that he has been working on for years. Just glad no one was badly hurt.
Pete the Rocker
Well-Known Member
Glad to hear that the injuries were not major, quite lucky considering where the hood landed. It looks like a beautiful car, hopefully he can rebuild it without too many problems and get back on the road soon.
30 ford
Active Member
roadster mishap
The car was appraised and insured properly with modified collector plates. The doesn’t seem to be very much if any frame damage. The main body didn’t get banged up very much. The car started life as a sports coupe the quarters have been shortened and the doors stretched with roll up windows, all owner built except upholstery it's a super nice quality built car.
The car was appraised and insured properly with modified collector plates. The doesn’t seem to be very much if any frame damage. The main body didn’t get banged up very much. The car started life as a sports coupe the quarters have been shortened and the doors stretched with roll up windows, all owner built except upholstery it's a super nice quality built car.
Glad no one was hurt looks like it could have been much worse. There has to be more to the story than a 4x4 ran over him? How did he get into a situation where a 4x4 runs over the front of his car it looks like it is on a highway?
cocobolo
Well-Known Member
I suppose there will be all sorts of stories around about the accident, so I will go by Ray's place next time I go to town and find out first hand.
There's nothing second class about his workmanship, and the last time I was there he had just got the car back from the upholsterer...the workmanship on that was truly outstanding.
What a damn shame, but I'm sure glad that he's OK.
There's nothing second class about his workmanship, and the last time I was there he had just got the car back from the upholsterer...the workmanship on that was truly outstanding.
What a damn shame, but I'm sure glad that he's OK.
As posted on the HAMB by "retrosteel" From Van Isle
Ray Digby from Nanaimo, B.C. built this '29 Ford from the groundup. At this years GoodGuys Northwest Nationals it won Best Bitchin'
Ray is a retired firechief and has driven long distance many of his homebuilt hotrods. Sunday on the way back from Puyallup on the Canadian side of the border heading back to Vancouver Island, Ray had a serious accident with this coupe. Joe Bike a fellow hotrodder was with Ray when the rear end locked up at speed. Ray lost control and spun 180 degrees on his side of the freeway. He hit an oncoming pickup head on. The pickup tried to avoid Ray's '29, but the front end and especially the front fender (now gone) took the brunt of the impact. The hood was now lodged sideways 1/2 way through the windshield. Both Ray & Joe escaped without serious injury. It shows how fast things can happen and luckily both Ray & Joe have lived to talk about it!
__________________
Ray Digby from Nanaimo, B.C. built this '29 Ford from the groundup. At this years GoodGuys Northwest Nationals it won Best Bitchin'
Ray is a retired firechief and has driven long distance many of his homebuilt hotrods. Sunday on the way back from Puyallup on the Canadian side of the border heading back to Vancouver Island, Ray had a serious accident with this coupe. Joe Bike a fellow hotrodder was with Ray when the rear end locked up at speed. Ray lost control and spun 180 degrees on his side of the freeway. He hit an oncoming pickup head on. The pickup tried to avoid Ray's '29, but the front end and especially the front fender (now gone) took the brunt of the impact. The hood was now lodged sideways 1/2 way through the windshield. Both Ray & Joe escaped without serious injury. It shows how fast things can happen and luckily both Ray & Joe have lived to talk about it!
__________________
Topsterguy
Well-Known Member
I've talked to Ray (via email) and saw Joe, his passenger , yesterday and they were both banged up a bit ( Joe got the hood in his face and got a black eye from that) but will be fine. Ray figures the trans locked up which locked the back wheels up and sent him towards the ditch, but Ray got out of that , but then it went sideways and into the fast lane of the oncoming traffic. All they both saw was the front end of a big black Dodge truck as it ran over the front end. Ray says ICBC has been really good, so far, and he will rebuild the car. Ray has always built gorgeous cars so I know he'll do it again.
cocobolo
Well-Known Member
Dropped by Ray's place this afternoon for an update.
Everybody will be pleased to know that the injuries to both Ray and Joe were very minor. Ray showed me where he had two very small cuts near his eyes, and they were both healed already, so that was the good news.
Two of the more senior ICBC adjusters have been out to Rays' place and he has just got the go ahead to take the car apart and get started on the rebuild. If the work was to be done by a body shop, they would consider the car to be a writeoff, but as you know by now, Ray will be doing the rebuild.
As to the accident itself, Ray says they were just cruising down the highway in the slow lane when something let go and the car spun around. He ended up going backwards in the fast lane, and that's when the 4 x 4 ran over his front end.
Now, this 4 x 4 had some huge tires and Ray credits these tires for actually absorbing some of the impact as it ran right over the front of the car. You can see the tire marks up on the passenger side of the cowl..I can tell you that would have scared the crap out of me!
Apparently Joe was all business right after the collision, but Ray was all shook up and a real mess. Joe made sure everybody was OK and sort of took charge of things from there.
The 4 x 4 driver said all he saw was a huge cloud of smoke come pouring off Ray's back tires and the next thing he knew, Ray was right in front of him heading backwards. Nobody in the 4 x 4 was injured.
Back to the garage...very little has been removed from the car yet, just the stuff right at the front of the car. However, when they were loading the car on the trailer for the ride home, Ray noticed tranny fluid coming out of a crack in the trans casing. From this, he deduces that something went wrong inside causing it to lock up. Apparently the rear end itself is fine.
Now Ray's front end was built by a fellow who has since passed away, so no replacement parts will be available and he will likely go with a TCI this time around. Damn shame, because the existing front end is a work of art in stainless steel. The air bags are OK so can be used again.
Both engine mounts were torn right off in the impact. The only other visible damage to the engine that I could see was a dent in the pass side rocker cover and another deep ding in the front of the header on the same side.
The chap who did the upholstery (fantastic job!) is coming over to take it all out. It was designed to be able to do that. Once that is done, Ray will be lifting the body up just a small amount, sufficient to remove the engine and tranny. The body doesn't need to be removed completely, and Ray doesn't want to do that anyway if he can possibly avoid it. BTW, the passenger side door still opens and closes.
His best estimate of parts replacement cost is in the neighbourhood of $15k at the moment.
The driver's side of the frame seems to have been pulled very slightly over, while the pass side is out a bit more. Ray hopes that when he cuts the front crossmember out that the driver's side will spring back. Really very minor movement in either side. The pass side A arms are another story...that's where much of the damage is. Thus the entire front end will be replaced.
ICBC has a 2 year time limit on payout, by which time the car will need to be complete. Unfortunately, Ray will have to use his own money to effect all the repairs. My money is on Ray to get it done in time.
I asked how the response had been from the hot rod crowd and he said he got a kick out of all the emails and calls he has received. You see, the guys all ask about the car, while the ladies all ask how Ray is. He has also got offers of help from his fellow rodders, so I trust that will ease the pain of the job.
His new car had just 2,500 miles on it, and as Ray said "they were all good miles".
Everybody will be pleased to know that the injuries to both Ray and Joe were very minor. Ray showed me where he had two very small cuts near his eyes, and they were both healed already, so that was the good news.
Two of the more senior ICBC adjusters have been out to Rays' place and he has just got the go ahead to take the car apart and get started on the rebuild. If the work was to be done by a body shop, they would consider the car to be a writeoff, but as you know by now, Ray will be doing the rebuild.
As to the accident itself, Ray says they were just cruising down the highway in the slow lane when something let go and the car spun around. He ended up going backwards in the fast lane, and that's when the 4 x 4 ran over his front end.
Now, this 4 x 4 had some huge tires and Ray credits these tires for actually absorbing some of the impact as it ran right over the front of the car. You can see the tire marks up on the passenger side of the cowl..I can tell you that would have scared the crap out of me!
Apparently Joe was all business right after the collision, but Ray was all shook up and a real mess. Joe made sure everybody was OK and sort of took charge of things from there.
The 4 x 4 driver said all he saw was a huge cloud of smoke come pouring off Ray's back tires and the next thing he knew, Ray was right in front of him heading backwards. Nobody in the 4 x 4 was injured.
Back to the garage...very little has been removed from the car yet, just the stuff right at the front of the car. However, when they were loading the car on the trailer for the ride home, Ray noticed tranny fluid coming out of a crack in the trans casing. From this, he deduces that something went wrong inside causing it to lock up. Apparently the rear end itself is fine.
Now Ray's front end was built by a fellow who has since passed away, so no replacement parts will be available and he will likely go with a TCI this time around. Damn shame, because the existing front end is a work of art in stainless steel. The air bags are OK so can be used again.
Both engine mounts were torn right off in the impact. The only other visible damage to the engine that I could see was a dent in the pass side rocker cover and another deep ding in the front of the header on the same side.
The chap who did the upholstery (fantastic job!) is coming over to take it all out. It was designed to be able to do that. Once that is done, Ray will be lifting the body up just a small amount, sufficient to remove the engine and tranny. The body doesn't need to be removed completely, and Ray doesn't want to do that anyway if he can possibly avoid it. BTW, the passenger side door still opens and closes.
His best estimate of parts replacement cost is in the neighbourhood of $15k at the moment.
The driver's side of the frame seems to have been pulled very slightly over, while the pass side is out a bit more. Ray hopes that when he cuts the front crossmember out that the driver's side will spring back. Really very minor movement in either side. The pass side A arms are another story...that's where much of the damage is. Thus the entire front end will be replaced.
ICBC has a 2 year time limit on payout, by which time the car will need to be complete. Unfortunately, Ray will have to use his own money to effect all the repairs. My money is on Ray to get it done in time.
I asked how the response had been from the hot rod crowd and he said he got a kick out of all the emails and calls he has received. You see, the guys all ask about the car, while the ladies all ask how Ray is. He has also got offers of help from his fellow rodders, so I trust that will ease the pain of the job.
His new car had just 2,500 miles on it, and as Ray said "they were all good miles".
wrascal
Well-Known Member
That is pretty good new Keith. Sometimes in an accident like that when it comes too close to the final one, you can get so tramatized, even looking at the car gives you the shakes.. Maybe keep us posted on both the owner and the car as he puts it all back together...
Russ
Russ