Turned into my street tonight, road is kinda off camber and there is a crest in the road. Turned in, went to straighten out of the corner and i had no steering, car wasnt understeering, steering wheel would just free spin (and still does)

Outcome, straight through the corner, off the road and into a tree at about 50 :(

Front end is pretty damaged and something isnt right in the right hand side suspension, i dont know if the swaybar broke free or a mount went, or even if the control arm or tie rod is good, but something really seperated.

Dragged the car home, bent the bonnet back out to open the bonnet.

Victims;

swaybar
Radiator support panel(s)
front valance
radiator
fan (well it finally came off!)
ac condensor
vibration dampener
RHS rail (though i think it was already bent from previous owner).

Surprisingly, the front spoiler is a little banged up (well, no worse than before), so it looks pretty much ok.

Any qld guys on here got a parts car atm? need a new bonnet of course but i wouldnt mind taking the entire front panel too.

Ill post up some pics tomorrow when its light, in all it kinda sucks poor little jps. :bluecry1

Here are some pics after it was cleaned, washed and waxed just the other day.

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/IMGP1054.jpg

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/IMGP1058.jpg

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/IMGP1063.jpg

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/IMGP1068.jpg

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/IMGP1076.jpg

:bawling

Steering wheel broke free eh?? WTF? Tail happiness threw a corner - I feel your pain bro.

Pics of the car was looking good. That does not kill me makes me stronger...

sorry to hear about the accident..time to rebuild...:confused:mad:(:D

Fuck!

Was the new radiator in at the time?

I've got all these on my car I'm parting...
-swaybar
-Radiator support panel(s)
-front valance
-radiator
-fan (well it finally came off!)
-ac condensor
-vibration dampener
-RHS rail (though i think it was already bent from previous owner).

Steering wheel broke free eh?? WTF? Tail happiness threw a corner - I feel your pain bro.

Pics of the car was looking good. That does not kill me makes me stronger...

sorry to hear about the accident..time to rebuild...:confused:mad:(:D

No, i dont mean the wheels lost contact with the road and sliding, that just wont happen with T1R's on the car. What happened was i turned the wheel back around to the left and the wheel was just light and turned freely. The wheel itself didnt actually turn, its still pointing in the wrong direction even with the steering wheel turned hard in, i wasnt going fast (just doing the speed limit) or sliding when it happened, grabbed the brakes as soon as i realised that it wasnt going anywhere but straight, but was already off the road and into the grass :embarrasm

Was the new radiator in at the time?

I've got all these on my car I'm parting...
-swaybar
-Radiator support panel(s)
-front valance
-radiator
-fan (well it finally came off!)
-ac condensor
-vibration dampener
-RHS rail (though i think it was already bent from previous owner).

no, not yet, i just finished doing some rewiring to put it in this week :eyecrazy

Bonnet? fan i dont need, valance isnt too much of an issue with the motorsport front. Condensor and sheet metal i need though. going to see what i can find in brisbane in the morning.

I've got all these on my car I'm parting...
-swaybar
-Radiator support panel(s)
-front valance
-radiator
-fan (well it finally came off!)
-ac condensor
-vibration dampener
-RHS rail (though i think it was already bent from previous owner).

no, not yet, i just finished doing some rewiring to put it in this week :eyecrazy

Bonnet? fan i dont need, valance isnt too much of an issue with the motorsport front. Condensor and sheet metal i need though. going to see what i can find in brisbane in the morning.


Yeah my bonnet is good.

Also have a black motorsport front with one small hole approx. 5 cm by 3 cm

prices? :)

edit: Also need grill and kidney too :(

Meh whatever

Meh whatever

Five Dollar :lol

No, seriously, you selling a complete car or ?

Five Dollar :lol

No, seriously, you selling a complete car or ?

I'd like to sell the car complete, but I doubt anyone will be interested in it as it doesn't run and isn't 100% assembled.

So I suppose I'll part it out, unless you want it :D

started pouring now. Ran outside to take a couple pics with the p&s.

was

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/IMGP1068.jpg

now

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/crash/IMG_0027.jpg

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/crash/IMG_0028.jpg

http://www.rd-motorsport.net/images/stories/build/JPS/crash/IMG_0029.jpg

:(

So why did the steering wheel turn freely w/o turning the wheels? Broken control arms....? Tie-rod seperated? Man, that sounds terrifying!

That sucks a kangaroo man. I love your JPS lol, has that motorsport front that just looks stunning. I think its quite funny, that it still looks damn good. I would be interested to know why your steering instantly didnt work. Sabotage be afoot...

So why did the steering wheel turn freely w/o turning the wheels? Broken control arms....? Tie-rod seperated? Man, that sounds terrifying!

It does have a fair bit of suspension stuff in it, and its quite stiff, but it really shouldnt be an issue. The way it feels, im thinking maybe something has gone wrong with a tie rod, or a mount or something, maybe the swaybar broke free or something. Its like the whole side just went weird and i wasnt going anywhere.

That sucks a kangaroo man. I love your JPS lol, has that motorsport front that just looks stunning. I think its quite funny, that it still looks damn good. I would be interested to know why your steering instantly didnt work. Sabotage be afoot...

Still looks good with the front end smashed in? those pics i posted first were on xmas eve. The new ones just above are as it sits now. Annoying thing is i have to go back to work in 2 freakin days! :mad

Just had a look in the catalog and w&n have front panels for a little over 130 euro. Any of the US guys know anyone else who sells the panels? i checked bav auto and pelican parts. I wonder what the $tealer would say, see if its any cheaper than the w&n item + international shipping.

Really sorry for you Madhatter, afraid I'm a little far to be of any help.

noooooo! not that beautiful JPS!

wow dude, im sorry madhatter, that really bites. glad you aren't hurt though!

its also good the damage didn't go to your engine to much.

Sorry to hear about the problem man, but it sounds like you got fixing it all under control. Good luck!

Damn that really sucks. Its a good thing you planned to dig into this JPS, so at least your not such in a huge rut about this, just put a damper on your parade.

Due to geography I cant help you much, but there are some guys on your corner that can help you im sure. Good luck getting it back together better than before.

Is it possible the U-joint on the steering rod snapped? First time I heard of this happen to a BMW.

If that was a new BMW it would have been totalled. It actually faired pretty well hitting a tree at 50. Sucks though.. Good luck rebuilding and finding that front spoiler, theyre tough to find, unless you can repair it.

Damn that really sucks. Its a good thing you planned to dig into this JPS, so at least your not such in a huge rut about this, just put a damper on your parade.

Due to geography I cant help you much, but there are some guys on your corner that can help you im sure. Good luck getting it back together better than before.

Is it possible the U-joint on the steering rod snapped? First time I heard of this happen to a BMW.

I was thinking the same thing as you CJ, could it be a tie rod or something like the steering rod..that broke?? Anyway I am sure you can rebuild it...does this mean your engine build has been put on hold?

If that was a new BMW it would have been totalled. It actually faired pretty well hitting a tree at 50. Sucks though.. Good luck rebuilding and finding that front spoiler, theyre tough to find, unless you can repair it.

how fast is 50 km/h compared to mph?

around 31mph.

Sorry to hear about your loss, such a pity on such a nice car. Glad to hear you're rebuilding it. Good luck on it!

Wow, i was just telling a guy about this car yesterday. showed pics and everything!

Dude. that is rough. I am glad you will be able to fix it. I've been meaning to chime in about how unbelievably cool I think that car is. I saw Mario race the JPS lotus as a little kid. Even got the toy model. I had no idea JP even did a e21 till I saw your car. What a piece of history. John Player, I wish that was my name.:D

how fast is 50 km/h compared to mph?

yeah I forgot about that, but its still fast to hit a tree at.

Damn that really sucks. Its a good thing you planned to dig into this JPS, so at least your not such in a huge rut about this, just put a damper on your parade.

Due to geography I cant help you much, but there are some guys on your corner that can help you im sure. Good luck getting it back together better than before.

Is it possible the U-joint on the steering rod snapped? First time I heard of this happen to a BMW.

I had a bit of a look in the engine bay and the joint looks ok. Its still pouring with rain at the moment, but the way its sitting something is wrong with the suspension, its sitting down low on the guard on one side, like the guard is on the tyre. I replaced the bolts with new high tensile stuff and new nilocs when i put the stuff in, so something shouldnt have come free.

Yeah, my radiator support panel was bent before i got it, fairly badly twisted, enough that with the headlights adjusted right out, they still point about 10-12 feet in front. So i had to do some repair to it, just now i need to replace the whole damn thing :stickoutt

Arnz has a bonnet on his parts car (i needed a new bonnet anyway as mine was already damaged previously), so im going to grab that. The right hand rail looks pretty straight backwards, but its a little bent up the front right near the support panel. The one thing im a little worried about is the panel is up tight against the brake linkage on that side. To me, looking at the engine bay, it looks like the booster and master cylinder are pushed off to one side.

If it stops raining ill actually be able to bring it in and have a look.

If that was a new BMW it would have been totalled. It actually faired pretty well hitting a tree at 50. Sucks though.. Good luck rebuilding and finding that front spoiler, theyre tough to find, unless you can repair it.

It hasnt really damaged the spoiler, though it is a little twisted, but it appears to be complete still. Hadrian has said that he has one if i need it, so before i go back to work ill make sure i pull it off and see if im good to go or need to replace it. Ill send it to a plastics repairer to pop it back out straight if need be (again, it was a little bent before i got it, so it needed repair).

The weird thing is i work locally as we have a shop, its about 4-5km away. Before christmas ive been getting into shape a little, but ive been taking the easy way out and driving to work most days. I was thinking last night, i should take the car off the road and that will make me walk/ride in to work :eek:

I was thinking the same thing as you CJ, could it be a tie rod or something like the steering rod..that broke?? Anyway I am sure you can rebuild it...does this mean your engine build has been put on hold?

Nah, i did plan to take the valve parts down for my head though. Ive got a few weeks wait still on the pistons, so that kinda slows things down. What i did plan to do was swap out the motor and drop in a spare ive got, so i could play around with the block without rendering the car useless. I need to call around a couple places about some parts i need for the rebuild anyway, so i planned to go and pick them up today, guess ill be driving the boat instead (and honestly, with this rain, if it doesnt stop im really going to need a real boat!).

Im feeling a little better today, repaired worse before, (but its still a pita) so the car will definately be back on the road. Im going to speak to my boss and see if i can get a little time off work, get the bits removed and get the car off to the aligners if need be. Im thinking i should weld a piece of plate across the rails underneath when unpicking the front panel though, i know the subframe is there, but ive got a feeling it will put the front end out if i dont.

dont worry mate, you'll get it back on the road in no time.

Yeah, im not too worried. No parts places open today though the slackers! i wanted to pickup a VRS kit so i could drop off the valve and cam seals to have my head put back together. Everyone is closed!

Same thing just happened to me today, except hitting the tree. I was coming over a hill, and had to do some hard braking. the back end tried to get under me and spin out, so i corrected, bearing in mind that majority of the cars weight is still in the air from the hill, it finally landed and the wheel snatched to to the right and rammed me into the curb, causing the left side of the car to go airborne. Both wheels on the right side are bent. When the wheels are straight my steering wheel is cocked to the left. I will take pics.

Nooooo this cant be :(... it really doesn't look bad at all , I see hope in her.

dang, two cars taken out this quickly.

had a bit of a look under the car today inbetween serious rain and terrible wind, the swaybar (and in this case, both of them) is no longer connected to the chassis rails. End result, one of the main link components in a strut suspension that helps locate and support the wheel is no longer functioning. :(

I dont know if the swaybar is still actually bolted through the control arm, i couldnt get under the car to see if the bush and washer is still there, but at the moment it looks like its gone. The metal around the rail is a little beat up so i cant tell if it has pulled out of the sheet metal or if it was damaged in the accident.

Will take further investigation.

FYI, new front panel supplied here is just under $700 ex germany. Hopefully w&n will get back to me soon. Car will definately come off the road now for full restoration. Im going to take 2 weeks off and get everything removed and ready to go to the chassis aligner and get the front panel tacked into place. If it ever stops raining ill take some pics.

Going through and selling off everything i dont need now. Diff's, kits, gearboxes, etc, will put it all on ebay i think (jesus their charges have gone up though). Any of the aussie guys though, ive damaged the fuel distributor. Anyone got a complete injection setup forsale?

Thats why I never drive my non daily driver cars in the rain, or really in much traffic down here where we have a bunch of idiots driving. I know that sounds ridiculous, and I do have classic insurance, but how do you replace a numbered car of a limited series like an B6 or 2002 turbo? If you totalled that car, what are the odds of running accross another JPS in that condition?

bummer man. That sucks. Keep us posted on the rebuild

had a bit of a look under the car today inbetween serious rain and terrible wind, the swaybar (and in this case, both of them) is no longer connected to the chassis rails. End result, one of the main link components in a strut suspension that helps locate and support the wheel is no longer functioning. :(

I dont know if the swaybar is still actually bolted through the control arm, i couldnt get under the car to see if the bush and washer is still there, but at the moment it looks like its gone. The metal around the rail is a little beat up so i cant tell if it has pulled out of the sheet metal or if it was damaged in the accident.

Will take further investigation.

FYI, new front panel supplied here is just under $700 ex germany. Hopefully w&n will get back to me soon. Car will definately come off the road now for full restoration. Im going to take 2 weeks off and get everything removed and ready to go to the chassis aligner and get the front panel tacked into place. If it ever stops raining ill take some pics.

Going through and selling off everything i dont need now. Diff's, kits, gearboxes, etc, will put it all on ebay i think (jesus their charges have gone up though). Any of the aussie guys though, ive damaged the fuel distributor. Anyone got a complete injection setup forsale?

yep man i got everything. let me know what you need

Sorry to hear about this man...i hope it all turn out ok...

Just wanted to extend my condolences. You might want to check the U-joint in the steering shaft just north of the firewall. If it was a Tie-rod end, one wheel should have turned, right? Good luck on the rebuild.

Steering rack? That's just scary that you lost steering. I bet 18 E21 members here crawled under their cars after seeing this to check things out.

Ain't it the truth?

sorry to hear of your misfortune hope the rebuild goes well. good luck.

thats no good at all mate, you came out all ok?
can you send me a PM with what you got for sale and some rough prices and i will see if there any goodies i can take off your hands.
cheers

He is going to fix that car mate, not part it....

no, i think he was replying to a post where i said ive got some stuff to sell off.

Its all e30 stuff mainly (diffs, gearboxes), cept for a couple e21 things, upgraded rear swaybar, locked diff, bbs bodykit, bbs front spoiler, cylinder head, block, ive got some recaros too which ill part with for the right price :)

no, i think he was replying to a post where i said ive got some stuff to sell off.

Its all e30 stuff mainly (diffs, gearboxes), cept for a couple e21 things, upgraded rear swaybar, locked diff, bbs bodykit, bbs front spoiler, cylinder head, block, ive got some recaros too which ill part with for the right price :)



Yeh i was, thanks madhatter.

could be interested in the bbs spoiler and the diff, is it a CIG locker(welded diff?) or a proper one? can you PM me some info on the diff and prices on those please.

thank you

ohh its welded :D

hey mate whats going on tomorrow? u still gonna come around?

yeah, of course. still want to come down around 10 oclock. See what the car is like.

yeah, of course. still want to come down around 10 oclock. See what the car is like.

no problems mate.