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My Challenger Taken By Hurricane Sandy

7K views 47 replies 33 participants last post by  Tali I 
#1 ·
It is with sadness i found out today east river took over our neighborhood by 5 feet of water and took away pretty much all undergrounds parking lots around; even perched on 7 foot hydraulic lifts the water rush was so great underground garages are water filled all the way to street level; my '12 challenger did not make it and another 2010 SRT8 in my building with a 750hp 426 SC Hemi also died; so no house, no water, no car, no power just left with the generosity of a co worker to shelter my family; 9-11 was our first experience of a disaster, Sandy is now our #2 for us, no comment... it may be time to move...

so i would appreciate any feedback in terms of what to do with my filled with dreams and happy grins chunk of metal; i was thinking of turning dead "mayhem" (my challenger name) into a road race racing car; pull everything out and rebuild from scratch with just the shell, a great rebuilt engine, racing brakes, roll cage and racing suspension and turn this baby in a mini le mans challenger;

wht do u think?

of course i don't have any funds for this as we speak but when the car comes out of its grave do i just take it to a junkyard and be done with it? .... with so much potential as being something else? something that is meant to show any Porsche Cayman R, Challenger has also its name on a road course track?

anyone in the northeast not too far away from New York where i could store the car so i can start to work on week ends and turn a negative into a positive while, insurance working, i still get another 2013 SRT8 just to tell Sandy and any other hurricane i will not go down without a fight!

does anybody know about salvaging a car? will the insurance let me do the above?

i placed my claim and it is acknowledged but i have not spoken to anyone yet at the insurance

another racer interested in creating SandyMayhem Motorsports with me? raise funds and start to make a dream come true?

America is about dreams, never given up and moving forward; i have to believe

any ideas, recommendation are welcome

Thank you Community

OT
:angel: :rocker:
 
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#4 ·
Since that was likely to be seawater (from storm surge) that flooded - there is corrosion to be found virtually everywhere in the car.

It will affect ALL the electrical harnesses and connections, electronic modules, IP cluster, WIN nodes and any places in the body cavities will develop rust due to salt deposits.

A car isn't designed for immersion in water, and add salt water to that situation - it will have problems in the future.

The cost to completely dismantle and re-do and replace items will exceed the cost / value of the car.
 
#9 ·
Since that was likely to be seawater (from storm surge) that flooded - there is corrosion to be found virtually everywhere in the car.

It will affect ALL the electrical harnesses and connections, electronic modules, IP cluster, WIN nodes and any places in the body cavities will develop rust due to salt deposits.

A car isn't designed for immersion in water, and add salt water to that situation - it will have problems in the future.

The cost to completely dismantle and re-do and replace items will exceed the cost / value of the car.
Times two. I had a friend that had a car that had been flooded in fresh water and the electical prolems he had with the car were big and this was 20 years ago. I would think the newer cars would be worse. Get a new car I would think would be in your best interest. Good luck to you and your familly.
 
#5 ·
What they say is true, I don't know if you had salt or fresh water intrusion, fresh would be better, but a key to saving a car that has been flooded is to get it dry as soon as possible, also fill the engine and transmission with a protective oil as soon as it gets out of the water (drain the oil and transmission fluid, and fill all the way with diesel or kerosene, to protect the inside until you can get back to it and flush it out properly). Here on the gulf coast the thing that kills so many cars that were flooded in hurricanes is the delay before action can be taken by the owners, often people will not be allowed back into evacuation zones for weeks, leaving the wet car exposed to air and allowing all sorts of corrosion to happen. Even in the best case there will be a lot of electronics that will likely be ruined, still what do you have to loose by trying.

Ike
 
#8 ·
My personal experience in the auto collision business gives some insight into your insurance claim.
Normally the claimant,you,can request to retain title to your damaged vehicle.
Expect to receive a salvage title and a very reasonable price to keep the hulk.

For what it's worth,most people end up ahead of the game due to the insurance settlement,I've seen this so many times in the past.A smart move would be for you to keep the damaged car and place it for sale on Ebay or the like.
 
#10 ·
Best of luck on your endevours, sad to hear these stories.
What a storm...
 
#12 ·
It is with sadness i found out today east river took over our neighborhood by 5 feet of water and took away pretty much all undergrounds parking lots around; even perched on 7 foot hydraulic lifts the water rush was so great underground garages are water filled all the way to street level; my '12 challenger did not make it and another 2010 SRT8 in my building with a 750hp 426 SC Hemi also died; so no house, no water, no car, no power just left with the generosity of a co worker to shelter my family; 9-11 was our first experience of a disaster, Sandy is now our #2 for us, no comment... it may be time to move...

so i would appreciate any feedback in terms of what to do with my filled with dreams and happy grins chunk of metal; i was thinking of turning dead "mayhem" (my challenger name) into a road race racing car; pull everything out and rebuild from scratch with just the shell, a great rebuilt engine, racing brakes, roll cage and racing suspension and turn this baby in a mini le mans challenger;

wht do u think?

of course i don't have any funds for this as we speak but when the car comes out of its grave do i just take it to a junkyard and be done with it? .... with so much potential as being something else? something that is meant to show any Porsche Cayman R, Challenger has also its name on a road course track?

anyone in the northeast not too far away from New York where i could store the car so i can start to work on week ends and turn a negative into a positive while, insurance working, i still get another 2013 SRT8 just to tell Sandy and any other hurricane i will not go down without a fight!

does anybody know about salvaging a car? will the insurance let me do the above?

i placed my claim and it is acknowledged but i have not spoken to anyone yet at the insurance

another racer interested in creating SandyMayhem Motorsports with me? raise funds and start to make a dream come true?

America is about dreams, never given up and moving forward; i have to believe

any ideas, recommendation are welcome

Thank you Community

OT
:angel: :rocker:
I would get as much money as you can from the insurance company, then work a deal with them to buy it as salvage. From there, I would either make a drag or road race car out of it. Because of the saltwater issue the car will NEVER be right again. RIP Mayhem.
 
#13 ·
WOW, so sorry to hear that, cannot even imagine what you must be feeling, car can be replace but the family home, damn....personal belonging, etc

as far as the car is concern, let it go, sea/salt water is terminal, use to live in south Texas, seen more than a few vehicle caught by the incoming tide from Padre, will never be right, if its non salt water, maybe....

Luke
 
#17 ·
I feel for you. Like others have said, be thankful that you and family are okay. Now, get the Insurance pay-off and 'buy-back" the hulk for salvage value. Most salvage values are very cheap. Then strip that car of anything and everything that won't be adversely affected by the seawater. Or at least able to clean it up and eliminate the damage. This would include fenders, wheels and tires, seats, dashboard, console, headrests, hood, engine!!!!, brake discs, and other structural components. Sell those on Ebay, or the boards and you will recoup the losses plu a whole lot more. Be "up-front" on the reason that you are selling, warn against the possibility of unseen water damage, and sell for half of what a "pristine' part would sell for. You will sell ALL of the parts as fast as you can pull them. then when it is all over, sell the chassis, etc to the salvage yard as a perfectly straight, never wrecked, water damaged only chassis. You will be surprised what a salvage yard will give you for that. good Luck and I am so sorry this happened.
 
#18 ·
Sorry to hear about your loss, but thankfully you and your family are safe! Hopefully your insurance company does right by you and you have a quick and satisfactory settlement. We had wicked rain and winds but NOTHING like you guys there and in NJ. That's the second time since 9-11 that I've watched the news just dumbfounded by the images I was seeing of NY.

Best of Luck!
 
#21 ·
So sorry to hear about all your losses, as well as your neighbor. Not sure what insurance will allow for in a case like this, but its good to see that you haven't let this tragedy get you down. Best of luck and hopefully everything will work out for you and your family.
 
#23 ·
I am really sad for you, thanks God you are with your family safe.
I really feel sad about the car..
 
#26 ·
I am not a US resident and therefore don't know the rules, but insurance companies should take the car and fully refund you in such situation.
This what should be done in my point of view.
 
#27 ·
Sorry to hear about your physical losses...all that can be replaced. Family and freinds -- not so easy...Glad to hear y'all are OK otherwise. Get the house and life sorted first before worrying about the car's future. As others said though, it's probably history anyway -- not much left to salvage, even if you converted it to a racecar.
 
#31 ·
thank you all for all of your postings, overwhelmed by support and ideas so thank you again;

so many things here and yes i need to slow down a bit

once i know the results from my insurance claim there are no doubts i am going new on a '12 or '13 SRT8, that is a guarantee, indeed i had no intention to drive this again ...on the street

however taking the submerged one to a possible location, stripping it down to the shell rotisserie like and contemplating the possibility of having a second challenger just for the track as mentioned in this thread would be my dream come true;

at the end, i just need suspension, electronics, one seat, a roll cage, a trans + rear end and 4 slicks and i am happy as a camper, oh yes and a steering wheel

engine? can get one on ebay a stock 392 for a relatively good price if i am serious about doing this even go with Bouchillon and bang! things are going nuts, again

i just need to find a garage where i can plug a power tool and become a gear head CAR CRAFT like

any one with a garage willing to rent me, i am a taker

unless few tell me even with a shell in salted water once cleaned and retreated for corrosion is a no go, i am inclined to make this happen

i know mayhem will never see the street again, but yet was this car ever meant for anything than track or strip?

anyone with storage solution pls let me know

Cheers

OT
 
#32 ·
I believe if its under six months old and low mileage your insurance should give you what you paid for it and then just go buy another one. I'm sure you're not getting back the exhaust system money you paid out. Best of luck to you.
 
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