Hey there, Scotty! Fellow Tennessean here. First and foremost: You’re awesome!
Vehicle Specs: 2005 Toyota Camry LE, 2.4L-4cyl VVTI 16-Valve Engine Automatic Tranny. Bought: ≈67,000mi. Current: ≈180,000mi.
What’s NOT awesome is I unfortunately hit a deer the other morning. Entire cooling system is going to need to be replaced. I can install that myself, but the problem is the radiator support. Local Collision Center quoted me at $2,199.71 total for:
1) Straighten lower radiator support
2) Alignment fix (not even sure if it got knocked or not)
3) New front bumper clip.
Ridiculous, right?!
I’ve had this car since high school and I am not ready to part ways with it. Guy at the scrapyard recommended using a come-along after discovering it wasn’t bolted on; but welded. I’ve already ripped the cooling system out down to condenser coil. Kind of hard to find an anchor point let alone bring the car TO IT when it can’t run.
Now that that’s out of the way, my question is: Is it even worth straightening that lower beam out so radiator will sit level & flush or just buy entire radiator assembly? Seeing whole assembly online between $50-80. Not too shabby. Only took 1 Picture for reference. Can take more if needed. Thanks in advance for any help given!
Carpe Diem
-Reece M.
Edit: For the life of me, I can not figure out how to embed/attach my image to this thread. Sorry about that.
Upload the photo to a file sharing site and post the link here.
?dl=0
I would try to straighten that back out so that the radiator will sit correctly. A come-along might work, or perhaps you could wedge a scissor or bottle jack between the block and the support and push it back into shape. Good luck.
Thank you sir, but I think I’m just gonna cut my losses and replace everything that needs it. Can NOT risk overheating due to radiator being off-kilter. Parts are affordable only snag is shipping time. Appreciate your time.
I agree with your plan of action 100%. Best of luck.