DIY crash repair of my 10 Viper

**kevin22** · 04-28-2023

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to share the finished slideshow of my (finally) restored car with you. It was a long (and sometimes really unpleasant) journey. Without going too much into detail: I'm German and the Viper was and is my absolute dream car. I worked for a major OEM in engine development as dyno operator for some time and I never stopped dreaming. Well, in the end I reached my goal but it only lasted some months until Belgium workers decided to switch lanes on the Autobahn without any care with their commercial vehicle - boom. Scrapping the car was out of question. Working on the Viper isn't that hard for me (me and my dad we are both mechanics) but getting my hands on (still usable) parts and the long wait until each delivery reached Europe was outright painful. I'm still sad how few official support there is for this halo car (shame on Stellantis!) and how many Vipers were scrapped because of parts shortage.
However ... My goal was to get as close as possible to stock specs. So wheel alignment and good fitment of body panels were imperative and I also wanted only 'decent' upgrades. In the end I ended up with Forgeline GTD-wheels, an Anderson Composites hood, ACR-X bumper, RoeRacing radiator and 6-pt. harness :-D

I don't know if you're positive about my actions or not, but be assured: This is MY car and I won't part from it anytime soon .... And if (but only if) one day the time has come I'll make sure to NOT lie to potential buyers. We gave our very best to restore this unicorn to it's former glory and I promise to be even more careful from now on (well, sh*t happens, right?). Putting the car in a museum or storing it away from all possible harm is NO option in my opinion - cars like the Viper are made and meant to be driven and they're more important than ever on today's streets that are full of hybrids, SUVs and (at least here in Europe) three-cylinder-engines. People (and also the manufactureres) tend to forget what driving is about - nowadays watered-down experience can be best described as travel or relaxing during a traffic jam but not pure driving anymore. Don't get me wrong - I know that most people just want to get from point A to point B or have to transport family or have to keep up with a timing schedule - that's all fine. I just can't understand what most modern 'sport cars' are about (heavy, bloated with electronics, overcomplicated tech, full of compromises).
Anyways.

As usual sorry for cross-posting this thread in all 3 major Viper-forums (I just want to share my experiences with the whole community and I won't take side nor do I care about the former split - as European I'm neutral and love y'all ;-))
Have a great weekend and stay safe,
Stag Stopa

**efnfast** · 04-28-2023

Good job - I can't begin to imagine what a nightmare getting parts must have been (given Viper parts in general and your location)

**kevin22** · 04-28-2023

Fender support, headlight, control arms ... everything was an adventure I don't want to revisit anytime soon ;-) But I was lucky that AC condenser survived (just like the power steering cooler and some other tiny but hard to get parts). There is such a huge demand and the Viper is a 'modern' car with digital blueprints for EVERY part - why does Mopar not just offer them in their store? They even don't have to specify prices or ETAs - most people would be glad if the parts just would be available (almost) regardless money and time. All they have to do is update their shop and relay the orders to ANY supplier capable of reproducing stuff (it's not like glass and carbon fiber parts are rocket science anymore). My only guess is that they want the people to forget the glory and mighty days - they celebrate their Hellcats and are trying to make a transition to an 'electric future' ... wouldn't be too glorious to show 2-seater V10 brutes next to modified school buses that are still grounded on an old Daimler platform, right? :-D

**sonnyboy** · 04-28-2023

Congratulations for getting her back on the road!

**Fatboy 18** · 04-29-2023

Fantastic job, well done, Great that you knew people to help you with welding and alignment, I'm sure many people would have walked away from such a project! Well done for keeping the faith, how did you get on with insurance? When I damaged the front of my car (thank god no frame damage) I told the insurance that there was no way I was sending my car to a European car accident repair shop and like you ordered everything I needed and repaired the car myself, the insurance would only pay for parts. Not any labour costs. So in the end I saved the insurance company a fortune!