If you fail the "bounce test" how screwed are you? Options

[McLovin]

Question for the group:

The bounce test is when you open all the doors, take off the roof, and jump up and down on the passenger side. Then you try to close the doors and see if they close easily.

Suppose your car fails the bounce test. It's clear that the car would need major surgery in the form of rust repair and reinforcing. But if you do the bounce test and fail, did you just bend the car? Is straightening it as simple as putting a jack under it? Or would you need to do something more elaborate?

Has anyone been down that road?

Thanks,

Mclovin

[mepstein]

If you can bend the car to the point the doors won't close or stay stuck, it's not safe to drive on the road. Doesn't matter if you bend it back or not, all the metal on the longs will need replacement anyway. The reinforcement panels are just that - they are not a replacement for repairing the longs. If you do, your just putting a bandaid on an infected wound.

When the long is bad it's not unusual that the seat belt mounting point is bad. Throwing reinfocement panels on the long won't fix that spot. If the bolt let's go in an accident, your passenger is screwed.