Restoring classic cars can be a big a project, especially if you choose vehicles that haven’t exactly had easy lives. But with enough determination and skill, anything is possible. The crew at American Modern knows this all too well as they’ve taken on a project that some would do nothing more than shake their heads at.

Last week, we introduced you to Rick Drewry, head of “The Build” and claims specialist for American Modern Insurance Group. We also introduced you to the 1965 Malibu that will be getting the grand treatment of a total teardown and build up by Drewry and his crew. But before the build process can start, every car, including this classic Chevelle upgrade, must be checked for soundness and parts that can be saved.

Check out what the guys at American Modern are working with in the video above.

Hitting a brick wall isn’t exactly something you’d wish any car would experience (okay, there are some out there, but that’s a different story), but if such a thing happens, there’s no other direction to go but up. That’s certainly the case with this classic Chevy as it’s entire front end has succumb to great tragedy.

Image: American Modern Insurance Group

But everything isn’t always as bad as it seems and this classic car was actually quite lucky. While the front of the car is thoroughly smashed, underneath, many vital parts remain unaffected.

Even though the main core support was shoved back into the engine bay, the engine itself remains in decent condition. The same goes for the transmission, which although pushed a bit out of whack, remains unharmed as far as any cracking goes. From the transmission back, everything looks to be in good working order, including the underbody, which remains remarkably un-creased.

It’s only a start, but certainly a better one than to be expected by the looks of the Malibu’s front end. Check back in next Monday to see how the American Modern crew is tackling the car’s tangled frame.