I just read the news article linked on the 1st page. http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20070909-9999-1m9pubsafe.html A member of Joe Public sent in the following: "The vehicle spun out of control when the driver applied the brakes; it then jumped a curb and hit a bus bench." It was a good thing there were no persons injured at the bus stop. When idiots insist on driving their vanity "look-at-me" jalopies, they should be arrested unless their death mobiles have proper safety equipment and working brakes. I am sure that Bonnie "Bribe-Me" Doumanis will do everything NOT to prosecute the driver when he gets out of the hospital. What a shame." Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
I actually had people give me **** when I put seat belts in my T roadster. They said they would want to be able to get away from the car in a crash??? I figure their new car should have ejection seats instead of air bag's. Prayers with the driver and the families.
I had it happen to me in a '66 big block Vette. My own stupidity...I was taking a guy for a ride and the throttle stuck because I didn't take the time to install the air cleaner before we took off (in a rush). It inhaled the air cleaner's base gasket and that blocked the ****erflys open. We were really pulling hard when it stuck, but after trying to pull the thing closed with my foot, tapping on it, etc. I just turned off the key and then put it in neutral...coasted to a stop. My p***enger was white and he had a hard time walking around...all wobbly! -Scott
Absolutely not saying this to be critical of the owner, just an opinion. From the picture of the T prior to the wreck it looks to have an unusually high center of gravity which could make it a bear to handle if problems occur.
This is some serious BS, good thing they weren't driving a 85 car with no air bags. Just installed shoulder harness in my 46 and I would not normally mention it on this forum because it is not traditional (not to be meant in a bad way) but I will feel better driving it. I do think our old cars are short of safety measures but most of us take that into consideration when driving them.
Makes me think twice about putting a roll cage in my 32 5W project. It wouldn't look as Nostalgic, but it sure would be safer. But, when it's your time to go! I've done some real stupid things in the past and lived to tell about it only by the grace of God.
My buddy had a mach1 mustang that he took me for a ride in one time,it was a fast car 900hp N/A before the 250 shot of NOS.He punched the gas and it stuck wide open,I still remember him looking over at me and saying what do I do what do I do,I leaned over and turned the key off and put it in neutral. At first I thought everything was cool,the car was pulling hard and we were gaining speed we were at about 145-150 mph before he looked over at me saying what do I do the pedal is stuck.At first I thought he was joking but the look in his eyes I new his was not joking. A week later he sold the car cause it scared him so bad.
it takes a certain kind of person to post in a thread about someone dying, another in critical condition, who you don't know, don't know the car or anything about what happened and call them an idiot look up one post from this quote, look at the fella who is lying in the hospital in critical condition with a close friend dead, and ask yourself does this look like some wild punk kid, when your done, go jump off a cliff our prayers go out to the deceased and to kevin
Hell a rollbar would look right in place.look at alotta of the little books and you'll see rollbars all the time......and if it's a tupperware (fiberglas) car I'd damn sure do it...lets see pics when its done!
When I saw that in the newspaper's reader comment section I thought that was an old car hater, and a cold hearted one at that!
I bought a used 440 Cuda with 3 twos back in the early seventies. After driving it, I found that the previous owner had stripped the vacuum linkage off the secondary carbs leaving only the center 2 barrel working. After getting a case of MOPAR sticker shock when being quoted for the factory replacement linkage, I opted for an aftermarket mechanical progressive linkage. When I installed the linkage I added an additional return spring. So I slapped on the air cleaner and go for a test drive. Put my foot into it and the throttle stuck wide open. After I got it shut down, I found that when the linkage went over center it pushed up the bottom plate of the aircleaner. Tromping on it, I was able to easily overcome the interfernce, however the springs were not equally up to the task. Moral to the story? Check the linkage after finishing the whole job and before starting the engine.
My prayers go out to the driver, his p***enger and their families. The P.O. of my car had double springs and the carb and cable linkage setup properly with the exception of the top of the gas pedal binding up on the a/c unit under the dash. The car now has a different pedal setup w/o binding. Throttle working properly is a good thing to check on any car you get. It is not a bad idea to practice or at least go over in your mind what you would do if you get something like a stuck throttle, no brakes, etc.
I have a battery kill switch in my car but it's just for maintainance. It's not within reach of the driver's seat. Reading this thread makes me think I'll be relocating it to the center of the dash. In my racing days a street stock driver showed up with a really cool ram-air type airbox. Somebody *****ed and the tech official made them get rid of it. They didn't have an extra so they borrowed one from another team. He floored it down the frontstretch on the first lap and his linkage got caught on something on the new, last minute airbox. Everybody turned left and he went straight into the wall. Pretty scary seeing a 3200lb. car launch about five feet in the air on fire from the fuel pump getting knocked off. He ended up being okay but I never saw him at the track again. This is bad news and I hope the families involved recover with time. I hate it when stuff like this gives the PC anti-old car crowd amunition
I think we all read a story like this and think "there but the grace of God go I".I had a bucket T moment when someone drove right across me as I was haulin on what I thought was a clear road.I'm old now and this stuff does slow you down some.Hittin the brakes was hang and pray.I noticed its a steel T as well which you would have thought was a bit more robust than your usual "bucket".Hope our fella recoups ok,so sorry to the family for their loss!
when I wired my roadster I couldnt get the motor to turn off with the key...I **** at wiring. So I put a big on/off switch next to the key. My ol man told me what I wired wrong but I have never bothered to change it. I like the Off switch where I can reach it very easily. Worse comes to worse, kill the motor and jam it into either neutral or park...depending on the situation.
I was in a 68 Chevelle going 90 on the freeway when the hood popped open and smacked the front windshield and stayed there. I always thought those hood pins were just for looks untill then.
Over the past year in Connecticut we have a series of accidents involving hot rods or street rods. The most recent was a two people killed when the T-Bucket they where driving collided with a pick-up. The car was plastic and disenagrated on impact. Both driver and p***enger where ejected from a the vehicle. A fellow Firefighter here showed me pix of the wreck. It looked like a airplane crash
My Pops' neighbor worked as a mechanic at a Phoenix Chevy dealer in the '60s and '70s. He told us that one day in 1969, a woman brought her '66 Chevelle SS396/375 in because the throttle was sticking. The first mechanic took it out and got on it, and sure enough, the throttle stuck wide open in traffic on Camelback road, in a very fast car. He gathered it up and switched the key off, then limped it back to the dealership, where he wrote in the report, "Unfixable" probably mainly because it scared him ****less. Pops' neighbor got it then, replaced both of the broken motor mounts and installed a torque chain for good measure to prevent it from happening again. On most of these high-power Ts, you have a big V8 with lots of torque in a sometimes very flimsy frame that can't handle it. Not everyone boxes, triangulates, and adds extra reinforcement, and I have seen these cars flex like noodles when the owner blips the throttle to impress the burger stand crowd. Add a solid throttle linkage, and when the frame twists under torque, it's just like the broken mounts on that Chevelle. Obviously not what happened here, but more common than it should be. -KK
Real sorry to hear about this. It happened the same day that my buddy threw a show down here. Prayers to the families and a middle finger to the "He shoulda..." people.
Hey, go easy on Panhead Pete... the way I read it he only cut and pasted an editorial quote from a paper. I'd say he's sharing the same sentiment as you.
Back in the late '50s there were early efforts being made to require rollbars and seatbelts in Formula 1 cars. Many of the drivers (inluding Hans Herrmann in this picture) argued that they'd rather be thrown out of the car than belted in during a crash. That's Herrmann sliding along the road right behind the tail of his car. Not that I agree with this; it's just an at***ude that used to be quite widespread. Kinda like motorcyclists who don't want to wear helmets.
All Hot Rods ( Esp. the High Powered stuff ) need a ch***is and suspension that properly match the power you have - HD motor mounts / plates - functional seat belts - brakes that are better than what came on a Mustang Two & A functional Trot. pull back strap on the loud pedal. The cars that look like you built it over the weekend looks real cool till something like this happins. Sad - it Didnt have to be this way
Our prayers go out to both families. Hope Kevin gets well soon. Since my family and I were in a roll over auto accident early this summer, I've been on a crusade asking and reminding friends and family members to wear their seat belts. I strongly believe that the Almighty was watching us that day and reminded us to wear our belts. The severe bruises obtained from the belts are a reminder of the violent accident. Food for thought. - RGV
I just recieved a email from friends of the guys in the accident so heres whats up! " As most of the car enthusiasts know,Danny Nennenger,Husband of Nanci, The redhead that usually rides shotgun with me,p***ed away in a tragic accident this last saturday at LaJolla Califorina on the coastal highway 101.He was a p***anger with Kevin (aka) Rickety-T,The accident has been attributed to mechanical failure.Investigators concluded that alcohol and speed was not a factor.Although every one knows Danny and Kevin never did do alcohol anyway. Kevin is still in critical condition but is hanging on at this writing. Services for Danny are still pending,however ot may be this coming monday or tuesday at southlawn mortuary on park rd (tucson)Nanci is requesting if weather permitting that if you have a showcar, to please bring it to Danny's services. THANK YOU SAM" this was from Sam Munoz....my thoughts and prayers again to those involved
Was in a young workmate's early Holden with hot 350 SBC when the throttle stuck wide open. He panicked, but I yelled at him to shift into heutral and switch the damn thing off before it blew the engine, which he managed to do or we would have taken out a brick wall at the next corner. He claimed he'd fitted extra return springs, and when I checked under the bonnet, he had done that alright, but the wiring harness for the engine was lying loose under the carb and it had slipped under the linkages during hard acceleration and had jammed the throttle wide open. Just shows you've also got to look at things like air cleaner placement and anything else that might interfere with your linkages from the pedal all the way to the carb. Cheers, Glen.
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