Detailed pics of my accident.

I took some really detailed shots of my car and wanted to share info I found about construction, parts and how they held up. Maybe this will help others in their build.

In this pic, you can see how the bolt that goes through the body and into a wellnut, that is in the frame, came out. This happened on both rear sides where the body mounts. The body did not crack.




This shot shows how the tranny ripped from the rubber mount, moved forward and dropped down. Notice the shifter bent back under the body. Also note that part of a lower steering arm broke off. The Tie rod didn't bend, but the steering arm broke.




A few things to note in this pic. The steering arm snapped right through. Note the clevis pins did the same. Are they Grade 8? The bolts I used on my front end are Grade 5. The ones that had damage just bent. I would think bending is better than snapping. Also note the bent uppersteering arm.


About the only thing that can be said here, is that wire wheels don't make a good bumper. The axle never had a chance. I was going about 35MPH. What would 40MPH + be like? DO NOT ANSWER!


If you look REALLY close, you can see that the front crossbar is slightly pushed in. The spring perch is slightly tweaked.





Passenger side motor mount. The rubber tore, but the tabs bent before they did. Same on the drivers side. The bolted on crossbar held in place with the bolts, but if you look closely at the second pic, you can see how it tried to twist out of the frame




The steering column is bent forward. I'm not sure what let go, the steel shaft or where it attaches to the steering box. maybe both. The steering wheel is bent. Somehow, my right hand and wrist came between it and my chest.


And finally.... She's not pretty now, but she'll be back. Better than ever.

 

Man that sucks ... gald you are ok. but, like you said it will back together soon.

 

Sorry about the bucket, but your in one piece, and can build it again, and improve it where you see the need.
Good luck.

 

These are pics of the intersection from the cops view. Notice all lights, INCLUDING the left turn (far left hand light) are green. Notice the sign below the left turn light. It states: Left turn yeild on green. The cop didn't yield. See the car coming down the street on the left? That is about where I was when the cop car made it's turn.


Here is the same set of lights when they are red. They are red ALL the way across.

 

You are one lucky SOB to come through this with as little injury as you had! When I had my t-bucket I was always worried about an accident like this. Good luck with the rebuild, I can't wait to see the "new & improved" version.

 

He never saw you comin, he was lookin for a honda and the such. Buckets are small, like bikes, hard to see if your not lookin for them. The vegitation in the median didnt help either I suspect.

 

Dang, I'm glad you're ok!
You're one of those people that make this hobby and board great.
If you need anything don't hesitate to ask, we're here to help.

Norton

 

you shoulda paid more attention.

 

Those are some goofy lights! Up this way almost all are vertical. Maybe the cop was a Yankee? Still dont make it right, glad you are OK.

 

I agree with JROD, vegitation does not belong in the middle of a road. To me it's looks gay and it obstructs your view. Look for that to change soon.

 

you can pay attention all you want still doesnt help when stupidity is involved...

 

Yea, from now on, everytime I see a car coming down the opposite side of the road, I'll anticipate it turning in front of me. I'll start braking, even if the light is green. Should make for a very nice drive. Thanks.

 

nice, real nice. it wasn't his fault ace, he probably had no time to react and he can't read minds.

 

Thanks for posting the pics and glad to hear you are ok. At the end of the day a car is just a car but a life is so much more.

Whilst it isn't the sort of thing you ever want to find out, at least you know first hand that some of the basic engineering principles and approaches are solid, and we can all learn from what went wrong or what happened with the car.

I retrospect, the spoked wheels probably absorbed a fair chunk of shock.

 

Dude,
Thank the man you are OK. You can beat the cop with plenty of pics and most of all..proof he didn't yield. I know it sucks having your ride all messed up. But..you can build it better..and safer now. Consider all four disc brakes, it is a bucket..hard to make as safe as a Ford F-250.

Happy you are safe.

 

Damn that would suck.... glad you are okay.

 

I'm going with steelies on the rebuild. I'm not sure how they would have handled the impact, but I think it would have been better.

 

The cop that turned in front of him turned while the light was red. It stated this in earlier posts, hence the pictures of the traffic lights.

Anyway glad your alright, build it better this time with the settlement check!!!

 

i know. i was just fuckin with ya. im glad your ok!

 

I figured you were and answered in kind. I learned to find a little humor in this about 2 days ago. Not much, but a little.

 

and on a completely non-related topic. i know you were furious about me wondering what to do with abandoned cars on state land...just wanted to let you know i took the time to get permission(turns out the land was owned by a logging company) and got paid to haul em off!(so i wasnt a "fuckin theif" lol)

 

Yea, I remember your update and how it turned out. I wasn't "furious", it was just my strong opinion that taking it without permission would have been stealing.

How is she doing? You got pics?

 

Better the car bent up a lot and you just a little sore, than the other way around.

What a dumb traffic light setup, a yield on green with trees partially blocking your view? That should be an arrow signal.

 

Steelies and a bit more tire might stop better but those skinny wires folding up like they did probably saved you a lot of injuries and absorbed a lot of the impact. Something on the line of a crash bumper that worked.

When it gets pulled apart make sure that the frame is still square.

I think I would redesign the motor supports to be a bit stronger but again with the engine and trans going forward like that it may have taken some inertia and saved the chassis from more severe damage.

The good thing is that it looks like outside of the front crossmember and the motor support stands most of the damage is to parts that will be unbolted and replaced with new parts.

I think I'd have my lawyer looking into adding the city to the list for creating a traffic hazzard with the brush blocking the sight of oncoming cars from the view of drivers in the left turn lane lane.

That said, I'm just damned glad that you didn't get injured anymore than you did.

 

still looks the same as in the pics. minus all the tress laying on it. we walked the property more after we got the 36 tudor and found a 36 plymouth coupe in the same shape. i havent gotten it yet though.

 

The damage to your T looks very similar to the damage my A sustained in a head on crash on June 26th. Thankfully you faired much better than I in the injury department though. Here's a photo album of my accident.
http://s85.photobucket.com/albums/k80/MNBullyBoy/Model%20A Wreck/?start=all

 

Fred,
As I said before, I'm just glad your still around to talk about it.

Looking at the car, I'm afraid the list of "what's still good" will be the short list. I'm betting the engine is ok, but not the trans. Good chance your alt bracket and pullies may have been boogered up as well

The rear-end, rear suspension and driveshaft should be ok, along with the fuel tank, tail lights, windshield, seat, and guages.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid every single other piece on the car has been effected in a negative way, and will have to be replaced. I'm not just saying that to "hint" that you should get a bigger settlement or anything. I honestly believe it to be fact.

This whole eppisode is all very unfortunate, and I really do feel bad for you. I read back thru some of the old threads about your buildup, and I know you put your heart and soul into that car.

Please tell me you have a good attorney working to keep the city on the straight and narrow.

 

Man that sucks I'm glad you're ok. Im terrified of wrecking in my A. My daughter is usually in the car with me. You just never know whats around the corner.

 

Just think of the front of the T as a crumple zone. Every piece that bent, broke, twisted, etc was absorbing energy that your body didn't have to. If the front of the car was for argument sake 200% stronger, all the unabsorbed energy from the impact would have to go somewhere else...and your body would be the object of choice!

I wouldn't look to make everything stronger so it doesn't brake, bend, twist, etc. The fact that it did that just may have saved your butt from far more serious injuries or worse.

I wouldn't consider reusing the bent frame. T frames are the cheapest piece on the car. Start with a new one for $300 and transfer everything onto it.

 

Fred, just think......Did Rick Springfield revolutionize the Rock 'n Roll industry? See, things could be worse, much much worse.

Glad you're ok. I'm gonna donate my spare Model A grilleshell for your rebuild. PM me your address.