Detailed pics of my accident.

I really feel bad for you. I do want to thank you though for sharing the detailed pictures of the aftermath. Like you said it may make the rest of us put a little more thought into some of the things we do. I know for me it makes me look at the what if to a certain extent especially when my family is involved.

Glad you are OK, and please post updates as to how the rebuild is going.

 

hate to say it , but thanks for the pics, stuff like this should always get attention, so that we can plan for the worst and come up with better builds.
I agree with the crumple zone statement that was made, just like the newer nascars, and most new cars on the road, all the metal in front of you sustained heavy damage, and by the time the energy got to you, it wasn't as bad.

Did , does your car have seat belts? and, I don't know ... would it be better to have them than not with such a small open car.
I said I would put belts in my T coupe 2 years ago before i drove it , and I still havent... maybe I should.

one last thing, why/how did the motor break loose? was it the sudden stop, ot did something push it?
I guess what I am asking is did it move forward or back?

glad that you made it through mostly OK.

 

let us know if you need our help in the rebuild.sorry for the loss.

it really bugs me when i see a cop driving worse than i do.

-danny

 

I can't see where the tree or the bush in the medium would impair someone's view of on coming traffic. What I can see is that the body of the T is a light color. White and silver cars blend into the cement road making them the most difficult to see.

Here in the metro Detroit area that green left turn light that you are showing would have been a blinking red, which means a person has to come to a complete stop then turn left once traffic clears.

Like others have stated, glad you are ok. The bucket can be rebuilt.

 

Thanks for sharing the pics. Like you said, maybe we can all gain some knowledge from them. I'm just glad you're OK

 

Fred, Glad you're ok. I know you just had the car on the road for a little while and it shook me to hear about the accident.

If you need help on the re***embly, please let me know. I'm sure plenty of the Houston guys would be honored to ***ist you.

I really like that T-bucket, and I'm sure it's second incarnation will be even better. I think we all see better ways to do things the second time around.

Glad your ok. Brent

 

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.

Glad to know you weren't hurt seriously and your rod is in a condition that can be rebuilt.
As you know bolts are graded on their tensile strength.
Grade 8 bolts should be used in an application where failure is most likely to happen when the force is applied running through the bolt, not against it.
A Grade 8 will snap quicker when force is applied to the side, (shear)
Grade 5 bolts have a lower tensile strength or pull apart strength than a Grade 8 but will tend to bend instead of shear because they have a higher shear strength. Grade 2 bolts should only be used on something that generates neither tensile,(pull apart) or shear forces. I'm sure someone else has already answered this for you, someone who is more knowledgeable than I, but being in the automotive/ heavy truck and industrial maintenance fields for the past twenty years has taught me a thing or three.

 

An accident is an accident.I just dont like the cops initial lack of concern and fingerpoiting when someone could have been seriously injured.

 

Wow, just wow. You are damn lucky you weren't hurt, and I am very happy about that fact. I mean worst case scenario you could have been ejected, and god only knows what would have happened. I hope that cop eats his words and actions for this. She looks rebuildable, and I'd put money on the fact that you will be in the garage once you start feeling better.

 

Thanks everyone for commenting. I hope some of my build and some of the parts failures will at least make a new or seasoned builder think about some of the things they are planning on their build.

Mikey, a HAMBer in Crockett, had been working on some parts for a T Bucket I had started planning in July. I have been in contact with him and he has a couple frames if mine looks like it would need to be replaced.

The good thing about this accident is that it is giving me the chance to rethink some things. Sometimes, things are done for cost and ease. Not that I didn't consider safety in my build, but perhaps some things could have been done better to help with an impact.

One thing I keep looking at is the motor mounts. Had the rubber mounts not torn apart, that may have saved my radiator. Would all metal or maybe mounts with minimal rubber been better? The same with the ****** mount.

Next, the wellnuts that were used to secure the body to the frame. Would running the body bolts into or through the frame been better?

Another thing I am looking at is the tierod location. I always knew that having it in front of the axle may not be the way to go. It wasn't bent in the accident, but in the rebuild, I'm seriously considering putting it behind the axle.

As far as the wire wheels and everything else up front absorbing the shock, this is very true. I was only going about 35MPH, but it was enough to shear thick rubber motor mounts and pull the rear of the body out of the wellnuts. Obviously, steel wheels and standard tires would have held up better, but would they have saved anything or lessend damage to the rest of the car?

Once again. Thanks for the comments and I hope some of this can help others in their build.

 

Thanks for the intersection pics, helped clear stuff up.

 

man that ****s. but hay building it is half the fun righ?

 

things that bent or came apart (like your engine mounts) absorbed impact..you want that. the sacrifical part was your radiator..better that, than you. Just like those cool spoked wheels on the front..Spokes are stong..but in this case they too absorbed some of the impact..
I think you built this car right..and it worked for you , not against you in this situation.

keep us posted on how this turns out for you..

IMO..Id go right back to how you built it..and the look it had..chances of this happining twice are pretty rare..and as it turned out, the way you built it probably saved your body from a much worse impact..better the car folds up..than for it to be so rigid as to transfer all the impact to its occupant

 

I think the wire wheels absorbed alot of the impact and saved you and the car from more injuries and damage.
When I started racing my IMCA mod, I was using the thickest strongest wheels I could find, and I was always tweaking the frame or the control arms in a crash, while the wheels stayed relatively straight. I started using the thinnest/lightest wheels I could find and the wheels were usually destroyed in a crash, but the frame came out un-****hed.

 

Sorry about the bucket, Fred. Glad that you are OK. Looking at the damage in the pics, shows what crumple zones are for in Indy cars etc. When I bought my new truck they explained that the engine was DESIGNED to fall out in a front end collision. Otherwise if it came straight back it would probably take out my legs. IMO crumple zones are good. Looks like you had some zones in there you might not have intended, which saved you more than you probably realise.

 

Honest answer, I think your car took the hit like a champ. That is a testament to the builder. The welds on the frame didn't crack and stayed together, body mounts though bent did not remove themselves from their anchoring points. Your car clearly looks to be a well built machine with craftsmanship and attention to detail throughout. That probably saved your life. Most of these rockabilly rat rods would not have taken the impact as well. The car can be replaced, and as often is the case, they come back better than ever after an accident. I'm sure yours will be no exception. Best of luck with the rebuild and GET A LAWYER.

 

Those "wellnuts" have been used inapproprately for years as body mounts,especially by kit car manufacturers.How much harder is it to use a proper body mount or spud,with a through bolt? Plus,when the body does dislocate,a seat belt could be the only thing holding it on.They are probably a responsible choice for a washing machine though.Good thing you weren't hurt.

 

Well, here's the latest. A member of the NTBA was somehow able to get in touch with Craig Meads. Mr. Meads is with CHROME Insurance (the company I have). It seems that there are some mis-doings going on with my agent. I won't go into details, but Mr. Meads is hot on the case.

Due to the hurricane, my lawyers office has been closed and I expected as much. This is going to be a slow process and I have finally realised that.

I'll keep the updates coming.

 

Are they at least springing for a rental for the time being?

 

Nope. There wasn't a '32 coupe, so I just hung up the phone.