Hot Rot Safety. The Definitive Oxymoron?

Pm me....I will give you my address to send me a money order for a new lap top.I just spit my drink all over my key board after reading this funny ****

 

I'm sure if a poll was taken. More normal cars/trucks than rods have been wrecked. We pay more attention when driving our rods then our other stuff. As far as seat belts, it's the same croud that wants to start chrunching cars that want seat belts fasten. I fasten mine, but why should anyone care? Not because your Ins. went up 10% this year. If you buy that then OK you deserve it. There's to much goverment in small places...Soon there be no where to go without someone you dont know who doesnt care telling what the #@^ to do and say......

www.newcar.com

They will care.

 

sorry bbob......i had to do that.

 

the only reason i fasten mine is to enter a military base to go to work...dumb of me i guess but..i'm old and got that way somehow.

 

That's a "horse-****"!, (said the sparrow), "lets eat"! premise.

To the contrary, I consider rodders generally are very safety conscious.

 

You can build a perfectly safe car today with 75 year old technology as long as you build it they right way.

But anyone dying in any car for any reason is unforunate.

 

while dirt track racing i did some of the saftey inspections. one driver asked why i did not look at his seat belts, my reply was your safety is your problem, what i am concerned about is what will fall off your car or fail and affect me and the other drivers. i feel the same about hot rods. if you want to drive with out seat belts, ect,ect, go ahead just dont kill me with your no brakes or what ever.

 

There are things that can be done to some older cars to increase safety depending on the type of car you have. Obviously, an early '30's Ford is limited in changes because of the style. But '40's & '50's can be modified to increase the safety of the car.

1) If you are replacing the column with something from Ididit or Flaming River (they sell painted columns too), you can upgrade to a colapsable steering column.

2) Lap belts at a minimum and 3 point belts if there are points to attached the upper mount. Nothing is more important than something to keep you in the car instead of being tossed like a rag doll.

3) If you don't mind the extra time, there is no reason why you can't install door side protection beams. It can be something as little as chrome moly tubing welded to the inner structure for a small amount of side protection.

4) Mirrors on both sides. Sounds simple?

5) 4 functioning HYDROLOCK brakes. I've seen a few guys who want to be cool with 'old school' mechanical brakes .

Driving these old things is a **** shoot. The 'air bag' in a vintage car or truck is the driver. Unlike never cars that are designed to colapse, older cars are not. The energy from an accident gets transfered to the first thing that will give, usually the driver.

Belts are impotant for one thing. Keeping you in your ride. Most latches are poorly designed and doors will open on a hard impact. Without belts, you maybe exiting the car before it stops. You stand are much better chance of surviving an accident wearing the belts, even in a '32 Ford. The thing is, the belts can be hidden during a car show if your manhood is a stake.

You may laugh at door beams, but in most cases these would fit without much problems. Some won't fit because of interference with window regulators. I'm planning on .75" chrome moly tubing welded to flat stock on the ends and then spot welding them to the door frame and inner quarter panel. It will help but will not be a cure on a hard impact. This is true even today.

Having mirrors on both sides increases your visibility. Most have them but some do not. Why I have no idea. Usually side mirrors are interchangable from side to side. I will admit one thing. My '64 Commander will be a drag car with NO options. The car will have no outside mirrors. But the car will only be driven 1320 feet at a time.

For those who have mechanical brakes, you are a danger to yourself and others. Mechanical brakes were poor then and unacceptable now.

The steering column I saved for last. Why? Many of you look at aftermarket steering columns to be like billet. It's not necessarily so. While new columns are available in chrome and alumnum finishes, they are also available in paint-to-match steel. The colapsable option is usually an extra $100. They are not cheap. But as I was advised when looking at racing helmets, how much are you worth? Do you have a $5 melon of a $300 melon? I'm looking these for the Stude. Some can't be converted due to design (built with the steering gearbox). But many can be changed.

I'm not going to push the safety stuff because it'll mostly fall on deaf ears. Having raced cars in SCCA and having been an insurance adjuster for 25 years, I've seen what safety can do and what a lack of safety can do. While I understand the risks (and fun) of driving a vintage car, why take unnecessary chances?

 

You are so ****ing wrong! Look at Nosurfs thread about losing it and taking out a power pole in his Highboy.................I dare you t find a moder car that would not be totalled from that wreck. He had some scuffs on the body and a tweaked front axle. Most of us do not build dangerous stuff because we care. Ever wonder why I get so bent when folks try and mix n match brake parts without a clue? Because I give a **** about your wife and kids in the car in front of that dumb***.

 

I will have seat belts in my 31 helps when you spin out. I was driving my 71 MC and spun sideways and ended up laying long ways in the car. Jumped a curb and just missed two cars that was parked. But then again at 20 who cares about seat belts.

 

Hey Rubberrodder

National HOT ROD ***ociation. Remember the "Safety Safari" of the fifties?

Here ya go.

 

thank you all for the show.

 

Here a thread on my accident:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=275101

And an article I submitted to the MSRA newsletter for the NSRA Safety News section
Before:

After:



Down, but not out . . .

On June 1st, 2008 I had my 31 Ford Tudor safety inspected by the NSRA safety team at the All Ford Picnic at the Ford Plant in St. Paul. Little did I know that just 25 days later the car’s “Safety 23” certification would truly be put to the test. On June 26, 2008 at 3:08 PM my prized hot rod – and nearly my life – were taken from me by the actions of a careless driver.

As I traveled a 2-lane county road near my home, I was struck head on by another driver attempting a left hand turn. Both vehicles sustained significant damage. By all accounts both cars were a total loss. The force of the impact was so great that it actually broke the engine block in my Model A (a freshly rebuilt mill with less than 1000 miles I might add!).

The accident earned me a ride in the ambulance, 5 days in the hospital, surgery to repair a shattered knee cap, a broken wrist and multiple lacerations. My injuries have laid me up for a long while and I have a long road of physical therapy ahead, but I am alive and here to tell the tale. I am truly lucky to be alive.

I credit my survival to a well built car, seat belts (though only lap belts) and a detailed safety inspection. I have had my car safety inspected every year. This was a promise I made to my wife when we got married 4 years ago. Ironically enough I had sold my race car and ended my racing career shortly before buying my Model A because I didn’t feel it was worth the risk anymore now with a young family.

As soon as I am back on my feet, the rebuild of the car will begin. In the meantime I have been attending as many car shows as I can. Though the view isn’t quite the same from my wheelchair as it would be from the driver’s seat of my Model A, it’s good ol' hot rod therapy anyway. Though after being in a wreck like this I find myself looking at the cars a bit differently. Instead of looking at a great set of flames, a cool interior or the latest billet or chrome doo-dad I find myself examining safety features (or infractions). While airbags, traction control and anti-lock brakes won’t be making their way onto my Model A, I do plan to use what I’ve learned from this accident in the rebuild of the car. And I’ll continue to have the car inspected every year.

 

i think the heart attacks came when they read this thread and realized what knuckleheads are on the road.

seatbelts. if you ever raced you know seatbelts keep you behind the wheel.

no ft. brakes. ok if 1000 lb. car but not w/1000 hp motor. duh!

unsafe a given? if you drive around in a car that you believe is unsafe
no matter what, please dont put your children/grandchildren in it. if you do you are a *****. dont tell me "at least they died happy"

personal responsibility comes with democracy

 

Billy amazing say's it will...don't you watch TV...? I don't think it will keep you safe in a hotrod though.....

 

Is "****ed-upness" a real term?

 

This forum is not about building unsafe junk rats; but to p*** the tradition to newcomers this is a very important issue. For the more expierenced builders it would be nice to share wrong's and right's about pre-64 safety. Losing anyone to a hot rod or custom mechanical failure would be a tragic loss to our culture.
I myself have seen some very usafe mechanical situations in my time as an auto mechanic for the last 13 years. But to keep it pre-64 my list starts.
The 57 Pontiac I own now was a good freinds old daily driver for a few years untill a pressurized fuel hose located above the points distributor popped off because there was no flare on the line it was clamped to.
The arcing points ignited the leaking fuel.
The rust holes in the floor quickly spread the fire to the p***enger compartment.
Electronic ignition eliminates this ignition source. Just as the flare would eliminate the fuel failure.
While I was inspecting the front brakes I noticed the front hoses hitting the spindle and pinching in the lock position "wheels turned to either full left or right position"
When I removed the hoses to correct this and to fabricate frame mounts for the hoses; the old hoses were just attached to hard line; I found when turning left to right the hoses twisted so much it completely wore away the double flare.
Point is: routine inspections and knowledge of safe and unsafe situations saves us all individually and as a culture.
So for the sake of our old cars reputation please share information without criticizing. Keep both history and our future alive.

 

how many of you have actually been in a REAL accident??? well i was! (search, HAND OF DOOM) for the PICS AND DETAILS. anyway, in short, i was hit almost head on by a drunk driver in my 53 chevy pickup. (without seat belts) ejected from the truck, and walked away with a couple scratches.the truck by the way is totaled. the way i was hit had i been wearing a belt, i would have had major neck injuries. i do believe in safety precautions for these cars, but some times fate has a hand in it also. i admit i was very lucky, the death rate of ejection victims is very high, but people have also been torn in half by lap belts. good brakes, steering, floors, thats all a no brainer, but with seat belts, i honestly think its hit or miss!

 

Personal preference, like everything else about building a rod. As long as it is legal and p***es safety inspection, whose to say what I can or can't have for safety?

 

Well I wanted to get up on my soapbox too. What the **** are we talkin here? This post should be somewhere like OSR. This community is more true to form and realistic. Most opinions are welcome but the idea of engaging one's brain before you put your mouth in gear...

Safety? Dangerous by nature? Hey, is the sun usually visible at noon? I hate seatbelts. Even more I loathe the fact that it's law we wear them. I never wear mine in the rain so the NAZI cops that feel the need to stop me and generate revenue can get nice and soaked. I build everything to last and hold up to the real abuse which is regular usage. A mile on the road is more than 2 rounds of drag racing, and on rougher surfaces. I don't want my O/T daily driver ****ed up either and DRIVE ACCORDINGLY. Like on a motorcycle, or even on my snowmobile. I don't like abused ****. I worked crash and safety for almost 5 years. In many ways it's over rated excercises to meet someones uneducated idea of a safety standard. I guess we're all living in a society where we've become so tender and delicate that we can't hear certain words, can't drive without a "dad" watching over us, can't let kids get s****es or bumps from playing good and hard, I mean really, when did society become laiden with all these ****in ***** ***ed ideas. Get a grip and get a life, and shame on anyone that doesn't know how to enjoy it. Shame also on those who "try too hard" to be something especially at the expense of others. That's unsafe no matter what the topic.

 

I know that a lot of you are talking like EVERYONE on the HAMB is above unsafe practices. Unfortunately, that's just not true. I'll bet there are thousands of lurkers on this site and even some posters (like one of the early ones in this thread) that still think that it's "Ol' Skool" to be an unsafe, reckless, balls-to-the-wall idiot. They think safety measures aren't "the way they did it back then".

If they would take the time to do a little research on the history of this hobby, they'd know that the NHRA was founded in 1951 and had its first officially sanctioned drag race in 1953. Just how "Ol' Skool" do you want to be? You want to pretend that you're living in the pre-war era? Fine. Then lose the tattoos, pomade, leather jackets and cuffed jeans. (all of which are part of my daily attire), because that **** didn't come around until the mid 50s.....AFTER the NHRA was founded. Think about that the next time you think you're too 'cool' for safety. The NHRA wouldn't have allowed you to race at one of their events in 1953 if you thought you were too cool for them.

As I build my truck project, I'll be installing safety features one by one, as money allows. My eventual goal is to have a vehicle at least as safe as something built in the 80s. I probably won't have side impact beams or 'crumple zones' or safety bumpers, but you can bet your sweet *** I'll have 3 point seat belts, a two-pot master cylinder, good tires and new, upgraded brakes and shocks. I don't want a pot hole to cause me to kill a mom and her three kids on the way home from school.

(I now relinquish my soapbox to the next speaker)

 

Yes Larry it is poo time...

As you should...

gotta disagree here. the majority if your stopping power is in the front brakes, if I was givent he choice I'd take front over rear any day. on the street no front brakes is silly.

 

Safety = "The control or elimination of recognized hazards". If this were only to "eliminate all hazards" we wouldn't be able to get out of bed in the morning.

Weather something is safe or not is option. Weather we are meeting a standard or not is a different story. If you have built your rod within the guidlines of your state regs you have built it to a "standard" which is a form of control. Whatever you are allowed to drive on the street you are provided the same level of safety as everyone else on the road through regulation, traffic laws and such.

This is like arguing weather or not a motorcycle is safer than a car... it doesn't matter... it's what your state allows through regulation. Beyond that it is the level of "safety" (your opinion) that you can accept.

I could go on and on but I will shut up because I once started a dumb thread like this once and learned my lesson.

 

This kind of torques my jaw...probably for the wrong reasons. Of course safety is paramount....cringe at the cars with no front brakes, etc....even the famous hemi coupe......but.......don't like seeing an editorial by a noob who owns a rice burner bike and a bunch of VWs, and is considering building a rat rod....at least that is what his intro says. To be fair, he also said he would be posting a lot of opinions. Doesn't matter....I'll just add him to my ignore list.

Getting back to the safety issue.....let's not overlook how you drive 'em. There have been a couple of accidents talked about here in the last several years, where somebody got seriously injured because someone did a burnout in an inappropriate setting.

I am safer in an old piece of **** being driven with an awareness of the problems than in a brand new car being driven by an idiot showing off.

 

I believe everybody has an interest in safety whether it be for yourself or other road users but just as importantly for your buddies and family in some cases.

Funnily enough safety does start with you and your at***ude towards it.

I thought we bagged ratrodders for building junk and dangerous vehicles which I agree is justified from some of the stuff Ive seen around, yet I am reading here on the same site some guys are almost aligning themselves with the at***ude of those guys.

Safety is up to you!

Think about it because you are a long time dead and being badly injured or maimed would feel even longer especially if you could not continue to enjoy our beloved p*** time.

I have not intention of being the coolest guy in the morgue....

Good call VWHammer.

 

OXY*****= lighting yer torch O2 first.

 

My safety idea, carry a fire extinguisher. All you safe guys forgot to mention it.

 

I started a thread about seat belts in F1s here... just the other day!
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=324962

~Jason

 

Look thousands of people are hurt every year, yet we still do this dance with safety. Anyone who's watched footloose can tell ya, they can't take away our right to dance. You can strap us into seats with belts, but we will dance if we want to, we'll leave our cares behind.

History has taught us that much













This thread is too ridiculous to go without a safety dance reference. It's full of ****ed-upness.