I seem to remember back in the day hearing of people speared by the steering shaft in wrecks. Do any of the sanctioning bodies address this issue? What will and will not p*** tech?
yup that is correct.. didn't realize how bad it was till i pulled the original steering gear from my 50 a 1" shaft running from the wheel to the steering box.. its getting a collapsible column.
The collapsible steering column started showing up in cars about the mid 60s. Those and a advent of seat belts went a long ways in resolving that issue. You need to be a lot more specific with regards as to which sanctioning bodies and which tech you want to p***. Gene
Those guys that got speared with a steering shaft were probably dead before the shaft got em, then came the dished steering wheel, along with safety belts, Thats what most sanctioning bodies are requiring, safety belts.
Staying at home is the best insurance against those pesky steering shafts. But don't shower. Statistics prove that a lot of bad s@#t is happening in showers...
Hmm...note to self...stay upwind of VonWegener on hot summer days...if he comes out of the house that is... Yeah the collapseable column started showing up in the lates 60' as well as the dual line master cylinder and the side marker lights, all mandated by the National Highway Safety Board
Are you saying all showers ? Even a cold shower !! I thought showers were safer after " soap on a rope was invented "
My Jaguar has the standard British Safety Spear steering column. Almost 6 feet long..aimed right at my chest.. Skewered is a gentle word for what would result... But..like the British drivers of the day would say.. Don't hit anything and you'll be fine...
MOST sanctioning bodies do require some form of collapsibility in the steering column; either a telescoping shaft, or offset with 2 u-joints, or both. You're right, though...most times they do require safety belts... BTW, I've seen someone speared with a steering shaft in a supermodified; and not only wasn't he dead before the shaft speared him, he wouldn't have been injured at all if the damned thing had been built right...good thing the sanctioning body required one of those pesky full-face helmets, too.
Same as the old Austin A40 Devon, Dorset, etc, etc. Steering box sits right at the front of the ch***is, just under the headlights.
Pesky steering shafts? Nah. And I don't need any ***bersome seat belts, either. I wonder if any of those infamous Ohio state trooper safety films from the 60's are on DVD? Anyone remember those? If you want to know what happens when you wreck in an old car, try one of those films. Gary
In 1956 Ford had a big safety advertising campaign on TV. Padded sunvisors, padded dash, optional seat belts and a dished steering wheel just for this reason. I cringe when I see a big sharp bullet in the center of the wheel but I don't worry about being impaled on a normal column. We used to bust the plastic pin to adjust the length of a modern column and then weld it when sub framing a car. For years the 56 F100 was the hot steering column for early Fords. The 56 F100 column is shorter than the earlier F100s for the dished wheel that year and gives you more belly room.
Yep, the 60's were a time of change, in '67 tandem master cyls and proportiong valves, collapeable columns, padded dashes, door girders, but all before the real changes like air bags, ABS, crush zone ch***is, etc.
Here, this might make you feel better- http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Kirkey-Center-Steering-Pads,2487.html Maybe grab one of these too-- http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Sweet-Collapsible-Steering-Columns,2039.html
I'm no safety nut as evidenced by owning and riding a 502/502HP Boss Hoss bike and two Boss Hoss small blocks, and I am certainly no fan of Mamma's boy Ralph Nader or Joan (Barf) Claybrook, but if I can build in a little common sense and p*** tech at whatever nostalgia drags I decide to attend, why not?
Despite all the safety protection in the world, Ayrton Senna still took a rod to the head. You just never know.
My 57 Skyliner has a sticker on the door jam " Equipped with Life Guard Steering Wheel" ,, I guess that was an option?
I just started a thread for the old Signal 30 films. Viewer beware. There are a lot of other interesting videos listed on that site as well. Gary
My MG midget has a nice tapered solid steering shaft too, properly pointed for a head shot! Aim for the soft stuff as my dad used to say
My dad used to tell me stories of being a newspaper photographer back in the '30's. One night walking to a car crash he kicked something in the dark. Flashlight revealed it was a head. Another memory he related was seeing the spokes of banjo steering wheels in drivers' chests. People are going to laugh at me when I finally get my flattie powered '36 roadster on the road because of the 3" shoulder straps I plan on using. First time I sat in it, I noticed the Duval would take off the top of my head if I ever hit something and I will have a '36 banjo wheel on it.
I remember watching those films in our highschool drivers ed cl***es. I think the name of one of them was "Signal Thirty" Pretty gruesome in color.
I heard about a guy who almost "scalped" himself on the top of his roadster's windshield in a crash. While his head and skull were ok, he peeled the front half of his scalp off on the upper edge of his windshield. Ever since then, I can't help but notice how grizzly hot rod windshileds can be, especially those short jobs that have no metal top and are also laid back a little - like a wide s****er blade pointed straight for the driver's head. Gary
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