Moral Dilemmas of Hot Rodding

I'm scared now,
I have only overpowered under weight vehicles and that describes the mild sane one.

 

I'm gone. Sorry I have opinions on what should be serious topic.
Box of rocks.

 

Hey, everybody makes their own choice, and there's always the Darwin Awards for the slow learners among us...

 

A long time ago, I wrecked a Triumph TR-4. I got partially thrown out of the car, (no seat belt) and got dragged along as the car went through a ditch and hit a dirt embankment hard enough to rip the body loose from the frame. Unbelievably, I walked away from the accident with some road rash and a scar on my forehead. God told me not to tempt him again, so I always wear my seat belts and I have a 3 point in my rod

 

Chromed or polished? Stromberg or Winfield?...yeah, it's stressing me out

 

Modern cars are safer....

The modern safety features will save you....

Old car brakes suck....

......blah blah blah......

Are we talking about a toyota prius or mother fucking hot rods?

Hot rods are dangerous.... I say, get used to it...

If hot rods were safe...I wouldn't be into them.

And while we're on the subject...wanna know my safety feature?

You guessed it...driving like a crazed demon in a barely controlled internal combustion missile, while laughing like a mad man all the way to my destination....

The only thing missing from that picture is a six shooter and a bottle of bourbon...

Believe me... the squares stay outta my way.

I guess what I'm saying is... we're the reason you need all those safety features. because we're hoodlums...


Disclaimer: no children, old ladies, or puppies were harmed in the making of this post.

 

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This entire post needs to be on the back of a T-shirt...................I suggest this for the front:

 

The safety of your children is a moral dilemma? I would hazard a guess Jay, based on reading your posts for some years now, that this is a rhetorical question designed to start a conversation. Bingo!

Seems Moral Dilemmas quickly become Political Stances . . .

In this corner, we have the Badass Libertarian "No G-Man Is Gonna Tell Me What To Do" self-styled Hoodlum crowd . . .

And over here we have the Tree-Hugging Candy-Ass Science-Loving pansy asses . . .

Looks like we are crossing that forbidden political line.

It is entertaining, though, another HAMB reality show.

 

I am going to add something that hasn't been talked about on this thread. Crash zones...
New cars are designed to absorb the impact of an accident and older cars are not. Not just airbags and shoulder belts.
I would never use an older car for an everyday driver for my family. Yes I use them a lot but not my family.
Yes, you can quote safety issues and recalls all day long on new cars. But how could you realistically compare the safety of a new car vs an older one?
Could you imagine the results of this Malibu hitting an early 30s car? My dilemma would be losing my family because I thought old cars were cool.

 

This is my wives only car, shopping, school every day with three kids. I put 90s lap belts in and harness anchor points, the holes can be repaired. Cool and safe.

 

Your argument doesn't work because it makes too many assumptions. Thinking old cars are 'cool' (much less driving them) does not mean you will lose your family. By that logic you should never go to work...could you imagine the regret you'd feel if you lost your family because the house was sacked by wild dogs after you left?

The real question is "am I putting my family at greater risk driving a vintage car" and "does the risk outweigh the reward." It is an unanswerable question - subject to one's own assessment of reward/risk at any one given time - based, in part, on conditions which are subject to change.

My advice; choose for yourself and use common sense.

 

This is exactly how I feel about this issue. If you want to wear your seat belt you go right ahead. I do not & never will, this is my choice & it is not for anybody else to tell me how to live my life. I average about one seat belt ticket every 400, 000 miles or so (3 years). That little bit of money is well worth it for me to be comfortable.
I really see no moral dilemas in hot rodding. You should do what you think is right & what makes you happy, after all enjoying the hobby is what it is all about!

 

Two of my rides have belts and brake upgrades and when my kids were young using the belts was mandatory. Yet at 57 years old I tempt fate by ridding my rice rocket to work in the summer at exaggerated speeds. At least that is what I am told. So does this make me a pansy-assed hoodlum or a tree hugging bad ass libertarian?
Nice wagon, Wardog

 

I stand educated.

 

Only on the H.A.M.B. What a waste of space. Moral Dilemma, W.T.F?
The Wizzard

 

I'm a retired Battalion Chief from a medium size urban fire department. I’ve perhaps have seen it all in my career. I was witness after the fact to a Piper Cub airplane land safely but first its front landing wheel hit a motorcyclist in the head who was riding on a road past the airfield. The motorcyclist refused treatment at the sense, got back on his motorcycle and drove away with nothing more than a skid mark on his white helmet. I guess a helmet might have saved a life in his case but I can’t say with certainty because I’m not God. I’ve seen other motorcyclist the only good a helmet did for them was leave a good looking corpus.

Seat belts save lives and sometimes they kill and leave you worse of if you wear them. My first son refused to wear his seat belt when he was younger. He’s 22 now and he still refuses wear his seat belt even when told to do so. If I’m in one of our daily “modern” drives with a harness I wear it and encourage my passengers to do the same. Wearing a seat belt or not you are playing with the law of averages. I’ve seen accident victims who might have survived either way with or without a seat belt. I can’t say either way with certainty because I’m not God.

The wife’s 41 Plymouth has lap belts because she wanted a seat belt but I don’t wear them while in her car. My thought is a lap belt alone is dangerous and I don’t want to be broken in half. A lap belt might keep you from getting ejected from a vehicle in a crash but sometimes you might be better off if ejected. Once again it’s the law of averages and I’m willing to assume the risks. My 27 Model T does not have any belts at all and I have no plans to put them in it. I’m willing to take my chances hopefully nothing will happen. The Plymouth has power steering, power brakes and I drives like a “modern car” but I stay aware to the fact that it is still a 1941 body. The Model T is open wheeled with manual steering and brakes and there is an added inherit danger. I drive each the Plymouth and Ford differently and I remain cognizant to the different defensive driving skills I have to employ to drive each safely however often I take them out for a drive. Agreed, there is no telling what the other idiots on the road might do but I’ll do my part to try and stay safe, remain aware anything could happen and always expect the unexpected. If I hit anyone or anyone hits me in either the 41 or 27 it’s over anyhow but it doesn’t stop me from enjoying myself. Every time I get on my Harley I consciously think this could be the last ride but I don’t let that stop me from enjoying myself. I’ll admit I don’t ride as much as I use to but every once in a while I need to dust out the old attic with or without a helmet.

Where I live it is called America and freedom to me means I should have the right to do stupid things if I chose to without hurting anyone or breaking the law… I don’t or wouldn’t count on the government to save me from me or anyone else. What MORALS?

 

What he said ^!

 

I think this thread has run it's course with plenty of opinions so I'm closing it now.
Thank you to those that gave thoughtful responses...

 

Moral dilemma?
My passion to build carbon fueled machinery that can kill quickly and absolutely will kill slowly?
Costs as much as I can covertly squirrel away and never completely divulge to the secretary of war and finances?
Reduces the amount of valuable time spent with the loved ones in my life, my only true reason for living?

nah, I'm ok with that.