Technical Outside the lines!!!!

I have seen quite a few chassis designs over the years. Good and bad. It seems the norm to have a frame , plop body on said frame , figure suspension out, wire and add gas. How many chassis builders pro or not add a secondary rail out to the rockers ? I guess a a safety item if t boned. Also , maybe a good addition for the pre early 40’s brigade. Thoughts ?

 

Crush zone , perhaps .

 

fairly common in jeeps and offroad vehicles. The rocker rails are basically an extension of the frame/cage because that's where alot of rocks and trees will hit, so it's a pretty strong area on a well built offroad machine.

 

I guess if i ever got t-boned in the A coupe or sedan i had a rail from the frame out to the body wouldn't help much. The cowl, a pillar ,door, b pillar and quarter would be junk.

 

It is an interesting idea but without destroying the look of the car. Like chrome side pipes that are actually roll bar tubing and structural for side impacts. The problem is our cars sit so low the oncoming minivan (its always a minivan) would hit you in the door anyway. No, if you want your safety on the road guaranteed drive with a mask on.

 

^^^^^^^^^^^^ Is there a "multiple like button" somewhere on here??!!
6sally6

 

Expand on your thoughts and project, 41rodderz. I've been thinking a bit about crash safety in an old and possibly smaller, lighter, lower car.

I agree that the doors (riders on the storm) are probably more of a concern with most old cars. The mask comment ...

 

On my Tudor, the body and 32 frame are one piece, a unibody. So you are actually sitting inside such a structure.

 

Reminds of early bodied "modifieds" w/outer rails.
I've driven w/eyes on back of head for years. Best be careful out there.
Good mirrors essential.

 

A local had a 1933 Plymouth coupe at stock ride height and he built out the ( [ ) so is to provide a little more of a barrier . He said the reason was related to a past experience / family member t boned and killed and it just made him more comfortable . Just wondering if others have done it with their hot rod frames for safety or strength.

 

My '39 Chev has factory braces that go across the bottom side of the floor and extend out to the rockers. Lucky it does as the rockers were rotted away when I got mine, and I'd had no idea where to locate them without remnants of the inner rockers clinging to the floor braces.

 

I do understand it is all related to the actual vehicle that hits you and what you are in as well, but that extra crush protection could work well eg. my 1948 F1 getting hit by a car may give the other guy more of a added headache then he planned on .

 

Some of us drive trucks and that could be make a solid running board mount .

 

Maybe being around dirt race cars gives me a different perspective than those that haven’t but I have sat in my ‘27 T Tudor wether configuring seats , steering column or shifter placement and I have had thoughts like what the hell protection do I really have here . Not much. Yes, I can say that’s the deal with these T’s , A’s etc but there room to improve the safety aspect. Perspective from a race car/drag car or Bonneville.

 

Why not front and side airbags? Crumple zones? Outside the car roll bars. What the fuck. You can trip on the dog getting out of bed in the morning and fall out a nine story window. You gonna change beds, dogs, and windows? You start the journey to the grave the minute you're born.

 

Have any of your vehicles had safety features?

 

Most of the problem as I see it is modern vehicles don’t require your full attention to drive which leads most people to other activities, such as cellphones. Add to that a mid too large size city with all the attendant construction, traffic and such, been there done that, rode a bike in a fair sized city for 17 years, Happy to have survived but couldn’t take it any more, moved to a small town, still idiots out there but not coming at you with intent.

 

When the shaft comes straight at you ... no time to check with your friends on facebook.
You going to get a spear and you will be dead.

You can do your best to add safety to a 70 year old car ...
Yeah you are out numbered .... no, nobody wants your safety features ... We drive what we have.

 

Nice of you to ask, and thanks for your concern. Yes they have. Rules dictated them on my race cars, and the government forced them on my daily drivers. But they won't halt the final outcome. Postpone it? Maybe.

 

Since we're all going to die we shouldn't be concerned with safety?

 

Plenty of people (including HAMBers) want safety features.

 

Why do some HAMBers try to quash some discussions on safety?

 

No offense to all the amazingly valuable contributions above but it really boils down to physics.

If a 6000lb SUV traveling 45 mpg pegs you from the side no amount of roll cages will save you. Your head/guts will explode when the bumper hits it and ain’t much gonna stop that.

There was a story on the H.A.M.B. about an RPU that got hit from the rear, passenger was thrown from the car and the driver killed instantly.

Always a thought to keep in mind while driving...

 

Let's say someone crosses a course at Bonneville and a 3,000 pound car going 200 mph t-bones the driver's side. Does it matter if it's an old army jeep with no door or a racecar with a full cage? The damage will be different. Maybe the g-forces would be too much for both cases.

Let's say your example of 45 mph is correct and 5 mph could be walked away from. Is there anything reasonable that could be done to reduce the risk between those two speeds?

 

Yes. Buy a Volvo...

 

go to a wrecking yard and see the new cars damaged there. makes you pause a little. i don't know of anything you can do to make any car completely safe. you pay your money and take your chances.

 

There was a guy that made a seat track for crash safety. I saw it on "That's Incredible!" or "Real People," about 40 years ago. The seat would slide forward and then up, kind of like a candy cane profile shape. In a crash, this kept the driver in the seat and the g-forces were dissipated. I would love to see that clip again.

The other clip I remember is "Wrong Way Wooten." He rode a bike facing backwards. You ever try that?

 

The two strategies I'm considering for a t-bone collision are:
1. Strengthening the body and door structures.
2. Making more space between the driver and the door.

The doors and bodies on early cars seem weak, and the bodies are narrower. Adding structural support similar to (some parts of) a roll cage should offer significant protection: a cross-piece in the dash area, a cross-piece somewhere behind the front seat and/or quarter panel area, and tubing inside or inboard of the doors, all designed to connect (while not blocking the doorway), and all connected to the frame.

You're basically sitting right next to the door in most cars. My possible project would be a single-seater, and I would center the seat between the doors. Having a foot of space should offer quite a bit of protection. Think of being t-boned on the driver's side versus the passenger side.

Other items:
* Not having a solid steering shaft
* Having shoulder belts

 

With my 32 Ford I'm not as worried about side impacts as I am about front and rear. There's 12 gallons of explosives hanging out back for all the world to see, and an arrow 10 inches from my heart not too far inside the F-1 steering column.

I just keep my head on a swivel and my foot ready for the brakes. Otherwise I'd go buy a Subaru.

 

Has anyone ever put in a non-solid steering shaft or relocated the fuel tank to a more protected place on a 32 Ford?