Hot Rods Ever think about getting in an accident in your hot rod?

Fuuuuu*K, ……glad your ok.

 

I do. Glad your ok.I just try to be vigilant on the road. Snowman

 

Been there, done that! Oct, 2011 8:30 am, a nice sunny morning. I was traveling through town at 30 mph in my 50 Dodge 4x4, when a lady decided to make a left turn, 20' in front of me. I hit her head on, the point of impact was the right front corner of her bumper and the center of my front bumper. that truck weighed 4850 lbs and was stopped instantly, her car was pushed back 20' from the impact. She had air bags that saved her, my truck was equipped with lap belts, but I was not wearing it. My right hand pulled the steering wheel with me as I moved forward and upward to be stopped by the header panel above the windshield. I got 11 stitches in my forehead and a badly sprained thumb on my right hand. I was lucky. The reason I didn't wear the lap belt was because I felt it would have held my butt in the seat but put my face at the center of the windshield. I would have been correct. The reason she gave me for turning in front of me? She claimed she didn't see my big bright blue truck. I think she was on her phone.

I have before pictures of the truck (posted), but none after the crash, I lost those on a computer crash years ago. The cab on that truck sat up pretty high and it had a Meyers snow plow mounting bracket reinforcing the front end (the blade and the pump were not on the plow frame at the time). Most of the damage was confined to the truck frame, the snow plow brackets, and the front sheet metal. The frame was buckled in 4 places and diamonded. The impact broke the 4x4 cast iron transfer case and actually broke several factory welds on the 3/8" thick Meyers plow brackets as they were bent. I kept the truck after the insurance settlement with the intent of rebuilding it, but later sold it to someone that needed parts.

Everything since that truck has gotten 3 point seat belts, and they get used. I'm a lot more causes about what other cars are doing around me. I am aware, but not scared, we still drive our hot rod 8,000 -10,000 miles a year. Gene

 

Having been rear-ended twice within about 8 months, one time in my 47 coupe, yeah I think about it a lot. I did put 3 point belts in my A pickup, harder to do in a coupe.

 

I don't really know what to say. I do think about it, and reach for the non-existent seat belt sometimes when I get in my Forty. But the other half of me says that if something takes my car, I may not want to be around to see it. Not sure if I could forgive myself, let alone someone else, if it takes it out. Lots of emotions built in this one.

 

I worry about the gas tank location on mine……boom!

 

I know mine will kill me, I accept that, it's old and small, all metal, but life is not without risk.

 

My near death experience in the daily did effect my replacement purchase but not my Hotrod experience...mainly due to the fact I don't drive it nearly as much...

I know when you drive it your just as vulnerable but I generally stay away from the Rat race...so it's a chance I'm willing to take...

As with Al and many of you we soldier on and remain focused hopefully with a big smile..

 

Sorry for your injuries and the loss of time and expenses in your treasures. I have been in a few close ones and they were always in town. Nothing ever on an interstate or highway. Proper safe braking is all we really have next to common sense to keep us safe and spare any damage to our labor of love. Even now with excellent braking on my 34, I still plan my stops. My concern is me being rear ended.

 

I’ll tell you what scares me, deer. They don’t carry insurance and they’re fucking stupid. It’s the rut now and they’re sex crazed. I’ve come close to hitting them. I imagine it would just rip the windshield off and hit me. I expect stupidity from humans and I make allowances. But, deer? I seldom drive at night now.

 

I've thought of it , just never could go through with it , I always chicken out ! LOL !

 

All the fuckin time. Just last weekend we almost got sideswiped in the Subie ski hauler. folks turning and think they needed our lane. TWICE in the same day~!

 

My ‘48 “Effie” i am building has a ‘65 impala front clip and boxed frame back a ways. It’s getting a tilt front end but also getting a front bumper. Seat belts , inner nerf bars that come out to the rockers and a fuel cell enclosed in tubing and all rear of cab frame crossmembers are getting fresh heavier metal members . Going to bend some round roll cage tubing to come down the back side of fuel cell like a race car so if someone does go under my back end they can kiss some steel before the cell .

 

Yep, I think about it a lot....got lucky in this one

 

I have been driving for 50 plus years, have been t=boned, rear ended 3 times, and been in more close calls than I want to think about. As I am building my 50 chevy truck I try to anticipate what I can do to make it a little safer. I have moved the gas tank out of the cabin, but is it really safer behind the rear axle? I will install seatbelts, 3 point is I can
figure them out, and the next thing is to put some kind of steering column change to get rid of that 1 piece column shaft that is waiting to impale me. Disc brakes are already in. Defensive driving is a must in CT but it only takes you so far in this cell phone hooked world. Mounting a camera to record things would make the police have an easier job I guess.

 

Did you hear the Honda scream banzai as it blew the stop sign?
Glad you survived to warn the rest of us.

 

The future's uncertain and the end is always near.....
Jim was right!.....

 

Glad you are OK. I live in a college/tourist town. and it makes you anticipate the actions of others. Running stop signs and traffic lights seem to be the norm. I gave up riding motorcycles several years ago due to it, and painted my 53 lime green to help it stand out. Lap belts only, though.

 

I guess for me I understand the risks but I’ll be damned if I’m going to not enjoy myself on a “what if”. I also still walk across a street despite the risk….

 

I've had the Zipper 22 years and drive it all the time. However, in the past several years, Durango has become a big time tourist town as well as a mecca for bicyclists. The close calls are becoming more frequent and I no longer will drive into town because of that. My car weighs 1700# and would do nothing to protect me in a collision.

 

Drive mine like I used to ride my Harley. I am invisible to these idiots and they are all out to kill me. D

 

I have lap belts in my hot rods but I kinda wonder if those lap belts are like peeing in the ocean to raise the sea level...

Glad you're on the mend!

Also, maybe its safer to leave the frame unboxed? A crumple zone, as you put it.

 

Man, that A rules. It took the impact better than I would have assumed. I'm glad you're around to talk about it.

 

They will keep you in the car and able to hold the wheel, many times that is the difference between life and not life

 

Do I think about it? Hell, yes, I think about it...a lot.

One of the problems we have with making our cars safe is that there is often very little to attach seat belts to that is substantial enough to take the inertia loads in the case of an accident. Plywood, sheet metal and fiberglass just aren't enough.

On all of my builds I add a steel tubing crossmember specifically located to receive the seat belt anchors and strong enough to take the loads, which are substantial, without bending or coming loose. I cannot control the circumstances of an accident but I can make my hot rod as safe as possible in order to survive.


My daily driver is a Wescott '32 tub which has lap belts from Julianos. Wescott builds these bodies with a very substantial angle iron crossmember perfectly located for seat belt anchoring.


My newest roadster build, a Henry-bodied '31 roadster, got a heavy wall tubing crossmember added to the frame to anchor the seat belts. These are also from Julianos.

 

hot rod maybe slightly better off then riding a motorcycle

 

I think about it every time I take ours out of the garage. Even at 5:00 am on Saturdays at intersections with walls on every corner and a functioning signal. I’ll mention I live in South Little Saigon in SoCal.

 

I spend more time on bikes than vintage vehicles....Ride like a WW2 fighter pilot, eyes and head moving constantly scanning for danger. Deer, distracted drivers and the police...

 

Not the hot rod, but a guy ran the stop sign at the end of the off ramp Monday and hit my wife in the side. Never asked if she was ok. Wish i had been there

 

Damn Lloyd, I hope Ashley is ok.