Hot Rot Safety. The Definitive Oxymoron?

Ok I have been holding off on this topic for some time now.
However with all the "R.I.P." and "fellow rodder dies" threads I have been seeing pop up on several of the hot rod, street rod and rat rod forums I visit I think now is the time to bring it to peoples attention.

It has become increasingly more obvious that rodders in general tend to overlook the most basic of safety items.
Things like seat belts, a proper set of seats and roll over protection.
Hell I have even seen some, cough cough, "rat rods" with no front brakes and missing most of the floor boards.

I have seen some people brag because their car is old enough that they do not have to run seat belts.

I understand that some of these deaths occur during some nature of unlawfull street racing
However I would dare to say, this may not mean much but, at least some of these deaths could have been prevented if the drivers and often times builders of these rods spent a little R&D time in the safely department.

As rodders working with fifty, sixty and seventy year old and sometimes older technology, if I would be so bold to call it that, we naturally assume some risk is involved.
However most of these cars we build and drive start out as nothing more than a rusty cab and some even rustier frame rails.
Why not build in a little, just a little, extra saftey or crash protection during the remodel/rebuild.

As I mentioned some risk is involved but I am not willing to risk my life simply for the hard core reputation of the scene.
That may sound harsh but it's the truth.

I am curious to hear some pepople opinions or possibly see what some people have done to improve their chances of survival on the street.

 

Go buy a 09 Mercedes or Volvo you wuss. Honestly, I think you are on the wrong site. Go to some candyass place.

 

Well, if we build "dangerous" cars and kill a few innocent bystanders with them, we probably won't have to worry about if they're safe or not. There won't be any modified vehicles allowed on the streets.
Larry T

 

Safety is a must. Totally disagree with F&J. I think YOU are on the wrong site. Im sure everybody will think your rod is badass since you didnt put seatbelts in it and hit a tree and flew through your windshield. Real cool buddy.

 

Ralph Nader called he wants his soapbox back.

 

If you actually read the RIP threads most of the deaths are from heart attacks, cancer etc..........

 

I don't think floorpans or front brakes fall under the category of "oxymoron safety". It falls under the category of "halfass car passed off as hardcore". Also falls under the category "dumbass builder".

Truly fast cars have safety built in. You can't be falling out of the fucking seat while fighting a forward G, or have the car WOT flexing so hard it's choosing direction based on cracks in the road. You lose races cause of that shit. Fuck the safety aspect, losing a race is losing a race. That's as hardcore hot rod as it gets. To finish first, first you must finish.

Sometimes you see flimsy, halfass, overpowered shit. The only way those cars stay around is if they're not driven much, or not driven hard. Run em in anger and they disentegrate. Look for a lot of fucked up, halfass rat rods to be sold cheap in the next decade when the owners realize they'll never be "hot" cause of inherent fucked-upness

 

Everybody should move to Georgia and buy a pickup truck. By Georgia law, everyone must buckle, unless you own a pickup.
Everyone has a god given right to be stupid.

 

I would have to agree with the safety side, but not in full. Brakes, floor, suspension that doesn't bind or steering without large bump steer should be a must. As for roll bars and seat belts, if a person wants them fine but don't degrade him for having or not having them.

 

Safety has and ALWAYS should be, part of your build-up. Safety was one of the priorities of the National HOT ROD Association. Remember the "Safety Safari" of the fifties? Is it that f@$%*ing important to be like "back in the day" that you risk injury to youself and others? If it is,F&j,YOU are on the wrong site! To behave that way is arrogant and selfish! "I dont care if MY ol'school hot rod IS unsafe! I'm haveing MY fun!" Buddy, you WILL care one hell of a lot when somebody you and your car hurt sues your ass off.

 

The NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) rule book is a great guide. Written with safety in mind.e.g.-seat belts,bell housings & roll bar placement. Or just follow the pack mentality and drive a rat rod (piece of shit).I'd be embarrased to drive a rig that was slapped together to impress the knuckle draggers.A lot of effort went into cleaning up hot rodder's image "back in the day". Why would anyone want to screw it up again?

 

I think hot rods should be safe in terms of being well designed and having a high standard of crafstmanship. However,
i dont think that there's much you can do to improve your chances of survivability when you're T-boned by an SUV while driving an AV8. Really, how many people have roll cages or shoulder harnesses in their roadsters. IMHO you're pretty much fucked in a serious accident in a traditional styled hot rod even if it's well built.

 

i love jesus , why just the other night i ran twenty red lights in his honor!!

actually i love my family and safety comes first ..

 

My point was that the hamb is supposed to be about traditional rods. One of which would be a 32 highboy roadster. Seat belts? sure, but NOTHING else is "safe" on that car.

If you get sandwiched in a chain crash, your gas tank goes, then your curved fron rails go right under the car in front and your motor ends up where you are. These cars can't be made "safe" by 2009 standards and still look like a traditional rod.

Instead of starting a stupid thread like this, go do a study of all insurance companies to find out how many people got injured in "trad hotrods" versus "safe modern cars".

I chose to build a trad hiboy to drive. I am not concerned about it compared to a 2009 car. If you drive an early car and still don't get "it", then you are on the wrong site.

 

I haven't had a good poo in a LONG time...

 

Point well made. However,seatbelts do hold you to the seat around corners and over unexpected potholes. Ever try controling a car when youre falling out or bounceing around inside of it? Or slideing across a benchseat? I got seatbelts in all my old cars. Even the slow ones!

 

These car's we drive Hot Rod's and roadsters in particular are little more than 4 wheeled motorcycles as far as crash worthyness is concerned.Build them with good seat's, steering, and brake's drive carefully and hope for the best.I for one am not willing to build my car with a roll cage, fuel cell, blah blah blah to battle with an SUV. JMO Gregg

 

Most hot rods do have an inherent risk factor built in, and I think about that everytime I jump in my 40...... no collapsable steering column, door latches that resemble the ones on your bathroom door, steel dash, etc, etc, but I figure it's a trade off, kind of like riding a motorcycle. You accept the risk for the enjoyment of the ride. But that doesn't mean I want to be riding down the highway with some POS rat rod (or any other kind of rod) behind me that is unsafe in the name of anti establishment. I don't want him getting his pant leg caught on his drive shaft because he hasn't finished his floor (and has no intention to) and have him careening off the road taking me with him! That being said, I don't have seat belts in my 40, but I think about putting them in sometimes, but then I wonder how much good it would do if I did hit something hard. Would they just hold me in place to be impaled by my afformentioned steering column?? Never the less, I don't relish the thought of my ass flopping down the highway along with a bunch of 60 year old parts that used to be my hot rod....... what to do???

 

Wow geez. touchy subject I guess.

I am not saying you need to upgrade to 2009 car crash safety standards.

But would it kill you to put a seat belt in the car or for shits sake it could be something as simple as making sure your throttle will return after being stomped.

And, for the record I am not talking about surviving a crash involving another car or being T boned by an SUV.
Hell most modern cars nor their drivers could survive in that situation.

What I am talking about is the accidents where someone lost control of their car because their throttle stuck and they hit a pole at 40MPH and flew out of the car and died because they had no seat belts.

Or where someone comes up on slow traffic on the interstate and instantly skids out of control because their brakes were barely functional back when they were designed nevermind how inadequate they are after you plunk a small block down in it.

I am talking about accidents that should be easily survivable if not completely avoidable if you just take the time to add a couple of well thought out and/or designed parts.

They can still look like and for the most part be completely traditional but I am just asking that people take a second and be sure not over look such things for the sake of being cool.

 

Im going with The Definitive OxyMORON

 

Seat belts make sense, period. Regardless of what you drive, whether a Deuce coupe, a '55 Cameo pickup, or a 2009 Dodge Cummins one-ton pickup. They've saved MY life twice - once when my friend drove over a 35-foot embankment and we rolled five times, and another when I rear-ended a 4x4 in my little Datsun - both instances were over 30 years ago. Bitch about belts being "traditional" or not, but they WILL save your ass.

 

I guess i might has well throw mt 2 cents in here....Has if anybody cares.When i built my Model A it was my first build.Thru out the time i was building her there was a many a moment the thought came to mind about what the hell would happen if i was to ever combed over by a much larger suv of even worst a full size 1 ton or dump truck in a car that amounts to little more than the size of a pregnant roller skate. And with that in mind when i pulled all the wood out you bet your ass i tacked more than enough steel thru out the inner body to make me feel a little bit safer.I feel every hot rod out there should have at the least a good set of seat belts for every person in the car rather they are thee point if possible or lap belts if your ride is a roadster.Safety should always come first.When your ass is in a coffin thats a hell of a time to think about traditional.Again just my 2 cents

 

P.S. the title to this thread was supposed to be Hot ROD Saftey not Hot ROT Saftey.

Boy do I feel stupid.

 

you say you put off posting this for a long time.you just joined and have 14 post..you need to sit back and watch a lot before jumping out there with this stupid crap.......we build them safer than they were when new in most cases,the ones that don't,well we hope they learn a lesson and se the error in their ways.

long time to post...jeeeshhhh...14 post

 

basically dude...yur preachin' to the choir...

 

From what I have seen on the HAMB, 99% of the projects are built safe and sound. The 1%ers usually leave shortly after they post pics of their coffin or they take the badgering and fix the flaws.

While I understand where you're coming from, I hardly think you've had a chance to really check out the builds that are being put together on here. Stick around, do a few hundred searches and watch what's being done before making such a blanket statement.

 

Damb well spoken!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

i tink i said sometink lika dat..mine no sound so eloquent

 

tfeverfred = texan......lmao!!!! no reraly hotrod jut jokin

 

i was wondering if oxymoron would get paint and grease out of my hamb t shirt???