[patrick]

After preaching and teaching. Nagging for following too close... Sidney, my 18 year old daughter, told me to chill out. Here are the result's. Thank God, no serious injurie's! Before this, Sidney asked, "Why don't you let me take the Challenger out on my own?" These picture's are my answer. This happened on I-84. She rear ended a truck and trailor at 65 MPH. The truck and trailor was slowing to 25MPH, because of roadwork and Multnomah Falls exit. Sid thinks, it their fault but, I told her "No!" You're the one who hit them. And that's the way the LAW see's it too. It broke the trailor hitch on the fifth wheel trailor, she hit. Hurt the passenger in that rig. So much for my preferred insurance rate's!

[patrick]

I thank GOD, she didn't do this in the "Honda" I was fixing for her!

[Alaskan_TA]

Very glad she is OK & I hope she learned something.

At 18 they can (& should) get their own insurance, it makes them more careful when they are responsible for the bill.

[dave-r]

That seat belt must have had some damage before the impact.

I think both you and Kim should sit her down and have a serious chat to her about road awareness and braking distance.

Make her watch this.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95lD91Vt ... r_embedded

[drewcrane]

man o man o man i am glad the injuries werent that bad, yea i was 19 and slid on ice a slammed into a van in my duster,never did like the brakes, and my car looked like that,so i have been there ,some of us need to learn the hard way ,

yes like dave said , have a sit down with her,of course you guys were with me in the chally and that challenged by braking distances ,show her that vid too!

[Goldenblack440]

that was certainly a scary wakeup call for her Patrick. Very glad no-one was hurt more. I hope her neck and back is ok. Lucky she was driving a solid Mopar with decent metal and a long hood and not a ricer (like the Honda or any of the other Korean offerings). I think i can see a ripple in the side of the LHS rear quarter? That was a big hit.

Another wakeup to check (and wear) our seatbelts too, hard to believe it snapped like that. It must have been slightly perished or weak in some way.

BTW, did the Volare's run a 340? Or was that a shoe-in? What year Volare is is?

[Eddie]

Glad to hear she is OK Pat. Kids,,,glad I dont have any!!

[Jon]

That's quite a bit of damage. Especially scary are those interior pictures. Glad to hear she is OK Pat.

My stepson always wanted to take the Challenger out too. He rolled two trucks before age 21 so glad I didn't give in.

[patrick]

that was certainly a scary wakeup call for her Patrick. Very glad no-one was hurt more. I hope her neck and back is ok. Lucky she was driving a solid Mopar with decent metal and a long hood and not a ricer (like the Honda or any of the other Korean offerings). I think i can see a ripple in the side of the LHS rear quarter? That was a big hit.

Another wakeup to check (and wear) our seatbelts too, hard to believe it snapped like that. It must have been slightly perished or weak in some way.

BTW, did the Volare's run a 340? Or was that a shoe-in? What year Volare is is?

Nope. That's the air cleaner off my old Cuda' The Volare' is... was a 1977 with a Super 225. The air cleaner was a doner part. It did have a 4 Barrel that the previous owner added. I'm still toying with what to do with this car.

[patrick]

I never noticed anything wrong with the seatbelt's before. They are 32 year's old. Food for thought for our 40 year old Challey's! Drew, I know your's are in good shape!

[drewcrane]

I never noticed anything wrong with the seatbelt's before. They are 32 year's old. Food for thought for our 40 year old Challey's! Drew, I know your's are in good shape!

hey thats why i changed mine i have been to the salvage yard to know that seat belts dont last very long,


guys consider changing your seat belts!

[Goldenblack440]

Nope. That's the air cleaner off my old Cuda' The Volare' is... was a 1977 with a Super 225. The air cleaner was a doner part. It did have a 4 Barrel that the previous owner added. I'm still toying with what to do with this car.

It fooled me! I thought the engine looked more or less in the centre of the engine bay, so didn't even consider it was a six. (The Leaning Tower of Power!) Looks like there is some good parts on that car -Rallye wheels, Rallye mirrors, twin horns, Fender mounted repeater indicators etc. BTW was your daughter very stiff and sore the next day? Apparently after a big shock to the nervous system like this, the body sends heaps of hormones, adrenalin, endorphins etc throughout the whole body and the effect is that this excess makes the body very stiff for a few days. This also happens if you have been hit by a car, even if you didn't sustain injuries.

[Eddie]

Yeah, thats happens to me too,,a release of Hormones then "Pow' a stiffy for a few hours!

[Moparman1972]

Wow, serious impact to come away from with little injury. She was a helluva lot better off in that than a new little compact, I'd think.

Honda Civics are not worth a shit. My stepbrother has one, drove it off the road into a tree last winter. 15 mph impact broke the engine loose and bent the left framerail. My girlfriend HAD one. A 5 mph impact at a stoplight sent a trailer hitch THROUGH the front crossmember that serves as the bumper! The plastic bumper cover didn't crack or anything, but you could look down and see the sheared crossmember. I wish I had pictures. A friend of hers rolled the car a week later, so no more Civic.

Newer cars are very good at giving new drivers a false sense of confidence. They don't know where the limit is because the car feels safe until it is already out of control. Give em a 67 valiant like I had, drum brakes all around and rattling like crazy over 60 mph and they'd be a lot more cautious!

[dave-r]

Some of you cars have a LOT to learn about car safety and design.

A safe car is DESIGNED to crumple a lot. For good reason. It decelerates the car so the occupants are not subjected to the large G-forces that are in fact what hurt or kill you.

The bits that crumple are designed to do so in a way that everything moves around the secure bit which is where the occupants are. It is not because they are badly made.

A "strong" car will suffer less damage but the occupants will suffer greater damage.

Most American cars do not pass the safety standards set if they were built in most countries.

[patrick]

This car vintage 1977, was designed to crumple a lot. It really didn't. It destroyed the rearend of the trailor and, the fifth wheel hitch it was attatched to. I was amazed at the interrior damage to the lower dash. I think they were tuff girl's.

[drewcrane]

Some of you cars have a LOT to learn about car safety and design.

A safe car is DESIGNED to crumple a lot. For good reason. It decelerates the car so the occupants are not subjected to the large G-forces that are in fact what hurt or kill you.

The bits that crumple are designed to do so in a way that everything moves around the secure bit which is where the occupants are. It is not because they are badly made.

A "strong" car will suffer less damage but the occupants will suffer greater damage.

Most American cars do not pass the safety standards set if they were built in most countries.

yes i agree

[Moparman1972]

To add to what I posted about the civic, and in response to what Dave mentioned...Yes, the crumple zones in the frame are supposed to absorb the impact and keep it from being transmitted to the passenger compartment. I could not believe it when I saw that the front "crossmember", the real bumper in essence, behind the plastic, was sheared THROUGH by a trailer hitch! Didn't pull the framerails in, didn't move anything, didn't even push against the plastic bumper cover enough to split it, but sheared right through the damn crossmember from a 5mph impact. A 15 mph impact into a tree broke the engine loose and pushed it back against the firewall in the same year civic (04).

I certainly don't know much about crumple-zones or the engineering behind what Honda is doing with the passenger capsule, and it must be more than decent enough to pass crash testing, but thinking as the aerospace engineer I am, I would imagine the front crossmember of those things should be beefy enough to keep the force of the impact in the frame rails and respective crumple zones, not allow it to pass through to the engine and shove that around. If a 15 mph impact was enough to break the engine loose and get it against the firewall, I can't imagine what a 45 or 50 mph impact would be. I'd have 4 cylinders of fury in my lap!

Sorry, I am just not impressed with the engineering in some new cars, Civics in particular. The benefit of a new car that is a throwaway after a crash is supposed to be that you are totally protected from anything. I don't see that.

[dave-r]

I think the engine is designed to go back and under the passenger compartment in order to protect the bulkhead area. Something like that. There is a reason for it anyway. I know they do huge research into making sure nothing (like the engine) deforms the passenger area.

It isn't to do with being cheaply made. The manufacturers are under HUGE pressures to make light weight a priority without reducing safety in order to make cars more fuel efficient. So although a fairly minor crash will write a modern type car off these days, in doing that it is reducing the risk to the occupants quite a lot.

Rather a written off car than a written off daughter eh?

[Jon]

My pickup has it's hitch in place all the time just for those pesky 5 mph rear enders. I figure it will save some repair shopping in that event.

As for seat belts, anyone have a lead on original looking repros?

[Goldenblack440]

Yes, what Dave said is right, even though i forgot all that! A low speed prang will destroy a light new car but give the passengers a better chance. Still, i'd rather drive a Mopar than a Rice-mobile.

[Goldenblack440]

Yeah, thats happens to me too,,a release of Hormones then "Pow' a stiffy for a few hours!

ha ha, thought that might be taken up. A few hours...! Well, hopefully the endorphins will help with the pain