Making a 67-72 more safe.

[BrutonLS1]

Hey guys,
I ran across this crash test of a 59 bel air. After seeing how catastrophic a crash can be in an older vehicle, I've decided to post this thread to bring together ideas and builds to make our trucks more safe.

Crash Test 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air VS. 2009...

My entire family and all of my friends know me by my 68'. When they think of me, they think of me and my truck, I live for it. To imagine the horendous impact that would overwhelm my family and friends, after dying in an accident, is quite frightening. The mental image of a newspaper article with a picture of my mangled truck, and the funeral service information, is quite fearful as well.

My dad is in the Army, and has seen many deployments, and experienced many difficulties. He once quoted, "Think of the worst casinario, and how to survive it."
Here's some of the things I've been thinking about:

-Steering column with an airbag, and other dash airbags
-roll bar that's in the cab, behind the seat, that wraps discretly around the rear glass
-seat/seat belt upgrades
-frame supports/ (kind of wild and out there but, crumple zones?!)

If you have any ideas or builds, let's hear it

Thanks for reading, as always, you guys rock.
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[dan42]

Interesting project. If you have the wherewithal to do all that stuff, I say go for it. I guess I should worry about the safety factor of our trucks, but I don't. You can never be guaranteed that you will survive an accident, regardless of the vehicle; of course, in a modern one with safety features, you are better off. About a month ago I was going north on 101 north of Santa Barbara and a lady pitch-pulled (hobie cat term- end over end, corner to corner) a newer Ford 500 going 65 mph in the south bound lane, and richocheted off a new Tundra in front of me. When it stopped rolling I fully thought she was dead; she crawled out the window and wandered over to the other vehicle. I think she was a crack head because she was super skinny, but not a scratch on her. No one in either vehicle appeared hurt. New cars are designed very well, and it would be an interesting challenge to re-engineer an older vehicle, but sometimes its just easier to buy something thats already been designed with safety in mind.

[DeadheadNM]

Hey I have a brother next door in Azle, Tx. My 0.02 cents: if you want a safer ride buy something else for a daily driver. That said, I have shoulder belts in mine. That's an easy do and I suspect it's no fun breaking your teeth or sternum on the steering wheel. As for the in-cab gas tank I don't expect that's much of a problem in a collision unless the truck rolls, I survive, and gas is pouring all over me. As you have a 68, maybe an upgrade to disc brakes would help a bit? Take care! Pete

[domeier]

By placing your beer between your legs instead of holding on to it, you can keep both hands on the wheel at all times.

[Mister-B]

Keep in mind, you're not driving a '59 Bel air. You're driving a truck that sits higher, and is heavier. I'm sure it would fair better.

This piece of crap likely has the latest in safety features, but I'd sure rather be me in my truck, then her in her sardine can if we were to collide


One small thing you could do, is replace your front windshield with a modern one that has an interior plastic coat to help keep objects from piercing the glass from the outside, and has a better chance of hopefully keeping an occupant in. Also, tinting the rest of your windows can help with flying glass.

Be a defensive driver, and keep away from idiots as much as possible
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[JointTech]

dude look up the safety specs on that thing. its pretty unreal. its like an egg. They actually have a commercial with a full size blazer sitting on top of it.
and also small cars are awesome. I'd own one but I'm 6'2" and my wife wont let me becasue I'd look ridiculous getting out of it. She said she'd buy me clown shoes.

but on topic. Get the gas tank out of the cab.
this guy put stability control in his mustang... http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/h...s/viewall.html
I heard bosch has an aftermarket ABS system but its 5figures type stuff.

[special-K]

No offense,but people worry too much. All the changes in the world and you can still die in an accident in any vehicle. Keeping that in mind while driving is the best safety device ever

[cdowns]

learing how to drive safe is the best way to stay safe

[bobs409]

I think that 59 Chevy test was rigged but I won't go into that.

Now, imagine your sitting at a stop light behind another vehicle in that small POS above and a truck (or anything) rear ends you at a good speed. Guess what, your a sandwich! There's no place for it to "crumple" except the space your in! Say goodbye to your legs at the very least.

I'd prefer some metal between me and the other cars. And if I had to drive anything they make today, I'd rather just walk.

[BigDaddyV]

Im sorry newer doesnt make it safer. If I can lay on the ground next to the car and my feet and head pass both bumpers I wont get in it. Smart car my Arz. Dumb car. Im with Mister-B Id rather be in my Tank than a peice of plastic with air bags.

[jjzepplin]

I wrecked my lifted 72 blazer. Some guy drove a Dodge Magnum across all three lanes directly vertical to my lane. It was like hitting a parked car at 55mph. I could pick front-back-or middle but we were going to collide. Bent the frame and every bolt holding it on the frame. Still ran and drove it on the flatbed truck. My injuries included a chipped tooth and a scratch on my left elbow. Lap belt only. And I will never again just leave a spare tire laying in the back as it tore up my passenger seat. Totaled by the ins company. Magnum was DESTROYED! Darn Dodges! So I thinks we are pretty safe in these things.

[Wasted Income]

This is probably your best bet.



I don't think that retrofitting air bags is very viable. There is a LOT of calculations that go into designing the steering column and dash structure to support not only the deployment, but also the energy absorption of YOU in an impact. Many times the dash and windshield work in concert to correctly deploy and place the air bag....not to mention the nightmare of developing and calibrating the accelerometers that trigger the bag.

Seats and seatbelts? Yep, easy win.
Rollbar in the cab? As long as it's properly designed, sure, why not.

Or....you could just live your life and enjoy it.

[BigDaddyV]

so you couldnt dodge the Dodge?....

[midniteblues]

ya wanna make it more safe.

add your 3 point belts.

put seats in with head rests(prevent reverse head butting the rear window that hurts)

good tires

good brakes

fresh suspention wear items

fresh steering componets

good lights

and drive carefully

only you can prevent you from having a accident otherwise you cant control what other drivers are gonna do

oh and that video like bob said its probaly staged too make the new car look better.you cant believe everything you see on the interweb

[SCOTI]

Originally Posted by jjzepplin

I wrecked my lifted 72 blazer. Some guy drove a Dodge Magnum across all three lanes directly vertical to my lane. It was like hitting a parked car at 55mph. I could pick front-back-or middle but we were going to collide. Bent the frame and every bolt holding it on the frame. Still ran and drove it on the flatbed truck. My injuries included a chipped tooth and a scratch on my left elbow. Lap belt only. And I will never again just leave a spare tire laying in the back as it tore up my passenger seat. Totaled by the ins company. Magnum was DESTROYED! Darn Dodges! So I thinks we are pretty safe in these things.

Just a few safety ideas that are easily integrated....

Debris in the bed of a truck can become lethal in an accident.
3pt belts properly anchored.
Defensive driving.
Disc brakes & a properly adjusted brake system.
Quality tires vs. the cheapest available or excessively worn.
Steering columns can be shortened slightly if there are concerns there.
Blazer tank (or similar type) between the rails or in the bed (properly anchored ) vs in cab.

[BigDaddyV]

How do you shorten your steer shaft? is there cutting involved?

[Tom Vogel]

These trucks are way safer than you might imagine. I hit a telephone pole head on as a youngster in a 69 GMC. Broke that pole in 3 pieces and brought down all the lines. Totaled the truck, but me and my passenger were fine.
Make sure you have good new belts and you will be good to go.
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[Bigdav160]

You cannot compare the ladder style frame of your truck to the X member frame in that '59 Chevrolet.

Like others have said, wear you safety belts (shoulder belts would help) and you'll be fine.

[truckster]

Originally Posted by Mister-B

One small thing you could do, is replace your front windshield with a modern one that has an interior plastic coat to help keep objects from piercing the glass from the outside, and has a better chance of hopefully keeping an occupant in.

Automotive safety glass was mandated decades before your 68 was built. The only thing that's changed, aside from making the glass thinner and therefore lighter, is that modern windshields are glued in with urethane adhesive, as they are part of the structure of the vehicle.

Windshields are made of laminated glass, two layers of glass with a plastic layer between. The plastic keeps the glass together in the event of breakage. Most other glass in the car is tempered glass, which is tougher to break and will shatter into many small pieces if broken so no large, dangerous shards are formed. I say most because some manufacturers occasionally use laminated glass in other pieces - the rear quarters on mid-80s Suburbans that had privacy tint are an example.

Manufacturers experimented in the early 90s with layer of plastic on the interior face of windshields on some high-dollar cars (Town Car comes to mind), with the thought that the plastic would prevent cuts in case of an accident. It was pretty impressive; I ran my hand over one after it had been hit by a hammer 5 or 6 times, and it was bumpy but there were no cutting surfaces. The manufacturers ultimately gave up the experiment because the plastic scratched too easily (owners didn't follow the cleaning instructions) and there wasn't sufficient evidence of benefit for the insurance companies to pay for replacements.

The bottom line is this: Unless your windshield is broken, the only safety advantage to replacing your windshield would be having new, clean glass to look through.

As others have said, make sure the safety equipment you have is up to par, and maybe upgrade brakes and seat belts.

And watch for anvils falling from the sky.

[68shortstep]

Originally Posted by SCOTI

Debris in the bed of a truck can become lethal in an accident.

Doesn't have to be debris.....

I knew a contractor-friend & his wife who were both killed by his across-the-bed toolbox.

Head-on hit in his pickup by a drunk driver. Survivable injuries to their legs, etc, but the heavily-loaded toolbox that he had screwed to the top of the bed rails with short hardware store low quality sheet metal screws tore loose & killed them both when it came thru the back of the cab.

I re-mounted mine, reinforced with a piece of strap steel below the bed rail on each side & hardened bolts. Ten $$$ fix that would have saved their lives.

Think about safely re-mounting your toolbox now .........

[68shortstep]

Yikes.

Post 666. Had to do another.

Be safe, drive smart. Drive sober.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by JointTech

dude look up the safety specs on that thing. its pretty unreal. its like an egg. They actually have a commercial with a full size blazer sitting on top of it.
and also small cars are awesome. I'd own one but I'm 6'2" and my wife wont let me becasue I'd look ridiculous getting out of it. She said she'd buy me clown shoes.

but on topic. Get the gas tank out of the cab.
this guy put stability control in his mustang... http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/h...s/viewall.html
I heard bosch has an aftermarket ABS system but its 5figures type stuff.

...yeah, sitting on top of it. What about colliding with it at 50 mph?
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[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by truckster

Automotive safety glass was mandated decades before your 68 was built. The only thing that's changed, aside from making the glass thinner and therefore lighter, is that modern windshields are glued in with urethane adhesive, as they are part of the structure of the vehicle.

Windshields are made of laminated glass, two layers of glass with a plastic layer between. The plastic keeps the glass together in the event of breakage. Most other glass in the car is tempered glass, which is tougher to break and will shatter into many small pieces if broken so no large, dangerous shards are formed. I say most because some manufacturers occasionally use laminated glass in other pieces - the rear quarters on mid-80s Suburbans that had privacy tint are an example.

Manufacturers experimented in the early 90s with layer of plastic on the interior face of windshields on some high-dollar cars (Town Car comes to mind), with the thought that the plastic would prevent cuts in case of an accident. It was pretty impressive; I ran my hand over one after it had been hit by a hammer 5 or 6 times, and it was bumpy but there were no cutting surfaces. The manufacturers ultimately gave up the experiment because the plastic scratched too easily (owners didn't follow the cleaning instructions) and there wasn't sufficient evidence of benefit for the insurance companies to pay for replacements.

The bottom line is this: Unless your windshield is broken, the only safety advantage to replacing your windshield would be having new, clean glass to look through.

As others have said, make sure the safety equipment you have is up to par, and maybe upgrade brakes and seat belts.

And watch for anvils falling from the sky.

Good point. Thanks for the correction. It's the adhesive they put around the windshield on the inside that'll help keep occupants in. Well, the plastic layer on the windshield will too, but that came stock apparently
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[jabborabbo]

Originally Posted by cdowns

learing how to drive safe is the best way to stay safe

That's the tack I'm taking in my recently acquired '67 GMC. I've driven cars with airbags, anti-lock disc brakes, and tight handling characteristics for the last 20 years and have consequently developed driving habits regarding speed, lane changing, following distance, stopping distance, and general distractions that will get me killed in the GMC unless I modify those habits, which I'm working on.

[68_Step]

Originally Posted by 68shortstep

Doesn't have to be debris.....

I knew a contractor-friend & his wife who were both killed by his across-the-bed toolbox.

Head-on hit in his pickup by a drunk driver. Survivable injuries to their legs, etc, but the heavily-loaded toolbox that he had screwed to the top of the bed rails with short hardware store low quality sheet metal screws tore loose & killed them both when it came thru the back of the cab.

I re-mounted mine, reinforced with a piece of strap steel below the bed rail on each side & hardened bolts. Ten $$$ fix that would have saved their lives.

Think about safely re-mounting your toolbox now .........

I just added that to my weekend to do list...