When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
When your number's up, It doesn't matter if you're in a Mack truck...time to die.
Originally Posted by Priya
Uhhhhh.... No.
Your number is far less likely to be up if you're driving a Mack truck than if you're driving a BMW Isetta.
Agreed.... when your time is up, it doesn`t matter. Seat belt saved me from this....
White line in center of first pic is pillar that belongs on front edge of passenger door!
Red line in second pic shows where the guard rail came in.
I walked away, only got 18 stitches. Next day I climbed in it and STOOD on the driver`s seat.
Don't sell early Corvettes short, they really hold do up fairly well in an accident.
They don't have any of the safety features of modern cars, such as air bags, ABS, crumple zones, etc, but 63-82 Corvettes are a relatively safe design. Fiberglass absorbs impact and energy well. The heavy, full frame and birdcage provide strength to the car's structure, and the engine setback and resulting cockpit setback, create a pseudo crumple zone.
Seat belts are still the best and most effective safety feature in your car, so if there is anything that every owner of an old Corvette should be concerned about, it is their seat belts. Old belts loose their strength. The stitching deteriorates, and the webbing stretches and wears, effecting it's strength (for this reason, racing organizations require belts to be replaced every few years, and usually after an accident). The operation of many of the old retractors, is also a concern. I would recommend to anyone driving an early Corvette, to have their belts replaced with new reproductions, or restored by someone like Seatbelt Solutions, who have the equipment to properly test a set of belts.
Every modern car is far safer than any car built 40-50 years ago. When compared to other cars from it's era, the early Corvette is a relatively safe car, and probably still is.
i saw a video of a 61 Impala vs I think a Camry or something. the Impala opened up like a can of soup. of course maybe they picked that car cuz of it's x-frame design, but a welded unibody is waaaay stronger in an impact.
i saw a video of a 61 Impala vs I think a Camry or something. the Impala opened up like a can of soup. of course maybe they picked that car cuz of it's x-frame design, but a welded unibody is waaaay stronger in an impact.
It was a 59 Chevy Bel Air vs 2009 Chevy Malibu. It was to show the improvements in safety over the last 50 years.
In 1978 I was in a head-on collision in my 68- and lived to tell about.
Woke up three days later in the hospital and had no idea what was going on. I had broken the hardest bone in my body- my cheekbone- in 7 places- also cracked a couple of vertebra.
I was young and dumb- not wearing a seat belt.
My doctor told me with that that much injury- I should have had brain damage.
I'm guessing it wasn't my time.
I do wear a seat-belt all the time now- don't run around the house with scissors nor do I stick my fingers in electrical sockets.
However- I don't sweat the small stuff nor stuff I don't have control over.
Just the other day- a lady was driving down the road, a tree fell on her car and killed her-I'm guessing her time was up.
I DO try to enjoy everyday AND drive my Vette- as life's too short.
The weakest part of these thing is the doors. A direct hard "T-bone" hit to the drivers side door is likely to be the greatest risk to your life. My 68 has been ***-ended THREE times in the 40 years I've owned it. Rear bumpers held off most of the damage - though I am going to finally replace the tail-light panel when I do the hitch. It's more glass patch than panel - LOL.
-W
PS: Did that head-on '68 vert survive? Looks pretty damn straight from the firewall back.
Last edited by Clams Canino; 12-10-2017 at 11:14 PM.
The weakest part of these thing is the doors. I direct hard "T-bone" hit to the drivers side door is likely to be the greatest risk to your life. My 68 has been ***-ended THREE times in the 40 years I've owned it. Rear bumpers held off most of the damage - though I am going to finally replace the tail-light panel when I do the hitch. It's more glass patch than panel - LOL. -W
How hard was your car hit in those rear end crashes? I'm converting my 79 to a 70 rear end and I'm nervous about losing the 79's safety bumpers particularly in a rear end impact.
How hard was your car hit in those rear end crashes? I'm converting my 79 to a 70 rear end and I'm nervous about losing the 79's safety bumpers particularly in a rear end impact.
I'd say no more than 25mph closure.
If you're going THAT far to change the rear - why not get a whole rear clip and make a vert out of it?
I prefer the look of a coupe and I'm close to having the rear conversion done minus the final preparation for paint.
You sure? See this very well executed 1982 vert.
It really doesn't look a pantload different than my '68 vert.
IMHO coupes kill the "natural lines" of the car at it's best profile.
-W
Last edited by Clams Canino; 12-11-2017 at 12:30 AM.
I agree convertibles look great with the top down, its the top up look that doesn't appeal to me and I don't like a windy drive so I have no desire to drive in a convertible with the top down. To me the hard top looks better than the soft top but still not as good as the coupe.
When I was 8 yrs. old back in 69', my Dad wrecked his 68' 427 Vette when he lost control and hit a bridge. He had his lap belt on but he lost several teeth when his face hit the steering wheel and bent the upper part of it. He lived and when I saw him the next day, he looked like the mummy with all of the bandages he was wearing and at age 85, he's still with us but now driving Caddy's.
I think our corvettes are only slightly better than motorcycles as far as safety goes. Being someone who has ridden motorcycle all his life starting as a teen in the 60's, I believe yourself is going to make the difference of living or dying. I believe 100% in defensive driving. I'm scanning around me at all times watching for others trying to take me out. I think it's the only reason I'm still here.
Mike
Yep, agree. As they say, the secret to happiness is making the right comparisons!
And so, I think in a C3 you are a lot safer by quite a bit compared to a motorcycle. However, there is still a lot more risk in a C3 than a modern automobile obviously.
Therefore, I believe you can lower your risk substantially by driving your C3 with the same mindset and thinking that safety minded motorcyclists use. You can google safe motorcycle driving and get some excellent suggestions that I try to always use.
I am surprised that GM did not design the door impact beam into our cars from the beginning. The door design is very scary on our early, pre-1975 models. Lou.
12-10-2017, 08:36 AM
When your number's up, It doesn't matter if you're in a Mack truck...time to die. 
