I want to DD a classic 

"JR1" (type35bugatti) 01/19/2015 at 10:58 • Filed to: Lincoln Continental

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But at the same time I don't want to die a horrible and painful death. *sigh I wish classic cars where more safe.

KnowsAboutCars > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:01

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Buy an old Volvo or Saab from 60's or 70's.

boobytrapsandtreasure > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:05

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I know your pain. As KnowsAboutCars said a old Volvo would probably be your safest choice. I think a Mercedes would be a close second.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:05

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A '50/'60's classic reinvented with proper crumple zones and all that jazz would be amazing. '69 'Cuda with a 572cid and modern suspension, safety and such... drooool.

Party-vi > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:05

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Classic cars are as safe as modern cars provided you don't hit anything. Learn to modulate your brake pedal, keep following distances longer, and install seat belts if you want to DD a classic.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:06

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But at least you'll die looking good with a big ol grin on your face.

Cherry_man1 > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:09

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Get a Partial roll cage installed and a 6 point harness. you will be fine.

JR1 > Party-vi 01/19/2015 at 11:10

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Yeah but nothing will protect you from the idiot texting and blowing through a stop light at 50.

JR1 > KnowsAboutCars 01/19/2015 at 11:11

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Saab I could see driving very quirky and cool.

JR1 > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/19/2015 at 11:12

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Are there people who do that? If not that would be an awesome business.

youshiftem > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:12

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What a sad reason to not. I DD a classic and it is worth every bit of the marginal increase in risk.

JR1 > Cherry_man1 01/19/2015 at 11:13

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I am not sure how cool that would look in a 63 Continental. That is after all the point of driving a classic.

Did you ever figure out your Porsche, Corvette, Mustang dilemma?

JR1 > youshiftem 01/19/2015 at 11:14

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Braver than me I guess.

Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:14

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Can't imagine there is. Several reason for that.. the first being "Can't be done", second "Can't be done without spending more money than anyone would pay" Third reason "Nobody would pay for that" :P

Tipo Stradale Fever > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:15

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Then go for it. Enough affordable, dependable classics on the market. Meh, you only live once right. If a semi truck ploughs into you on the freeway, you´re dead no matter what.

BTW did you know that (in the EURO NCAP ) the frontal and side impact crash tests are tested at only 64 km/h (39 mph)? That means that if you crash at highway speeds you´re pretty much toast, even if you´re sitting in a ´modern car´.

Here´s a crash at 120 km/h (74 mph):

Party-vi > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:15

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Nothing will protect you from idiot drivers, but you can use your eyeballs to avoid a lot of accidents and turn them into close calls. I used to drive a '49 CJ to work every day and dealt with beltway traffic and terrible drivers in and around DC and didn't have any issues because I kept my wits about me.

You can also do some modifications to your classic for safety purposes - retracting and locking seat belts are easy to retrofit, so are disc brakes. I installed both on my CJ. Also, up to 40mph you probably don't need an airbag (based on personal experience), and most accidents happen on local roads as opposed to highways.

Don't forget that driving a classic isn't a care-free experience - you need to think about a lot while you're on the road. There's always going to be some risk daily driving a classic car, and I wouldn't suggest it unless you're prepared to address getting into an accident and losing the car.

deekster_caddy > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:20

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I think about this EVERY time I go out in my '54 MG. It's basically like being on a motorcycle as far as safety is concerned, except that my brakes are more likely to stop working.

Between the safety concerns and the difficulty finding some wear items (unusual idler arms or kingpins, etc), I'm hesitant to DD a somewhat rare classic. If it's a 'more common' classic, like my '73 LeSabre, which shares wearable parts with cars and trucks through the late 80's, and stuff is still available to buy over the counter for the most part, then it would be okay to DD as long as you don't live in salty road states. The big ole Buick and cars like it have mass on their side for impact protection, but no crumple zones... They do at least have collapsable steering columns so you won't get speared through the chest!

kanadanmajava1 > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:21

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You could death proof a classic car. The you can pick car with crappy interior with a good reason. No worries about missing airbag when you you are securely sitting while wearing a proper harness. Remember the cage safety padding. It's really important.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:22

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Bricklin SV-1. SV stood for "safety vehicle" so it does have modern features like airbags, crumple zone, crush resistant body and chassis, etc......It isn't as safe as a 2015 car, but it is probably about as safe as a 90s compact.

jariten1781 > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:22

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Period correct modified for the strip and a cage wouldn't feel out of place. Contenintal coupes weren't unknown there (though I've never seen a Mark ii out there and you probably wouldn't want to go this far if you want to keep it steerable)

Tohru > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:22

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I DD'd a 1976 Oldsmobile Delta 88 for two years. I can confirm that I have not died a horrible and painful death from the experience.

For my car, the previous owner was sitting stationary at a stop light and was rear-ended at 35mph by a Stratus.

The Stratus was a total loss.

The Delta had a dented bumper.

JR1 > Party-vi 01/19/2015 at 11:32

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I am sure it can be done but I am not sure I would want to be the one doing it. Disc brakes and seat belts would certainly be a must. What made you stop DDing a 49 CJ?

Cherry_man1 > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:32

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No I have not but the BOSS 302 has sold.....I might just make my Gran Torino more DD able

JR1 > deekster_caddy 01/19/2015 at 11:33

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I am not sure I would DD any classic in the salt. I would have a winter beater for that! And at least if you were speared through the chest it would likely be a quick death!

JR1 > jariten1781 01/19/2015 at 11:34

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That would kinda ruin the character to turn it into a drag car. Also I should surely be attacked by people with pitch forks.

deekster_caddy > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:35

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That's my biggest problem, I live in New England where salt kills all cars December through April, and potholes create mass mayhem and damage March through June or so... so you have pretty much July through October to enjoy your classic... and that's when they are repaving everything...

JR1 > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/19/2015 at 11:35

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Really? I never would have guessed a Bricklin was supposed to be safe how cool.

themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:36

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It even had a fully integrated roll cage in the chassis.

JR1 > Tohru 01/19/2015 at 11:36

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A Stratus crashing into a Delta? That doesn't happen every day.

Party-vi > JR1 01/19/2015 at 11:37

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My commute went from 12 miles to 40 miles each way haha. It gets around 10mpg, and I wasn't ready to pay $1,400 a month in gas.

JR1 > deekster_caddy 01/19/2015 at 11:37

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Such is life here in the rust belt.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > JR1 01/19/2015 at 12:00

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They ain't safe. That's why they're cool. Unsafe things like .375 hand guns, P51 Mustangs and Group B rallying are cool because of the aura of danger. I drive a 1969 car with four drum brakes. I accept the risks.

If you want the look of an older classic, I think a little suffering and risk is just a part of it. Plus, people drove 60's cars all the time in the 60's and the speed limits have hardly changed since then haha

DrScientist > kanadanmajava1 01/19/2015 at 12:03

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except that most roll cages are intended for use with a helmet. one simple, and seemingly insignificant side impact and you could have a skull fracture. i'm not sure if the padding around the top bars is sufficient for limiting this type of injury without a helmet.

then again, you could just daily drive with a helmet.

kanadanmajava1 > DrScientist 01/19/2015 at 12:38

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The cage has to be positioned so that your head cannot reach it. Tight harness' and a seat will harness pass though holes are quite important. The main hoop just behind the from seats is probably the most dangerous if your head can somehow go past the headrest.

The padding should be places that your head can touch if neck decides to extend.

Usually a classic car don't have headroom issues as roofs are quite high. So cage could be placed quite far away from your head. I'm rather tall so I would have problems in many cars.

Even with race cars you shouldn't be able to hit the helmet against the cage easily as the helmets cannot take many hits before the shell starts giving up. I think Lemons require 2" of gap between the cage and a helmet.

DatASSun > JR1 01/19/2015 at 12:38

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I Dailied my ls swapped 280z for a major part of last year before starting on the 6 liter build. It can be done if your willing to live !

Nobi > Laird Andrew Neby Bradleigh 01/19/2015 at 13:19

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They kinda do that now with the new Camaro/Mustang/Challenger. They are modern reinterpretations of what they made in the 60's/70's. Everyone complains with how bloated they are, and well, that's the price we pay for all that safety. It's gotta fit somewhere.

Nobi > themanwithsauce - has as many vehicles as job titles 01/19/2015 at 13:19

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So safe that if you roll it over, you won't be allowed to get out.

Nobi > JR1 01/19/2015 at 13:21

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You can daily it, you just have to be extra vigilant when it comes to everyone else. 9/10 of the time, it's not you, but it's the idiot that hit you.

Tohru > JR1 01/19/2015 at 13:26

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It happened in Milwaukee. So it might not happen every day, but there's pretty good odds of at least once a week.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > JR1 01/19/2015 at 13:37

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That and Mpg are the reasons why I didn't end up with a '76 Caddy.

stuttgartobsessed > JR1 01/19/2015 at 18:57

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I DD'd a classic for a year and didn't really worry about it. It's tons of fun and I never didn't have a smile on my face, even when I was hungover for a 3 hour drive in a torrential downpour with a leaky top and only had two raincoats with me. Got home soaking wet but with a smile on my face.

Anyway - just figure that lots of people drove them when they were new.

JR1 > stuttgartobsessed 01/19/2015 at 19:32

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You sir are a true Jalop for doing that!

stuttgartobsessed > JR1 01/19/2015 at 19:51

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It was also an Alfa that I no longer have because it sorta-kinda caught on fire a little bit.

JR1 > stuttgartobsessed 01/19/2015 at 19:52

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But it is ok because that is what Alfa's are supposed to do.

stuttgartobsessed > JR1 01/19/2015 at 19:53

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Haha no that's Ferraris! I can't wait to have one again.

MM54 > JR1 01/19/2015 at 20:45

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I DD'ed my (all-original) 1971 Chevelle for about 2 years, and didn't die. Manual drum brakes teach you about stopping distances pretty quickly.