Thread: A Bad Crash

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What happened? It looks like a gas tank ruptured - wonder if he had those dam' plastic saddle tanks that hang below the scrub line or the OEM which can leave you with 10 gallons of gas in your lap.

Unfortunately, 'accidents' happen even to street rodders and most don't fare well against the heavier new cars.

My question is,if you focus on any type of vehicle,I think you will find accidents won't you??.Considering the number of Hot Rods across the country,are we seeing a rash of accidents and in some cases,parts failures or just sensitive to the ones we find??.It seems the percentages are in favor of it not happening to aware drivers.After all,it's a car,that are driven by people.

The word on another forum from folks who know the owner personally is that he was stopped at a redlight and rearended in a 4 car collision. Makes sense, with the 32 probably having the fuel tank mounted between the rear frame horns. From the trail of gas in the video it looks like he was driven through the light and turned 180 degrees around.

They say he has an injury to his vertibrae (sp) and is in the hospital, but is expected to be ok.

Don

Bad builders , or bad parts?

Just lucky that those guys got the driver out...I would think,that if the tank was in the original place between the rear horns,it wouldnt have stood a chance being smacked at 30/40 mph by anything,even a jappa...and if it was running an injected engine,wouldnt the gas be pumped out at a considerable rate if the line was broken??
Just sad to see rods being broken,,and their owners/drivers..

For those of us building and driving 1930's cars and trucks, they are tiny and there is no good place to put a tank. Pick your poison, saddle tanks, cowl tank, '32 style between the rails out back or cram a fuel cell in your non existent truck. Your options are super limited. We all know to well what can happen. I personally would not want to get in an accident in my '31 but , they do happen. These vehicle were designed for a different era, not the super heavy, crumple zone safety cabin vehicles we have on the road today. Not to mention, the speeds were much slower when these cars ruled the earth.

Keith

I put my '31s tank in the rear using pieces to make it like a '32 for the reasons stated above - the saddle tanks are the scrub line and I've seen an original 'A' with the OEM tank burn(leak, not accident). In the rear a '32 style and with a roadster, even if it burns, it shouldn't hinder my exit. Had it not been a roadster with a tiny trunk, I probably would have made a firewall and put it in the back behind the rear seat. I don't have a bumper but will be installing a pair of small nerfs to give it at least a little protection from a minor stop light bump.

Originally Posted by BigTruckDriver

Bad builders , or bad parts?

Are you kidding me?
So the fault is either the builder or parts. Not the fact he was sitting at a light & was rear ended at 40 mph by someone in their DD NOT paying attention.
The last shop that worked on that car was Roy Brizio.

No, that car was top notch from the before pictures I saw. I don't think many of todays cars could withstand that kind of hit and not sustain similar damage. Some idiot plows into you at 40 mph while you are standing still and bad things happen.

Don

Here are pictures of the car after the fire. Look at the shot the rear took in the first picture.

That is one serious bummer. Hope he recovers from his accident.

Keith

I guess Don has settled a couple of things with his photos:

-The car was a '32 not an 'A'
-The driver/owner survived quite likely because the gas tank was mounted where it was supposed to be for a '32 not under the door or in his lap.

My best wishes for the driver/owners speedy recovery and to either get that car rebuilt or a new build on on its' way

My gas tank is in the standard "Gibbon" position - right behind the seats. I think the next project before upholsteryl is a firewall. The upside (I guess) is that it would take a heck of a hit to get to it.

Originally Posted by Henry Rifle

My gas tank is in the standard "Gibbon" position - right behind the seats. I think the next project before upholsteryl is a firewall. The upside (I guess) is that it would take a heck of a hit to get to it.

Its mandatory down here now,I think,to have a firewall between the trunk and passenger compartment in a new build,if the gas tank is in the trunk...Of course,pretty hard to do in a Vicky....