Curious about crash damage in a series

[siiirhd88]

I rolled my RHD SIII 88 several times at 40 mph after being hit. I was surprised (and pleased) at how well the top held up.... I only had a few minor cuts and bruises, but did note that the rear upright of the dismembered right door top smacked me on the head twice, causing only minor cuts. The chassis was a nearly new galvy unit, so plenty of strength there. The 88 will be rebuilt. I was belted in by the original non retractable belts and shoulder harness, anchored to the stock floor locations and to the top of the rear bulkhead capping.

Bob
'96 Disco SE7
'80 SIII 109
'75 SIII 88 V8
'68 SIIA 109 V8
'6? SIIA 109

[jp-]

I rolled my RHD SIII 88 several times at 40 mph after being hit. I was surprised (and pleased) at how well the top held up.... I only had a few minor cuts and bruises, but did note that the rear upright of the dismembered right door top smacked me on the head twice, causing only minor cuts. The chassis was a nearly new galvy unit, so plenty of strength there. The 88 will be rebuilt. I was belted in by the original non retractable belts and shoulder harness, anchored to the stock floor locations and to the top of the rear bulkhead capping.

Bob

Were you able to drive it away after the wreck?

[Tim Smith]

Bob, I'm glad you were able to walk away from that one!

A slight step OT but where did you get those sliding side windows?

Cheers,
Tim

[LaneRover]

Bob, I'm glad you were able to walk away from that one!

A slight step OT but where did you get those sliding side windows?

Cheers,
Tim

Yes, they seem to hold up well - unless you have special stickers that float in place once the glass is gone!

[siiirhd88]

The 88 after the rollover would drive, but the radiator was holed and the right side of the rear axle shifted back due to the spring center bolt shearing. It ended up on its side, and the firemen and I just lifted it back onto its wheels to keep the fuel from leaking. I was only a mile from home, but the state trooper wouldn't have let me drive away...... I did find that the British spec widscreen glass is tempered, not laminated, and shattered. Not a good thing for a stone impact or such.... The sliding side windows were in the truck when I bought it, and were English units. No maker's name on them, sorry. Both windows were twisted a bit and are unusable due to their aluminum frames.

Bob

[SafeAirOne]

...where did you get those sliding side windows?

See: http://www.paddockspares.com/pp/SERI...ws_(pair).html

Other examples available--Look under "Series" then "Accessories"

[ArlowCT]

The good and bad of rovers

A few years back I T-boned a Ford Ranger with my ser III 88" at about 25mph. The ford was done and went to the crusher. I broke the headlight lens (the headlight still worked) and bent the bumper back about an Inch. I was fine.

The tire on the hood is another thing in it's self. I have a good friend who grew up in Africa. He knew someone who hit the back of a parked truck in their 109" at speed one night. The tire ripped off the hood and bounced back through the truck taking one of the passengers heads with it.... I keep my tire mounted to the middle bulkhead now.

Keep it safe out there. High back seats and three point belts.

[EASTTNROVER]

The tire on the hood is another thing in it's self. I have a good friend who grew up in Africa. He knew someone who hit the back of a parked truck in their 109" at speed one night. The tire ripped off the hood and bounced back through the truck taking one of the passengers heads with it.... I keep my tire mounted to the middle bulkhead now. [quote]


That seems so unlikely to happen, but you never know...thinking of getting a swing-away tire mount now. My luck i would get rear ended and my head taken off from the back.

[Rosie]

After reading all this crash information, maybe I had better not venture out to purchase one of these things!
How does all this compare with newer cars I wonder?
Rosie

[greenmeanie]

After reading all this crash information, maybe I had better not venture out to purchase one of these things!
How does all this compare with newer cars I wonder?
Rosie

The simple answer is that these are not modern cars and therfore do not compare. As the last series truck was built 25 years or so ago they do not feature any of the safety systems such as disc brakes, ABS, airbags, high back seats, crumple zones, collapsible steering columns, side impact protection, roll cages, the all saving idiot stability control computer or even, in mosts cases, funtioning inertia reel seat belts.

In buying one you must respect it for what it is and drive it accordingly. That, strangely, is part of the attraction in that it takes you back to a time of driving responsibly, concentrating on the road and developing some driving skills.

On the plus side they tend to be underpowered compared to modern vehicles which helps keep speeds down. You can improve safety considerably by adding better seating, modern seat belts, rock sliders help with side impact and you can even add more modern brakes. The pictures should show that structurally the hard tops hold up well enough for the speeds you should expect to drive at. They are certainly no more dangerous than most vehicles of their era.

If this kind of thing intimidates you I can only suggest one of these modern FJ cruiser things might be more in line with your needs. You can pretend that it has the classic looks but keep the modern underpinnings.

I'm not trying to be brutal but before parting with your hard earned cash I would suggest having a long hard look at what you want out of this truck and then asking yourself if it really fits your needs.

Cheers
Gregor

[Tim Smith]

Gregor, that was a good response but...

In buying one you must respect it for what it is and drive it accordingly. That, strangely, is part of the attraction in that it takes you back to a time of driving responsibly, concentrating on the road and developing some driving skills.

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!
I wish people would actually take some responsibility for themselves. Not that I've been run into lately or anything but oh the good old days.





Uh oh, did I just say that?!?

[Rosie]

well, there is always the other guy you know.
so many center of the road drivers these days...drifting into the other lane... lots of folks tired and drugged up and combine that with stress and anger...well...even the best of drivers may have an accident.
Rosie