1975 Valiant - Car Crash

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74Dart318

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Didn't see this posted yet. Story about a pretty nice lookin 75 Valiant that was hit by a Chevy Traverse.

Here's What Happens When A 1975 Plymouth Valiant Gets T-Boned By A 2011 Chevrolet Traverse (It's Bad) - The Autopian

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When folks state “the thick metal/extra weight of my classic car will reduce my injuries should I be in an accident” is flat out wrong! This test proves it and I doubt there are any tests out there which indicate otherwise.
 
Very lucky guys. Another foot or two and it could've been worse. Don't believe they'll be repairing that Traverse considering the price of just replacing deployed air bags.
 
Yeah, it's almost like technology, safety, and the engineering/manufacturing process has improved dramatically in the ~50 years since these cars were built. From an occupant safety standpoint, there's no comparing a modern car to one of these classics. Accidents that would easily kill you in a classic are things you walk away unhurt from in a modern car. The Traverse is totaled too, but all that engineering did its job.

Although I would also like to point out that the article does say “You could see my torsion bar through the passenger side floor.” So while it may have looked nice, there was structural compromise in that car before the accident. I'm not saying that they weren't at an extreme disadvantage to begin with or that having solid floors would have changed the outcome much, but every little bit helps. The fact that they all survived getting t-boned at 55 mph by a larger modern vehicle is pretty incredible.

Also why I add modern style, 3 point retractable seat belts to my cars. It's a small change, but it makes a huge difference in an accident. No, you're not going to make your classic comparable to a new car by adding a 3 point belt, but if it keeps you from taking a bite out of the steering wheel (or your kneecap, in this case) then its well worth the effort.
 
The Valiant done better than i thought , but like said the modern cars are much more safer i'm happy all survived .
 
I didn't realize they still had the fly window in 75, but I guess only the Valiant had it because Dusters had eliminated it on my 71 Duster and my 74 Duster. Another cost saving option at no charge.
 
I didn't realize they still had the fly window in 75, but I guess only the Valiant had it because Dusters had eliminated it on my 71 Duster and my 74 Duster. Another cost saving option at no charge.

Dusters/Demons/Dart Sports never had vent windows. The curvature on the glass prevented anything like that.

On the 2 door hardtop Darts the vent windows went away with the redesign in 1973. They stayed on the 4 doors (Darts and Valiants) because those doors were never redesigned. For example, all the other '73 up models went to plastic upper door panels. The 4 door uppers stayed metal, just like the '67-72 cars. The money savings was on the 4 doors, since there was no redesign, no new tooling, etc.
 
Yeah. Didn't post it to say anything negative about A-Bodies in crash testing. Think we all know older cars were not built to the crash test standards that cars are built to these days.

More of just a curiosity if people had seen the story or not. May not be a sought after A-body in the story but I think it is sad that it will not be on the road any more.
 
Yeah, it's almost like technology, safety, and the engineering/manufacturing process has improved dramatically in the ~50 years since these cars were built. From an occupant safety standpoint, there's no comparing a modern car to one of these classics. Accidents that would easily kill you in a classic are things you walk away unhurt from in a modern car. The Traverse is totaled too, but all that engineering did its job.

Although I would also like to point out that the article does say “You could see my torsion bar through the passenger side floor.” So while it may have looked nice, there was structural compromise in that car before the accident. I'm not saying that they weren't at an extreme disadvantage to begin with or that having solid floors would have changed the outcome much, but every little bit helps. The fact that they all survived getting t-boned at 55 mph by a larger modern vehicle is pretty incredible.

Also why I add modern style, 3 point retractable seat belts to my cars. It's a small change, but it makes a huge difference in an accident. No, you're not going to make your classic comparable to a new car by adding a 3 point belt, but if it keeps you from taking a bite out of the steering wheel (or your kneecap, in this case) then its well worth the effort.

Yep and a good example of why you wouldn't want to leave the torsion bar crossmember cut after doing a 5 speed swap.
 
Yeah. Didn't post it to say anything negative about A-Bodies in crash testing. Think we all know older cars were not built to the crash test standards that cars are built to these days.

More of just a curiosity if people had seen the story or not. May not be a sought after A-body in the story but I think it is sad that it will not be on the road any more.
I had found this and posted in Princess Valiant's thread about her crashed Dart. Those guys each had a guardian riding with them for sure. Can go through the what ifs and what nots, but, in the end, it's all done and everyone survived.
 
That old Valli represented well, all 3 of them are alive & will recover, and walked away more or less. The Son of the Father-son team that started the private shop I worked for 20+yrs, T-boned a mid '90's Ford Escort sdn when the Kid driving lost it playing road-games after baseball practice, He & the '92 Cherokee He was driving at 45mph killed both of those HS kids. Sad, but even with curtain airbags & such, side impacts are still often fatal. For sure You'd rather be in a new SUV, but it's never good.
 
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