Devastating video for almost any car guy to see

[Kern Dog]

Technically, the "Parking brake" can be used in an emergency but it isn't primarily meant to be an "emergency" brake.
I've had the throttle stick open before. That is a sobering experience. I've never had brakes totally fail but have had them perform well UNDER my expectations. That is a bad feeling as well.

 

[gkent]

Everyone's an expert ... till you have less than ten seconds to make a decision !!!

 

[SSmoothie]

Wake up call. I have 6 Piston brakes front and back. I am going to add shoulder harness.

 

[Dennis H]

Everyone's an expert ... till you have less than ten seconds to make a decision !!!

Unless I was in Canada, then I’d count to ten.

 

[Bee1971]

Twenty-three years, over 200 grand, and two wives – these were the costs of restoring and modifying this 1,300-horsepower Mercury Comet.


"Car had liability coverage but no collision, I was still in the process of getting stated value insurance"

Begs the question - Third wife now leaving ?

 

[TTSaleen]

That sucks for them both.
Beautiful car destroyed in seconds due to negligence on the owner's part.
Having built and owned many high-perf cars, if there is something not perfect, you immediately limp it back home and fix it. Something like a sticking throttle and having to drag the brakes were instant red flags as both a builder and a driver.
Last thing you want to do is jeopardize your passenger or your own safety much less your project car over something that is most likely a simple fix.

One of the first mods I did to my 68 was a brake upgrade!

 

[dadsbee]

Big question is why would the guy even post it .. just going to help the lawsuit case for those he hit!

 

[Big Bad Dad]

Did he build that car himself and still spend well over 200 grand? Is it really a quarter million dollar car? How much does a top fuel dragster or a Nascar racer cost to build??

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

I hope the mini van driver is ok, because he’ll be doing a lot better after a nice lawsuit. He/she will have a nice retirement, and probably put the kids through college.

 

[Hey-O]

Reverse does. Ask me how I know......

Going down hill headed for and intersection on ice I had seconds to figure out how to stop. Two wheel in the grass didn't do it. Locking it up and put it in reverse, foot off the brakes and gas to the floor it finally stopped, 4x4 grand Cherokee.

 

[33 IMP]

Going down hill headed for and intersection on ice I had seconds to figure out how to stop. Two wheel in the grass didn't do it. Locking it up and put it in reverse, foot off the brakes and gas to the floor it finally stopped, 4x4 grand Cherokee.

Had a 55 Chevy, iron glide and a 265. Shift pattern was PNDLR.
If you just tapped the lever down you could get a downshift. If you YANKED it down, well.......
I wanted to pass a guy doing 25 in a 35, so I pulled into the oncoming lane , and yanked it into low.....





Rears locked up, engine quit, and I'm on the wrong side of the road......





Lesson learned.

 

[Hey-O]

Had a 55 Chevy, iron glide and a 265. Shift pattern was PNDLR.
If you just tapped the lever down you could get a downshift. If you YANKED it down, well.......
I wanted to pass a guy doing 25 in a 35, so I pulled into the oncoming lane , and yanked it into low.....





Rears locked up, engine quit, and I'm on the wrong side of the road......





Lesson learned.

A friend was using his mother car, we were 16. He was doing about 40, saw these gals and he wanted to drop it down a gear to show off, went into reverse and talk about smoking the tires till it came to a stop. I think it was a buick LaSalle, mid sixties, same gear pattern as yours. Never understood why the gear pattern was that way. Neutral between forward gears and reverse only makes sense from a safety stand point.

 

[Ron H]

Have had two occasions with 100% brake failure; it is a sickening feeling. Pressing a dead pedal gave me the feeling I was accelerating. Fortunately, no crashes. One was in my mother’s old T-bird edging the car over to a curb pulling the e-brake. Other was in an old company pos F-100 3 on the tree. My foot slipped behind the brake pedal and the pedal rod came out. Shut it off, dropped it into 1st and popped the clutch. One more. Took my elder brother’s 67 GTO out for a spin with a buddy, without his permission (he wouldn't have granted back then). Was a bone bare ride tri-power 3 speed...power nothing. Floored it and be damned the throttle stuck wide open. Instantly shut engine off taking an available shoulder to avoid a car ahead. All a this before reaching my 19th birthday. I told my brother about this…10 years later, lol.

 

[padam]

I can't tell you how many times I have had brakes fail, driving rusty pieces of ****.
I buy my brake line in 25' coils and brake fluid by the gallon.
I've always been blessed to have a way to stop the car, because of dual master cylinders mostly.
As a matter of fact, after I watched this video this morning, I went out to hook up my truck and trailer for the races.
Brake pedal went to the floor in the driveway.
You don't know how happy I am it didn't happen on the road.

 

[Bee1971]

Man , that is just painful to watch

Over and over

Don’t wish that on anybody honestly

 

[64BEL]

Bet you know where/have an E-brake.

Yes I do. And having a stick also helps. I also try to drive pretty conservatively in traffic and keep from getting into a tight situation where a brake failure would be catastrophic. I drive it like a manual drum brake car, not like a car that will stop on a dime. Still, I really should switch it to a '67 mc.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Yes I do. And having a stick also helps. I also try to drive pretty conservatively in traffic and keep from getting into a tight situation where a brake failure would be catastrophic. I drive it like a manual drum brake car, not like a car that will stop on a dime. Still, I really should switch it to a '67 mc.

This ^

 

[moparedtn]

No mention about the occupants of the black SUV. I do hope that they are okay.

That's the part that bugs me, too - I may even have made a comment on the video to that effect.
That car sure folded up easy in the front, too - like all the stock metal/frame isn't there anymore.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Big question is why would the guy even post it .. just going to help the lawsuit case for those he hit!

It was last December. Could be they already settled.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Technically, the "Parking brake" can be used in an emergency but it isn't primarily meant to be an "emergency" brake.
I've had the throttle stick open before. That is a sobering experience. I've never had brakes totally fail but have had them perform well UNDER my expectations. That is a bad feeling as well.

Twice in my ‘68 wagon, I lost one end of the brakes... thank God for the dual master! That, the padded dash, and the side markers were federally mandated for January 1, 1968. One of the few times I don’t mind government overreach.