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Devastating video for almost any car guy to see

There's lots of red flags. Sadly, they could have worn the racing shoulder straps and avoided the hospital bills.
 
Kern Dog said:
I agree.
In the comments, the owner chimed in. He stated that the car had a B & M ratchet shifter that could not be downshifted unless it was put in PARK first.

What ???

View attachment 1311752

Are those shifters really made that way? If so, that is really stupid.
Secondly, those disc brakes are really small even for 400 HP. The fronts look like they are grooved even before they went out on the road and at what appears to be maybe 11" in diameter, even if the brake fluid wasn't boiling, those brakes would have trouble stopping the car.
It is easy to watch the video and say what you would have done. Being scared and dealing with an urgent crisis will reveal your skill in a hurry. My guess is that the driver was painted in to a corner and he was holding the brush. Trees and a row of cars to the right, oncoming traffic to the left and idling cars waiting for the light ahead of him.
In my opinion, once he was in the thick of it, he had nowhere to go that was going to make any difference. He screwed up by continuing to drive the car with hot brakes and a sticking throttle. I think he was so happy to have the car on the road and get some attention with it, he ignored the risks.
I've driven some ratty cars but brakes are always tops on my priority list.
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I have three of those shifters in my cars. His excuse is pure bullshit. They certainly don't work the way he described.
 
sam dupont said:
I hope our insurance companies don't take a greater interest in each of our builds.
Can one take their 1,200 hp, custom frame, homebuilt car to a track and race somebody? With no kill switch, emergency brake, or tech inspection?
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that car has bars in it, don't think you can get insurance here for anything with them! that's the problem we face with most things in life we protect others from stupid prople! When I wanted to insure my boat I had to prove to the insurance company that it wasn't my first rodeo in a 100mph boat and show proof I had experience!! maybe cars should be like that too!
 
I revisited this morning to read the comments below the video. This little gem, posted by the video guy, caught my attention:

AutotopiaLA I didn’t know until after the accident about turning off ignition on an auto trans car. As a driver my thought would’ve been dropping it to 1st and at least scrub off some speed but as a passenger I simply had to watch what was obviously coming. Gratefully no one was severely injured or killed. Lessons learned believe me

2
@AutotopiaLA You are a "car guy"? But don't know that you can turn off the ignition to kill the engine??? Uh, wow.....
 
Yeah, as I reflect on those times (I posted) having brake failure with the predicament I was in with surroundings, I was luckier than this guy. Also had a couple of occasions when a caliper seized and the sickening odor of burning brakes was a fast signal to get stopped – fast. If not crashing by loss of brakes, it’s possible more destruction to the system and possible fire. Here with a guy that’s supposed to know something about ‘cars’ you’d think he would know enough to heed, 2200rpm is my cruising speed – 60mph. Some take risks and get away with it, others…wish they hadn’t.
 
Ron H said:
Yeah, as I reflect on those times (I posted) having brake failure with the predicament I was in with surroundings, I was luckier than this guy. Also had a couple of occasions when a caliper seized and the sickening odor of burning brakes was a fast signal to get stopped – fast. If not crashing by loss of brakes, it’s possible more destruction to the system and possible fire. Here with a guy that’s supposed to know something about ‘cars’ you’d think he would know enough to heed, 2200rpm is my cruising speed – 60mph. Some take risks and get away with it, others…wish they hadn’t.
Click to expand...
I'll
Big Bad Dad said:
I revisited this morning to read the comments below the video. This little gem, posted by the video guy, caught my attention:

AutotopiaLA I didn’t know until after the accident about turning off ignition on an auto trans car. As a driver my thought would’ve been dropping it to 1st and at least scrub off some speed but as a passenger I simply had to watch what was obviously coming. Gratefully no one was severely injured or killed. Lessons learned believe me

2
@AutotopiaLA You are a "car guy"? But don't know that you can turn off the ignition to kill the engine??? Uh, wow.....
Click to expand...
Ya that surprises me. I guess I will have to thank my late father, he taught us kids "church gear" in a 1958 desoto. Church gear is to roll down a long hill, downshift, turn off the key, at the bottom, right in front of church in our case, turn it back on. Ka-booom. Shoot I guess I always knew to turn off the key and downshift as even as a kid you could feel the car slow/drag way down. I know I used church gear all the time screwing around in my winter beaters, you can even drop a mopar auto trans into first with the key off, floor it and let off and it will go in first and drag you down real fast. I did not know every car guy did not know that.
 
I also showed that trick to all my friends. One buddy bought a 79 Toyota hi-lux truck, that thing would backfire so loud people walking would hit the ground, downshift, key off, pump the gas once and boom. I blew 2 mufflers off of my 72 charger 400 and never got it quite as loud. The funniest part is he went in for an oil change, the service tech said, sir did you know your muffler is expanded? Toyota replaced it for free and tuned it up thinking he had an ignition problem. We still roflmao thinking about him keeping a straight face when the service tech came out. Those little Toyota trucks were tough as nails. Sorry for the offramp to the story, but was just so funny how a guy learns some life skills, plus tearing up parking lots in the rain and snow.
 
i know im doing the dart on the cheap. good used mill ... trans and so forth. but one thing i will never skimp out on is brakes. it just ain't worth it.
im not even close to needing brakes yet but the front set got here today.
if ya got to cut a corner... do it someplace else.
IMG_20231024_191552.jpg
 
@hacksaw , is that for your 62? Using the stock drum spindles? Who from? (I've been looking at the leeds kit, looks like it has everything but the linelock).
 
33 IMP said:
@hacksaw , is that for your 62? Using the stock drum spindles? Who from? (I've been looking at the leeds kit, looks like it has everything but the linelock).
Click to expand...
it came with new spindles and everything. ya can get them in a 2 in drop if ya want. i got them from P.O.L. under 800 including shipping from CA.
i was going to get the full 4 wheel kit but figured i should wait untill i get the rear end i want.
 
"Having a high performance car does not make you a high performance driver"
 
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