Just how safe can you feasibly get a first generation Mustang to be?

it basically comes down to this, you can make a classic stang somewhat safer than it was originally by adding collapsable steering columns, better seats and seat belts, different steering wheel (not that hard plastic thing), 4 wheel or at least front disc brakes, modern radial tires, fuel cell or a rear seat firewal and/or tank armor, brighter lights (head, tail, stop turn signal), louder horns, etc, etc but ultimately it will never be as safe as a modern car, no matter how much safer you make it, however, that is far, far from saying it will be unsafe. it all comes down to how safe you need to feel, because ultimately no car is ever going to "safe" unless it's kept in the garage and never driven and that is about as safe as any car will ever be, even then the garage could catch on fire or the roof could collapse or another car could could drive through your garage even, now that would be the ultimate safety irony there .

stonecoldtx said:

Yeah, you can definitely build the car safer, have modern conveniences, and make it as comfortable as a modern car, yet, keep the "classic car" look, but the trade off is it can get really expensive if you can't do it yourself, and it can also be expensive even *IF* you can do it yourself.

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I know this is gonna start a HUGE flame-war, but I disagree. Look, I love my Mustang and I really enjoy driving it, more than I enjoy driving anything else I've ever owned in my life. But the reality is, there simply is no possible way to make a vintage Mustang as good as a new car, as far as safety, comfort, handling and convenience goes. No amount of money or talent can or will perform this miracle. I know it all sounds easy, but it won't happen. Want some examples? Just this week, my wife and I needed to take a trip to SF, and since we'd been considering a new car, I rented an '08 Charger to make the trip. Nothing fancy, just a plain-Jane, V6 Charger with nearly no options. When it comes time to buy, I want an RT Charger, but this is what Enterprise had, so this is what we rented. This car is fairly low, but the ride was perfect. Not too stiff, not too soft, perfect. The brakes are the absolute best I've ever used. Anyone who's ever driven in a Bay area freeway at rush hour on a friday can tell you, it's 75 mph one second, zero the next. Yet these brakes took only a touch of the toe to haul that thing down from high speed to nothing with NO drama. I've driven cars with stout brakes before, but never with that level of control. Handling was unreal as well. Mind you, this is not a light car, nor was it mine, and I drove it just like any other rental car. Yet it wasn't bumpy, didn't bottom or bounce and felt unreal at any speed, high, low, in a corner or on a choppy concrete freeway, it was stable, comfy and balanced. The steering took minimal effort, but had perfect feedback. There were no flaws that I could find anywhere with it's manners. Now I know full well that someone out there is thinking about typing about the awesome handling of their early Mustang, or the killer brakes or whatever. But before you tell me what an idiot I am, ask yourself this: is the cornering ability due to overly stiff springs that jar your fillings out? Are the brakes about as progressive as a light switch? Maybe you're a wizard, and you've managed to get superb handling and a civil ride, and maybe your car is also equipped with a zillion dollars worth of brakes that are without a single flaw. Does that make it the equivalent of a newer car and just as good for a daily commute? How's the headroom? How's the rear seat access? Is it quiet inside? Can you drive it for several hours without needing medical attention afterwards? Would you put your newborn son or daughter in it for a trip through nasty traffic at rush hour? Can you even put a baby seat in it?
Let's face it, older Mustangs are great cars and are worthy of every ounce of respect and love they get. But they are also cars that were built as cheaply as possible, corners were cut at every possible chance when they were new, and here we are expecting them to somehow compete with cars with modern technology, in areas our sucked at when they were new? Not gonna happen. BTW, that bottom-of-the-line Charger I rented? Enterprise had a brochure offering several of them for sale at $14,500. When somone thinks they can build their Mustang to compete with modern cars, don't forget to include that as a price limit.

Sorry, but i agree with them. Safety will never be the same as a new car. It just won't they were built differently.

I live in Los Angeles and every once in a while the speeds go from 65 to 0 and believe me its scary, keeping in mind i have power brakes and drum brakes. I almost had to pull in the emergency lane to stop in time.

In the end you will spend more of your time and money trying to get this old car up to today's safety standards than the cost of a new car. You're not taking into account the value of your own time. Not to mention how long it will take to do all those mods.

I think that the challengers (especially), chargers, rx-8s all have done a good job in terms of looks. i'm still on the fence with the newer mustangs.

For me i've gotten to the point where I've realized that there's nothing more i can do. if you get hit hard enough by any car, no saftey standards will protect you. I try and drive as safe as possible, but i avoid driving in the rain, people get 100 times crazier. Luckily my family has an extra car, but the likelihood of me having this as an only means of transportation wouldn't work out, it breaks down too much. It is an awesome weekend/ show off car though and a real treat to drive.

TOM B said:

Your friends are caught up in politics.
They believe that newer cars are safer.
Antilock brakes do help keep you straight but it takes 3 times longer to stop than none antilock, Insurance companys have tested this and is a fact that there are a lot more front end damaged cars due to antilock brakes. I have antilock on my rodeo and I live in the mountains with a long driveway down hill and they almost killed me a few times as they wont let the wheels lock when sliding and you roll right out into traffic with No brakes.
The sheet metal on new cars is paper thin, thats why you need air bags. they call this thin sheet metal CRUSH PANELS, this is why you die in a accident, even with a airbag.
Now AIR BAGS, This is just a bomb inches from your face, it throws plastic and metal into your face and kills children, if you wear glasses you will probably be blind after a airbag goes off. If you get hit hard enough to set a airbag off you will probably die because the crush panels will slice you to pieces.
How many recalls on new cars today for China built junk parts like tie rod ends that come apart while driving or seat belt latches that unlatch when in a accident or paper thin gas tanks that a stone can punchure or tires that come apart at 60 mph and roll you over or seats that rip off the floor in a accident or all plastic dashes that explode into razor sharp pieces when hit.
I can go on but I hope you get the point.

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Not a whole lot (if any) truth in this whole post. ABS brakes stop faster, wet, dry, curved or straight. Where did you pull that "3 times longer" stat out of?
Crumple zones are parts of newer cars designed to absorb energy during an impact so that the passenger zone is as unaffected as possible, thereby increasing the survivability of the crash.
Airbags inflate and deflate so quickly, it's virtually impossible to see them, let alone feel them. Ask my brother, he's spent three sets of airbags in the past several years, and says that aside from the smell, he's never sensed anything. Pretty far from the plastic-spewing Claymore mine you describe. Your's sounds more dramatic, though.
Cars are tested and retested by car companies, then retested some more by consumer agencies not connected to any car company to make them as safe as possible. Older cars were never tested to any extend in crash-worthiness. A look at any '60's dash will prove that. I once walked away from a 70mph, combined speed head-on impact with another car. Had I been in my Mustang, I certainly would've been killed. As it was, I just bought another car. Yes, it was a paper-thin sheetmetal car (no air bags) and no, I was not sliced to ribbons. The seatbelts held nicely, and I didn't even get a scratch. Cars are safer today, it's as simple as that.

suki243 said:

I live in Los Angeles and every once in a while the speeds go from 65 to 0 and believe me its scary, keeping in mind i have power brakes and drum brakes. I almost had to pull in the emergency lane to stop in time.

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More than not, this situation is usually because of driver inattention to traffic flow up ahead. I'm no saint and have been guilty of this a few times too. It only took one time in my 67 coupe of locking up the front discs and having my rear come around and trying to be the front side on the freeway to be more cautious.

I agree that anti lock brakes will help you stop straighter, but all you have to do is see all the rear end collisions in the fast lane of the 60 Fwy near the construction zones and that will tell you that new technology won't save your butt when you tailgate.

Tough decision.

zookeeper Put a fuel cell in it, good seatbelts, the best brakes and steering you can afford and act just as you would with a motorcycle on the street. Assume you're invisible, think everyone's out to get you and drive carefully. People used them as daily drivers when they were new and seemed to survive.

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I agree w/ zookeeper. Even in his later posts, they built them as fast and as cheaply as they could.

SF is a neat city, I lived there for 3 months back in my Navy days. But any big city is rife w/ thieves.

Years ago you could get an ABS kit that was a hydraulic/mechanical unit that had to be tuned to your car. I saw it in a book titled How to Make your Car Handle.

To my knowledge most race cars do not have air bags. Just a thought on safety.

If you want a classic as a daily driver there will be things you will have to live with period w/o having to spend big bucks. If money is no problem go for it!

I think the bottom line is you should do what you want. Safety has more to do with driver decisions (use your head) than anything else. If someone in a very large vehicle hits you it won't matter what safety equipment you have. If you drive in the right areas, keep adequate space around you and drive defensively, you will avoid many potential dangers.

Also, decent brakes and suspension so that your car can outstop and out turn the other traffic are a good idea IMO. That's about all I would be concerned with for adequate safety, other than thinking when you are driving.

Now, there is a line between sensible and foolish here. I think air bags are an example of government legislating more cost into vehicles in ways that don't necessarily enhance safety. An air bag will help you as long as you are the right weight and height and set your seat the way the designer envisioned and your car is hit from the right angle, etc. For every other situation the air bag has a chance of hurting you worse than no air bag.

Not to get too overly political here, but I really hate the fact that people talk like you can somehow make life "safe" and protect idiots. How many companies have been driven out of business by this way of thinking?