Was This One Of Our Members...Ouch !!!

[Mustang5L5]

From what I gather, the Durango had the green and was proceeding straight, and the mustamg ran its light and cut across the front. Durango must have t-boned it right at the rear quarter.

Technically the mustang did hit him

 

[Rdub6]

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the car tearing completely in half. Must have been the perfect impact in the perfect spot.

 

[2000xp8]

Calling an 80's car vintage, guess we are getting old.

 

[Deleted member 215073]

The newest Fox is 27 years old. Most states consider 25 to be eligible for collector or vintage license plates.

 

[Flatfoot]

This one was local to me back in April. Cut the car in half not quite in the same spot though.

 

[Noobz347]

I don't see anything in this thread that gives me pause about street driving a Fox. What I see are some idiot nut-jobs that wrapped perfectly er... [decent] cars around objects more solid than they are.

On a whim, I can produce an ample number of examples of many other makes and models wrapped around and parted-out by various solid objects.

 

[Noobz347]

He even broke the valve covers

 

[Mustang5L5]

I had an "oh " moment a couple summers ago. Driving the fox down a windy backroad near my house. I was driving normally, the lady on the other side of the road was mid-text and crossed her vehicle well over 50% of the way over the yellow line. I don't even think she realized she ran me over to the side until she passed by when I blasted my horn at her. But she was In a full-size SUV and we were both doing 30-35MPH. I'd hate to have seen what would have happened in my non-airbag fox.

 

[Adieu]

I don't see anything in this thread that gives me pause about street driving a Fox.

Every time I see one of these, I have so many more questions than answers.

Why do foxes break like this more so than other cars?

What mods had they done to the structure, chassis, etc. Would subframe connectors have helped or did some of these cars have them and they were they part of the problem (making the car too rigid)?

How exactly did they hit to make it happen?

 

[Noobz347]

Why do foxes break like this more so than other cars?

I don't see this as the case. I've seen images of [lots] of cars halved. I even recall a particular IROC that I saw split in two, first-hand. One of the two new sections was up a tree. The driver was doing 100+ when he lost control and hit the telephone pole.

 

[STEVE PATTON]

Every time I see one of these, I have so many more questions than answers.

Why do foxes break like this more so than other cars?

What mods had they done to the structure, chassis, etc. Would subframe connectors have helped or did some of these cars have them and they were they part of the problem (making the car too rigid)?

How exactly did they hit to make it happen?
[Let me say this,back in the 70s Dayton,Oh.bought a bunch of Fairmont police cars. On the TV news it seemed every week you would see them blasted in half.They either got rid of them ,or ran out of them.

 

[Adieu]

I don't see this as the case. I've seen images of [lots] of cars halved. I even recall a particular IROC that I saw split in two, first-hand. One of the two new sections was up a tree. The driver was doing 100+ when he lost control and hit the telephone pole.

Some of these foxes breaking in half seem to happen at relatively low speeds. There was one posted to AFM a few years ago where it happened at less than 50mph.

Like I said though, I have more questions than anything. If I do end up tracking down the right 85-86 for my next project at some point, it's getting a cage, so it'll be a moot point for me, but it makes me wonder just what in the hell is going on.

 

[Hoytster]

Some of these foxes breaking in half seem to happen at relatively low speeds. There was one posted to AFM a few years ago where it happened at less than 50mph.

Like I said though, I have more questions than anything. If I do end up tracking down the right 85-86 for my next project at some point, it's getting a cage, so it'll be a moot point for me, but it makes me wonder just what in the hell is going on.

I believe it's called typical 70's, 80's, and early 90's unibody construction and design techniques. Once you start looking at the calculations for deflection and load bearing of structural members in these cars, it becomes apparent they cannot take certain impacts, even at relatively low speeds, as they were never designed for it. It's not just a foxbody thing, it's a majority of vehicles that were designed and produced during these times.

I give immense credit to the engineers today that design current vehicles. The regulations and requirements they have to deal with, and the designs they come up with, is just incredible. You only have to view a couple offset crash tests from 80's vehicles compared to current vehicles and it becomes painfully obvious. The advancement of computer simulations and engineering tools have also had a huge impact on this as we are able to simulate real world scenarios into designs with ease, compared to years of research and trial and error in the past.

 

[Ryuk]

I believe it's called typical 70's, 80's, and early 90's unibody construction and design techniques. Once you start looking at the calculations for deflection and load bearing of structural members in these cars, it becomes apparent they cannot take certain impacts, even at relatively low speeds, as they were never designed for it. It's not just a foxbody thing, it's a majority of vehicles that were designed and produced during these times.

I give immense credit to the engineers today that design current vehicles. The regulations and requirements they have to deal with, and the designs they come up with, is just incredible. You only have to view a couple offset crash tests from 80's vehicles compared to current vehicles and it becomes painfully obvious. The advancement of computer simulations and engineering tools have also had a huge impact on this as we are able to simulate real work scenarios into designs with ease, compared to years of research and trial and error in the past.

How many of those cars that had power added and then drag raced ended up with warped bodies? You won't ever see that with newer cars.

There's no comparison between older cars and new.

 

[Noobz347]

I think we are more sensitive to Mustang crashes because, "Oh F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-u-u-u-u-u-u-dge".

 

[Noobz347]

There's no comparison between older cars and new.

My 86 Fox and Gen 2 V might argue that point.





Oh wait... No they wouldn't

One handles like a Go-Kart and will kill you the moment you allow it.



Here's the wrinkle: One was designed specifically to handle 560 HP while the other was designed for roughly 210.

 

[Hoytster]

I think we are more sensitive to Mustang crashes because, "Oh F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-u-u-u-u-u-u-dge".

Exactly. It's what we are exposed to the most, and what we can relate to the best.

 

[Mustang5L5]

I believe it's called typical 70's, 80's, and early 90's unibody construction and design techniques. Once you start looking at the calculations for deflection and load bearing of structural members in these cars, it becomes apparent they cannot take certain impacts, even at relatively low speeds, as they were never designed for it. It's not just a foxbody thing, it's a majority of vehicles that were designed and produced during these times.

I give immense credit to the engineers today that design current vehicles. The regulations and requirements they have to deal with, and the designs they come up with, is just incredible. You only have to view a couple offset crash tests from 80's vehicles compared to current vehicles and it becomes painfully obvious. The advancement of computer simulations and engineering tools have also had a huge impact on this as we are able to simulate real world scenarios into designs with ease, compared to years of research and trial and error in the past.

Bingo. I remember when I was welding up my frame rails and trying to figure out how loads were being spread out over the rails and tower. I remember coming to a realization that these cars are nothing more than tin cans with a big motor. Not much holding them together.

 

[2000xp8]

Like I said though, I have more questions than anything. If I do end up tracking down the right 85-86 for my next project at some point, it's getting a cage, so it'll be a moot point for me, but it makes me wonder just what in the hell is going on.

Curious on how you guys perceive the cage or no cage on street car debate.
Is it safer? My guess for a roll over it is.
But for occupants with no helmet on, does it just give you what is likely a closer hard object to hit your head on?

 

[Adieu]

Curious on how you guys perceive the cage or no cage on street car debate.
Is it safer? My guess for a roll over it is.
But for occupants with no helmet on, does it just give you what is likely a closer hard object to hit your head on?

For me it's about chassis stiffness, I've owned three foxes, two of them convertibles, and the sheer amount of flex always made me uneasy. A cage, even a six-point that doesn't have an overhead bar at the front, should help. If I do have another fox in the future, it'll either be something special that I leave stock (like a 7up car) or an 85-86 hatch that I coyote swap. If it's the former, it won't get a cage, if it's the latter? It's getting one.