# OT '59 Chevy vs '09 Chevy



## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

Here's a video of a crash test I thought you guys might like to see.





 
--fcb


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## clydeomite (May 5, 2004)

I'd say the shevvy won. 
Clyde-0-Mite


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

I saw this a year or two ago and I believe I read somewhere that the '59 Bel Air didn't have a motor in it.


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

That would put a spin on things...


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

I wouldn't wanna take on either one in my Gremlin. lol Almost had a head on with it last summer a guy turned left in front of me. I swerved left and then back right and somehow made it between him and the car behind him. Then pulled over and cleaned out my pants. Keep in mind I had my slicks on the back and the car has 4 wheel drum non power brakes and no pwr steering......


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

good ole Gremlin


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.co...rCar/crash-test-1959-chevy-vs-2009-chevy.aspx

OK. Here's a MSN article that give more details & results of the test.


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## AfxToo (Aug 29, 2003)

No surprises here. Most modern cars are designed with safety features like active and passive driver restraints, kinetic energy dissipation, crumple zones, air bags, and collapsible pedals and steering columns. In the bad old days the driver was considered the crumple zone.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

All i see is a great 59 Bel Air that isn't with us anymore.

MT is the Gremlin still AMC powered?


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## Joe65SkylarkGS (Feb 15, 2010)

Hornet said:


> All i see is a great 59 Bel Air that isn't with us anymore.


I'm right there with ya.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Joe,i'm not a 4 door Bel Air fan,but anybody who purposely wrecks one for that dumb-ass test outta be shot,and pee'd on,just my opinion,lol:wave:
You'd have to have rocks in your head to think the old car is safer in an accident then the new crumple on impact stuff is these days,so i don't think it was a test that was required,and to wreck a classic for the test is just wrong if you ask me


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## pshoe64 (Jun 10, 2008)

Wasn't Jay Leno that said his 58 Buick didn't even have a padded dash? " you wreck it and they hose off the dash and sell it to the next guy"

And wrecking the '59, terrible waste of classic sheet metal. Don't we have computer simulators that would do this without sacrificing a classic?

-Paul


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

Well at least they didn't run a '71 Challenger into an '11 Challenger . . . 
:woohoo:

Putting a positive spin on things - that's how I roll. :roll:


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## slotcarman12078 (Oct 3, 2008)

If I remember correctly, the design of the 59's frame had a lot to do with the end result. The bumper and front wheel isn't going to stop much, and that's why the 59 folded up as easily as it did. I think if the impact was more centered, the 59's driver may have fared better. The 09 didn't hit frame until it got to the passenger compartment.


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

58-64 impala has an X frame which is pretty weak in crashes compared to a more traditional frame. 

In the 90s I had a hot rodded 59 and my buddy's dad was an elderly doctor. First time he sees the car he says "when you crash that call me, these young docs today don't have much practice taking ignition keys out of knees". Yep, dash mounted ignition directly in front of the driver's right knee.


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## Bill Hall (Jan 6, 2007)

Hornet said:


> Joe,i'm not a 4 door Bel Air fan,but anybody who purposely wrecks one for that dumb-ass test outta be shot,and pee'd on,just my opinion,lol:wave:
> You'd have to have rocks in your head to think the old car is safer in an accident then the new crumple on impact stuff is these days,so i don't think it was a test that was required,and to wreck a classic for the test is just wrong if you ask me


Too lenient Rick.... :tongue:


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## tjd241 (Jan 25, 2004)

*What a shame.*

Yeah... Hope the poor old girl wasn't donated either... by some misguided owner who bought into some high minded "oh but it's for the greater safety of the driving public" nonsense... Hope they at least had to pay top dollar. I hate seeing Hollywood studios demolish classic cars too. Some movies and tv shows use them up like tissues.  

Wanna real-life test? Find a vehicle from 2009 with the same weight or more as the '59, run the test, and then see what happens.


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

Hornet said:


> All i see is a great 59 Bel Air that isn't with us anymore.
> 
> MT is the Gremlin still AMC powered?


Yeah, What else is there? LOL! Just kidding guys.... .030 over 401 with 12:1 comp. stock iron heads with new springs retainers locks and roller rockers moderate hydraulic cam for street/strip. 410 gears in the back and a borg/warner automatic (no chrysler or chevy trans either). Most people wouldn't use that trans but with a custom converter it's a lot of fun on the strip. Yeah the converter was expensive but cheaper than having another trans built and a converter on top of that. Dropped my 1/4 mile time by a second. Got the time slips to prove it. And bla bla bla ramble ramble.... miss my cars in the winter.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Have i got a deal for you,lol.

Who's pistons.
With 12:1,she'd be crisp on throttle response,when you hit the loudpedal that's fer sure,what are you running for fuel

I have a brand new low geared Stage 1 998 tranny,never used,and a fairly big custom ground solid Comp Cam,with everything,Milodon dual line swinging pick-up and oil pan,been thinking of dumping a few things that i probably won't use .
Also an early narrow 9" set-up to bolt into a 74 HornetX , with 4.10's,it's still in the car.

Whats your Gremlin run,my Hornet ran 12 flat/114mph at a track that's NHRA factored .55 seconds slow,with a 90,000 mile stock piston'd 73 401 shortblock and the early small chamber big valve heads,and a 292 Comp Cam,shift it at 7,000,but i put 3 crankshafts in it,in 2 years of racing it,that's why the Milodon kit.
Fairly big cam and low compression meant you had to spin it to the moon to get any power,but it ran on pump regular,lol
i was gonna go for low 11's on the motor on the next combo,and spray it into the 10's,but life got in the way
Rick


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

The grem ran a best of 11.82 @ 114 with some wheel spin. I run race gas 110oct. Those are some hot race parts but I'm broke. Starting a new job monday. The pay aint great, gotta start all over on the ladder Been thinking about selling my 72 hornet v8 gucci wagon. Would like the money to finish the new project. 70 amx convertible....


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## Sundance (May 5, 2003)

Where you going to work Dude?


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

Oh yeah, i'm running 68 390 2 valve relief trw's milled off to fit the deck height plus a lil extra to bring down the comp a bit. That's why Im not running a huge cam, valve clearance . I got approx $2500 in the entire engine. Built it in my garage. They can be built cheaply if you know the right people....


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

Homecrest.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Now i'm really curious an AMX drop top.

Well in comparision to a smallblock Chevy,i don't know if i'd call them cheap to build,lol.

I had 5 grand into mine,and that included buying the car with a 304 and 3 speed manual.


I didn't have to much problem with wheel spin,the big cam /low compression combo,wasn't great on torque.

I have a pair of slicks and rims,that'd you'd probably laugh at.
Welded a pair 14" centers into a pair of 13" rims and have a set of short little 24X 8 slicks mounted on them,helped offset the lack of torque,and kept the 4.10's usable.

I still got a few high end AMC parts kicking around,that i should probably sell one of these days,sold my Herman Lewis intake awhile ago,but the rest should go to.

To get any power out of my old combo,i had a choke cable hooked to the distributor,that ran to the front of the shifter handle,i'd launch the thing with 42 degree's total timing and use the choke cable to back the timing down 36 as soon as it was over 4,000,only way to get any bottom end,was give it lots of timing,lol:thumbsup:
Rick


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

What year is your hornet, Hornet? Think i still have a resin 73 hatchback ho body.


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

I'd be interested.
Mines a 74 Hornet X hatchback,almost identical to the one James Bond drove in the movie "The Man With The Golden Gun",mines got the white interior,instead of the black interior,but same colour.
Interior is mint,but it needs both 1/4's and the driver side rocker panel now.
I've got an old video of it doing burn-outs on a back road + a copy of it on TV,with Victoria Jackson driving it.
You wouldn't be the first guy i've sent pic's too,if you want to take a look at them,i'll send them your way:wave:

How roughs your AMX,is it a one-off promotional car,it'd be the first drop top AMX i ever seen,but Kenosha made some wild promotional cars in their day.
I'm intrigued by it,any pic's,lol
Rick


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## fordcowboy (Dec 27, 1999)

Amc check these out. http://www.bat-jet.com/gremlin.html fcb


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## Hornet (Dec 1, 2005)

Thanks Lendell.

Somebody was making a resin Hornet too ,but i forget who it was.

Tom's got some good looking bodies.

If anybody out there is doing a resin cast AMC to fit mag cars let me know:wave:

If MT wants to sell or trade his Hornet body,i'll sure take it:thumbsup::wave:
Rick


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## 440s-4ever (Feb 23, 2010)

All this AMC talk makes me want to see a 2012 fiat 500 take on a 62 rambler


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## mtyoder (Jan 3, 2004)

at least you didn't say smart car. lol


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## NTxSlotCars (May 27, 2008)

pshoe64 said:


> Wasn't Jay Leno that said his 58 Buick didn't even have a padded dash? " you wreck it and they hose off the dash and sell it to the next guy"
> 
> And wrecking the '59, terrible waste of classic sheet metal. Don't we have computer simulators that would do this without sacrificing a classic?
> 
> -Paul


"Could you turn it off? You're getting ahead of me."


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