Progress - Page 2

Adeptus_Minor · 09-17-2009, 08:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by unknownroad

Of course, on an old body-on-frame sedan, there's almost no structural hard parts more than a foot or so off the ground. It's pretty much all skin.

Ah, I didn't even think about the construction. That makes sense.

101lifts2 · 09-17-2009, 11:05 PM

Leading the World in Safety....GM

pauldun170 · 09-25-2009, 09:42 AM

They have an interior shot in this one

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xwYBBpHg1I

goof2 · 09-25-2009, 10:53 AM

One issue I have is the amount of rust that appears to come out of the Bel Air. In both videos, the shot from the Bel Air side, the car absolutely pukes what appears to be a cloud of dust from rust. I can only assume some of that cloud is comes from the frame. Depending on the degree the frame is rusted that could have an effect on the test. If the IIHS wanted to actually run a real test the Bel Air should have been in the condition it would have been in 1959. As it is this is an interesting self congratulatory video, but doesn't really show what the IIHS wants it to show.

CasterTroy · 09-30-2009, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by goof2

One issue I have is the amount of rust that appears to come out of the Bel Air. In both videos, the shot from the Bel Air side, the car absolutely pukes what appears to be a cloud of dust from rust. I can only assume some of that cloud is comes from the frame.

Actually, the report stated the "cloud" was not in fact rust, but 40 yrs of road grime. I'll try to find where I saw that....but in the mean-time

Quote:

September 18, 2009, 11:21 am
More Details About 1959 Bel Air Crash Test
By Christopher Jensen
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released on Thursday a video of a crash test between a 1959 Chevrolet Bel Air and a 2009 Malibu to demonstrate how car safety has improved. Not to simplify matters too much, but the Malibu won. And several Wheels readers speculated in comments that the car didn’t contain an engine, which would have affected the test.

Armed with these conspiracy theories, I returned to David Zuby, the senior vice president at the institute’s crash-test center in Virginia. He explained that when the institute went looking for a 1959 Bel Air to crash-test there was one thing the organization didn’t want and some things it did.

“We didn’t want to crash a museum piece,” Mr. Zuby said. “We were not looking for one that had been restored for museum or show quality.” But the vehicle had to have a solid structure, although a little surface rust would be acceptable.

They found what they wanted in Indiana. “The frame was sound and all the body panels were sound,” he said. It had a 3.9-liter 6-cylinder engine and was in driving condition.

The car was bought for about $8,500 and had about 74,000 miles on the odometer, which was broken. It was trucked to the test center in Virginia.

Mr. Zuby said the cloud that shows in the crash video wasn’t rust. “Most of that is road dirt that accumulates in nooks and crannies that you can’t get it,” he said.

unknownroad · 09-28-2009, 11:35 AM

Pet peeve- late 60s/early to mid 70s were the peak for US auto size. In the early 60s the average car wasn't that much heavier than cars of today. By 1980 OPEC had forced automakers into downsizing across the board. But any fullsize sedan from about 1969 to 1974 is a monster.

09-17-2009, 11:05 PM	#2
101lifts2 WSB Champion Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Anaheim, CA Moto: 2009 Kawi ZX6R Posts: 5,570	Leading the World in Safety....GM __________________ Train Hard Ron Paul - 2012 Mark of Excellence GM

09-28-2009, 11:35 AM	#6
unknownroad Guys... where are we? Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: South Carolina Moto: SV650 Interstate, CX500 rat-bobber, whatever else runs. Posts: 784	Pet peeve- late 60s/early to mid 70s were the peak for US auto size. In the early 60s the average car wasn't that much heavier than cars of today. By 1980 OPEC had forced automakers into downsizing across the board. But any fullsize sedan from about 1969 to 1974 is a monster. __________________ Considering Verizon Business service? Perhaps you'd like to consider a nice drain cleaner enema instead?

09-25-2009, 10:53 AM	#4
goof2 AMA Supersport Join Date: Feb 2009 Posts: 4,756	One issue I have is the amount of rust that appears to come out of the Bel Air. In both videos, the shot from the Bel Air side, the car absolutely pukes what appears to be a cloud of dust from rust. I can only assume some of that cloud is comes from the frame. Depending on the degree the frame is rusted that could have an effect on the test. If the IIHS wanted to actually run a real test the Bel Air should have been in the condition it would have been in 1959. As it is this is an interesting self congratulatory video, but doesn't really show what the IIHS wants it to show.