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1964 Comet Crash - Opinions?


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I’m quite sure this happened cause the owner wanted his car to have its 15 minutes of fame, and rather than reschedule, and fix it’s obvious issues, he didn’t want to miss his chance to film/show his creation. It’s amazing how much carnage can be created by poor decisions about things that really don’t matter in the long run. I could go on for days about the idiocy of this whole situation, and would love to pepper my diatribe about it with lots of profanity for good measure….., but, we are all on the same wavelength on this, so add your favorite swear words in this reply where you see fit 😁

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After thinking about this for a while I almost blame the host more than the owner of the car. The host is in control of the situation and as soon as something went wrong with the car and didn't resolve itself quickly it was his responsibility to shut the shoot down until the car was right again. I work for a utility company and anyone on a jobsite can stop the work if any part of the job becomes unsafe. The owner might have had this happen other times and become complacent because the throttle unstuck itself more easily. A new set of eyes seeing things getting worse and worse needed to speak up and get the car off the road. Yes, the owner is ultimately responsible but in this situation there is more than enough blame to go around.

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31 minutes ago, Fat Brian said:

After thinking about this for a while I almost blame the host more than the owner of the car. The host is in control of the situation and as soon as something went wrong with the car and didn't resolve itself quickly it was his responsibility to shut the shoot down until the car was right again. I work for a utility company and anyone on a jobsite can stop the work if any part of the job becomes unsafe. The owner might have had this happen other times and become complacent because the throttle unstuck itself more easily. A new set of eyes seeing things getting worse and worse needed to speak up and get the car off the road. Yes, the owner is ultimately responsible but in this situation there is more than enough blame to go around.

  I agree with that assessment also. The host should have said something right away. Considering listening to the way the story unfolded, they only went about 2 miles or so before this happened.

 

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Honestly this sort of thing is pretty common. A fella puts time and years into a car and the very second it's drivable (allegedly) he's out on it. It's a very understandable. I've done it myself when I was helping friends out with their cars, back in the day. Is it stupid? Yep. But there aren't too many car guys who haven't done it at least once.

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I had to chime in on this, as I just viewed the video last night. First of all, as someone already stated, he ruined a 64 Comet. In my opinion, he ruined it the day he started building it. That POS cost $208 grand to build? I’d build a Pro Mod with that kind of Capitol. Brakes outdated and ready to fail? Check! Harnesses installed for looks only? Check! Throttle sticking? Check!!
And the final kicker is, the morons went on YouTube and told the world, how negligent they are, and now there is a video to prove it!!! Just the last piece the lawyer of that poor family in the SUV they smashed into will need to prove his case, showing how he knew the car shouldn’t be driven, let alone stepped on. And to wonder why I’m becoming a misanthrope? 

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On 7/12/2022 at 2:10 PM, BlackSheep214 said:

I am curious on what traffic ticket charges the builder/owner got after the accident. Most likely inadequate brakes would be one but I’m sure there are others. Unsafe speed under poor braking issues perhaps?

Excessive speed, failure to yield,  failure to stop, driving without seatbelts, unsafe brakes, no emergency brakes, illegal ground clearance, illegal headlights, excessive noise and depending on the state - failed or nonexistent vehicle inspection certificate. 

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On 7/12/2022 at 10:14 AM, RancheroSteve said:

Wow, this has to be one of the most infuriating things I've seen lately, and not just because he ruined a '64 Comet. The guy was lucky he didn't kill someone - there's nothing about this that can even remotely be called an "accident". 

And he is on the same streets as you are, Steve.

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A couple of thoughts. 

This was a 23 year build. When he installed the brakes some 20 years ago they were pretty much top of the line. The problem is the technology has gotten better. For a street cruiser where the driver never nails the throttle, they were adequate if properly functioning. Lots or pro street cars proved this when that trend was hot. I don't think the typical safety inspection would have caught the problem. The one's I've experienced are more checking for exhaust leaks, working safety equipment such as lights and bake pads and rotors.

I do think that when the throttle was sticking, the whole thing should have been stopped until that could have been corrected. There have been too many fatalities due to a sticking throttle. More than likely riding the brakes resulting in overheating them leading to their failure. Continuing to film so that the passenger could have content led to the crash. Notice he appears nervous for much of the ride. I don't understand why the driver didn't kill the engine and throw it in neutral although how many of us would react better in the same situation?

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This is all pilot error plan and simple. All this guy had to do was hit the kill switch when he first started having a problem. The guy panicked, kind of like a driver standing on the gas when they meant to stand on the brakes.  No doubt the brakes were inadequate for the application and again that is on the owner. 

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There was talk about this video last night before our MCCM (Model Car Club of Minnesota). After just now seeing this video, I’m not impressed with the owner of this Comet in more ways than one. It’s a shame a guy like that owns and drives a beautiful car like that. 

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25 minutes ago, unclescott58 said:

There was talk about this video last night before our MCCM (Model Car Club of Minnesota). After just now seeing this video, I’m not impressed with the owner of this Comet in more ways than one. It’s a shame a guy like that owns and drives a beautiful car like that. 

The more I think about it, I’m not impressed with Shawn either, after watching this video closer a second time. Plus, so many flags went up before they went off on the drive. The owner was an idiot in so many ways. Over $200,000 and 2 marriages? Boy is he a good catch to all the gals out there. (Yet a guy like that will probably get someone to be his next wife. There are women who fall for guys like that all the time. I don’t get it.) 

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1 hour ago, stavanzer said:

And he is on the same streets as you are, Steve.

Right you are, Alan. We've already got too many guys driving around here that have spent too much time watching the "Fast and Furious" franchise and apparently believe it's a documentary. 

Not to beat a dead horse here, but a few further thoughts: while most of us here can appreciate an outrageously built car, I'm not sure why anyone needs to put 1300 HP in a car that they don't intend to race - but of course if you were building a race car you'd have to adhere to a strict set of safety guidelines. On the other hand, if you want to build an automotive sculpture, make it as wild as your imagination and budget allows, trailer it to shows, and maybe don't make the streets any more dangerous than they already are.

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Somebody said at our model car club meeting last night, that Round 2 was planning on reissuing the old AMT ‘64 Comet Caliente kit again in the near future. Any body know if there is any truth to this? And who then will be the first one to make a replica of the Comet from this video? 😝

Edited by unclescott58
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@unclescott58 Yes they are. Unsure when but soon pending shipping. Found thread. Casey post from April, Steve G comments. Sounds like holes closed up. 

3x engine hp recommended for brake hp iirc. 
Always been that way. So these brakes ain’t that. Sadly these clowns the norm too often. 
Darwin fails, and innocent people injured. Sad that’s normal anymore. 

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This horse isn't getting up again, but I'll say just this: the front brakes visible through the spokes are probably adequate for a hot Pinto or Porsche 914 pushing 150HP and 2000 pounds, with a manual gearbox.

No way in jello are they adequate for a 3000 pound car with 1000+HP...even if working properly.

Add in a sticking throttle, and a slushbox making it necessary to ride the brake pedal and probably boil fluid that's full of moisture contamination from sitting, you get what you see here.

-------------------------------------

But lotsa "car builders" are idiots, and so are lotsa owners.

First complete hot build I did for a client way back in '77, I put a 365-horse Chebby 327 in a Triumph Stag. Clean, well engineered and fully sorted car I road tested extensively before sending it home.

Imagine my horror when it showed up on the hook two days later, 3 feet shorter. My God I thinks to myself...was it MY fault?

Nope. Owner's 16 YO son took the thing without permission, drove it smack into the side of a Buick as he crested a blind hill.

Crazy thing was that ol' dad said "build another one".

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2 hours ago, unclescott58 said:

Somebody said at our model car club meeting last night, that Round 2 was planning on reissuing the old AMT ‘64 Comet Caliente kit again in the near future. Any body know if there is any truth to this? And who then will be the first one to make a replica of the Comet from this video? 😝

After the crash?

First I've heard about the reissue - Time to add it to "The Rumour Mill".

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