The Most Dangerous Car You've Ever Owned

[David G.]

I was talking with a co-worker the other day and was telling him the story of a 1971 Pontiac Ventura that I owned long ago. I was telling him about how I "fixed" the car when the metal around one of the rear upper shock absorber mounting points rusted away allowing the shock to push up into the trunk, causing the car to list to one side.

What I did was lift the rear of the car with a jack allowing the shock absorber to drop outside the trunk. I then placed a circular saw blade over the hole then, from under the car, I positioned the shock mounting point as close as I could to its stock location. The next step was to pound a piece of 4 X 4 lumber that I had measured and cut to the proper length, in between the floor of the trunk and the rear package shelf. I crossed my fingers as I lowered the jack and let the car gradually begin to once again, bear its own weight. There were some tense moments and more than a few unnerving metallic creaks, groans, snaps and pings as the car settled back onto its own suspension. But it held! and I drove it that way nearly four more years.

I figured there have got to be others out there who have had to drive unsafe vehicles from time to time who'd like to share their stories. feel free to add your story!

Regards,

David G.

[torinobradley]

I had a 1976 Vega that was a former New York car without undercoating. It was lowered and had a hotrod 4 in it but the chassis was so rotted out that if I would have been involved in a collision, I would have been toast. I got rid of it when the rear lateral link tore off from the rest of the frame. It was done... No solid metal to do a repair weld.

[george 53]

It wasn't MINE, but I remember as a little kid, we would pick cherrys up north in Travserse City. The migrant workers would come up from Texas an the south to pick. This one guy, Jessie, had a 55 Chevy 4 Dr. REALLY nice car, that pretty baby blue like color an white. Nice car. Anyway, he kept the rake in it by wedgeing up the rear of it with 2 X 4's, WEDGED between the rear axle and the chassis where it rose up over the rear end! Them things looked like they were 2 ft long, an the car rode WORSE than a truck on those dirt roads, but with those mags and chrome reverse wheels on it, it sure LOOKED COOL!!!!

[codie27]

Funny how sometimes the most dangerous cars seem to hold a lot of sentimental value. A couple of years ago I had to resort to a push bike for transport as work was slow and we were living in a small town. Anyway a day after getting the bike I got my first good paycheck in a while and was out and about and spotted a 1972 HQ Holden panel van on the side of the road for 800 bucks and bought it straight away. Man I tell you it was the definition of never judging a book by its cover!! When it rained your feet got wet, the wipers fell off the first time I used them,the water getting in under the stainless trim around the windscreen used to short out the fuses for all the lights,it had no brake booster so you had to hit the pedal hard to get the worn shoes to stop, it would overheat on any drive longer than an hour, pulling the carpet up on the drivers side floor revealed no floor pan, the list goes on! But it was cool to look at and was good for fishing trips,it always started and ran brilliant round town and my girlfriend and I were very sad we had to sell it when we moved back to the city because it wouldnt have made the 600kay drive. On the plus side we sold it for the same price we bought it for! The picture is not of my car as I cant find my photos,but I did a google search so you all could see some Aussie tin. This one is nearly exactly the same though mine was white.

[junkman1153]

in 1970 i bought a 1963 mercury meteor 2 dr. bucket seats 3spd on the floor with a 289 4bbl. it looked good and ran good. BUT!!! the brake lines to the front wheels had rusted out and were folded over and beaten flat ,the bucket seats were sitting on 2x4s to keep them from falling through the floor. it was like riding in rocking chairs.a piece of plywood kept the spare tire in the trunk and had the gas tank bands fastened to it.finally hit a set of railroad tracks too fast collapsed the right front suspension tore the exhaust and gas tank off it. it a fun car to drive

[B_rad88]

wow some interesting stories, lol.

well................................ i may have one of a junky car and inexperienced driver............................................

ok, first off it was my 1994 geo metro 5door wagon, 3cyl, automatic......... i had lightened it from 1800lbs to about 1750ish, taking out all the useless plastic panels, ect., ect., ect. then after that, i had to replace the water pump and radiator, both was leaking, so i had my nieghbor help me out with it, no problem, but when working on the car, i found really bad chassis damage, so the car had to be wrecked before i got it. plus the right rear strut was shot, the drivers window had a hard time staying in track, all the door handles broke, the radio intenna broke off, so nothing came on the jamz box, also the brakes where really weak, i mean weak! and then i some how messed up the electrical on it, and it kept blowing batteries and altenators, but in the middle off all this i had fun with the car, and i have alot of happy memories with it, lol. like the one time i put it up on 2 wheels, it was 4ppl with me in the geo, i was driving, and i went around a hard s-curve it went up on 2 wheels, when i put it back down, my friend in the back seat started screaming like a little girl, it was so funny we all busted out laughing, i never heard him scream like that, , and plus all the burn outs i did in it just for fun, like in the publix parking lot, the pavement is very slippery when wet, so when i drop it into low gear(its an auto) i floor it, and the tires just spin away, lol. you have to manualy shift the thing to get it to move, otherwise you'll do 0-60 in about 3weeks, lol . that was also my first car i have owned, and i do miss driving it, i would love to get another,

[my name is nobody]

I bought a used Vega GT once, for $150.00

some friends and I decided it needed a power upgrade,

so we drove the little 4 banger vega over to my friends house,

and proceeded to drop a Buick 425 Nailhead and Automatic transmission

into the poor thing.

got it all fastened up, put lots of fluids in it,

started right up.

decided to drive it around the block, just to see how it would run.

well, it ran quite well, the additional Horsepower really woke that little car up. it was very quick.

However, when I got back in front of my friends house,

to show all the folks how well little Frankenstein ran

I hit the brakes, the front frame rails splayed out and the entire engine & transmission fell out hitting the pavement.

I got a nice round of applause from the crowd.

Lesson Learned.

The next Vega GT got a small block chevy...

[B_rad88]

I bought a used Vega GT once, for $150.00

some friends and I decided it needed a power upgrade,

so we drove the little 4 banger vega over to my friends house,

and proceeded to drop a Buick 425 Nailhead and Automatic transmission

into the poor thing.

got it all fastened up, put lots of fluids in it,

started right up.

decided to drive it around the block, just to see how it would run.

well, it ran quite well, the additional Horsepower really woke that little car up. it was very quick.

However, when I got back in front of my friends house,

to show all the folks how well little Frankenstein ran

I hit the brakes, the front frame rails splayed out and the entire engine & transmission fell out hitting the pavement.

I got a nice round of applause from the crowd.

Lesson Learned.

The next Vega GT got a small block chevy...

:lol:

[sjordan2]

My '93 Corvette developed an irregular habit of stuttering and stalling when I would pull out into traffic (and if you're pulling into traffic with a 6-speed Corvette, you become used to fitting into a shorter window). Then it would occasionally shut down altogether (including the steering) while at speed on the Interstate. For about a month, it took a few tows back to the incompetent dealership to fix it.

Dreaded ABS made it impossible to stop on a dime and resulted in one slow-speed front-end collision.

Edited September 17, 2010 by sjordan2

[Jim Gibbons]

This is fun stuff; Chuck, you should have used the aluminum Buick V8 - it might have held!

Probably the most dangerous car in some respects was a '60 Ford Sunliner (identical to my avatar in color/ interior) that I bought in the summer of '79. It hadn't been on the road since '72 per the NYS registration and inspection stickers on it. The guy I bought it from got it from the original owners who had stored it in a barn. He was moving, and had to get rid of this restoration project. From the outside and the interior, it looked pretty good, though the red paint had faded to a chalky salmon pink. I always had a thing for the '60 Fords, so it was an impulse buy for $350. It ran pretty well, and with the exception of the top hydraulics needing attention, I excitedly towed it home with a UHaul truck and tow bar. (I worked for them summers and part-time in my college days.) The guy I bought it from did show the faults and work needed, but I didn't care. The trunk floor was a piece of plywood. If you lifted it up, you saw the top of the gas tank and pavement. The barn roof leaked, and between the years it was on the road and that, there were holes rotted in the floor pans directly beneath where the roof met the windshield headers at the extreme ends. Some sheet metal riveted in with some silicon fixed that in my eyes.

The rear fenders were rotted out behind the anodized trim; fortunately, there was enough good metal at the upper trim mounting points. The dual exhausts had seen better days during the Nixon administration, but a weekly soda or beer can fix with hose clamps took care of that. The top was pretty ragged and mildewed, so I completely took it off and lowered the top frame after releasing the hydraulic pressure. A tarp covered it in the driveway, and it had vinyl upholstery, so who cares about rain? (A guy I became friends with later told me the first time he saw me was when I was driving to work on a rainy day, and he thought I was a lunatic!)

A day spent with a buffer and rubbing compound, some wax, and some whitewall paint made it look pretty sharp. As time went on, though, the gremlins started up after seven off the road years. The radiator expansion tank sprayed like a lawn sprinkler, requiring numerous soldering attempts. When I replaced the leaky valve cover gaskets, it looked like someone had used one of those "engine rebuilds" in a can, as all the valve train and the inner valve covers were coated with a silver grey goo. The tranny vacuum modulator was shot, so I'd add fluid until I could afford to get to it. Those are only a few of the things that required constant attention. The gas gauge didn't work, so I made sure there was always enough in it. One day, I had enough money to fill the tank. This was during the second fuel crisis in '79. The next morning, I went to work, and ran out of gas halfway there. Someone siphoned 20 odd gallons during the night. Locking gas cap that afternoon!

I drove that car clear through the end of November without a top. There were some really cold nights that I had to wear a parka to do the 12 or so mile drive home. Fortunately, the heater worked well, though. I had to take it off the road when one day at work, my future brother in law moved the car, and the brakes failed in the UHaul lot, and he hit a trailer and the lot fence. Fortunately it happened there, and not on the road. I towed it home, covered it, and left it in the lot behind my apartment. The following February, I left for Basic and Advanced Training for the Army Reserves, and when I returned in July, kids had gotten to it, and broke nearly every piece of glass, including the ones on the instrument panel. It ended up in a junkyard for parts.

I did have a lot of fun with the car, though, despite its problems. I went to a drive in with it to see American Graffiti 2, and when I pulled in, nearly everyone beeped the horn and flashed their lights. There was nothing like a summer evening to go on a back road cruise to visit my friend in Woodstock. I'm still debating whether to attempt to turn my '60 Starliner model into a Sunliner, but there is a fairly large difference in door and upholstery patterns.

As far as the most dangerous car to drive, though, it was my '69 Camaro. It was a solid car, but it had the base 327 2bbl, which came with those idiotic single leaf rear springs. That car had as much snap oversteer as a Corvair or old Porsche. I find that hard to believe myself, but it's true; one would think that all the weight up front, it would contribute to understeer, but I think that crappy single spring had a lot to do with it. It could also be that the rear brakes were not well equalized from the factory. You could find yourself doing a 180 if you spit out of the window. Never hit the brakes with too much pressure in rain or if deer show up in front of you! Ask me how I know. It was a great straight line cruiser, though, and ranks as one of my favorite cars. That Camaro taught me how to drive, especially in the winter.

[Guest Johnny]

I have had a few that may have been more hazzardous to the other guy like my 53 mosquito fogger, I mean Studebaker!

The most dangerous probably was my Corvair convertible that was so rusty that if you opened both doors at the same time, especially with pasengers. You had to jack up the middle to get the dors closed! The floorboards were old street signs I got from the street dept. supervisor, poprivited and tarred in place with shag carpet over them!. Therre was no bottom to the trunk!

[forthlin]

I've owned a few junkers in my time, but the worst has to be a '71 Chevy Impala I owned from Oct.'84-June'85. I only paid $50.00 for It & that was $49.99 to much. It averaged 6 mpg on the highway & 3 mpg in town. The engine went through oil quicker than I could put it in. My job was 9 miles from Home & I would have to carry extra spark plugs & change them when I got off work because the one's in the engine would get so oil fouled, clean the fouled ones when I got home & change them again. It had a beautiful body & interior & I actually sold it forr $125.00 to someone who put another drivetrain in it.

[Guest Johnny]

I've owned a few junkers in my time, but the worst has to be a '71 Chevy Impala I owned from Oct.'84-June'85. I only paid $50.00 for It & that was $49.99 to much. It averaged 6 mpg on the highway & 3 mpg in town. The engine went through oil quicker than I could put it in. My job was 9 miles from Home & I would have to carry extra spark plugs & change them when I got off work because the one's in the engine would get so oil fouled, clean the fouled ones when I got home & change them again. It had a beautiful body & interior & I actually sold it forr $125.00 to someone who put another drivetrain in it.

I took care of that with some anti foul tips from JC Whitney! Bought old black looking 40 weight bulk oil from the Harper Station by the gallon! for about 1/3 the cost of good oil!

[forthlin]

I took care of that with some anti foul tips from JC Whitney! Bought old black looking 40 weight bulk oil from the Harper Station by the gallon! for about 1/3 the cost of good oil!

I bought some of those anti foul tips & even those didn't help. A garage next to my job would give me the oil from oil changes He did each day.

[Jon Cole]

Two words that go hand in hand… “Corvairâ€, and “dangerousâ€. The early models had that funky right-angle axle to hub rear suspension… only one u-joint per halfshaft.

We have a rural road that runs through a small town; there is an ‘S’ bend near the towns center. Not a level ‘S’ bend, but a rather pronounced dip in the road. Just to keep it interesting, it has railroad tracks running across it.

I took the curve one day in my ’63 Corvair Spyder doing maybe 30. The back end went airborne, and when it landed, it took the entire width of the road to straighten it out. My new girlfriend was not amazed for some reason… but I found it rather fun! I did gain a new respect for what that car was able to do!

[1320wayne]

I had a 72 or 73 Dart. Hard to remember which. It had a slant six. It was gold with a black vinyl top. Not stylish by any means. The best part was that it was given to me by my uncle. The bad part was that the rear end was bad and I was told that the car was driveable but to one day expect the rear end to just lock up on you when you least expect it. I drove that car for a year and a half, with no problems, but always expecting the worst at any time.

I also had a 73 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I paid $300 bucks for. It wasn't a daily driver (thank god) but I did get a lot of use out of it two months out of every year as it was used to hunt out of. It had a Walmart spray paint, camo paint job so good that I once lost it in the woods. I guess the best part was being able to drive and spit tobacco juice at the same time through the holes in the floor board.

[David G.]

Capable of speeds in excess of 140 MPH and 13-second quarter miles...and no seatbelts. The previous owner hacked them out and I never replaced them. I was a foolish teenager, what can I say?

Wow! That looks just like the old Ventura I had- a '71. Mine had a straight-6 250 in it though. I doubt mine would have done a quarter mile in 13 minutes!

Edited September 18, 2010 by David G.

[Modelmartin]

I doubt mine would have done a quarter mile in 13 minutes!

Oh come on now!!! You could have pushed it through the quarter in less than that!!!

[Modelmartin]

In high school I had a 57 Chevy 2 door sedan with straight six and three speed. It had cooling problems so often that the rings lost their temper and wore out such that it used about three gallons of gas per gallon of oil!! It left more smoke behind it than a two-stroke. I did the drain oil thing, too. Finally one day it seized up after overheating in the middle of winter. I was about a mile from home so I walked. Once I towed the heap back home, I refused to drive it ever again. That summer a few friends and myself completely destroyed it with an ax and a driveshaft. We actually flattened the roof down to the seats!!! We had to jack it back up so we could tow it to the scrapyard!! Don't worry Chevy fans! It was a total rustbucket!

[curt raitz]

My Junior year (1966-67) in high school, 3 buddy's and myself divied up $50 bucks a piece and bought 1950 Dodge 4 door sedan.

We all had learners permits, but we knew a senior who had a license so got it registered in his name.

Gosh, times have changed...of course no insurance, didn't need it legally then.

We painted the thing primer gray with rattle cans with a black "competetion" stripe down the center.

One of the guyz parked it around the corner from his house, cuz mom and dad would never have approved of any of us bringing this thing home.

We were havin' a great time for about a month till the brakes went out on the way home from a football game.

There were 5 of us in the car so we just drove around in 1st gear and when it was time to stop, we'd all jump out "cept the driver and pull the car to a stop. This worked OK until time to go home, drove by each guyz house and pulled the car to stop so they could get out. Of course this kept getting a little harder as guyz left...less braking power. Being the 2nd to last one to be dropped off, I tried to jump out as he went by my house, tripped and did a few rolls in front of my parents as they were coming out of the house. I had some splainin' to do!

The last guy stopped the Dodge by driving into an earth burm at an orchard near his house. We just left it there and eventually the thing dissapeared.

[The Modeling Hermit]

Mine wasn't so much as the car being unsafe, as it was the drivers becoming unsafe in it. I had a 69 Ford Galaxie 500 XL GT (that's a mouthful). It had a 429 with dual 4 carbs (dealer installed). I came blasting into a gas station that one of my uncles managed. My father happened to be in there at the time, and started to lecture me on my driving. My uncle spoke up, and started to tell about the drag races my father had been getting into, as well as some other, shall we say, infractions. I then heard about my older sister, who was the librarian type, had been seen driving down the main street of our town. I soon traded it in on a basic 72 Impala 4 door hardtop, with a 350 s barrel. I've often found it ironic that the "kid" had to get rid of his car to protect his older sister and father.

[RodneyBad]

The Most Dangerous Car I've ever owned was my first car.

a 1969 Plymouth Sport Satellite with a well built V-8 4bbl and factory Drum brakes and weak

sway bars.

It was Fast but couldn't stop or take a corner at speed worth a dang..

Scared the stuffings out of me more than once.

I sure do love Disc brakes, sway bars and AWD now.

Kicks but in stopping, corners and snow but still lack the power and sound of Yesteryear..

Noting beats a V-8, headers and 30"inch Glassbacks..

[Dragline]

I had a nasty one at one time as well.

1982 Dodge Colt with Mistu engine. Driving to work one day on the highway and it starts doing nose dives. I'm like WTF?. Get to work and pull in around back to the garage. I get out, walk into the office when 2 guys run past me with a fire extinguisher. I turn around to see them putting out my drivers side front wheel. Seems the caliper foze up and that is what was causing the nosedives on the highway. I drove it for probably 12 miles frozen like that. Friction and grease combined tend to create fire if the friction is supplied in a significant quantity. So, after the fire was extinguished I tapped out the brake pads and used the E brake to get back and forth to work for a few days till the weekend. I got a junkyard caliper [it even had pads in it!] and installed that and drove it till the motor seized that winter.

Good times.

Bob

Edited September 18, 2010 by Dragline

[GrandpaMcGurk]

Darn it guys, I know that situtions and dollars can cloud ones judgement at times but driving a car that you know is unsafe is just plain dumb.

Putting your own life and limbs at risk is one thing, but when it involves others on public roadways that can be harmed because of your "unsafe" vehicle doesn't give you brass stones......think about it and please consider others as well as yourself.

[Chuck Most]

Every car is dangerous in some way, but Don's right- driving a deathtrap is never a good idea.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to duct tape and solder the front subframe back onto my '98 Tracer. (Sure is embarassing when you're cruising over an expansion joint and your engine and transaxle just come a tumblin' out from under the car! )