Is it just me or are 914's prone to front end damage(Crash Thread) Options

[Lou W]

Patrick Motorsports Built Car, this car was absolutley beautiful. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

[moparrob]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-10419-1302530709_thumb.jpg)

wow, that brings back really bad memories. I did the same exact damage to my '71 914 in 1979. Plowed it into the back of a 1973 Mercury Marquis Brougham which decided to stop at a yellow light that I was going to go through. Guess who lost that battle...

Funny thing was that at the time it cost a whopping $1,300.00 to fix. Then again, I think I paid $3,000 for the entire car or so...

[Gustl]

Wow I havent seen the orange car pictures.. Who's car is that?

that's my friend's car ... from Bavaria
IIRC the accident was back in June 2002

[rick 918-S]

This car is on the mend

Lots of repair photos here: http://www.914world.com/bbs2/index.php?sho...104128&st=0

[Jeffs9146]

I was going about 40 and the drunk driver was going about 45 or 50! I ended up in the livingroom of a house!

I broke my neck, nose, jaw and lower back! I only remember the flash of his head lights and waking up in the hospital!

My friend had over 250 stiches but didn't break anything!

The full sized spare tire saved our lives!!

[Strudelwagon]

I was going about 40 and the drunk driver was going about 45 or 50! I ended up in the livingroom of a house!

I broke my neck, nose, jaw and lower back! I only remember the flash of his head lights and waking up in the hospital!

My friend had over 250 stiches but didn't break anything!

The full sized spare tire saved our lives!!

Good to know the leading cause of 914 death is still "RUST"

[euro911]

a few more
(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/uploads/post-9633-1302533279.jpg)

That was Rick's car - 2-OH! formerly from Santa Clarita

[Cap'n Krusty]

Never the car, always the driver.

The Cap'n

[Tom_T]

After seeing this thread, i dont think i want to take my car out of the garage ever again....

Too bad that won't always help Chappy, as I unfortunately know all too well! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/dry.gif)

After doing a $6500 rolling resto & drivetrain overhaul in 80-83, a ditzy sorority gal whacked my 73 2L from behind & pushed it 2' forward into the concrete whall/column while parked in a parking structure at UCAL while I was in my MBA grad school classes all day there. I even parked it off to the side of the aisle at the lower end to avoid somebody losing control coming down the ramp, & closer to the columns on the L side to protect against door dings - but this ditz said she "...forgot to turn left & go up the ramp..." - her words! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

The pix below show that the front end damage isn't so bad as these above, but in combination with the rear end damage it was a $6400 bill back in May 85.

At least she left a note & then I got to fight with her Daddy's insurance company for a month & half with them trying to low ball me. I collected eventually, got the 85 BMW 325e that I still have as my DD with the check, & the 914 sat in my garage for 26+ years waiting for me to get time & money at the same time to do a repair/resto, now that both kids are grown & gone it's in slow progress.





(IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)

... and then she's grown rust rot over the years sitting too! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/hissyfit.gif)

[jt914-6]

A couple more of Shoe's LE....taken on 4/12/11 at auction...the auctioneer called it a wad of metal...it's auction number was.....13!!!! The only injury in the head on colision was a broked collar bone from the seat belt....

[jmill]

You'd probably find that most collisions are front end related.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Mine then and now.

[Strudelwagon]

You'd probably find that most collisions are front end related.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

Mine then and now.

Oh Ya, this is me before, middle, after



PO mounted a Honda accord. Nuked the hood, ft bulkhead and light boxes
Objects may be larger than they appear!

[Strudelwagon]

Another one bites the dust

[dion9146]

I was going to drive mine to a client meeting today, but now it's staying in the garage until I can get these pics out of my head! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Dion

[dion9146]

I was going to drive mine to a client meeting today, but now it's staying in the garage until I can get these pics out of my head! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Dion

[J P Stein]

From my experience driving my ex-914 to work (rarely) and my Mr.2.

People don't see you.

OR

They do see you and decide you're the one they are going to cut in front of to get into the lane you are in.....and then, of course, hit the brakes.

There is an art to driving a small car in traffic..... a larger car /truck also, but the small car makes it more perilous. You have 2 choices:
1) Let them run into you.....but don't rear end em'.
2) Yield. You can add the single finger salute (which is now against the law in many states) but be prepared to back it up. I reserve that for the cut-in-brakers.
I'm getting old and am gonna get my ass kicked one of these days.....but it wouldn't be the first time.

So, yes, 914s & 914 drivers are susceptible to front end damage. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/idea.gif)

[JmuRiz]

I was going about 40 and the drunk driver was going about 45 or 50! I ended up in the livingroom of a house!

I broke my neck, nose, jaw and lower back! I only remember the flash of his head lights and waking up in the hospital!

My friend had over 250 stiches but didn't break anything!

The full sized spare tire saved our lives!!

That's a reason I'm not keen on doing front oil-coolers on mine....I guess if I did I'd have to beef up the front-end to compensate for the removed 'inner bumper' that is the spare.

[Strudelwagon]

I think the heading read "I submarined a Tahoe today"

[Cairo94507]

Man after viewing that thread and seeing those pictures it has me wondering if I should add some kind of bracing into the build when I do it just in case some asshat hits it.

I guess I am not that worried about trunk space, it is not like it is going to be my DD so the front and rear trunks do not necessarily need to handle suit cases. I just wonder about putting in an extremely low-profile (as invisible as possible) roll bar with side door bracing? I don't know, maybe low-profile and roll bar don't belong in the same sentence?

[smontanaro]

Man after viewing that thread and seeing those pictures it has me wondering if I should add some kind of bracing into the build when I do it just in case some asshat hits it.

I don't think that would help as much as you might expect. First, if you stiffen the front structure, more of the energy of a crash will be transferred to the cabin instead of being absorbed by the front end. Second, I suspect the biggest problem with a 914 in a front-end crash is that it's so low it would tend to slide under most cars, especially with the large numbers of SUVs out there today (probably different than 20-30 years ago).

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