Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

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mikec4193
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Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by mikec4193 »

Hi Morris Minor Owners

As I toil around on my very first Morris Minor...I still notice how light weight this vehicle actually is...no extra supports any where on it...the floors are so thin too....

The B pillar on my 2 door so skinny....gonna be fun mounting seat belts to it but I will figure it out..

My project did come with upgraded Subby seats...I had to redo the mounts as they all had stress cracks around the mounting areas..

When you get out on the roadways do guys feel safe in them??

I was actually thinking about having maybe a 6 point roll bar assembly bent up to install...

But them I am also thinking if I don't drive it much...my chances are in my favor for not getting wacked out on the roadways...

Any insight would be a wonderful thing...

MikeC
unclealec
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by unclealec »

There's nothing like a 3ft steel tube pointing straight at your heart for making sure you drive safely.

To anyone who has experience only of modern vehicles in which you can stop on a sixpence and enjoy the reassurance of being surrounded by crumple zones I would say "learn the art of anticipation".
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Bowie69
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by Bowie69 »

No, absolutely not, they are a death trap.

Vehicular safety was in its infancy at the point of design, and didn't really improve much during the production span.

My biggest worry is what would happen to your legs in a head-on impact, a cage as you describe wouldn't do much to help, unfortunately.
KeithL
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by KeithL »

We are aware that we are vulnerable in the Traveller and through choice we tend to stick to minor roads and out of rush hour, although that is no guarantee nothing will happen to us. If we have someone driving close behind we will pull over and let them get on with it and we are always conscious of our stopping distance. We only go on the motorway if we have to and then we usually take the F-Pace or the Discovery as protection from anything behind. We don't have any seat belts in our car.

les
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by les »

Anyone who felt unsafe in a vehicle, would be best getting rid of it, don’t you think? Hardly enjoyable.

mikec4193
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by mikec4193 »

les wrote: Wed Feb 02, 2022 4:07 pm Anyone who felt unsafe in a vehicle, would be best getting rid of it, don’t you think? Hardly enjoyable.
I am thinking once I get this old heap up and running trying to sell it...I am still having a fun saving it but I don't really want to drive it on the roadways...hearing this makes total sense to me...

thanks for all the insight...

MikeC
Classiccars
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by Classiccars »

Improve your driving and drive as safely as you can.A bad car needs a good driver.Watch out for idiots and think ahead that's about all you can do.Enjoy your car
mowogg
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by mowogg »

I have always felt safe in my Minors. I have driven my saloon 70k and would do another 70k if I had time. This includes m25 etc.


Clearly modern cars are safer but I think you need to be wary when comparing accident rates in the 60s and 70s. The m1 was built without a central reservation. You are not going to be in a good way with a head on clash in any vehicle. Road barriers and furniture is conpletly different now.

Enjoy your minor
ManyMinors
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by ManyMinors »

I have fitted seatbelts (front and rear) and flashing indicators to my 1950s Minor. Everything else is factory standard. I have owned and driven a Minor for half a century and never felt unsafe in it. I do less driving now but in the past we've had driving holidays abroad in the car with our children when they were young and covered thousands of miles. I have never had to put the seatbelts to the test thank goodness but they will be better than nothing to restrain us if required. I don't find the standard brakes lacking as they are correctly maintained and I drive according to the conditions and read the road ahead. Also, I sometimes find that in a small car, I can avoid trouble more easily than in a larger vehicle. I can't imagine NOT owning one really :wink:
Each to their own though.

And if you feel a bit vulnerable in a Minor, Try driving a pre-war Austin 7 for a few days and you'll appreciate how safe and modern a Morris Minor is :lol:
philthehill
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by philthehill »

If you want to improve your survivability in a Morris Minor you can do as I have had to so as to comply with the rules of motorsport.
Some of it can be transposed to a road car.

Full six point approved roll cage & door bars with load spreader plates welded to the car bodywork
Plumbed in fire extinguisher with aqueous foam jets into the engine bay and driver compartment which can be operated by the driver or a person outside the car.
Six point aircraft quality seat harness with load spreader plates for the mounting bolts.
Fiberglass and Kevlar seat securely bolted to the floor with spreader plates for the mounting bolts.
Laminated windscreen.
Side windows with non shatter plastic of the correct thickness.
The opening between boot and passenger compartment sealed.
All openings between engine and passenger compartment sealed.
Wear fireproof coveralls, underwear, balaclava, socks, shoes & gloves.
An approved motorsport helmet with Hans security.
Fit a master ignition and fuel pump switch which can be operated by the driver or a person outside of the car. The switch must marked both inside and outside of the car.
Strip out all flammable materials from the inside of the car.
Soft leather padded rim steering wheel with deformable rim and spokes.
There may be other items but those quoted above are the main items for consideration.
As regards the steering column - you will have to have a real serious crash for the column to be pushed rearwards as the rack is to the rear of the engine and is mounted a very strong cross member. I have a lowered steering column and I have never had any concerns as regards injury from the column.

Owlsman
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by Owlsman »

There's a thread running elsewhere on here about recent Highway Code changes on which I have posted about being a cyclist, as well as a motorist. One thing I can say for certain is that I feel a lot safer in my Moggy than I do on my bike! That's not to say I feel particularly unsafe when cycling, because I ride suitably attired and with my ears and my eyes, on a well maintained bike.

As others have said, it's all about anticipation, awareness and driving within your and the car's capabilities. If the prospect of driving a classic car on the road fills you with dread, then perhaps it's best to look for another hobby. :roll:

Obviously, you cannot eliminate or anticipate every eventuality e.g. being 'T-boned' by a drunk driver coming out of a side road, Clearly, just about any 'modern' would be eminently safer, in such circumstances, than a Moggy but I still enjoy driving it anyway..........and cycling. :D
jagnut66
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by jagnut66 »

Personally I don't think about it.
I find modern vehicles so bland and boring that I have absolutely no interest in owning one whatsoever.
So for me a classic is the only choice.
Allot of us on here spent our childhoods being ferried around in these cars (without any seatbelts -- in the back anyway) and we're all still here, so I'd agree with others above that, to a certain extent anyway, it's how you drive not what you drive.
Seatbelts, at least up front, are a common sense thing to add.
However, if you are still terrified of driving / getting in a classic car in case you are involved in an accident, then maybe it's time to sell.
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
mikec4193
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by mikec4193 »

I am really not terrified to drive it I just don't think it will be fun to drive it...

In my past lives when I was driving my other older vehicles...I always felt safer than if I was on a motor cycle...the craziest one I had was a 1947 Willys CJ2A...the traffic hated me....everyone had to pass me just to jam on their brakes to turn in front of me....

Yes I will be selling it as soon as I get it so it runs but I will enjoy the rebuild for sure...

Tinkering in the garage is a lot safer than than sitting in the local gin mill for sure....
stuffedpike20
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by stuffedpike20 »

I have heard the 2 spoke steering wheel referred to as a 'safety steering wheel'.

Not sure if it is much safer than the earlier banjo though?

There are tales of people surviving crashes in their Minors; I remember one about a lady who got out of the passenger door of her traveller unscathed after a bin lorry tipped over onto it.
I think there was an article in MM years ago about a traveller hitting a volvo estate that pulled out of a side road. The traveller driver broke both thumbs because he had them wrapped round the steering wheel, but was otherwise OK.

I have heard that the biggest problem with Minors in crashes is that the doors would fly open on impact. I am surprised that there are no after market door locks/ bolts that can be fitted.
Sleeper
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by Sleeper »

I feel unsafe driving on " smart" motorways . ( in the Moggie )

But life is a sexually transmitted fatal disease anyway...

John :lol:
MorrisJohn
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by MorrisJohn »

Yes, I feel safe in it in most situations (it has drums, no seatbelts or indicators). But then my previous vehicles include a motorcycle. It’s all about your individual attitude to risk.

Something is going to kill you one day. Life is for living. Just drive it sensibly.
A bad day with my Volksie still beats a good day at work!

https://www.glasgowmoggies.com
KeithL
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by KeithL »

MorrisJohn wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:12 am Something is going to kill you one day. Life is for living. Just drive it sensibly.
I agree. As Land Rover says - "One Life. Live it".

unclealec
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by unclealec »

KeithL wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:36 am
MorrisJohn wrote: Thu Feb 03, 2022 9:12 am Something is going to kill you one day. Life is for living. Just drive it sensibly.
I agree. As Land Rover says - "One Life. Live it".
Or the more accurate "One wife. Livid".
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panky
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by panky »

A Nissan Juke pulled out and tried to do a 'U' turn in front of me. I slammed on, wheels locked and we made contact. The result was I continued to the local tip to get rid of the old bathroom suite I had in the back while the Juke driver needed to be recovered because of damaged steering and needed hospital treatment for a broken wrist. My car needed a new wing and a repair to the near side door, tough cars Minors.
Image
jagnut66
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Re: Do you guys feel safe driving your Moggy??

Post by jagnut66 »

I feel unsafe driving on " smart" motorways . ( in the Moggie )
You're unsafe driving on (so called) 'smart' motorways, full stop. No matter what you're driving.
But that is the subject of a separate topic.
Best wishes,
Mike.
1954 Series 2: 4 door: "Sally" -- Back on the ground with (slave) wheels and waiting to be resprayed......
1970 Triumph Herald 1200: "Hetty" -- Driven back from Llangollen in Wales (twice.....)
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