A classic car or truck may look like a very safe vehicle, but there are some tips in making classic cars safer to drive. They are twice the size of their modern-day counterparts and made of steel, not aluminum. The fact of the matter, however, is that classic cars are simply not as safe as cars manufactured today. Advancements in engineering have provided cars with safety bumpers, crumple zones and airbags just to name a few. This type of technology simply did not exist in the past.
Vehicles created many decades ago were considered state-of-the-art when it comes to luxury and safety. By today’s standards however, many of our beloved classic cars and trucks lack what it takes to keep us truly safe. It was not until 1968 that seat belts were required by law, and airbags in 1998.
Restoring and keeping your classic all original might be your number one priority as a collector. If this is the case, then chances are you will not be putting on many miles either. If instead you choose to drive your classic more often for enjoyment, then safety needs to be the number one priority. Many safety modifications for your classic car or truck are typically easy to make. With any modification, make sure you keep all original parts that might get upgraded in a modification.
Add Seat Belts
The most obvious, and first, modification you should make is to install seat belts. It is almost hard to believe in this day and age, but most states only require a vehicle to have the safety equipment the car was manufactured with. For most classic cars then, this means you are not required to have safety belts.
Luckily, there are plenty of companies that sell seat belt kits that you can retro fit to your classic cars. Many of these kits are created to match the correct time when possible. These vendors do their best to use the correct webbing and buckles to make them look like original equipment. The installation process is straightforward, you certainly want to leave this to the experts so you can be confident that the safety belts will perform properly when you need them.
Brake System Upgrade
Another safety upgrade we highly suggest is to install a dual reservoir master brake cylinder instead of a single reservoir system. So many classics were produced with a single reservoir system which are extremely dangerous due to the possibility of them failing. Single systems control the brake pressure to all four wheels. Should there be a failure in the single reservoir system then you will lose all four brakes. With a dual reservoir brake system, however, you can brake with more confidence. The dual reservoir system divides the braking responsibility between the reservoirs. Should one reservoir fail, then you still have the other that can apply brakes to at least two wheels.
Upgrading from a single to double reservoir system is not too technically demanding depending on your mechanical skills. Once again there are plenty of kits available to help you make the conversion upgrade. While about braking systems, you may also want to consider upgrading to disc brakes as well. Old drum brakes are much harder to repair and are not as effective at stopping a vehicle. Brakes are certainly one part you do not want to be frugal with when it comes to the safety of you, your passengers, and your collector car.
Upgrade Exterior Lights
Depending on the year and model of your vintage car the quality of the headlights and marker lights can be considered suspect, and to see and be seen at night is critical to safety. As many who drive their classic cars regularly attend either early morning (sunrise) cars-n-coffee events or even evening cruises good lighting is especially important. With the advent of LEDs to the market there are plenty of choices to modify your lighting to better quality lighting. In some cases it is simple as replacing a light bulb.
Fire Extinguisher
It is an easy add on to keep a fire extinguisher near at hand near the driver’s seat in case you or one of your classic car friend experience a bit of a “flame out”. Old cars do leak fluids regularly and catching fire is more common than you think when driving those vintage cars. You may not think that adding a fire extinguisher will make classic cars safer to drive, but it will be extremely useful in those rare cases when you may need one to hopefully prevent major damage or a total loss.
Tire Change
One last suggestion you may want to think about is equipping your ride with radial tires instead of the typical bias-belted or bias-ply tires that were often fitted to classic cars. The newer tires might change the original look of your classic car, but without question, they are much safer.
Finally
While most classic car owners are at a lower risk of an accident by driving less and driving safer, that does not change the fact that bad drivers are out there, and accidents do happen. It is certainly better to be prepared for the worst by having the right safety equipment. Making classic cars safer to drive is key to enjoying the hobby, and the tips above are some of the simpler ones to make. To go further and more costly there are improvements to steering, more brake system upgrades, and even suspension modifications that are available for many classic cars.
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