Options for safety upgrades

[JayEstes 172]

All,

 

I am in the midst of restoring my 69 coupe, and my 14 yr old son has been having a great time helping me. So much so that he began to want to have his "own" car (I kept telling him he wasn't stealing my baby..) As fortune would have it, a beautiful 71 coupe popped up for sale locally. Great shape, good driver, and many,many parts in common with my 69. So - being the "coolest dad ever", I snatched up the vehicle, and well now I am wanting to make this the safest mustang ever when he starts driving next year.

 

So far, on suspension we have replaced front bearings, front strut bushings, both lower control arms including ball joints, and all 4 shocks. We also got a good alignment.

 

We replaced the master cylinder and already have front disc brakes, which now has good hard pedal.

 

I'm considering putting disc brakes on the back, but it's a $500 upgrade, and frankly, the current system can lock em up, so I'm not sure how much of an improvement that is for the money. I'm not afraid of the work however - looks like it would be fun.

 

I want to put a great set of shoulder belts in (it has some old stock shoulder straps -no retractor- which clip into the lap belt) , but don't know what kind to get.

 

It's got the tiny chrome round bullet mirrors, which I would like to replace with something a little larger.

 

But what else? How can I make this car safer for my son? The coolest dad would quickly turn into the saddest dad if his kid gets hurt in this car. The car starts/runs great, steering has very little slack, and the braking is smooth/straight.

 

I'd like to hear all your ideas for safety improvements. Aftermarket and all. Thanks for the help!

 

Jay

[purple69 10]

Jay,

Its great that you have your son so involved. I think your next step would be

lights. Headlight (HID)and taillight(LED) upgrades. Oem light are not very bright. It will help him see and others to see him.

[70mstang 11]

+1 on the LEDs and hedlights.

 

Sounds like you have the brakes covered. In my opinion, drums on the back are fine. There's not a huge difference in disc except the cool factor. You can spend lots of $$$ on brake upgrades.

 

Make sure you have good rubber on the road, brakes are only as good as the amount of contact with the pavement.

 

I've seen a number of aftermarket seatbelt systems NPD & MU have them in their catalog.

 

I think the biggest safety item ... teach him how to handle a big car with a big engine =) Take him out in the school parking lot and show him these cars don't handle like a new car.

[Flanders 46]

headlights, and learning how to drive a big RWD car!! I'd almost say upgrade to rack and pinion steering -- the potential to "avoid" a collision will be better when the steering is more responsive.

[JayEstes 172]

Thanks for the replies all. The headlights and tail lights are a great idea. I've found HID lights to be *really* expensive on my new toyota (try $120 for a bulb). I'll have to look into this to see what cost I might be getting into. Are there LED headlight options, or just not bright enough?

 

I also will be teaching him to drive it long before he can go on the road with it. I hope to spend quite a few hours in big parking lots, etc.

 

The steering systems are a bit more radical. I have very little to complain about on the stock power steering system with this car, so doing something radical like rack-n-pinon doesn't seem to be warranted. I've got very little slack, and plenty of response from the wheel.

 

Has anyone put any of these aftermarket 3pt shoulder belts in? I'd appreciate some pics/experiences if you have.

 

Thanks for all the help!

J

[Lemon Owner 11]

Just to add a few more things, if not already I would add power boosted brakes. And like others have said disc brake rear is completely unnecessary. Also the springs and shocks should be upgraded as my coupes stock suspension allows it to float and body roll more than is safe.

[rangerdoc 22]

Not sure which 3 point belt to get, but any of them are better than just a lap belt. Order an NPD catalog and thumb through it. You might see some upgrades you'd like to do that you didn't know existed.

 

I'm not sure if the '71 has the same rubber brake lines as a '69, but maybe consider changing to braided lines for brakes and fuel wherever you can. If it doesn't have electronic ignition I'd drop in a petronix, simply for the reliability and ease of use. I also recommend the halogens up front and convert all the exterior lights to LED. The difference is amazing, especially the brake lights during the day. Now that it is warm you should be able to tell if the car ever gets hot. If so, look into replacing the t-stat and/or upgrading the radiator. I second the importance of high quality tires. Good all weather for him, not a 3 season or summer tire...or nostalgic looking tire like the BFGs that don't compare to others on the market (yes, I have them on mine...but its not a daily driver).

 

For your mirror issue I'd get some of those stick on convex mirrors. I put those on all my cars and they completely eliminate the blind spots. Very helpful on a car like the '71.

 

Make sure the car has a good spare tire and working jack and wrench. Maybe a safety kit and an auto fire extinguisher

 

To talk radical, you could put a minor roll cage in and some door impact beams. If the car is a 4 barrel carb you could convert to 2 barrel to keep him out of the power some. You could also put in cruising gears in the rear end to help prevent the tires from spinning. You might want to consider upgrading to a posi-trac rear end.

[MustangChuck 16]

Halogen headlights are a really good idea, and not that expensive. You will want to upgrade the grounding wires for the headlights and consider installing a relay to activate them. The relay, from what I've read, is simple to wire in and helps get the energy to the lights much better.

 

I also use those small (flat) convex mirrors on all of my cars. I even bring them along when I have to rent a car. They are like $0.50 - $1.00 each.

 

I am planning to use 3-point retractable seat belts from a mid-80s Ford Ranger. I haven't installed them yet, so I don't know how much room I have. Your son's '71 has more room everywhere, so hopefully whatever 3-point setup you get will fit without problems.

 

I believe it has been mentioned (and worth mentioning again) to upgrade the shocks.

 

One last safety suggestion: Paint the car School Bus Yellow. Your son will just love you for it! (Just kidding!)

 

Good luck with the project! It's great to see a father and son working together!

 

M/C

[Stanger69 16]

Coolest Dad, you are off to a good start. I would hate to see your son get hurt. These old cars are beautiful but not very safe. Rear disc breaks are a good option. I have all dics and let me just say it stops just as good as my Audi. One of the things I upgraded was the rack&pinion. My mustang used to drive like a big dump truck with too much play in the steering. I think with brakes, seat belts, suspension, and steering you are off to a good start. This is what I started with and like a tornado the car engulfed all my money and carried me away....lol. good luck.

[RogerC 136]

I would get good all-season tires. They usually have better wet weather performance than hi-performance tires. Don't go for the cheaper brands. Nokians are supposedly the best but pricey. I'm running cooper zeon rs3a 245/45r17s on my 06 stang. I'm very happy with their performance in dry and wet weather.

[danno 128]

Wow, lots of suggestions! One very simple fix for most teenagers to make the car safer is a limit on how far he can press the gas pedal! He doesn't need to go 80mph or accelerate like at a dragstrip. I know, I was 16 once and should have had it done to me. Put some sort of mechanical limiter under the dash where he can't find it.

 

There are a lot of suggestions that are very worthwhile, others maybe not. The halogen headlights and changing to a relay harness on them is a great idea. LED lights for others is kind of a neat feature, but a waste of money if you are looking to improve safety. Likewise for rear disc brakes; not worth the cost.

 

I put in seat belts from a 85 Ford LTD, work perfect if you want to do the boneyard thing. It is a 3 point antomatic system that bolts right up to what you have now. I can include photos if you want. Both sides for my car cost $25.

[Powershift 19]

A proper set of seat belts, and good brakes, are a must for any old car.

 

I'll be doing a set of 3 points in my Mach soon....

 

http://www.julianos.com/how2_3pt_mustang_custom.html

[danno 128]

The belts mentioned from Powershift are almost exactly like those from a 85 LTD. I mounted mine to a bracket on the floor so the thing it winds up on is not hidden. Same idea, though.

[JayEstes 172]

Love all these idea guys! I have already pulled the trigger on the LED tail lights. Yes, we went for the sequential.... gimmicky maybe, but "cool" if you are 14 (I like it too). We install this weekend, so will show pics of before and after, so any interested will be able to tell the difference in brightness.

 

This car we have is a stock 302/2V (does have a Holley carb upgrade) with a C4 trans - so while it is a powerful car (sounds great too with long tri-y's on it!) - it's not a real speed demon off the line. It of course can get going plenty fast, that's why I have rebuilt the front suspension, and put in new brakes. I don't think a accel-governor would do too much to help really - it's after you get it rolling when it's more dangerous.

 

On the headlights, I found exactly what I want:

http://www.mustangproject.com/ProductDisplay.aspx?ID=ea5a020a-f86a-4f16-a235-cb055ef13504

BUT, that is ridiculous expensive, so we wont be getting that, unfortunately I don't think. Although, one might argue that for essentially the same price as rear disc brakes, those cool new LED headlights provide more safety. Hard to compare the safety of brakes vs lights really, but those LEDs look perfect. I wish they would just start mass producing them to drive the costs down - they look too good to be true at 10% the energy drain, many times as bright, instant on, cool, and producing perfect rectangular beams which can be kept out of other drivers eyes. They also look like they weight about 6oz... amazing in any case.

 

I really like the seatbelt solutions. especially the "hidden one" - I wouldn't be afraid of doing that, but the rear interior panels on the car wont support that install on our 71.

Danno - would love to see pics of your seatbelt install if you don't mind.

 

I also really like the idea of side impact beams. Roll cage is pretty radical - headliner etc is in great shape so would hate to go in there and screw around that much right now.

 

BUT, has anyone put in side impact beams in the doors per that suggestion? Seems relatively easy, could add sound deadening while in there, and invisible to appearance. If anyone has any experience/thoughts there, I'd like to hear more. I'm gonna go have a look and see what it might mean & how it might be engineered in..

 

Great options guys. I really love this forum - I find it extremely helpful and I feel like I can get any issue/concern solved here in short order. Thank you so much for everyones help!

 

Jay

[danno 128]

This is what I have. Some of the pictures might not be the best, but it kind of shows how it works. I think the first one is the bracket I made to attach the retractor to the floor. One of the other photos show the retractor attached to it right inside the door and all the way back against the rear inner interior covering. I will add another post with the overall photo.

[DRASTiK 22]

You could also put in cruising gears in the rear end to help prevent the tires from spinning. You might want to consider upgrading to a posi-trac rear end.

 

While I agree with RangerDoc's statement, I do want to point out that cruising gears increases the top speed capabilities of the car. My first car, as a teenager, was a 69 coupe. It had something like 273's in the rear. It would bury the 120 speedo and still have plenty left in it. I'd never do that on the highway now, but as a bullet-proof teenager....... it happened. Just sayin.

[danno 128]

the overall photo. You can see the shoulder harness attaches by my conv top system. You could use the roof support that is already probably in place.

 

This system is just another way of going about it. I know of a 85 LTD with one of them in it, but it is red so I am not interested. You might be able to find one in your area.

[JayEstes 172]

Danno- thx for the pix. Looks like a great setup. The only thing I'd have to work on is the bracket. I don't have access to a welder, (nor do I weld) so that would be something for me to figure out, but installed, it looks just terrific.

[JayEstes 172]

I've had another thought, turning from safety to reliability a bit. Seems to me if you can increase reliability, it might keep him from getting stuck somewhere on the side of the road.

 

So electronic ignition might be a good add? I recently had an event where the distributor got wet, and the engine died (heater hose blew and sprayed water/antifreeze everywhere).... quite a normal thing if you get that much water on it, but what about these new electronic ignition systems? Can they take the water? Are they waterproof, or do you get to buy a new one if it gets soaked??? I know they can get the timing perfect and with no points you don't have to worry about wear or things that change over time.

 

I haven't researched this much - I am curious what you all think about electronic distributors? Is this a good add to increase reliability (reduce risk of getting stuck with wet distributor)

Edited May 14, 2012 by JayEstes

[70mstang 11]

A Pertronix igniter kit is a very simple install and takes points completely out of the picture. So you never get points fouling up, having to reset the gaps and they are fully encased in plastic. I can't say they are 100% waterproof, but I'd think you'd need an awful lot of water up under the cap to hinder the magnetic inductance and if you have that much then the cap itself is going to be underwater too :boat:

[Powershift 19]

Yep, A Petronix swap is one of THE best conversions for early Mustangs. They are cheap, and add SO much more reliability to the car.

[rangerdoc 22]

To add to the reliability factor along with the pertronix (which you NEED to do) is adding a solid state voltage regulator. I've never had a problem with the OEM type, but if we're talking reliability might as well spend the few extra bucks. I switched over and no problems. Of course you could also go the 1-wire alternator route as well.

 

Also make sure the battery is properly secured. Many of our cars don't have the proper battery hold down kits. While you're at it double check the condition of the battery cables and the engine ground...it should be near the back of the engine and connects to the passenger firewall.

 

At least get halogen headlights, they are worth the money. You may or may not need a relay. Depends on the wiring condition of the car. Mine work fine without.

 

http://www.cjponyparts.com/electronic-voltage-regulator-1964-1973/p/VR8/

 

Don't worry about the rear disk brakes. With the front discs and properly adjusted rears you'll be fine. Getting rid of the rubber brake lines is another safety area to consider.

 

You may find you need to get a different flasher with the LED tail lights. See what happens after you install them, but if you have problems with the emergency flasher, turn signals and such you will need to get the flasher from Mustang Project. There are two on our cars, with the emergency flashers having their own (IIRC). One on the drivers side under the console and the other on the passenger side.

 

How's the condition of the jack, handle and spare tire?

 

I drove my car for years as a daily driver with no major problems. I'm sure it will be a great experience.

[danno 128]

Danno- thx for the pix. Looks like a great setup. The only thing I'd have to work on is the bracket. I don't have access to a welder, (nor do I weld) so that would be something for me to figure out, but installed, it looks just terrific.

 

The bracket I made is a couple pieces of angle iron welded together, and the nut welded in so you do not need to have a wrench on the nut when you are fastening it in. It is simple if you have steel and a welder, otherwise will take some help. The system the kits use from CJ are not quite as elaborate as mine, and so maybe a simpler system would work for you?