Lucky Fellow!!
Excellent story and very valid point!!!
Larry Macy
78 Midget
>Joseph Cianciotti wrote:
>>
>> charlie schellinck" <charlie@mars.ark.com> wrote
>>
>> >I have an roll bar for my 73 B roadster that came with car. Should I put it
>> >back in? I have never heard of an MG rolling but you never know any
>> >thoughts on this one? I know if I rolled my MG I would probaly want to die
>> >anyhow!
>>
>
>I have definitely heard of (and experienced) an MG rolling!! On July
>12, 1980, I was driving my '73 Midget down a winding mountain road
>through a steep narrow canyon in the Black Hills area of South Dakota.
>As I entered one sharp corner, not going all that fast, it suddenly
>started raining extremely hard. Because of the narrowness of the canyon
>I did not see the rain until I was half way around the corner and it hit
>me (in fact I still had the top down!!). Unfortunately, the road had
>just been repaved with new asphault and it was a hot day so there was
>probably some residual oil on the road's surface. When the rain the hit
>that fresh hot pavement it mixed with the oil and it felt just like I
>had hit a sheet of glare ice. The car turned sideways and slid across
>the oncoming lane. Luckily no cars were coming, so I didn't get hit,
>but I then slid backwords down the 50 foot (17 meter) bank at the edge
>of the road. As I went over the edge of the bank I distinctly remember
>thinking that I was going to find out what death was like -- since there
>was no way I was going to survive the crash (since I did not have a roll
>bar in the car)! About two thirds of the way down the car hit some
>rocks, turned sideways and started to roll. As the car turned over the
>first time I hit my head on the large rocks that the car was rolling
>over (since the top was down I could also see the rocks coming at me!).
> The next thing that I remember, I was climbing back up the bank to the
>road. Apparently I had passed out when I hit my head and been thrown
>out of the car while it was upside down. The car ended up rolling two
>and a half times. Luckily the windshield frame was much stronger than I
>thought that it was and it kept the full weight of the car off of my
>head. I was very lucky to end up with just four stitches on my head and
>three on my back (from being thrown on to the rocks) and a bruise on
>each leg (from hitting the steering wheel on the way out) -- I never
>even had a headache!
>
>When I bought my '71 B the next year, the first thing that I did was
>install a roll bar. I agree that some of the roll bars out there really
>detract from the lines of the 'B. The one that I have though fits in
>with the lines well and really doesn't detract from the B's good looks.
> I think if you shop around you can get one that looks good and that the
>added safety is worth it. Since the wreck, I've gone around the same
>corner, in the rain, faster than when I wrecked the car with know
>problems -- sometimes all it takes to get in an accident is being in the
>wrong place at the wrong time. But, on the other hand in the 16 years
>that I've had the '71 MGB I haven't used the rollbar even once! :-)
>
>Kevin Brown '71 MGB '74 MGBGT '74 TR6 '76 TR6 '65 Sprite
>Odessa, MO 9 other assorted MGBs '89 MR2 '97 Z28
>"Keeping the shiny side up and the rubber side down!"
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