Bob, I would never challenge you on old truck knowledge, but this is out
of that area and is about how vehicles react in impacts.
For over twenty years I have been dealing with wrecked vehicles, and
have extricated a large amount of victims both living and dead from
mangled vehicles. In all that period of time I have only seen one crash
that the victims Burned To Death after the crash. It was a 1 ton pickup
with a fuel tank mounted in the bed up against the cab. They had slid
sideways into a tree that impacted right were the cab meets the bed, the
back window shattered and allowed fuel into the passenger compartment.
The passenger was probably killed on impact but the autopsy on the
driver showed lung damage from the fire. A witness said the driver was
trying to get out while he was on fire.
It would take less intrusion into the cab to cause a tank leak than to
kill you instantly. Most fatality victims do not die on impact, but from
shock and blood loss over at least several minutes. Even if a wreck is
bad enough to give fatal injuries at the same time it releases gasoline
I think spending the last few minutes of ones life on fire would be less
than pleasant!
The safest place for a gas tank is inside the frame rail in front of the
axle and if I had a pickup that's where I would put it.
--
John Dorsey
Wauchula, FL
'49 Chevy Panel http://www.strato.net/~jrdorsey/truck.htm
'52 GMC Firetruck http://www.strato.net/~jrdorsey/fire/fire.htm
'51 Chevy suburban http://www.strato.net/~jrdorsey/burb/
Advdesign1@aol.com wrote:
>
> the safest place for your gas tank is inside the cab. If you put it behind
> the rear axle it is vulnerable in a rear end collision. I can't understand
> why this downgrade is so popular.
> Bob ADler
> oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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