69 chevelle body knocked off frame in fatal wreck

[Rick H]

If you look at the frame of the car it is bent at almost a 45 degree angle. That was one vicious hit and I bet original bolts wouldn't have held.

If that been a unibody car it would be in a thousand pieces.

Rick H.

[Keith Tedford]

Looks like the Chevelle was sideways when it got hit on the driver's side. No car can handle a hit like that. Surprisingly, it was the passenger that died and not the driver. Even cars from Arizona can have rust in the body mount areas and be weakened to the point where they will tear out. I know of a Chevelle and a full sized Blazer, both old, that had the bodies come away from the frame in accidents much milder than this one. Rust was the culprit in both cases.

[3macs1]

I remember a 70SS that was only 6 years old hitting a bridge side on at over 60 miles a hour and seperated totally. The motor and trans were found over 75 feet from the rest of the car.
Rust plays a role for sure but I think the point of impact has more of an effect. Seems a hard side hit will peal the frame in many cases Gm bolts or not.

[55chevy]

Looks to me like that Chevelle went sideways in front of the oncoming car and got hit about directly at the rear wheel on the driver side knocking the frame right out from under the car and bending the frame and the body of the car all around the impact point of the rear axle... This damage has nothing to do with body mount bolts.. it's all about speed and velocity my friends.. I just wonder what the hell the dude driving the chevelle was doing to get into this...

[nuch_ss396]

[ QUOTE ]
I remember a 70SS that was only 6 years old hitting a bridge side on at over 60 miles a hour and seperated totally. The motor and trans were found over 75 feet from the rest of the car.
Rust plays a role for sure but I think the point of impact has more of an effect. Seems a hard side hit will peal the frame in many cases Gm bolts or not.

[/ QUOTE ]

Joe,

I too remember a brown 1970 SS 396 Chevelle with an M-22.
Sweet car. It was cut clean in half on a side impact. The
engine & trans were severly cracked ( total loss ). The
firewall forward was sheared entirely off the car and the
frame bolts didnt' shear. I was looking carefully at the
car for salvage value, that's why I remember it so vividly.

Perhaps location and/or rust do play a role here.

Steve

[Dog427435]

I don't know - In my younger days we took a new Camaro, a Saturday afternoon - some headers,
a hot cam and a three barrel carb - couple beers at the bar and it was test & tune Saturday night.
We got backwards at over a hundred, climbed a curb and caught a pole at the driver side firewall
about 2/3 feet off the ground - it split the car in two and dropped the motor on the ground.
The force of the impact almost put a tool box that was loose in the trunk through the quarterpanel.
The subframe broke - but not the body bolts!
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[SS427]

Not only do you take and save a lot of pictures but you are ONE LUCKY SON OF A B!TCH!!!

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
Not only do you take and save a lot of pictures but you are ONE LUCKY SON OF A B!TCH!!!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'll second that!! I hope all survived that wreck!

[Dog427435]

Everyone lived to race another day - but it happened on my friends Mom's front lawn - she was pissed!

[ANDY M]

Really?