Safety upgrades.

[davidpidge]

Obviously its common to upgrade brakes, seatbelts, tyres for safetys sake etc but I was looking at my mates mini clubman estate the other day and noticed the fuel filler is in a recessed housing, same as a Land rover. This was obviously to bring it in line with safety regs of the time (it's a 1978). I was thinking about doing this to my traveller. As the filler pipe goes through the boot anyway, no space would be lost inside and the added safety would make it well worth while. I was thinking about cutting the filler pipe surround out of an old Landy or similar at a breakers or trying to find the part and welding it in!

http://defendoor.co.uk/defender/images/ ... Recess.gif

Anyone done this or seen it done?

[chickenjohn]

You'll need to be able to weld aluminium to do this as the rear panels are quite thin ally. Also, I wouldn't fancy welding near the fuel inlet pipe if you are worried about safety!

It seems to me that as the rear wings stick out from the body anyway and the filler cap is mounted on a - recessed a few inches behind the wood frame - ali panel that the fuel filler cap can be considered somewhat recessed anyway. I cannot see any advantages to changing the current arrangement.

[davidpidge]

I forgot about the ally panel. I could just be riveted on or a panel could be made up.

[chrisryder]

a certain man whose name is Honathon Jeap (or something along those lines....) does fairly flush fitting ones:

[frame][/frame]

[davidpidge]

nice, bit modern but very tidy.

[MarkyB]

Very far from the first thing I'd do as a safety mod.
The pre 57 racing regulations said you must have a UJ in the steering column, that's where I'd start.
You are a lot more likely to run into something than have someone hit that spot on the car and cause a fire.

A tow bar with a prominent hook tends to put people off tailgating you, that would be even easier to fit.

[davidpidge]

Whats a UJ? And the petrol cap thing is more for if the car rolls or is flipped, petrol will just flow everywhere. Burning to death sounds worse than death by windscreen or any other classic car death. I think this is getting a bit morbid.

[rv8]

Very far from the first thing I'd do as a safety mod.
The pre 57 racing regulations said you must have a UJ in the steering column, that's where I'd start.
You are a lot more likely to run into something than have someone hit that spot on the car and cause a fire.

A tow bar with a prominent hook tends to put people off tailgating you, that would be even easier to fit.

very true

[youngcamper]

my dad rolled his traveller and petrol didn't leak out badly at all.

[chrisd87]

If you're worried about safety, perhaps buying a car partially made of wood wasn't the best idea?

A UJ is a universal joint. I think the idea there is that it provides a point at which the column could buckle, instead of pushing the wheel back into your chest. Other designs of collapsible column (from memory) rely on two telescoping parts, where one part slides inside the other when compressed.

[dp]

HAs anyone added a collapsible element to the steering column? If so, what part did you use please?

[Ratbag]

Kit car (lotus 7 types) tend to use Sierra column bits for the collapsable element - try searching www.locostbuilders.co.uk

[RobThomas]

Having been the losing party in a Traveller Vs Truck fight in which the front wheel ended up in the footwell with me [and all 4 tyres off rims, 18 months off work etc] I can say that the steering rack did not move an inch due to it being behind the wheels. Any crash hard enough to move the column would probably be fatal anyway so you are down to self-impalement by failure to wear a seatbelt? The method of locating the Morris column would suggest something like an MGB UJ column would end up waaaaay too floppy so maybe the 'gauze' or 'pierced mesh tube' type collapsible column would be best?

[RobThomas]

First mod? Big kill switch to disconnect the battery. Great for anti-theft and great for when you run into another car and puncture his petrol tank.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Grayston-Engine ... B0034YT1FO

[MarkyB]

I think a good inertia reel seatbelt and a seat with a headrest will take care of most situations.
I wouldn't carry a starter motor on the shelf behind the back seat either,beyond that, buy a Volvo or stay indoors where it's safe, NOT.

[IaininTenbury]

I think the flush fit filler cap is really due to regulations about pedestrian safety and protruding parts of the car, and as someone has mentioned on the Minor, as its recessed in the wood next to a bulbous wing it dosnt really protrude to start off with, so altering it is more a cosmetic exercise than anything else.
However the original caps tend to have poor dried out seals which don't do a lot when the car is tilted or rolled. This is an MOT check point but as long as there is still a cruddy little dried up fibre washer in place they tend to pass. So a new decent seal would be a good thing for a lot of Minors, but the cap still has a breather built in which will leak if the tank is inverted, though only a small trickle. Not a lot can be done to that unless you arrange a completely separate breather system and seal the cap with either and aftermarket cap or a modified standard one.

As for safety, decent belts for sure, possibly an inertia switch to kill the ignition and fuel pump. (anyone done this?), seats with headrests. I think the Owen Burton guide to modifying Minors sugegsted an Allegro steering column with UJ and allt he modern switchgear (fromthe days when Allegros were plentiful in scrapyards) but you're realy starting to loose the character of the Minor with such mods in my view. Depends what you want fromt he car I suppose.