We All Pay The "Stupid Tax" For This - 1300HP Mercury Comet Crash

Just my 2 cents on a recent video that has been circulating the internet. I'm glad no one was seriously hurt but A LOT can be learned from the video.
Use your best judgement and a little common sense, you'll be fine.
Let me know your thoughts in the comments below.
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[@johnnysechrist6313]

If a throttle sticks during a build it should be fixed before it hits the road. Things like this could cause a fatality.

[@Randyboobandy69]

Bro i dont even drive my car if i hear a noise. Homeboy literally said fuck it.

[@acehandler1530]

Just sheer dumb luck they didn't kill somebody!

[@johngrepo9976]

A stuck throttle in a car with over 1000 horsepower is just amazingly stupid! If it sticks and you can't get it back down and you're really hauling..well you know the rest

[@jaggerjdm9787]

generally, a stuck throttle isn't horrible, but when you're making 1300hp the amount of strain that puts on the brakes is insane

[@givenchyoverall]

Literally bro on God, that shit so foul

[@thirdvisiongarage9148]

I can’t imagine being so casual with the throttle sticking on a 1300hp car “just tap it and it will fix itself”. If it happened once it can happen again.

[@ryans413]

Classic example of a guy with money but has no clue about cars. You think he know in that video he said he built the car himself so I’d expect he know how to control it and what too do when something goes wrong.

[@B.V.Luminous]

Dude could have shut it off...

[@exotik4123]

Neutral drop and blow the engine , instead of hurting someone in the process

[@ryans413]

@@B.V.Luminous can’t shut the car off in drive but he could have shifted to neutral and turned it off. That kill the engine and whatever vacuums left in the brake booster you could probably brake the car.

[@invalidaccount2315]

@@ryans413 wrong info your giving ppl, you always shut off in gear, no power means no spark, downshift to the highest gear and engine brake, ive done this 100s of x in my 20 yrs on the track.

[@toddbreitenstein8522]

What really pissed me of about the actual video after just blatant disregard for vehicle safety was he talked all about what happened to the car to himself and the driver. Nothing about the aftermath of the innocent person they hit.

[@samkidd2320]

Right on, Dan

[@dogsense3773]

The guy in the van is ok,he was able to drive the van home.i live afew miles away.but autotopia has a new video out check it out it's better that tony

[@dogsense3773]

@@grabasandwich the passenger in the comet,it came out yesterday it's very good about one hour long on autotopia,

[@overdrivesgarage7030]

@@dogsense3773 While I'm curious if the Autotopia guy redeems himself from the last video, I don't want him making anymore $ from this. Making these videos is his job, he's paying the people in the camera car and if he stopped the shoot that's $ lost. So he didn't stop the shoot and try to talk some sense into the driver, he kept going. The fact the comet crashed undoubtedly, means the video got more views than a standard video on the same car would've. Now he's made an hour long video? I'm not giving him the ad dollars just to hear him try to address the criticism he rightly deserves Edit: just went to autotopias 52min livestream video, didn't watch just paused to read the comments. Idk if they're deleting negative comments but way too many are positive and talking about "brake failure" as the cause and the need to upgrade the brakes. I don't need to see the actual video to know they're still blaming the car and won't ever be watching their content again

[@jerryhatrick5860]

Anything is better than ugly tonys garbage hahahaha

[@OttoTheWeim]

The fact that those idiots spoke more about the car than mentioning the victims and making sure they were alright chapped me more. They were both very selfish and bad people.

[@brookeburner4243]

Lol I didn’t hear them say more than 1 sentence about the person they hit

[@kevinwaddle447]

I wouldn't drive a 1982 Toyota Tercel if I knew the throttle was sticking. If someone suggested to me that we drive a 1300 horsepower, $100k+ Mercury Comet with a stuck throttle, I'd punch them in the nuts.

[@chasermalloy7406]

So you're not very tall and you drive a Tercel ? Just kidding I Agree completely.....and those Tercels are bad boys. They can really get away from you.

[@acehandler1530]

I had an '82 Tercel! It was a great little car. Think it had about 11teen horsepower and you didn't have to worry (or even notice) a stuck throttle!

[@kramnull8962]

I have driven 2 different Isuzu, a Trooper and a Rodeo that both had GM engines. Both had identical throttle cables that had a tar like substance on the clear coated cable. They both would wait until say you were on interstate and going uphill to stick. The only way you knew was going back down the other side of the hill you'd hit upwards of 80 before you noticed the runaway condition. There was actually about 8 or so year models between the 2 and one was a v6 the other was an inline 6. Identical tar like substance would find its way into the cable housing. I figure there are many GM vehicles out there with the problem as well.

[@philsketball]

@@acehandler1530 what was your mpg...lol

[@acehandler1530]

@@philsketball That thing would go 20kms just on fumes alone!

[@americanrambler4972]

Good response! There is an old time saying, “The most dangerous thing in the car is the loose nut behind the wheel.” That saying applied 100% in this video. Lots of people were trying to blame the front disk brakes for being two small. WRONG. When you look at the amount of distance he went using those brakes to retard the 900 hp that engine was putting to the ground at somewhere between 35 and 45 mph, this little baby brakes gave a pretty darn good performance. Not only do you get the brake fluid boiling issue which negates the force the calipers can place on the brakes, you also have the issue that when the brake pads reach temperatures ranging from about 450 to 650 degrees Fahrenheit, the linings them selves start loosing their friction capability because they can no longer absorb additional heat and disparate it. When they reach 750 F The lining material itself starts to out gas and some of the bonding materials in the pads themselves start breaking down and coming free then getting between the pad and the rotor. When that happens, it forms a lubricating layer between the rotor and the brake lining material and the linings can no longer effectively grip the rotor or drum braking surface. So the begin to or stop working. Racing brakes can tolerate much higher temperatures, but street use breaks basically go away at temperatures between 650 and 750 degrees. The brake burning smell usually begins between 550 and 650 degrees F. If I remember correctly, brake fluid can begin to boil at temperatures above 350 to 550 degrees F. My information is a little dated, so the numbers may be a little off, or a bit low, but I don’t think they have changed that much. My information came from a published white paper study done on in service semi trucks descending the wheeler grade on I-5 in California. The results of that study not only surprised the researchers, it surprised a number of truckers in the study. The general way the study was done is selected trucks were stopped at the top of the grade, the brakes were checked and the brake temperatures were recorded, and the drivers were instructed to proceed down the mountain exactly how they would normally descend the grade. Then at the bottom of the grade, they were asked to stop at a measurement station so the researchers could reinspect the brakes and measure the increase in temperatures. It turned out, a number of the drivers often used foot braking to retard their speeds down the hill verses engine or other energy absorbing retarder systems. In most cases, these drivers had descended the grade previously multiple times without incident. When the measurements were taken, a significant number of the measured trucks had significantly elevated brake temperature readings. The measured readings were indicating a notable amount of total braking capacity had been degraded due to heat build up. Some had trouble coming to a complete stop in the test site. A few were unable to stop and passed by the test sight and could not stop until a considerable additional distance had been covered. The staff was particularly interested in those trucks. And they chased them down and immediately recorded the brake temperatures. They tested enough trucks to gather a useful and significant sample size. One of the findings was many of the drivers did not realize how their method of descending the grad had used up a large portion of their reserve braking capacity due to the heat build up in the brakes. When they attempted to stop at the bottom of the grade, their brakes no longer had the capacity to absorb and dissipate the braking energy needed to stop in the intended location. It was a sobering event and education for a number of drivers. At the end of the day, the brakes on this Comet were sufficient to stop the car under normal conditions, but they were no match for a seriously defective throttle, about 600 plus hp applied continuously for and extended period of time and the loose nut behind the wheel.

[@acehandler1530]

You typed a mouthful brother, thanks!

[@kealke]

If the brakes had been big enough (and had the right pads, linings are for drumbrakes), they wouldve stayed cool, and none of this would've happened. So your capital letter "wrong" there, mainly applies to yourself. Stay up to date, or keep out of discussions. Writing a long story like you're a pro with that many errors in it, just makes you look... not so smart.

[@MrJohnnyDistortion]

@@kealke 🤣

[@americanrambler4972]

@@kealke where am I wrong? Newer cars and trucks come with bigger more powerful brakes for a reason. And people still burn them up. Part of the reason is there are now more stringent regulatory performance specifications. And due to that improvement, there are fewer instances of people overpowering their brakes. And it’s not hard to find videos of cars and trucks running with overheated brakes. I I have seen plenty of trucks overheating, smoking, and even setting their brakes on fire personally. And even some cars and pickups, where people are driving with their foot on the brakes while pressing the gas pedal. Or are descending grades with heavy trailers in tow and over working their brakes to the point of near failure. I have been sent to pick up semi trailers where the brakes have been so overheated and are damaged to the point they were not safe to pull down the road because the brakes were no longer road worthy. I have even passed semi trucks which passed me while I was climbing a steep hill only to pass them on the descent side where they were buried up to their axles in the truck escape ramps with their hot brakes still billowing smoke. I have seen more than a few trucks burnt to the ground due to brake fires. When I first started driving, front disk brakes or even power brakes were not the norm on used lower cost cars, and even a very large chunk of the new cars still came with drum brakes front and rear. Car and pickup disk brakes did not start appearing on new cars consistently until the early to late 1970’s. Prior to 1967, dual braking systems were not installed on a majority of cars. And braking performance was a far far cry from what we take for granted today. It was the early to mid 1990’s before anti lock braking systems were becoming common place on cars and small trucks. My 1989 F-150 only has antilock brakes on the rear axle. And it’s only a single channel system. My 1991 caprice was the first car I owned with 4 wheel disk/ drum antilock brakes. After thinking about it for a while, our 2013 Prius is the first car we have owned that came with 4 wheel anti lock disk brakes.

[@dustyjones756]

@@kealke the brakes on my truck can’t stop it when Im flooring it , it makes 190/hp/315tq. Now imagine what would happen if it had 6 TIMES THE POWER like this car. U are not stopping it even with the best brakes u can buy if it’s under any throttle from that monster of an engine

[@IronChief]

The outcome of the video was 100% avoidable. They didn't have brake failure, they had operator error.

[@quietcool4884]

Thats exactly what happened.

[@besgar5172]

Agreed totally.

[@MrGto05]

Yup!!

[@ClaremontClassicGarage]

brain failure

[@DarkFlamage]

Operator NEGLIGENCE, more like!

[@70chevs]

I couldn't agree with you more. Here in Australia the exact same thing has happened where someone does something stupid and it spoils it for the rest of us. That comet wouldn't be legal here with that blower sticking out that high. I've always said no point making a car go if you can stop it.

[@acehandler1530]

Ah Australia - home of the "Last Of The Interceptors" 💖 🇨🇦

[@4doorsmoreguns193]

Australia is tyrannical as fuck

[@acehandler1530]

@Grey Matter Goose?

[@acehandler1530]

@Grey Matter "your a turkey" you're murdering the King's English!

[@josephhoward7496]

Most car guys know their car inside and out..and you know when there is a problem you pull over and deal with it .. I have a 70 Chevelle and 57 Belair and I know my cars..and if something is wrong it's being delt with.. I don't want to destroy my rides or kill me or someone else.. you make Make good points..👍

[@sheilamcclure4472]

Shit dan now these kids are doing donuts in middle of the road and freeway they don't care.

[@robd7365]

This was a good example of a guy with way too much money, and enough knowledge to be dangerous

[@HanabiiiUwU]

@@sheilamcclure4472 Ah yes, someone pointing to "kids these days". What a lame deflection. The two guys that put a 1000+ hp car with a stuck throttle and a bad breaking system are around 60yrs old. It's not about age.

[@myleghurts3546]

Good on you for knowing them! This translates in: checking on them, right?

[@tomrinde4487]

Custom car people Need to be just like Farmers. Be able to fix Everything Out in The Field.!.​@sheilamcclure4472

[@mikespaulding214]

Amen. First things we did to our 68 Barracuda before Power Tour 2003 was front disc brakes, all new suspension pieces, and tires. The 340 was tired and used a lot of oil over the tour but we never had any issues stopping and turning. Thanks for speaking out.

[@timerickson7056]

When I was a kid I helped my gramps (a true motorhead) put a small block in his 66 Chevy ii . We were driving back to gramps and grandma's and the linkage on the carb disconnected in such a way that the the carb went wide open. We went from 50 to 90 in seconds . I was scared we were approaching a curve in the road known as deadmans curve. A guy was decapitated on a motorcycle when he was hit on that curve by a garbage truck and pushed Infront of a log truck that also hit him. Gramps the old swede who was about the age I am now just turned the key off . That simple. TURN THE KEY OFF COAST TO A STOP . a lesson learned . I had to do that same thing a decade ago when a modern drive by (not a fan) wire suddenly throttled up . In town on a surface street .

[@brianf8621]

I think they were more concerned about the KZbin video than safety.

[@haworthlowell805]

It's simple; use that rarity these dats, common sense!

[@markgaspar6240]

Stop lying🤣

[@crazeguy26]

drive by wire don't throttle up the PCM is always watching the TB and the pedal if something is not working. it will idle down or cut the engine.

[@foxxhunt3513]

Where was this deadmans curve, I live there??

[@joshandthejam7806]

Well said my friend. Our culture is already under attack enough without these kind of things happening.

[@J-RocksCustoms]

People who build cars would recognize right away something ain’t right and would have stopped. A lot of people who spend 100k+ to have a car built don’t know much about cars and would not recognize problems and assume that it must just be the way this car works. There are quite a bit of posers in the hot rod game.

[@AndrewKidd14145]

In general. I hate the car community now.

[@hank1556]

Both comments 100% on point. The community is so awful now. Social media ruined it a lot.

[@haworthlowell805]

@@AndrewKidd14145 Watching KZbin you see the worse all the time, a lot like the media, there are many responsible hot rodders out there. Sorry if you'rd just scared of a little flash & noise.

[@spudtaterson6281]

I've seen it across the board. Cars, trucks, fishing,hunting you name it. Dude with more money than brains thinks buying the biggest baddest or the best is gonna make him good or cool. It just don't work like that mack.

[@TWrecks09]

Exactly why no one drives my 850whp mustang. Those power levels aren’t for weekend warriors, its a technical drive not a fun cruise lol.

[@kristopherdavis4764]

I agree 100% with you, I myself drive older vehicles and understand things like foot feeds hanging up, carburetor stumbles and the older brakes don't stop as good as modern brakes do but I take all of these things into account when I drive. I see a lot of young people drive them like a new vehicle and it's scary.

[@Caz885]

Same. Driving daily 1969 toyota crown wagon. Well you cant even drive it super fast, but always have time for braking early as possible. Modern car drivers dont understand it and they usually get annoyed behind me.

[@alanwoodcock3218]

Well said DD. if your going to build a car like that, something gets wonkie stop and fix it. End of story no excuses. Wise up out there people!!!

[@SweatyFatGuy]

If you work on ANY vehicle and something isn't right, DON'T DRIVE IT. Fix the damn thing. I have a short bit of road where I can test my work, usually there isn't lots of traffic, but its not deserted. I can go half a mile and turn around easily without bothering or endangering anyone.

[@snake_eyes_garage]

You are both spot on - I just think these guys didn't know at all what they were doing... I share a shop with a 'square peg, round hole' guy like that... drives me crazy.

[@herbderbler1585]

They knew the car was insanely powerful. They knew the car had an abnormal shifter that prevented downshifting or going in neutral. They knew the throttle was sticking. I presume if they know anything about cars, they knew you can turn the ignition off at any time, and that brake fade is a thing. They blatantly ignored an entire pile of warning signs to just NOT GO. I hope these guys get railroaded in criminal and civil court for the absolutely disgusting amount of negligence displayed. Sadly there's probably no scenario where the passenger loses his driving license, but I would like to see both of them go without for a very long time.

[@dustyjones756]

The passenger didn’t cause the problem did he? He couldn’t have prevented it since he’s not driving. All he could’ve done was said stop driving and fix this. He shouldn’t lose his license for that. The driver on the other hand should have the book thrown at him

[@wallysworkin823]

Just like guns, it’s not the “machine” it’s the operator.

[@Stahodad]

6:50 I love that almost every DD Speed Shop project starts with going through the suspension and brakes...and it may be boring but it's necessary to say the least... and a good place to start, before you even get a engine in the car... 👍

[@dustyjones756]

Agree, but in this care I think the car had sufficient brakes. With the throttle sticking plus the dumb driver holding the brakes to keep the car at a steady speed I believe this caused the brakes to heat up unimaginably hot to the point of uselessness. The main problem is the engine sending 700 of its 1300hp to the rear wheels due to the throttle stuck, no brakes are gonna stop a car while trying to accelerate with that much power. But the bigger problem is the driver not putting the car in neutral or shutting the engine off. Just lack of basic knowledge for this kind of situation, and pure negligence of engine operation

[@glennmanchester5696]

Obviously the rpms were high enough to make the converter tight idk what stall it was but if it was any kind of a real race car quarter mile it would have had a higher stall converter in it and if the stall was reached oh boy that car was going your not stopping it watch a car at the line try to use his brakes to launch its damn near impossible with any real high rpms so the driver was an idiot plain amd simple

[@GWAR1982]

The older I get the less HP I want.

[@rogerbussiii]

I tend to agree, but I've avoided at least 2 accidents by having a quick car that would have been Inevitable had I been in a low horsepower vehicle. Sticky tires and the aforementioned have saved me more than a few times.

[@blackforceswithnolaces5273]

@@rogerbussiiiwhat has saved me is when a light turns green let the people around you go first, or creep up to see whos going through the intersection without being in harms way.

[@pd9717]

Uncle Tony really did excellent at going over this crazy event too. Great job dude

[@davidhollenshead4892]

What gets me is that most of the cars Uncle Tony is into, have more power than they can use on the street. As he can tune a mild 318 to produce over 200 hp to the wheels, which is more power than most people can handle on the street. So when a poser with money builds something with over twice that amount of power to the wheels, Uncle Tony knows the result as he has seen it before....

[@JackWebb713]

I like Tony also.

[@paulolson6380]

Completely agree with you, I tell young guys that ask how do I get started building one those? My number one rule to tell them is make sure it's safe to drive, cosmetically you go crazy with it

[@backyardbuilttrucks1]

Put car in neutral , take out of gear , using parking brake. Guy stated the throttle was sticking before so why did he drive it.

[@CarsandCats]

No. Kill the ignition then downshift trans and use engine braking to slow vehicle. The car had no parking brake.

[@HIDHIFDB]

@@CarsandCats KIll the ignition? son that only work on model T or Ladas, if you kill the ignition you loose hidraulic steering, the best thing to do is down shift to neutral and use the emergency break.

[@dustyjones756]

@@HIDHIFDB kill the ignition = turn off the key. Then u don’t have to fight the engine with the brakes. Same thing can be done with putting it in neutral but then the engine (with stuck throttle) will just rev which is pointless. Kill the ignition, lose power steering (you can still steer fine without it just a little harder) and use your brakes that aren’t being overpowered by 1300hp

[@tunelowplayslow5623]

No killswitch, no e brake and a $300 ratchet shifter you can buy on Amazon. Spent all his money on that ridiculous engine that won't even see the track because he was afraid to crash it.

[@Freeman-eo2lx]

Don't drive it till you fix the throttle once you have a issue the first time stop driving it fix it or get rid of it

[@LITTLE1994]

As a classic car fan, it really disgusts me how they could've avoided that crash and, plus, they didn't have shoulder seat belts, which is a must for powerful metal vehicles.

[@CarterAutoRestyling]

At some point we've probably all driven a vehicle that shouldn't be on the road and/ or driven like an idiot. Personally I am guilty of both, so I'm in no position to be critical of the events leading up to the incident. What bothers me is the total lack of accountability from either of those two dorks after the collision. Trying to pass the blame onto the car only damages the car hobby. It wasn't brake failure, it was brain failure. I don't care if your vehicle has the best brakes and safety equipment in the world, a vehicle is still only as safe as the person behind the wheel. Publicly blaming the machinery is just asking for more regulations

[@chasermalloy7406]

Yeah - we've all done it at some point. That point was usually when we were teenagers. How old is this guy ? In his 60s you'd think. Thanks to this idiot we all end up being pointed at again as you suggest. Like another nail in the coffin of vehicle mods.

[@zzoinks]

I didn't know brakes could just fail instantly like that. I thought that overheated brakes would gradually fail. Of course I'm just a driver, not a mechanic knowledgeable about brakes. Nevertheless, they didn't exercise enough caution and say let's go back, fix the issue, and film another day. I would've had a bad feeling about it and gone back but maybe they were too excited to feel something bad would happen. And what would happen if the accelerator pedal stuck down fully? Those inadequate brakes won't overpower the engine like on most modern cars right? So they have one less option in an emergency other than shutting off the engine or going to neutral. They don't have the option of the parking brake either

[@ocalagator2813]

@@zzoinks Depending on your brake system a single brake line failure might cause you to lose your brakes.

[@johnwilburn]

One of the best and most reasonable comments I've read about this.

[@moosecat]

@@zzoinks Here's the thing...it WASN'T instant. The driver said he was riding the brakes because the throttle was sticking, and that was only thing keeping the car from screaming down the road. Rather than pulling over, and fixing the problem, he decided to risk the safety of himself, his passenger and those around him. (Thankfully, nobody was killed, but I'm pretty sure this guy's finances are going to take a bigger hit than the two divorces he semi-bragged about.) From the original video, it sounded like the owner dumped a ton of money into the engine, and never really upgraded the brakes to match the engine.

[@alfredodirks3537]

I've been saying same thing about a lot of "Rat Rods" . There are too many that are extremely dangerous cars thrown together from wannabe mechanics.

[@gymshoe9235]

Those guys are the same ones who worship the tire smoke, burnout contests (Hoonigans)

[@jakefromstatefarm9721]

To many “rat rods” in general.

[@lilypondgarage2968]

Goes to show a mint car can be just as dangerous as a POS it's the moron behind the wheel

[@kevinwaddle447]

"Rat rods" started out as traditional style hot rods, with an emphasis on mechanics over aesthetics. Somehow, that mutated into piles of rusted through scrap metal, rolling on 60 year old cracked tires.

[@MissionRestomod]

That’s an over generalization.

[@ocalagator2813]

First time I was driving a car at speed and the brakes went out I turned off the ignition. I was only 16 but I had more sense than the driver of that car. Not sure how much it would have helped in that case but it damn sure wouldn't have hurt.

[@TLDLTD]

Spot on Dan. It is nice to see KZbinrs such as yourself and UT spreading the word on how this could have been avoided.

[@guywerry6614]

The "you're the idiot" section at the end struck a chord with me. We, as individuals, need to bear our responsibility. Period. With everything. So, running around the streets in a car with OVER A THOUSAND HORSEPOWER and a STUCK THROTTLE is STUPID. So is driving drunk. I myself have nearly been t-boned by someone entering a highway while TALKING ON THEIR CELL PHONE. I have also done stupid stuff - but I take ownership of the consequences also.

[@raywagner8016]

I honestly wasn't impressed when I read about and watched the video of this incident. Don't call it an accident. It wasn't an accident. People can talk about brakes and safety and bad decisions all they like. I've had throttles stick on me before but those were unexpected occurrences and very different causes. But no matter what has happened the first thing to do is kill the ignition. Throttle sticks, kill the ignition. But willfully going for a drive with a known sticking throttle? That's a whole new level of bad decision. Those of you who want to throw it in neutral or are worried about the power brakes or power steering, don't comment. You lack experience and mechanical knowledge regarding vehicles over 200 horsepower. Go get some experience and mechanical knowledge before commenting.

[@thebigpicture2032]

You can also put it in neutral if the throttle sticks as that way you have power brakes and steering, unless one of them is bad of course.

[@mexicanspec]

I am asking why he didn't put it in neutral instead of leave it in drive the whole time. The brakes wouldn't have been cooked.

[@raywagner8016]

@@mexicanspec. Watch the video. He panicked and did everything but turn the ignition off as his brakes completely failed.

[@raywagner8016]

@@thebigpicture2032. Watch the video.

[@keithharden7844]

@@raywagner8016 He put it in park.

[@keithd8143]

Well said Dan! Having worked a a mechanic for 27 years i know the importance of regular inspections and maintenance so every spring I do a bumper to bumper inspection checking everything from brakes, suspension, steering and electrical. It usually only takes me a full day to go over the whole car but at the end I'm 100% confident that i can drive the car and have peace of mind that the car is safe to drive. i also keep a log book outlining the inspection and my findings and any repairs i had to make so that if anything should go wrong i have data showing i did my due diligence.

[@thepyrodude]

Play stupid games win stupid prizes....and lastly just because you can afford a car like that doesn't mean you should own one

[@coyboybc]

Same way with these idiots that buy hi horsepower and super cars that have more money than brains!

[@unclemarksdiyauto]

I saw the complete video before Uncle Tony commented on it. (Saw him too) I agree totally with you and Tony. One apple is going to spoil it for all. The owner and the passenger should have just shut it down as soon as the throttle was sticking! Thanks for posting you take. The more people think on this, the more this should not happen. (Accidents that could have been prevented) Be safe Dan!

[@Trenton-om9qs]

I watched the original video and I watched Uncle Tony's video on this and I agree with him. People can say what they want but this situation was completely avoidable and just comes down to pure stupididty. It's a shame because that car was gorgeous.

[@1maydayme]

WELL SAID !! Unfortunately in a lot of cases YOU CANT FIX STUPID!!!

[@beezertwelvewashingbeard8703]

Stupidity can be fixed.

[@tooky2k212]

Over the last few years, I've been using the saying "Common sense isn't common anymore" holds true to about everything these days...

[@mikegellner2253]

Last time my throttle stuck I turned the key to the OFF position !!! Simple things work !!!

[@flouisbailey]

Uncle Tony's video was good and he held his temper don't think I could. I'm a retired chiropractor people die at 5MPH or are injured for life. I personally had a less than 20mph and stopping, the impact gave me a compression fracture middle neck, T11 and T12. 35 years later I continue to hurt, every day.

[@scotthay1486]

You're so right, we all end up paying in restrictive laws because of moronic stupidity, no matter what the situation. There is a distinct lack of common sense in play these days and was definitely worth your while commenting on Dan.

[@dave23024]

That car builder had the exact same outlook as the OceanGate owner. "If you put a ton of money into something, nothing will go wrong."

[@johnwasham7113]

Turn the key off

[@jonathontaylor8861]

Well I,d have done that but some people are just moron's.

[@77chevy4x4]

Two divorces did that …

[@G1NZOU]

Here in the UK we have the MOT, which is the annual safety inspection for any car over 3 years old that covers brakes, suspension and steering, exhaust, safety restraints, the fuel system and a bunch of other things like lights and horn, but a car is exempt from MOT if it's 40 years old, with the clause that you must still perform due diligence and make sure the most important parts of the car are functional, like the brakes, if too many people became too lax with their attention to safe classic motoring that exemption could be reconsidered by the government and it could put a ton of classic cars at risk of being scrapped if their owners couldn't afford to get them 100% up to spec with modern MOT rules.

[@garryhatchett775]

100% agree. Our state used to have annual safety inspections for all vehicles. Now they don’t and it is scary what people will drive.

[@shadygingergarage]

I agree with you and Tony. The car was throwing up all of the red flags and the inexperienced driver was ignoring them. I had a full brake failure in a 78 Caprice years ago. Luckily it happened as I got onto the interstate. Pulled over, found the failure, couldn't fix it there with what I had. Limped it 32 miles to the house, low speed, hazards on, fully ready to put it in the ditch at any time. Got it home safe and spent three days replacing every brake line on the car. Drove it for three years after that with zero issues anywhere on the car and then sold it. Lesson learned and skills sharpened

[@staceyrenner5418]

1300 horsepower, wheelie bars, 200+ thousand invested and it'll never see a drag strip. President of the more money than brains club right there. I knew from the second that guy opened his mouth and started spouting off that he was one of those "car guys". Really hard to feel sorry for him. He commented on the video on Autotopia's YT page about how he should've recognized the issues with the car, the no e-brake issue and then states how the car had liability but no collision. Barely a mention of the driver that he hit other than "as far as I know the driver of the van is ok". What an egotistical douchecanoe.

[@coyboybc]

I did not feel sorry for either guy or car knowing it had problems before driving!

[@chrispaulson2934]

Liability only? 200+ thousand dollars in it, and not even properly insured...ruins it for the rest of us.

[@dougj.8288]

I really didn’t get why the guy kept going in that expensive of a vehicle knowing it had issues, then knowing he couldn’t stop why didn’t he reach up and kill the vehicle?

[@fantomson5035]

This video is ON POINT... Thank you for putting this out. I now have even more respect for you as a rodder.

[@rz-tv]

I'm glad you addressed this topic because if the community doesn't educate and police themselves we all know who will.

[@richardbertovich6134]

The USA welcomes you, Dan & Dani! Let freedom ring!

[@ercost60]

Great video. First timer here, I came here from Uncle Tony's Garage. Love these garage channels. I'm restoring my '67 Corvair.

[@albertgaspar627]

I agree with most of what UTG said, but on some cars, turning off the ignition can lock the steering wheel and kill the power steering (you'll be surprised on even a light car how hard it is to turn). and if it's a stick shift trans, there's no torque convertor to free wheel, you can just "push start" the engine again. better to go into Neutral, bang on the rev limiter, and search for the grassy knoll--better to hit parked cars than occupied ones. I remember when car magazines even told their readers to have TWO throttle return springs in case the rusty OEM one broke. But in a world where someone can slap together an 800 hp turbo LS into a POS to keep up with video channels like Autotopia and Nelson Racing Engines (NRE) where the HP numbers just keep going up and up (which is why I liked the old Big Muscle videos, some vehicles were crazy but many were "normal")...and honestly, the roadkill type where someone gets a dead car running and then drives it "dirty" (no insurance etc) rather than blow $200 on a truck and trailer with a trip thru the carwash to blow out the hornets' nest turn me off too. A lot of viewers copy what they see. And those of us pointing out the pitfalls sound like "safety nannies" until a video like the 1300hp Comet come to show what can and does happen when you save a buck. remember, the next time you're at the track and complaining about the tech check, the old saying...."racetrack rules are written in the blood of drivers before you"

[@paullittle2037]

i agree pop it in neutral and try to get over to the side.

[@albertgaspar627]

@@paullittle2037 My father once had a grand mal seizure while i was riding shotgun, and i can say losing brakes in a normal vehicle and a 1300 hp is slightly different :) but i can attest, just as you said, put 'er in neutral so you keep engine vacuum if you need it for the brakes and get over to the side--you'll stop pretty fast that way. but once you've lost brakes on a car, forever you'll be "checking escape routes" when you drive.

[@WhiteTrashMotorsports]

If the shifter linkage and steering column are working properly you cannot lock the steering without the car being in park or depressing little button if it's a manual by turning off the key

[@Richie_the_Fixer]

@@albertgaspar627 its an old Mercury. Key in the dash , doesn't lock the steering . Oh , and on REAL racecars , one of the first modifications is to cut the notches off the steering column lock plate so the columns CAN'T lock .

[@albertgaspar627]

@@Richie_the_Fixer and that's why i say in my post, "SOME CARS", like ya know, those few built after 1969 :) www.gallotech.com/GTS-3-locking%20column%20guidelines.pdf There is no one way to solve all runaway cars, but that's the thinking that went on in the video--the driver jammed the shifter into park thinking that was going to work, since it probably worked once for him in some parking lot on his wife's Honda. It's called "tunnel thinking". Both riders in the car figured out they were in trouble, and gave up and braced for impact. I drove cars back when the dimmer switch was on the floor, and I got a stalled car across an intersection by stepping off the clutch and turning the ignition so the starter moved the entire car. Can't accomplish that nowadays, so i get that not everyone has my experience with cars. Of course, REAL racecars aren't registerable so they don't go on the street :)

[@et76039]

One of my big concerns is younger folks who are used to the way modern cars operate. I've told them that what are now considered basic econocar features would have been considered either exotic or science fiction back during the muscle era. We knew what to expect back then, yet still had acquaintances get killed by their cars. A young person + high powered muscle car minus pertinent modifications to brakes and chassis equals wreckage.

[@ronniehaley729]

Well said, it's just like full metal jacket, when Private Pile got caught with the jelly donut, he got to eat it while everyone else had to pay for it 😂

[@ksokie63]

Your so right Dan. 👍🏻Thanks for sharing.

[@randallthomas5207]

Back in my misspent youth, Ihada buddy who was seriously into BMW bikes.. I had moved to Las Vegas, and he still lived in Portland. He shows up at my place one weekend with BMW, 1000cc, bike which was teh duplicate of one which had been built specifically to set the class record for teh 24-hour run at Daytona. Beast of a machine. I had zero hours on shaft drive bikes, and he told me to take it for a run. This thing had insane torque steer get into the throttle it wanted to lay over, come off the throttle, it would try to lay down on the other side. I rode it out onto a twisty turns along Lake Mead, and started to push it a bit. I almost laid it dwon twice, before i decided that common sense was overcoming my Macho, and took it off the pavement and down side road where I hid it in a culvert and hitchhiked back inot town. He went ape when I came back without his bike. He calmed down when I told him I had left it hidden and we could goo back out, and he could ride it home. I’ve always figured that if something is broke or not working right you fix it, only exception was racers on track, and even then I’d usually drop the race and tweak out the car. I never felt rich enough to wreck a car I had thousands, and hundreds of hours in getting it prepped, chasing a $200 dollar trophy.

[@marioa1272]

Dan, you are 100% correct with what you are saying. Yes it's true, it doesn't take much to ruin things for Hot Rodding. The rules are getting stronger over years and not in our favor ☹

[@acehandler1530]

But but but...you can buy your hot rod right from Chryco, and it comes in several 'now' designer colors - called the Hellcat, pffft!

[@GabrielSBarbaraS]

I was in runaway car wreck without brakes once many decades ago, ( emergency brake did not work either ) I can say there is very little time to make any decisions for a safe stop. But I did learn that one should always have a back up plan for many things in life.

[@soonerlegendspodcast]

Hey DD my thoughts being a hot rod owner. 1: when you build a hot rod with this much horsepower he should’ve addressed the brakes first and foremost 2: when he knew the throttle was sticking he should’ve pulled over and tried fixing it 3: he should’ve never drove it riding the brakes

[@garymatthys3605]

He knew about the sticky throttle and inadequate brakes before they took it out. They even talked about it beforehand.

[@coyboybc]

Exactly

[@waygonner]

It’s amazing what happens when you turn off the key on a car with a stuck throttle.

[@besgar5172]

He will probably try and sue the builder of the car. Obviously he is not that guy. Has no knowledge of how a vehicle works. Saddest part is he will probably win in a lawsuit.

[@keithharden7844]

@@besgar5172 There's video showing his stupidity. I don't think a judge will award him anything.

[@mayorsman0417]

You are an amazing talent with incredible work ethic. Please do not even read the negative, life is too short. The complainers can’t keep up with you anyway. Love that little girl is always reading😊

[@gregoryware7636]

HI Dan I just watched Uncle Tony' s video. He's right and your right! People need to pull their heads out of their asses!

[@thinds5271]

Turn the wheel all the way really fast in the safest direction. Break the back wheels loose to initiate sideways slide, counter steer to keep it there. ...= STOP

[@jamesfairbairn1588]

Great video. Well said. We need to protect what’s left of the the hot rod culture for our kids to have a chance at experiencing building and driving their own creations. Thanks for sharing Dan.

[@hogtwentysixjdh]

I've been there, that is why we do test drives. There is no way I would endangered anybody by continuing with a sticking throttle. Things turn from bad to worse to quickly, the passenger should have gotten out to impress the severity of the problems... PERIOD! Thank U.T.G, You and all the other responsible builders out there.

[@matthewpeterson5281]

18 hrs ago a whole live stream was done by them on the issue. I do not think you can say they have not accepted any responsibility based on what I saw. And in any event, ultimate responsibility rests with the person at the wheel no matter what anyone else says because no matter what you say to them, they still have to control the car. So... Shawn could only do so much as a passenger and its the owners job to know their car, not just operate it.

[@chasermalloy7406]

Can't quite agree. Shawn said he could smell brakes ..owner agreed and also said he had sticking throttle problems. That was absolutely enough for Shawn to firmly say "Russ", This is NO good...STOP.

[@matthewpeterson5281]

@@chasermalloy7406 It doesnt matter if you agree or not. Only matters who has their ass in the driver seat. As a passenger you are not responsible for fighting control of a vehicle from a driver. You can speak up whenever you want but theyre not obligated to listen. So it does not make a difference whether you agree or not

[@chasermalloy7406]

@@matthewpeterson5281 So if you found yourself in a car with a complete idiot who just virtually told you the car he was driving like a complete maniac was unsafe you'd just sit there like a dummy ? Wow. Are you just a really diplomatic little guy or...?

[@23ofSeptember]

To be fair, this probably happens more than you know. Guy fixes up a car, puts a new engine in it, no seat belts or brakes and just takes it "down the road". 9 times out of 10, the guy makes it home in one piece. However, sooner or later this type of behavior catches up to you and you either end up hurting yourself or someone else. Hopefully that video makes people think twice before they do a "road test" with their garage queen.

[@deegan727]

I watched that video the other day. I was actually pretty frustrated with the whole thing. Throttle was hanging causing him to ride the questionable brakes all while playing in traffic. No wonder why the guy had multiple divorces while building the car. They wanted no part of that death trap or the possible legal consequences of it.😂

[@therealchucktaylor3392]

💯😂😂😂😂

[@douglasradowick508]

DD Speed Shop, I just watched that video! You are correct with the comment of any SLIGHT problem with the brakes, trans or any part of the drive-line, DON'T let the vehicle's tires TOUCH the roadway! These 2 guy's showed an absence of knowledge AND.maturity! Thank God no children were involved?😵🥺 UTG, was on the mark with his comments as well!👍

[@edc6333]

Operator failure to recognize and react to a problem, no excuses for them.

[@superrodder2002]

That's part of the reason I stopped building cars for other people, by the time you learn how to build a level of performance you have learned to respect the machine and what its capable of. Buying a finished car doesn't give you any experience or respect for how dangerous it is.

[@mightymikethebear]

If someone has the ability to build or buy a car like that they should also have the good sense to not drive it when is not working correctly.

[@davidvaughn7778]

The original poster was asking about the brake smell. The driver knew about riding the brakes. As soon as he noticed the throttle sticking issue he should have parked it. That being said, both of these guys went ahead and posted the video so that others may learn from their mistake, and for that I applaud them. 👏

[@linnc7591]

for many instances around here, it is to hard for many to put the phone down.

[@robertheymann5906]

Many people that have someone build them a hotrod are not capable of handling it. I built a motor for a friend's 68' Camaro and it scared him. 500 hp give or take and nice deep gears, 4.88s, he did reckless burnouts for a while, fired it up in the driveway every few week to make noise and eventually sold the motor to his neighbor with a speed boat. Lucky nobody got hurt.

[@rickkings2071]

I agree that loss of freedom starts with small changes that seem inconsequential. This is why most people don't see it as a problem. If my car feels weird I don't drive it. A 3000 lbs metal brick just might leave a small mark. Sheesh even 400hp is enough power to lose control easily

[@robbsclassics]

The guy I got my 55 Bel Air from warned me about the 4.11 posi getting squirrelly. It has a 283 with maybe 250-270 hp.

[@rickkings2071]

@@robbsclassics Yeah I believe it. Sound like a ride id have more than enough fun with

[@robbsclassics]

@@rickkings2071 Every time I get behind the wheel, I can't stop smiling.

[@rickkings2071]

@@robbsclassics That makes me smile just think about it lol

[@rickkings2071]

@@robbsclassics That sure was a cold start and your 55 sounds very good

[@tattooeddude72]

You are absolutely right. Uncle Tony was correct. That guy had no business behind that wheel and a 1300 hp car in traffic. But we all have to pay for it in the end.

[@Vibrolas]

This video pissed me off knowing what I know about brake fade. Surely that dude would have known that was coming if he pushed forward. I feel for the person they hit. I had just been rear ended and had my Astro Van totalled a couple days before that video came out. Fortunately no serious injuries for me or the dude that hit me. Still fresh on my mind. I miss my Astro.

[@David-rx5eo]

I miss the Astro Van I sold in 2011 too. My wife misses it too. We were moving, so I sold it.

[@LifesLaboratory]

As a Canadian, I'm glad we have stricter laws. If you're racing on a public street, you need to lose your license.

[@nummnuts22]

I'm totally with you on that. Growing up that's why we lost Hot Rodding because of idiots. We could also blame the Monopoly our insurance company also has on losing a lot of classics. All because one person screws it up and someone else can profit off of it.

[@jeffallen5387]

Nailed it Dan! The host of Autotopia made every excuse in the world except for laying the burden on the car owner. He’d built the car over 20+ years and apparently never dealt with a hotrod before. Driver error is the only reason that car crashed. Now get your ass down here to the states!! We’d love to have ya!!

[@Nevercouldfigureitout]

I watch that other channel and enjoy it immensely. They did a q&a last night and it seems to be a four man crew that does the channel. Something that astonish me was out of all these car guys that they’d never had or heard of a issue like this before. I guess that’s the price of privilege. That when you jump into this hobby straight at the top levels that you don’t get these low level learning experiences that teach you the hard lessons. Those guys fortunate to start at the top level of cars we may never ever own can still have the same love and passion as us. But they don’t have the sense of warning signs that have bite all of us that had got us on a $500 hoopty. Instead they pay a bigger price for that knowledge when these problems arise. If regular people got to really look over some of these cars we see in videos and pictures that we lust over. Then it would be glaringly obvious that shortcuts and common sense things have been overlooked on these multi hundred grand builds. All these are tough lessons that if you stay in the hobby long enough you learn. It’s just unfortunate that all the guys in the video learned all these things for the first time and on video. The only thing now that can happen is that this can be an ah ha moment for people to learn from this without experiencing it themselves first hand.

[@Nova.1971]

Well put Dan...fully agree!!!

[@warringwarthog]

when I watched the actual video first thing I said the minute the throttle stuck he should have stopped and fixed it

[@ryurc3033]

My newest car is 25 years old. But it has almost brand new tires, good brakes, and is cleaner than most 5 year old minivans. So many people don't have any mechanical sympathy... It's simply a cool looking appliance that they have very little understanding of.

[@hubiesgarage]

Dan, good to hear your thoughts. All spot on and UT did a great job dissecting it too. This crash happened in my back yard and the fire engine is from the dept I just retired from. I have responded to thousands of accidents in 35 years and been in a bad one myself. Some of these accidents have been really bad classic car/hot rod wrecks just like this Comet. It is a kick to the gut seeing the carnage! This one went beyond two (supposed) car guys out for a cruise, it should have triggered some common sense as they both realized there were several red flags. Ignoring all of that, they put others in jeopardy and impacted others. I have a B&M Ratchet Shifter, you can downshift it, put it in neutral or more realistically, just kill the ignition. Nope, just continue accelerating and brace for impact...🤦‍♂️

[@mexicanspec]

We didn't hear him try to kick down the idle, did we?

[@keithharden7844]

@@mexicanspec nope

[@robbsclassics]

That's what I thought. Can't you do the little finger thing and knock it into the lower gear? It's essentially an aftermarket floor auto shifter, right?

[@bigblockdodge745]

We are originally from WPG, we moved to east Texas in 2007.I have 2 old mopars that i brought from up north.You can get antique plates for your car for 5 years for under $100.00.My drivers license is good for 7 years and cost under $50.00.When we moved south i also had a 1990 suzuki gsxr 1100 and to put it on the road down here it cost $77.00 for liability insurance and around 60to70 for the registration.We were so sick of Winnipeg we lived up there for 50 years and enough was enough.We used to call it the toilet of the north.The only thing we miss about Winnipeg is the food as down here in Texas the restaurants are crap except for some of the tex mex places.I wish we had a georges down here i have not had decent fries since we left the north.You might say, that we have the Texas BBQ but being in a car club in central Texas there were many car shows and BBQ cook offs that members of the car club were required to judge.Some of that brisket was crap it seemed that they used pallets to smoke the stuff.But it's like the wild west down here when it comes to vehicles no exhaust they don't really bother you.I don't really drive my old cars much in the summer it's to bloody hot.It's been over a hundred or close to it for over a month already and August is our hottest month. GOD BLESS TEXAS................

[@easttexastramps]

sorry dan, we have all of those rules in the states, don't move here thinking you can drive what you want when you want. the youtubers in the u.s. doing revive and drives and the like are driving cars illegally on their channels in most cases. i rural areas it's easier to do that and not get caught because there is no one to catch you. most states have safety and emission inspections every year to keep unsafe cars off of the road and you must pass that to even register a used car. you do not see rust buckets or smoking deathtraps here, because they are not allowed. those revive and drive channels are just not telling you what they are doing is illegal. a few years ago a video came out of a guy admitting he got caught operating a car illegally because he posted it on you tube.

[@mexicanspec]

He is thinking of going to Tennessee. They are pretty lax there.

[@thisguy2720]

A lot of states give you 30 days to title so you can drive those cars legally with just insurance. Not saying its smart

[@thisguy2720]

@@mexicanspec hes thinking of moving to the states?

[@cadman10000]

Not everywhere is like this. There are zero inspections at all in South Carolina.

[@janeames1513]

you would be suprised how many states don't have inspections b/c they don't care ..pay for your tags show proof of insurance and away you go..as for emission testing hell nah only a handful of states actually do that..i only know of 3 that do emissions testing and i've been all over the country..i've been a dumbass driving a car with no brakes but i also never left the farm with it ....what these guys did was careless and complete idiocy ...in every state you can drive a car on a bill of sale and/or a title from place of purchasing to either home or a mechanic..that is the law ..so before you go accusing people of driving a car illegally maybe you should know the laws

[@Karolilalu]

Spot on with your "mass punishment for all, because of the stupidity of a few" Roger's Hot Rod Garage

[@blindguysgarage]

I like HP as much as the next guy but has to be done right and as you said not so much brake failure than brake neglect and stupidity

[@frankfitz3421]

Hopefully they get sued into poverty, both of them!

[@matthewb8229]

Taking a high HP car out with known issues like brakes and throttle problems, you are nothing other than negligent. My 68 C10, while it looks not the greatest, it is mechanically sound, and safe to operate. In fact, I'm upgrading to 4 wheel discs this weekend. Why? Safety.

[@DreadPirateBob]

The most frustrating part of it is this isn't some broke kid making a bad decision trying to get his beater home, this is a grown ass man with a ~$200,000 car making careless, selfish decisions. He could've easily afforded to fix the issue safely.

[@Tomcat71]

This is what happens when you have more money than skill or knowledge.

[@danny2007h]

I had a very similar incident with my C3 Vette about 10 years ago. I was passing a car and my throttle stuck wide open. Pressing the brake did nothing due to brake fade. So I immediately shut off the ignition and pulled the car into neutral. Hit my Hazzard switch and began engaging my Handbrake. I didn't care if I totaled my car, as long as I didn't hit anyone else. Thankfully everything worked out and I managed to get my car stopped. There is zero excuse for what happened in the video. It could have easily been avoided, had the driver pulled over at the first sign of trouble.

[@mtnman3MTA3]

I saw that video and wondered why the driver didn’t swerve right, across the curb and into the trees beside the building. Also, the van driver might’ve been able to run the light if the Comet operator had been on his horn as soon as he lost his brakes. I had a ‘65 Wildcat’s carb stick wide open when a engine mount broke. I was 16 and not an experienced driver, I immediately turned the car off.

[@user-ge2qn6gp4o]

It's California. You can honk your horn all you like and nobody is going to pay attention to you.

[@Marks-Garage]

Different circumstances but i fitted a new throttle body and on the test drive it started to stick open. My car was roughly 400bhp supercharged s2000 and the throttle was stuck at 40%. There was no way the brakes were going to hold back the car and it rapidly started accelerating as the charger was making boost. I knew putting it in neutral would result in bouncing on the limiter and damaging the engine. I ended up switching the engine off and coasting to the site of the road. I remember shaking because i was lucky that there was no traffic and i could slow the car safely. That throttle body got taken off that day and the OEM one refitted. Like you said there were so many things wrong with this situation and they just continued to ignore them

[@MadScientistGarage]

I have a totally clapped out Cutlass with crappy drums. I made sure before I ever jammed it in drive that I had replaced the master, front brakes, and made sure I could jam them to the floor and halt my junk.

[@johnglover277]

Excellent video, everything you conveyed is absolutely right on. I also wondered, with all the time and money put into that vehicle, you didn't fix the brakes and throttle. Pure lunacy Only wish I had that kind of money.

[@JDWorkshop-wn9tt]

Well said! Uncle Tony’s take was spot on also. “The Stupid Tax” haha, I love that term!

[@JAS_392SRT]

Love from Vancouver BC Canada

[@aaf6133]

Agree with you 100% -- on another point...the accident video provides lawyers with ALL the incriminating evidence needed

[@floridian7143]

KISS, keep it simple stupid, something wrong with your car turn it off immediately and fix it! Thanks for sharing!