Gremlin fireworks....ie, exploding gas tanks,etc....LONG RAMBLE

[Gremlingts@xxxx]

 Mildred brought to my attention the fact that Freddie is selling off all 
his Gremlin cars because he's worried he might die in a rear-end collision in 
a horrible way....doused with gas and ignited. While that is a horrible way 
to go, I think you have a better chance of being struck by lightning than 
going up in flames in a Gremlin! Freddie may have already left this list, but 
I do have a few things to say....namely that if you worry so much that 
something bad will happen, it probably will....but it will happen whether you 
worry or not, so why stress out about stuff? I also own one of those 
"exploding" saddle-tank '74 Chevy pickups, they litigated that about 5-7 
years ago, I got a notice I could get a voucher for a few grand off a new 
truck...big deal! I couldn't afford the other 35k, either!
The thing is, any old vehicle is going to have design flaws, and if you 
think the NEW generation of mini-SUV-vans, cars, trucks, etc will save your 
sorry behind, I got news for ya...more people die in modern cars than old 
ones! Better designs? Lets see...babies dying from air bag deployments, yeah, 
THAT's a great design! How about electric car windows that don't roll down 
when submersed under water? Whatsamatta, can't breathe H20? How about cars 
that accelerate by themselves? Sure, lots of new "safety" features on new 
vehicles , but I've seen mini-vans sheared apart, the whole fronts of them 
collapsed, seen and heard on TV the BIG Ford " Ex-ploder " that blows up 
tires, etc. So don't tell ME that a Gremlin is a death-trap! Yes, it can be 
made safer, the early Gremlins only had a plastic shield, later ones had a 
stamped sheetmetal shield bolted over the gas tube. Is it a poor design? By 
today's standards, yes. By those 30 years ago? Questionable, but even so, 
Ford and Chrysler did no better. Will you survive a side impact in a tin can 
mini-van, or a steel-beam reinforced later model Gremlin? Ok, the early ones 
didn't have them...but the doors are heavy even on the early models, 
compared to today's gas sippers, they're safer than the new cars, I'd think. 
Freddie, I feel sorry for you. You are missing out on a piece of 
automotive history, just because you see that somewhere, someone in the past 
died in a Gremlin....I can just about GUARANTEE that for ANY vehicle model 
you pick out, even a semi tractor trailer rig ,that someone has died in one 
of them...due to circumstances, bad luck, stupidity, etc. Even Volvo and 
their self-vaunted safety record, I can assure you that SOMEONE died in one 
of them in a car accident. Burning to death would definitely suck, and it is 
a good reason to consider upgrading the Gremlin's design some for safety 
reasons ( I have NOT done any of mine yet, nor do I intend to lose sleep over 
that fact ), but it isn't a common occurance. I also own a '55 era Chevy 
truck, in THOSE models, they mounted the gas tank BEHIND THE SEAT, and the 
gas filler cap is beside and behind the side window! In a tip-over onto the 
drivers side, the gas cap is torn off by the slide, the sparks ignite the gas 
spilling out, and the truck is soon engulfed in flames. They showed footage 
of tests done to '50's trucks when the big saddle-tank circus was playing on 
TV, so as to illustrate that bad designs were even worse back then. Trucks 
were work vehicles , and time wasn't spent on worse-case accident scenarios. 
I OWNED one of those, I still have a '55 Chevy Suburban with a saddle 
tank...and I'm not SCARED. Wary, yes, but I"m not gonna sell it off, just 
because I might get hit badly in the wrong place. 
I can only say that I will continue to enjoy my (current ) seven 
Gremlins, and maybe even add to that total. And if I die in one, well, I 
could die in a hospital with a tube up my butt from old age, or crash in an 
airplane, or choke on a french fry.....but I will NOT change my life habits 
and desires because something bad COULD happen. Obsession with things like 
that serve no purpose, except that some of us may benefit ( wonder if I can 
fit 5 more Gremlins in the driveway? ) >:) Anyway, Freddie, I hope you enjoy 
living in your little world of 
nothing-bad-will-happen-to-me-if-I-obsess-enough. I don't have time for that, 
I'm too busy trying to fix Gremlins and find time to enjoy life. Maybe we can 
hook you up with a nice Pinto or something to replace your current hobby 
cars....sorry I couldn't resist! Maybe take up gardening ( damn that poison 
ivy! ), or cooking ( grease fire! ), or something safe like marble collecting 
( watch those stairsSSSSSSSS! ). Ok, I"ve said my piece...back to reality. 
Later,

Jerry