Alright, I am sure all you Funco freaks will have a hissy fit over this one but, in my opinion, all I got to say is nothing wads up like a Funco. This is the second or third Funco that I have seen like this. I dont think I want my family in one.

That Funco probably saved someones life

Link to other post about the same accident

one ? was drinking envolved

In all fairness, tubes were cut in order to remove the passengers, so we don't know how fast it was going or how much of the damage was strictly from the impact.


I hope to never wad it up that badly, which is why I drive as cautiously as I do, and I keep discussing construction techniques in sandrail tech in an effort to get people to insist on the best for their families.

Thanks Steve

Seen like what?? Take 2000 lbs at high speed and nose into the sand. Some stuff is going to bend and give. Gimme a break.

With all due respect to Grant, Im not sure I would say a "funco" saved anyones life. I would rather say a well built sand rail saved someones life.

I know Grant builds a great car, as do many builders. To say a "funco" saved someones life, to me, is a dis-service to the other builders who build a quality car.

I think to say a "funco" saved a life is as wrong as saying the deaths in funcos were as a result of being in a "funco." Or in this case, the injuries were because it was a "funco." It's not right and none of us are qualified to make those statments.

My point is, yes the car appears to have held up well. But many cars may have held up just as well and perhaps some even better...we just dont know.

Of course this is just my opinion and it is worth exactly what you paid for it...but we have seen other cars envolved in terrible crashes. In many cases, the lives of the drivers were probably saved because the owners chose a well built, safe car.

We have also seen cars that have crumbled beyond recognition in a simple rollover, sand car of hope comes to mind. (still no pictures of that pile of garbage)

I think at best, this reconfirms the need to do your homework and buy a car that has a long record of safety. Unfortunatly(or fortunatly) many builders just dont have the number of cars in the dunes as others therefore we have no idea how they will handle a crash. With the larger more experienced builders, we know what they will do and have an idea of how the passangers will do in a crash.

I hope everyone envolved recovers well from their injuries.

Youve got to draw a line somewhere where an "accident about to happen", becomes "an accident that people survived". How would other cars fair on a 4th gear lawn dart? There is some CRAP that is being built these days that be a coffin on wheels on an accident like this one. Also, do the numbers count. There is more Funcos out in the dunes now days than probably any other builder ever.

Wow, talk about reading way too much into a post.
I said "that Funco probably saved someones life."

If it was a Sandcars, SU, Desert Dienamics, or anything else, I would have said
"that XYZ probably saved someones life"

As with any vehicle, you want the frame to "wad" up to absorb the shock. Same holds true with Indy cars; can hit the wall at high speeds, shatter , and the driver walks away.

Better the frame wad up than your body.

As as far as seeing "another Funco" in this shape, I'll bet there are more Funcos in the dunes than just about any other mfg.

My .02 cents

[quote=onanysunday,Jun 8 2006, 06:22 PM]
[quote=ENDANGERED DUNER,Jun 8 2006, 06:03 PM]Alright, I am sure all you Funco freaks will have a hissy fit over this one but all I got to say is nothing wads up like a Funco. This is the second or third Funco that I have seen like this. I dont think I want my family in one.



Seen like what?? Take 2000 lbs at high speed and nose into the sand. Some stuff is going to bend and give. Gimme a break.

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Exactly the response I expected from a Funco owner, biased! You guys can never take anything negative about Funco. Why is it for me to say this is the second or third Funco that I have seen like this. Sorry but its true that this is what I have seen, its not an opinion. In my experience, Funcos have suffered some of the worst damages. Personaly I do not think the chasis held up that well, we are lucky the injuries were not worse.

Tom....If you accept the fact that a "well built, safe car" contributed to the survival of the occupants of this incident, then a funco is a "well built, safe car". So, if funco="well built, safe car", then by definition, your statement worded as such would also be true:

"In many cases, the lives of the drivers were probably saved because the owners chose a funco"

Wording aside, I'd much rather be in a car that has some "give" to it when involved in an impact like that. Can you imagine the force necessary to bend a rotor 90 degrees like it appears in that picture? With that hard of a hit, the energy that goes into bending some tubes is energy that's not being applied to the passengers. Even the street car manufacturers recognize that. I'd be willing to bet that the vast majority of street cars would be much more unrecognizeable than that funco were they involved in a crash of the same magnitude and direction of force. You can always replace a frame...but it's impossible to replace your family and friends.

And remember this..the "funco" didn't press it's own gas pedal. It didn't make whatever decision was made to put itself in such a situation. There are many well built, safe cars out there, but you just can't design for all cases of human error.

I'm just glad there were no fatalities, and I hope that the duners injured make a speedy and full recovery.

Not quite!

Way to sound just as ignorant as the guy who made the trolling post.......

what makes a funco so damn safe that you can say that these people would have died if they were in some other brand of car...??? aside from you not personaly witnessing the crash, there are way too many variables that could have happened during the crash for you to have a valid reason make a statment like that, unless you have come across some kind crash test comparison for sand rails.......

How do you think this car would fair in a 60+ mph lawn dart?

Beachhead, I basically agree with you about the chassis deformation absorbing a lot of the force. I deally, I'd like to see the suspension and outer extremities collapse and the main cage area retain it's shape - like a lot of race cars do. Unfortunately, the kind of money/experience it takes to design that in is not in this sport- yet. Maybe never.

Endangered duner - do you think that there is a different brand that outnumbers Funco in the dunes? I don't own one, but it seems to me there sure are a lot of them out there.

KEY WORD, PROBABLY. You probably didnt read that.

YES, I know there is alot of other builders that are out there that mass produce cars, Im just sayin that Funco is one of the most prevailant cars out there.

Who knows but I sure dislike the bent B=pillers. Whats the point?

This is in response to the Nicolas car above.

In the other thread it was mentioned that one of the passengers received seatbelt injuries. It takes a severe impact to be injured by your seatbelt. The car hit so hard it snapped one or both of the front wheels off, that's pretty hard. I'll get in a Funco any day, picking the driver is more important when it comes to safety.

I dont think you can read anything into those pics. The FD cut that car up big time to get somebody out. Unless somebody had video of the crash or pics before the FD got there, we'll never know.


Im just glad they all lived and didnt take some one else out. Then we all get bad press for the dunes.


My .02

[quote=ENDANGERED DUNER,Jun 8 2006, 06:51 PM]
[quote=onanysunday,Jun 8 2006, 06:22 PM]
[quote=ENDANGERED DUNER,Jun 8 2006, 06:03 PM]Alright, I am sure all you Funco freaks will have a hissy fit over this one but all I got to say is nothing wads up like a Funco. This is the second or third Funco that I have seen like this. I dont think I want my family in one.



Seen like what?? Take 2000 lbs at high speed and nose into the sand. Some stuff is going to bend and give. Gimme a break.

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Exactly the response I expected from a Funco owner, biased! You guys can never take anything negative about Funco. Why is it for me to say this is the second or third Funco that I have seen like this. Sorry but its true that this is what I have seen, its not an opinion. In my experience, Funcos have suffered some of the worst damages. Personaly I do not think the chasis held up that well, we are lucky the injuries were not worse.
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Look at the force to rip the wheel from a billet hub. What do you expect the chassis to do? If there wasn't some give the impact would not be absorbed.
Look at old cars from the 60s and 70s. They were tanks and people died on the roads. New cars are made to give. I am not saying that buggy chassis designers put crumple zones in these cars but with probably 2600-2700 lbs coming to a abrupt stop the energy has to go somewhere. As far as other wrecks I think there have been more high speed crashes in Funcos due to the fact of the sheer number of cars out there. The only wreck that I know of where the chassis came apart (and was not cut up by emergency crews) was the one where the front end was torn off. If I remember right that car crashed at 70 mph and everyone survived.
Also I am not saying that Funcos are the only car that would hold up in a wreck like this. Im sure many of the more popular "sand cars" out there would do well. I would also bet there are a few that would have serious problems. But to come on here and say nothing wads up like a Funco is ridiculous whether I am an owner or not.

No doubt there are a ton of Funcos out there but yes, there is a different brand that outnumbers Funco.

A message from a non Funco owner...Looks like the car did its job. Absorbed the impact and everyone lived. I'm glad to hear that everyone survived.

My best wishes go out to all who were involved. I'm sure I speak for all of us who are a part of GD.COM and wish you a full and speady recovery.

What brand?

You are right, I should not have said that, wasnt cool.

I just get frustrated at the fact that if this were any other builder, there would be some serious criticism. Anytime a Funco is involved in something negative, a positive spin is put on to make it seem like there is never anything wrong with Funco, the car performed like a champ just the way it was designed. Not necessarily the case for other builders in the same situation. Sorry but Funcos aren’t perfect.

sounds like you are butt-hurt over something, E.D. Tell us how you really feel.

Tatum for sure, maybe a couple of others.

Not butt-hurt at all, just not afraid to say something negative about Funco.

Hey,
No problem. That is whats great about this board. We can agree to disagree. I think sometimes it is easy to forget that we are talking about sand cars and not offroad desert racers. Built lightweight but hopefully safe. If you really think about it look how hard that car crashed. Serious forces in play. Just glad everyone survived.

ditto

Actually, my friend who was trailing this Funco and witnessed the impact, told me that he was very impressed with the way the car held up. Funny, people here mentioned "probably saved a life" well, that is exactly what he told me, and he is the only one of us that was there. Not that he is an expert, but I was impressed with his opinion because his first car was a Predator (2" Tubing) and he now owns an X3. Based on that I think his opinion is certainly worth some value, or at least that fact that he was impressed with the Funco and is a owner of some pretty stout cars.

MIke

That brings up a good point though.


We don't consider these cars desert racers, but a lot of them are capable of going as fast if not faster than many of the class 1 cars. Both in power and suspension capability.

Perhaps we should start expecting the chassis to be on the same level as the suspension and drive train. I know I've heard a number of you say this before, it's not a new thought.

But hey, nothin wads up like a Ford either. But of course, my wife and daughter are still here today to talk about it.

more Tatums than Funco's..........................I highly doubt that.



I bet this chassis would fair pretty well. What do you guys think?

Dont' forget that this was not just a high speed endo, but a lawn dart as if it was dropped nose first out of a building. Serious sudden impact that we usually don't see the results of in the dunes or even desert.

Mike

Doubt it all you want, its true.

Also, the Funco frame in your picture is completely different than the Big5 and a much better design. I would bet your frame would fair much better in the same situation.

That's what happens when a drunk driver plows into you! Kam is a lucky girl.

Id like to see your #'s ...........btw: let me guess,you own a Tatum!

WOW, if you did not say they survived I would have guessed the other way the way tthe cab collapsed. God was looking over them. Glad they are alright.

Thanks guys!! My point is, what if my family was in an SUV like KIA makes. I think the outcome would be different.















BTW, there IS more Fords than Kias on the roads too.

Not in Zimbobway!

Theres no dunes in Zimbobway either!!
BTW, nice chassis pic

I dont care if you dont believe me, call Tatum and Funco yourself, bet you will be surprised!

Oh and yes, I do own a Tatum.

thanks...its a good friend of mine's car.

Curious why you think that frame is better. These pics are a Gen 4. Not sure what the differences are to the crashed car which was a Gen 3. The blue one seems to be the easiest to see.

Damn, that green one sure is purdy...... got any finished pictures of it??

Those pics are under the sponsor section - V&L Powdercoat. I think that may have been the car with the train theme on the panels.

So, do you want to win a sticker or a patch as a prize? I know that Desert Dynamics was at one point building more frames than anybody. I guess your Tatum would have driven away from an accident like that.