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M37 crash test.
Well the m37 is diffidently a good sound truck! I know this because I decided to test it last night when I slammed into a new Chevy and totaled the bed of the Chevy and only dented the front fender. The accident couldn’t be avoided as it was caused by a steering malfunction but I would still liked to have avoided the whole thing.

I guess no one was hurt? Whew!

From what pics I have seen of M37 run-ins with civilian vehicles, the civilians always lose.

Glad to hear no one was hurt.

Your steering broke?

What happened with the steering?

Hope you have good insurance pal. If this steering malfunction was caused by you, and you are not a licensed mechanic, you may be in for a lawsuit.

Nick,
Licensed does not mean quality or guarantees. As far as I know the only Federally mandated "licensed" mechanic would be an aviation A&P. Automotive techs are usually ASE certified, but I once spoke to one of those who did not comprehend diesel vs. gasoline combustion . Even proper repairs can fall victim to a bad part or something like a porosity in a casting. The Concorde was brought down by a hackjob patch which fell off another aircraft. That repair was done by a "licensed" technician.
Now if our friend wrapped a coat hanger around the pittman arm because he just had to go for a cruise, that is another story. I hope all goes well for Bubba and I wish him the best.

As John said, “From what pics I have seen of M37 run-ins with civilian vehicles, the civilians always lose.”

Maybe so, but you better have good insurance.

Several years ago, many automobile insurance companies decided to place high rates on larger vehicles with the argument that the big vehicles were hurting the little vehicles in collisions and this resulted in the little vehicles usually having a high percentage of damage with many more of the little vehicles being totaled.

This was probably true. However the insurance companies ignored the demographic differences of the drivers of big vehicles and little vehicles.

Few “daddies” buy 1-ton dually pickups as first cars for their “little darlings”. Few recently widowed senior citizens who have been forced to drive themselves to the mall for the first time choose large SUV’s for their first cars. Look at the student parking lots at your local high schools and community colleges. You will surely see more little vehicles than big vehicles.

This is not as true in places like rural Texas where youngsters started driving big vehicles - mostly full size pickups - to help with farm and ranch chores many years before they reached legal driving age.

The point remains that the drivers of little vehicles generally have less driving experience that the drivers of big vehicles.

Less experience means more little vehicle accidents. Some top executives of automobile insurance companies still remember “horsepower BAD” when horsepower was used to charge one easily identifiable group higher rates. On the one hand, they ignored the demographics of the drivers and focused on the engine size. Yet, at the same time they began to focus on the driver’s age as justification for higher insurance premiums.

Then they encountered another problem. How can they rationalize high premiums for big engines without having lower premiums for smaller engines common to little vehicles? And the sheer numbers of little vehicles on the roads - with their less experienced drivers - and in accidents - means that lowered premiums can cut into the special pay of top executives.

The insurance companies decided to go after the folks who are already paying higher premiums for their larger vehicles.

My M37 contradicts all the ideas coming out of the executive board rooms. I am not an inexperienced driver. My big vehicle has a small percentage of the horsepower of many little vehicles being marketed as street racers. And my big vehicle can “kill” other big vehicles. Picture a typical collision between an M37 and a Suburban.

I am not required to have any insurance for my M37 which is registered as an antique vehicle AND WHICH IS DRIVEN in accordance with the antique vehicle law.
You better believe I have insurance - liability, collision, and comprehensive. I do not have to show proof of insurance to law enforcement officers in a routine registration and insurance check. In fact I am amused when I am stopped by someone who does not know that the US Army registration number on my hood is displayed in lieu of a “license plate” here in Texas.

And you better believe that, even if I am legally parked in a designated space at a car show, I have my proof of insurance ready. You cannot believe how many people will try to get an innocent person to pay for damage they have caused to their own car.

Knowing that I have a money hungry, crooked insurance company with shameless executives out to cheat everyone really puts a mean, bully on my side. I like it!

HingsingM37 wrote:Nick,
Licensed does not mean quality or guarantees. As far as I know the only Federally mandated "licensed" mechanic would be an aviation A&P. Automotive techs are usually ASE certified, but I once spoke to one of those who did not comprehend diesel vs. gasoline combustion . Even proper repairs can fall victim to a bad part or something like a porosity in a casting. The Concorde was brought down by a hackjob patch which fell off another aircraft. That repair was done by a "licensed" technician.
Now if our friend wrapped a coat hanger around the pittman arm because he just had to go for a cruise, that is another story. I hope all goes well for Bubba and I wish him the best.

David;

Come on man, I'm sure you are aware that any ambulance chasing lawyer is gonna jump on the chance to sue a person if they find out he is a weekend hobbyist, who works on his own vehicle. There are sixteen ways from Sunday that same lawyer can twist a story into something that will portray the M37 owner, such as in this case, as being some bumpkin who jerry rigged his vehicle then got into an accident with it! Yes, licensed doesn't mean quality, but not licensed spells lawsuit in an accident any way you slice it! Its the same as a person who chooses to keep a handgun for self defense, who then decides to fill it up with hollow point ammo instead of normal ball fodder, and who gets sued for premeditation when he blows some dirtbag away. Maybe bubba won't be seen as maliciously trying to harm someone, from a premeditated standpoint, but he could however, be viewed as somone who didn't know what he was doing and therefore caused an accident due to his own negligence. I'm not saying this was the case, however in the eyes of some wannabe LA law attorney who wants to make a name for himself, you bet your ass he's gonna go down that road and try to paint the defendant as a redneck shadetree wrench hack who doesn't know what he's doing.

Trust me, I got sued in a car accident one time. I listened to a guy who waved me into an intersection, and blam, some lady flying up the turn lane plowed into my Jeep. She was speeding for sure, and later we found out that she was a POS from what we call "bedbug row" who was a sue happy B%tch. Well guess what, she got hold of some young lawyer who used the same tactics I just mentioned and got the policy limit of 25K from my insurance. I simply got into an accident, and as a result this woman's POS car was totaled. Her passenger had minor injuries only and that was it, yet the driver sued me. And you shoulda seen how the suit was written up too. You'd have thought by reading it, that I was some "just released from prison" deviant, who was hell bent on destruction.

As I said, my man here had better have good insurance because in this world of today, he's more likely than not to be sued. And he'd better hope that nobody finds out about his steering job that he has done himself. Quality work or no, it will be used againt him regardless. Thats all I'm trying to say.

Nick,
I agree with you from the litigation standpoint. No argument there. No doubt there are many a scumbag lawyer out there that will take advantage of a situation.
As with many things, This has caused insurance rates in the martial arts industry to skyrocket. I used to have just a 1 million contact injury liability (even though my students sign a waiver) on my studio. My insurance has more that tripled since I started teaching. It cost me $500 extra now in insurance annually just to be protected from off the wall potential "what if" lawsuits IE: In case one student sexually harasses another, in case little Timmy hurts little Tommy at school with techniques I taught him, in case little Tina is traumatized for life by not passing her ranking test, in case I am accused of molestation or sexual harassment, in case Timmy fails to train hard and gets beat up at school and blames me for not teaching him well enough, in case little Tommy chokes on a sloppy Joe at the school pot luck dinner, in case little Timmy is emotionally scarred from me being to insensitive as a teacher, in case little Tina slips and falls in the restroom, in case little Tina gets bruised by little Tommy before the school homecoming beauty pagent....it is endless and maddening... Also on the advice of my accountant, I can own nothing of value on paper for financial protection. What is that old addage? "First kill all the lawyers..."

So sorry to hear of this, Bubba, hope all works out ok.
Gary

Good luck, Bubba!