Safety ideas for teen proofing the 68???

[carsnguitars]

So made a deal with my 17yo boy, based on grades that he can occasionally drive one of the my "old cars" under 2 conditions, he gets the grades and keeps them, and he does most of the work on the car as well.

Wife is nervous because of lack of safety issues and reliablilty.
So I decided if he does the work and gets the grades, I decide to let him enjoy the 68 charger. Since I cannot air bag it, I need to do something...soo
Car is all original , but 383 was replaced years back with 440, and has electronic distibutor.
Short of a full cage haha, Some safety ideas I had:
Down size carb, maybe limit throttle?
Replace drivers seat with a better seat with harness?
Got front discs already, maybe up size?
Replace all bushings in front.
Reliablility, well I figured go through electrical good, and make sure engine running smooth and not getting gas boiling or anything.

So what other safetys measure should I be looking at? Ideas appriciated....

[Alaskan_TA]

Remove the gas tank.

Remove the wheels.

Take the back seat out.

Hide the keys.

[carsnguitars]

Remove the gas tank.

Remove the wheels.

Take the back seat out.

Hide the keys.

Haha...Although if I remember that far back, lots of us were driving around in these cars as late teens back in the day and most did just fine! Plus, a car is meant for driving and if he works on it, he will learn alot and appreciate it more!

[Indygenerallee]

440 and a teenager just don't go together, I know what I did as a teen and would never in a million years let my son drive a 440 Charger as a daily btw how is he gonna pay for gas plus the speeding tickets!!?? 

[Chryco Psycho]

at 17 my first Mopar was a 440 4 speed Chall R/T , never had a problem , some kids can handle it some can't youneed to be the judge
just adjusting the throttle cable forward can limit the throttle to 40-50%

[Alaskan_TA]

I had my first one at 16, but I bought it myself.

All kids are different, but from what I have seen the kids that pay their own way generally have more respect for the car.

My folks should have taken the advice I posted above.   

[carsnguitars]

"some kids can handle it some can't"

Exactly! Kids can do stupid things without a car, plus a kid can take his honda or 4 banger truck and speed and loose it just as easy. The only difference for me, is modern cars have better safety features and usually more relaible runner. How many times we break down & trying to get it running again with a handful of tools, and few chioce words!

I like limiting the throttle, thats a for sure!
I am sure ole charger will see some bumps and briuses, but since it has em now, add more character!

[carsnguitars]

Btw...it wont be a daily! He earn it with working on it and grades! Teach and appriciate it!

[BlaineKaiser450]

Depending on what kind of kid he is, I wouldn't do anything. If you're worried to the point where you want to modify the car to make him more responsible with it, then he's not ready to drive it. I am 17 myself and my dad has no problem letting me drive his srt8 or our plymouth with a built 440, just because I have never done anything to prove him otherwise. It all depends on his responsibility

[Rolling_Thunder]

440 six pack intake with the outboard carbs removed...     MSD 6AL2 - rev limter set to 3500rpm   

[A383Wing]

change out the engine to a slant 6

[Mike DC]

I agree that some kids can handle it.  I had a hopped-up 383 Mag with bad brakes when I was 16, and I didn't wreck it.


I'll tell you one thing that helped make me a better driver at that age - the shitty unassisted 10" drum brakes with leaking lines.   Just the physical difficulty of pushing the pedal to make abrupt stops forced me to watch several cars ahead leave big gaps.  I had enough leg strength to floor the pedal if I had to, but it was unpleasant to do it every time I wanted to stop.

Nobody is gonna recommend literally giving kids brakes with weak stopping power.  But maybe there is something to be said for not giving them the power assist for a while.  (I don't know if the lack of power assist alone would be enough to wear out their leg as much as my experience though.  It might also take a shortened brake pedal throw for the full effect.)  

[doctor4766]

change out the engine to a slant 6

Heyyyyyyyyyyy, you read my mind.

[BrianShaughnessy]

DISC BRAKES and TIRES !   

[Cooter]

Btw...it wont be a daily! He earn it with working on it and grades! Teach and appriciate it!

Take it from me.....I too thought about putting my own son in a 440(450 HP) 4-speed, Dana 60 1966 Plymouth...
(IMO There's only one reason when your 16 Y/O to want a musclecar that is about 250 HP BEHIND today's musclecars. I believe it is to try and prove something bout the "old skool VS New skool")
Of course, I scolded him bout the grades thing and NO STREET RACING, etc. Know how long all this lasted around peer pressure?

About three months before I almost put the '66 on the road. Got a speeding ticket. Ok, tried the "Good, calm, no yelling, parent thing about that one as it was a slower speeding ticket(45 in a 35 zone).....

Finally, I was so proud to have told everybody here on this board, how "Responsible" I thought my boy was.
Bottom line? Kid crashed his buddies car doing dumb sh*t, had TWO underage girls in the car when he was 19 Y/O, NO ONE had on a SEAT BELT!??!, then acted like it was some kind of my fault for getting upset at him this go round.

He decided that since he had a little hair on his balls, he'd simply leave rather than deal with the problem, as he put it, he "didn't need to hear it right then"...
So, after all this, I think his ride might be sold. and he's out the house.

Came back about a week ago talking even more sh*t bout how he was "Moving back in"..I had to explain how it was up to ME whether he "Moved back in" IF he moved back at all. All this drama because he wanted to show off...As if having a powerful Musclecar from the 1960's wasn't even enough now-a-days?


So, next time you are thinking bout trusting your kid, remember, the good times you had with them long before Facebook..After that, they seem to get "Ballsy" and begin to think they can disrespect you, sh*t on you, break that sacred trust, etc.

Don't be surprized if all that work goes up in smoke with the distinct smell of burning rubber and the sight of bent and twisted metal..Just hope your kid is as lucky as mine was.....Of course then, your wife will say something like "I told you so"..Take this for what you paid for it....

[Dino]

Take your kid to a driving course first.  Let him find out what goes and what does not, especially in a Charger.

Some of the teens back then indeed did fine and lots of them were reduced to minced meat as well.  Don't take a chance, this is a powerful car with no safety features.  Don't let the size of the car fool you, it will crumble like paper when you hit a tree.

As for the car itself, make sure the brakes are good so yes get the discs on now.  Seat belt is crucial, if you have the mounting hole in the roof you can get the xv motorsport belt, getting a seat with harness is of course a viable option as well.  Lap belts...well you might as well tie a string around your wrist so not to forget to avoid the windshield in a collision...

When you give him a chance to play with the car on an empty lot or at a driving course or whereever, you reduce the chance of him doing it on the street.  I would make it clear that there is a time and place to play and it's not on the public road.

[bill440rt]

Depending on what kind of kid he is, I wouldn't do anything. If you're worried to the point where you want to modify the car to make him more responsible with it, then he's not ready to drive it. I am 17 myself and my dad has no problem letting me drive his srt8 or our plymouth with a built 440, just because I have never done anything to prove him otherwise. It all depends on his responsibility

Good kid! 

I learned to drive on my mom's ol' 4-banger Omni, but also had a 318 Charger we were restoring. But... my daily high school ride was a 440-powered '71 Road Runner. I didn't get my first speeding ticket until I was well into my late 20's.... in a 4-banger Mitsubishi (it was late & I was only in a rush to get back home).

KNOW your kid. If you are nervous, don't just hand him the keys after a good report card & say have fun. RIDE ALONG with him. Teach him the in's & out's of driving one of these cars. Let him learn to drive on a simpler newer car, and explain how an older car is MUCH different. He'll learn to respect it as well by working on it, I know I did for sure.
Good luck! 

[kikgas01]

a

Remove the gas tank.

Remove the wheels.

Take the back seat out.

Hide the keys.

agreed, get him something different for as while.

[41husk]

I think if he keeps his grades up and does what he is supposed to using the charger every once in a while would be nice.  My dad had an old convertible Sunbeam alpine he let me drive some times.  I came squeeling around the corner I think the 3rd time I had driven it.  As soon as I pulled in my drive way he took the keys and calmly said driving is a priveledge and you just lost it   I never drove the Sunbeam again and it was a couple of months before I got to drive the 73 charger.  I did not get my own car until I moved out.  I think thats why I have had so many since! 

[1BAD68]

Most likely he will have good intentions about driving his dads car but it just takes one time with his friends and some peer pressure.
If it was me I would let him drive when I'm in the car with him, no exceptions.

[GOTWING]

I had some powerfull cars when i was very young and i never got speeding tickets, i got one for no turn signal lane changing,backing down a one way street,chirping second gear, all dumb stuff. I was lucky to not get caught doing the real dumb stuff. I would let him drive it as it is, if he is going to EFF up it doesnt matter the carb,harness,brakes etc. You know your child better then we do, just use your best judgement and let him know you do not want to be disappointed. My son is 11 and he will get my first car i had when he is older and would not have to drive it everyday as i did. These cars are no longer 10 year old cars, they are 40 plus, like me!
Good luck.

[440]

Too bad you can't install a data logging telemetry or gps . I'd hate to do it to my kid but it's the only way I'd know for certain how he is behaving on the road and treating my  cars.

There's also trust but it doesn't always work.

[Aero426]

Remove the gas tank.

Remove the wheels.

Take the back seat out.

Hide the keys.

I agree.   The only way to teen proof it is to not let him drive it alone.   Horsepower in a 40 year old car and inexperienced drivers are a bad combination. 

Look at the crash pics of that '65 B-body posted here yesterday, and how poorly that car held up in a real world high speed crash.  

[stripedelete]

440 and a teenager just don't go together

I was 21 before I owned/drove a v8.  I was pissed at my dad for a long time.  But when I got a little older, I realized what he had seen,  and who's kids were in wheel chairs,  and or badly burned , or flat out dead.  It happened a lot back in the day.   They were just teenagers that made one bad decision one night.   

Thanks dad. 

[charge69]

There is no such thing as "teenproofing" your '68. If you let him drive it, no matter what he says to you , he WILL crash it. Count on it !

If I had made such a dumb promise to my kid , the ONLY way he would ever get behind the wheel is with me in the car , NO EXCEPTIONS.

These cars just are too powerful with inadequate brakes and handling befitting a 40 year old car for a newby teenager to drive without strict , in car , supervision. Even that will not prevent someone from running in to you while not paying attention.