Im greatly impressed by some of the Pro Touring efforts I have seen on this site. The improvements to braking, steering and suspension systems are well documented and have been successfully executed on many cars. Its a great concept -- the style of the Chevelle with all the advantages of a newer car.
One of the great safety features found in newer vehicles is the airbag safety restraint system. Has anyone heard of or actually seen a Chevelle, 67 or otherwise that has had these installed ?

I think it would take some serious engineering to do it "right"... I'd start with some 3-point belts and good brakes.

67 on up have collapsible steering columns, which is a great feature that should be considered for 64-66 cars. With a non-collapsible shaft, if the frame buckles where the steering box is attached, the column moves with it and the shaft can impale the driver.

airbags are specifically designed for the car they are installed into. the sensors are designed for the not only the mass of the car, but how much the crumple zones give way to absorb some of the energy of the crash. for exapmle, you couldn't just take the air bag sensor out of Derek's bitchin Caprice wagon and put it in a cavalier and expect to walk away from a head on collision at highway speeds..
the only way to get it "right" would be to crash test a bunch of cars with crash test dummies until you got it right. how many Chevelles you got lying around? and how many are you willing to sacrifice to get it right?
on a similar track- ABS, on the other hand, could theoretically be swapped into a Chevelle pretty easily. get the front spindles and rear axle with all the ABS sensors out of a 94 Caprice, make it all fit under a Chevelle, and wire up the stock ABS controller. there ya go- antilock brakes under a classic car. not that you need ABS if you know how to drive...

Retrofitting airbag into an older car would be really dangerous unless you and your team of engineers are willing to put hundreds and hundreds of hour into it. Airbags go off with an incredible amount of force. One miscalculation and a minor crash leads to improper deployment and you can be killed. There are dozens of people killed by airbags every year. The amount of force(actually impulse) is simply amazing.

Another thought on the ABS idea. If memory serves me correctly the ATS spindles are designed to be compatible with teh ABS sensors on C5 vettes. Somebody correct me if I am wrong here.

Another thought on the ABS idea. If memory serves me correctly the ATS spindles are designed to be compatible with teh ABS sensors on C5 vettes. Somebody correct me if I am wrong here.

Thats a great idea. I dont drive my car in the snow or rain, so I dont really need ABS. I think instead of airbags, just try to do your best to prevent an accident. Yes I know not all can be prevented, but with good brakes and good handling and of course safe driving, your odds are fairly descent. If you do get in an accident, just hope you die. What better place to go than in our beautiful chevelles? :p Some people want to get buried in them even.

Retrofitting airbag into an older car would be really dangerous unless you and your team of engineers are willing to put hundreds and hundreds of hour into it. Airbags go off with an incredible amount of force. One miscalculation and a minor crash leads to improper deployment and you can be killed. There are dozens of people killed by airbags every year. The amount of force(actually impulse) is simply amazing.

Check out Jackass2. If ya can stomach the rest of it, there's a seen where an airbag(non automotive) is rigged to a doorbell. The guy pushes the bell and gets clocked by the aribag.
Seems harmless enough, but DAYUMN, the guy is knocked senseless.

Imagine that happening when ya hit a good size pothole or the wife hits a parking block a lil too hard.
I agree you're better off with seatbelts and some decent brakes (and breaks)

ABS brakes are a great idea, but only to prevent a loss of control on YOUR vehicles part. On two lane undivided roads head on collisions at high speed as the result of a sleepy and/or impaired driver often result in fatalities. I thought maybe there was a manufacturer out there making kits for the older cars.

air bags don't make people safer- they just make people complacent.