Real life trumps the internet everytime

[Brian Lohnes]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

Drag Week 1

Steve Atwell replacing a lifter in his LEGIT real deal factory 1968 Hemi Dart at some gas station on the way to Colombus Ohio.

I was covering the event, so I could not help...but I could watch and listen to the local yokels who happened by and offered to help Steve, including one incredibly ummm, "intelligent" kid who yapped incessantly about a race car he drove (this kid rode up on a 10 speed). Steve was asses and elbows getting things pulled apart and put back together and at one point I thought he was going to reach over and close this kid's wind pipe for him so he could concentrate on what he was doing.

I followed Steve and his wife to Colombus that night...with the 4.88 gears the car had in it, he could do 55 on the highway. It was a slow ride, but the entire time I really couldn't believe who and what I was driving behind. That thing would list like the Andrea Doria on off ramps. Steve and his wife went through hell that week, but were always smiling. Maybe there were fumes leaking through the floor.

Ha!

Brian

[tiresmoke!]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

3 years ago....

Had recently purchased my '85 Z28, took it on a road trip to SE Ky for some camping fun with the wife and kids(they went ahead of me by 4 days, I had to work).

Longest drive I've made with the car to date....did very well on the way down, and ran great while I was down there.

3 days later, time to head back to Indy......rather uneventful up 75 from London to Lexington, east on 64 to Louisville.

Around the Waddy/Peytona exit, I start noticing smoke coming out the back of the Camaro, and that it isn't pulling like it should. I pull off to the side, wife comes up sreaming " your car is puking trans fluid all over the van!". Rear seal took a dirt nap....YAY!!

For some odd reason, I happened to have one in the hatch.
Limped it up to the rest area, jacked it up and swapped it out with a screwdriver, a hammer and a chunk of wood I found in the grass. Had a couple of quarts of ATF, topped off the trans. Off we go....


Make it through Louisville, get back into Indiana. Make i as far as Scottsburg, header bolts start backing out. Pull over again, burning hands and swearing like a sailor while cinching down the afore-mentioned bolts with a pair of Vise-grips.

Fan belt let go just north of Seymour, fabbed one up with a roll of duct tape.....lasted for a week!

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

Back in the 60's breaking down and wrenching on the road wasn't really a big deal......didn't have all the electronic crap on the cars we have today.
I can remember at least several times the old fuel pump going bad and changing it out on the fly.

The one that brings back memories.....in 1965 I had a '49 Chevy rat rod, rattle can primer black........235 6 banger.
I knew that engine backwards and forwards........one cold winter night after riding the bus back from an away
football game I got inside car to start it.......cross town rivals got into the engine bay while I was gone, took off distributor cap, air cleaner etc and put them in the front seat.
In the dark, no light.........I hook everything back up........I knew the firing order by memory of the old six banger
Put dist cap back on, got the plug wires in correct order etc......hell, ten minutes I was back on the road and head for
hamburger joint.

[Fordplay0621]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

I was driving to School 35 miles away through the back roads in my 69 VW bug, besides catching on fire three times it was a pretty decent car. I was crusing along when all of a sudden a horendous kerfulmph! and the Bug was up on two wheels . Slamming back down I slide off to the side of the road. I shut down and got out, and could not see anything that would have caused anything of the sort.
So I got back in and went to start the Car and NOTHING happened.
I reached back under the rear seat to wiggle the Battery cables and There was nothing but a hole in the floorboard. It had rusted through, and the Battery feel through the hole and I ran it over.
TIme to walk! about a mile up the road I went up to a House and this Old Lady answered the door, and I told her my situation. She led me back to a Barn in back of the House. When She opened the door, in front of me was a Barn full of VW's being restored. Her husband was not home at the moment, and she handed me a rear Floorboard section that fit my car, and a battery. The trip back with the battery was a bit longer. I dropped the floor panel in and hooked up a Gheto Rigged Battery connector and off I went. When I got home that night and welded the floor patch in.

Three months later I sold the VW, and when the guy came to pick it up, he told me he was buying it for his wife. Just then the Old Lady from the Farm house got out of the Truck and Hugged me. The Old Man looked at us a wondered what the ***** is going on.

[KeithTurk]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

I'm betting Freiburger ain't ever had AAA... but his Karen won't be without it... so who cares what happens to Dave.... Small frei and Karen will get home every time...

Life trumps drama toooo...

K

[Dynoroom]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

Now we are in trouble, still no tools and no parts. While I look over the situation Miller goes into the store to look for something that may help. He returns with 50' of plastic rope and a knife. He must have been both a Boy Scout and a sailor. He uses the plastic rope to tie the alt back in place to the motor mount and to the frame rail. Looks OK, rev the engine a few times, engine temp is steady and no slipping belt sounds. Hood down, burn rubber for home.

I have a picture someplace.

DW

This from a guy who blasts me for having jumper cables in the back of my truck... ;D

[joe_rocket45]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

I was 14 and my dad had a 63 Fairlane, 260 V8 and a 3 speed on the floor. He let me drive it to the local store which was about 6 miles down a dirt road then maybe 3/4's of a mile of straight asphalt. I get what I need at the store and looking down that 3/4 mile stretch I can't resist and nail it in first, it sounds real good as it winds out and I grab second..KaBlang! gitty blangityy blaingity!! The rear U joint popped out of the yolk and I'm about to freak, 14 years old hotrodding around in dads car and a driveshaft in hand. I kid you not, I put it back in, got some bailing wire, wired the caps to the yolk and drove home.

Another time I had a Firebird that was pretty quick so me and my buddies decide to take it to the nearest dragstrip. We drive 80 miles with slicks and open headers to reach the track. The first pass the car launches great, 7200 and slap it into second. It's pulling hard, real hard, 6800 and I hit drive but it's falling on it's face. I flip the nitrous switch a couple times to see if the bottle is empty but it's not. The car just wouldn't pull on the topend. I get my time slip and it says 12.33 @ 110. Not bad but I knew it wasn't right. I still have to make another pass. Pull to the line, stage, launch and half way through first gear it misses reall bad and dies.

We push the car off the track and wonder about getting home, 80 miles is a long ways and I couldn't leave my ride. I start to check things like the fuel, timing ah-ha! the cap on the unilite! They have clips with a tiny screw that holds them on, well one had popped off so I pull my shoestring off and tie the cap on. We make it home no problemo! ;D

[falconizer_62]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

Cell phones and AAA takes the urgency out of it don't you think? you don't really have to fix it now days.

[JeffMcKC]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

And this one time at Band Camp, we pulled a 555 out field dressed it, with one head off, cam out, new cam, we still dont know what it is, a different head gasket MLS on that side, new lifters fixed the head put it back on motor back in and drove 12 hours, fixed a broke trailer hitch at 5:00 in the A.M. and made a pass then changed the Alt. and took my second battery out and installed it.

It was the most fun I have had on Drag Week yet.

Lets do it again this year Doc! :

[FEF100]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

Hello FEF100
I liked your story. My brother and a buddy went west and had no starter before they left Ontario. They push started the truck every time they stopped
Sask or Alberta was there destination that time
He later went to BC and told me of the mountain roads...I have heard from others as well how wild it is
Then in Sask he said you can watch your dog run away from home for a day LOL ( quite flat)
Tom

You are right Tom. My first trip through Saskatchewan was at night. I came up behind a slow moving vehicle (doing the speed limit or something like that) and took a look to pass. There was a car coming, so I tucked back in behind him. I drove for a couple of minutes, poked out for another look and that car is still heading toward us. I tucked back in again. About a minute later I realize this guy is still a long way down the road, so I pulled out and passed. Five minutes or so later I passed the oncoming car. That prairie horizon can be a long, long way form you.

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

I've had a few, half I'm sure I've forgotten. I tell people it's not a road trip unless you're on the side of the road or broke down in a parking lot at least once.

When I bought my Thunderbird in Pueblo,CO I'd bought a one way plane ticket to buy it sight-unseen (always a good idea :P). Figuring it's a 500 mile drive home I'd better bring some basic hand tools (the only luggage I had to check at the airport) so I grabbed the basics. Well the car looked good and started and ran fine for the test drive, so money exchanged hands and I hit the road. Fifteen miles out of town the engine misses then dies while cruising 70mph ??? Coasting to the side of the road I make the first two vital checks, Fuel and Spark. The tank was just filled but the accelerator pump wasn't spraying anything....Bad accelerator pump or bad fuel pump? I had picked up a can of brake clean earlier to clear off the oil on the valve covers so a little of that down the carb narrowed it down to fuel. While testing that a few more times it fired up and idled. Better hit the road only 485 more miles to go. It made it another five :-\ So now it's either the fuel pump or the filter's plugged. I was able to baby it 20 more miles to a parts store where I bought all their fuel filters (3) and one electric fuel pump with some wire just in case. Pop the filter in and vroom off I go for 100 miles. It starts missing, I pull over when convient, change the filter out and vroom 100 more miles. Now doing the math tells me I'm about 150 miles short of my destination worth of filters and sure enough I was. So now I've resorted to taking the old filters and back flushing them with brake cleaner and blowing through them. Each time would get me about 50 miles :o Got me home though. Turns out the gas tank was rusted way out and I ended up replacing it and the fuel sending unit. Funny thing, the gas tank was all banged up and had three pennies brazed to it.

Same car about four months and a gas tank later I was driving in Wickenburg, AZ with a convoy of cars for some mine tours and we are filling our gas tanks for a trip to Safford, AZ when fuel starts pouring out the bottom of the car! :o I tell the group with a smile, no problem, go on with out me I've got it covered. Some were worried, others wanted to stay and make sure I got it under control but I insisted it wasn't necessary and I would meet up with them in Safford at some point. Off they went and I pulled my car around behind the store at the gas station because I don't think they like people working on their cars at the pumps. Turns out the new sending unit I installed managed to back itself out. While losing a few gallons of gas I got under there and got the sending unit to seal, then with some careful taps with a screw driver and my hand got it tightened down. Made it to Safford only an hour late to everyone's amazement.

[milner351]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

it's experiences like that which give you faith in your fellow man again.

I've helped a few folks change tires and the like - sometimes I'm afraid I might get mugged or something - it depends on the situation of course... but I think if we help when we can, we're doing our part of the golden rule, and you never know when you'll need a hand!

[Eric68]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

My first real roadside repair was in '88-89 when I was driving my 84 Camaro back to the naval base in Charleston, SC after leave in Michigan. The fuel pump died on the freeway in Fancy Gap, Virginia. Not knowing at first that it was the fuel pump I coasted to a stop in the center median and started troubleshooting.

After about 15 minutes I figure out what the problem was and a guy stops in a pickup truck. He offers to drive me to the parts store . . . the only parts store in Fancy Gap Virginia. He drives me about 10 miles and when we get there the guy at the parts store has one fuel pump for an SBC in stock. I ask him how much it was and he says with a smile, "how much you got?" Since I was young and had no credit card I could only spare $20 of my remaining gas money. He took my $20 and he even puts gasket sealer on it for me there in the store. For a minute I thought it was going to be "a Deliverance moment" -- I expected Banjo music to start at any time.

Anyways, the gentleman with the truck waits the whole time and drives me back to the car in the middle of the interstate. Pump goes into the car and off I go.

[Freiburger]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

If you were me, the car would still be driving that way. Fence wire and rope. Perfect.

[dwarner230]

Re: Real life trumps the internet everytime

This one is a little long, but...

Last year at this time we took my '29 roadster on a reliability run from Paso Robles to Harris Ranch, about 125 miles. Left my house on a Friday morning for the 4 hour drive to Paso, all went well.

Sat. morning we all queue up for the run. A little freeway time then hit the back roads to look at picked over vineyards. We were close to the tail end of the line and buzzing along when all of a sudden a hellious noise with clunking and banging happened. We pulled over, lifted the hood and found that the top bolt for the generator bracket had left the house. The alt was laying over to one side and the fan belt was of course no longer going to turn the water pump. No tools, no parts, no hope.

Just then help arrived, three or four guys pulled over to see if they could assist. We were all slightly perplexed but in true hot rod fashion a solution was found. Some fence wire was cut, the under slung alt bracket was rebent using the hitch ball on a pickup, loosened the ball - slide the bracket under it, tighten ball and bend. Try several times until the bracket looks OK. It is now a top bracket tied to the water pump. Remember the fence wire? Used it the tie the alt back to the motor mount in order to tension the belt. Add a loop and use a 1/4-20 bolt to keep tension and you're good to go. Good thing the helpers were farmers and knew fence building.

We continued on to the end. Drank some Jack and beer, shot the bull and had a fine time.

BWTM:

Sunday morning we head out for LA, Interstate 5 for a few hundred miles. Just before pulling the grade from the Bakersfield side to LA I suggested we stop at the truck stop. I had noticed that the engine temp was slightly on the high side. Lifted the hood - the freakin' wire holding the alt and belt tension is broken!

Now we are in trouble, still no tools and no parts. While I look over the situation Miller goes into the store to look for something that may help. He returns with 50' of plastic rope and a knife. He must have been both a Boy Scout and a sailor. He uses the plastic rope to tie the alt back in place to the motor mount and to the frame rail. Looks OK, rev the engine a few times, engine temp is steady and no slipping belt sounds. Hood down, burn rubber for home.

I have a picture someplace.

DW