Author Topic: You know you're having a bad day when (Read 1018 times)

66HertzClone · « **on:** September, 18, 2011, 12:09:13 PM »

You wake up early,shower, shave, brew some coffee and go out to find the newspaper has not been delivered by 7:30. You are scheduled to be at a car show by 8:30, get your stuff ready and head out.

As you turn out of the neighborhood onto the main road, you feel a vibration and know something is wrong. Pull over as soon as possible, get out of the car and look down the the left front wheel and see metal filings all over the wheel. You reach down and discover that you neglected to check your work yesterday and left the lug nuts loose.

You tighten them up and limp home, jack the car up and discover the holes in your Wheel Vintique Magnum 500 wheel are now about 5/8 in diameter. All five studs can be pushed out of the hub with your finger, meaning the hub is toast. So a +$600 wheel a new hub, and the aggravation.....the only good news is I didn't loose the wheel all together and end up in a ditch.

I'm thinking I'll use the ruined wheel as a foot rest, get a round piece of glass to use as a top, it will serve as a constant reminder that I need to check my work.

cmayna · « **Reply #1 on:** September, 18, 2011, 12:15:42 PM »

Did you eventually get your news paper? If so then your day ended up on a semi good note...................Sorry just had to be a smart ass in attempt to put a smile on your face.

What you did, so many have also done. I'm just waiting for my day to arrive. Besides, just think, if you had gone to the car show then you would have probably won resulting in others being pissed at you. Thus you kept your friendship with your car friends.

janschutz · « **Reply #2 on:** September, 18, 2011, 12:29:43 PM »

Quote from: 66HertzClone on September, 18, 2011, 12:09:13 PM

.....the only good news is I didn't loose the wheel all together and end up in a ditch.

I call that a lucky day

Quote from: 66HertzClone on September, 18, 2011, 12:09:13 PM

I'm thinking I'll use the ruined wheel as a foot rest, get a round piece of glass to use as a top, it will serve as a constant reminder that I need to check my work.

That is similar on how I got mine.

silverblueBP · « **Reply #3 on:** September, 18, 2011, 12:37:08 PM »

At least you didn't see the wheel go rolling past you!

66HertzClone · « **Reply #4 on:** September, 19, 2011, 11:16:58 AM »

Well, the season is over for me, these wheels are made to order, none in stock anywhere, and lead time is 6 to 10 weeks.....

B67FSTB · « **Reply #5 on:** September, 19, 2011, 12:37:30 PM »

Bad day ??
Got one too.
Last week , for once, we had a beautiful day this summer.
So I took the fastback for a quick spin around the block as suddenly , when pulling the car in third gear , the hood popped up !!!!
It scared the hell out of me !!

Stopped , checked the hood quickly and noticed .... nothing!! Phew !! Lucky bastard I taught.
I closest the hood , and noticed that the hood sat a bit lower at the position where the hnges are.
When I came home , I popped the hood and .... that was a mistake !!!!
I damaged the paint when popping the hood at the cowl. Because the hood sat lower , it striked the paint at the center of the cowl panel wher e the car has that "caracter line". Hope I did explain it proper.
Dammed , I should have know it better !!!

gwstang · « **Reply #6 on:** September, 19, 2011, 01:10:16 PM »

Dang that sucks. I did something similar with my bicycle when I was around 12. Later in the evening, I decided to change a flat tire on the bike so I got the tube and had at it. Took the wheel off the front forks. (there weren't any of those sissy 10 speeds then, just plain old bikes). I did put the front wheel back on the forks and snugged the nuts down with my fingers and reached for the wrench to tighten them....mom called me to supper and I was starved so I dashed in to eat and would go back out to tighten them. Yep you know where this is going to lead....lol. I got interested in the star trek (old star trek, but new back then) that had just came on and forgot all about the "wheel". Well, I dashed out the next morning and flipped the bike ( with the old style banana seat...lol) over and started off at break neck speed. I got about 2 blocks from the house and the road that crossed mine was being paved. It was about 3" or so higher than my road. I hit that puppy and jerked the front wheel off the ground to do a "wheelie" like any healthy 12 year old would do. The next thing I knew, the damn front wheel kept going at a rapid speed away from the bike. Just damn. Ouch, that hurt and left a big mark (still have a large scar on my shoulder where it took out a healthy chunk of hide) on my shoulder...dislocated my arm and was all generally around sucky to say the least. When those front forks hit the pavement, it was a total disaster in slow motion. I jumped up and threw the bike off the street into someone's front yard, didn't give a damn about the front wheel at that point. Stumbled home and fortunately my sister, who is an RN, came by the house and saw me stumbling up (probably a concussion) dizzy as hell and all beat up. She took me to have my arm fixed, fun with a sling on it the rest of the summer. She went up there in her brand new MG Midget and got my bike and the front wheel was a complete block up the road (long way) and in somebody's back yard where it came to rest. Missed getting to play baseball in the all star game with all my buddies. I have never forgotten that lesson. I go round and round like an OCD fool checking and re-checking lug nuts because of that!

Midlife · « **Reply #7 on:** September, 19, 2011, 01:45:58 PM »

Neat story! And it explains oh so very much about you! *G*

gwstang · « **Reply #8 on:** September, 19, 2011, 01:54:52 PM »

yeah, SWMBO looks at me kinda strange sometimes...lol Nice of her not to say anything though!

Sluggo · « **Reply #9 on:** September, 19, 2011, 02:32:03 PM »

You are quite fortunate you did not lose the wheel.

A tip I got from and old timer when I first got in the biz has served me well over the years.

Never put a bolt or nut in place without the tool in hand to tighten it.

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66gt350 · « **Reply #10 on:** September, 19, 2011, 02:54:04 PM »

Quote from: silverblueBP on September, 18, 2011, 12:37:08 PM

At least you didn't see the wheel go rolling past you!

Been there, done that...It is very, very bad to get passed by your rear wheel!! I was just heading home, and noticed while driving on the freeway, that the car didn't feel right. I exited at my off ramp, and while I was driving on the overpass, the left rear dropped and I was passed by the tire. I slid over to the shoulder and went hoofing it to my tire. It rolled down the overpass, off the road, down into a ditch. I was in sight of my house, so I was able to walk home get a jack and lugnuts to put it back on. Luckily, very little damage. I have a set of Lakewood underrider traction bars on the car, and that is was hit the pavement. One of them has a nice bit of road rash on the bottom.

mustang656man · « **Reply #11 on:** September, 20, 2011, 08:45:01 AM »

about 8 years ago i bought a 68 convrt shell up in pa and brought my 66 style steel wheels and tires with me to make the tow dolly haul home-after paying the bal for the heap i changed the tires ect and about 2 miles from the guys house while going up a hill i lost the left rear tire and it rolled down the long hill-what an adventure- a nice fellow with a tow truck stopped and lifted up the rear for me to install wheel but the hard part was going and retrieeving the wheel/tire that got away.no damage to the wheel or tire or studs that i remember.just a nice start to a 1k mile trip home. wes

70 StangMan · « **Reply #12 on:** September, 20, 2011, 09:11:52 AM »

Been there done that. The newspaper and the loose lugs. I left the left front lug nuts loose because I was going to " go right back under there" the next day. Well that didn't happen, but what did happen was several days later decided to take the car to the corner store on a Beer run. Went to store and coming home I rounded the next to last corner before home and heard the sicking little clinking sounds of lug nuts and spacers hitting the road. Stopped and checked and found only 2 lug nuts barely hanging on. Walk home to get floor jack and more lug nuts thinking the whole time how close I came to destroying the front fender and door and what a idiot I was and had to drink warm beer on top of it all.

silverblueBP · « **Reply #13 on:** September, 20, 2011, 09:32:05 AM »

WARM BEER...the HORROR.

70 StangMan · « **Reply #14 on:** September, 20, 2011, 10:02:23 AM »

Quote from: silverblueBP on September, 20, 2011, 09:32:05 AM

WARM BEER...the HORROR.

Down here we prefer it Cold.

silverblueBP · « **Reply #15 on:** September, 20, 2011, 01:49:25 PM »

Quote from: 70 StangMan on September, 20, 2011, 10:02:23 AM

Down here we prefer it Cold.

That's what I meant, drinking warm beer is horrific!

opentrackerSteve · « **Reply #16 on:** September, 20, 2011, 05:01:13 PM »

Looks like you've accumulated another component to your 'hall of shame'.... I have many pieces...

RapidRabbit · « **Reply #17 on:** September, 21, 2011, 05:50:50 AM »

Been there, done that. Good thing you caught it before the wheel came off.

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70 StangMan · « **Reply #18 on:** September, 21, 2011, 07:09:10 AM »

That's the picture I was thinking about but forgot who's it was. That is exactly how I pictured mine looking if I 'd went another 15 feet.

RapidRabbit · « **Reply #19 on:** September, 21, 2011, 08:18:05 AM »

Yup, I'm the moron who did that.
I wasn't driving it when it happened, but I was the idiot who forgot to check the lugnuts after a long winters storage.

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