Close Calls!!!
05-07-2014, 02:34 PM
#1
Melting Slicks
Thread Starter
Close Calls!!!
Was just reading another thread in the tech section where five7kid had a ball-joint go on him as he went too take off. Made me think about a Close Call I had myself and thought it would be a good thread.
Here is his thread http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...rd-a-snap.html
My story is from my C3 and a few years ago. I just got it out for the year after working on it all spring and finishing up that night. Weather was awesome, car was ruining great and I was headed out too the local cruise on a Friday night around midnight. It's about a 25-30 min drive for me and I was just over halfway there when my car died pulling up to a stop light. Car lost all power and I'm immediately thinking starter fuseable link. So I popped the hood grabbed a flashlight and hoped out too see what's up. It was kinda a main 4 lane road with lots of lights and next too no traffic, but that didn't stop a car from almost hitting my 77. Soon as I got out I saw the car coming and he was going prob just under the limit of 45mph. Since I had no power and couldn't turn on my hazards I just started to flash him with the flashlight. The guy was still in my lane and coming on slowly and I was like he'll change lanes any min and go around. Finally I got out of the street waving and flicking my flashlight trying too get the guys attention and thought I was about too watch my car I just got done working on for months get totaled. He swerved at the last min and I immediately started too push the car around the corner. Once I got it off the main road I got on my phone and had a family member call me a flatbed. I had called a friend before getting out of the car with a trailer and left a message. He was supposed to meet me out anyway, but changed his mind and shut off his phone cause I never got ahold of him that night. While waiting for the flatbed I shinned a few more cars, but they all saw me in plenty of time. The funny part is earlier when I was on the phone I saw a flatbed drive by and sure enough it was the same one that came back. So he loads up the car and we get going and just around the corner my lights come back on. The driver looks at me and says "it's prob a loose battery cable, I've seen it before after we hit a few bumps". Then he explains he's already loaded the car and at this point it'll be just a few dollars for mileage and he'd unload it if I wanted and I could drive it. At that point I was like take me home I'm gonna park it and call it a night, so I hoped out shut the lights off and got back in the cab. I was annoyed and I never looked at the car because of all the traffic and especially after the near miss I was kinda anxious. None of my car friends answered their phones and they all where up, after talking to one the next day and describing what happened he was like battery came loose before I even told him.
Well got it home safe at least. Then backed it off the flatbed and right into my garage. My driveway is long and at a dead-end street, so the driver just parked at the end. When I got out of my car the last time that night I saw the driver rushing around too get his chains put away and bed tilted. Then I noticed the trail of transmission fluid that went all the way back too his truck and up onto his bed. I was pretty pissed, but I kept my cool and got too him before he got in his truck and was like dude I think you snagged my trans line with your hook, it was in the same area he hooked up pretty much. You could see it on his face, that was the reason he was rushing and trying to get out of there, he knew. After an apology and $5 bucks for a new line I let him go. I was just glad to be home and wanted to go to bed and deal with it another day.
The next day I went out too inspec the damage. Jacked it up and couldn't see the leak, so like a idiot I fired up the car and let it idle. Soaked my laydown carpet with trans fluid and got only a few drops in the pan. Anyways to my point finally! After I found the leak and looked it over carefully, I saw it was rusted and had blown out. The bad spot was right before the front pass tire and could of oiled my tires down and who knows. If the batt had not come loose it could have blown while going down the road at some point, maybe even during a race or a high speed jaunt. If the car wouldn't of almost hit me and damaged my calm, I'd of investigated it more and maybe figured it out. If my friends would have answered their phones I might of fixed it and been on my way. If I had unloaded it when the lights came on I would have still gone out. That night I called the flatbed driver because I got his card and gave my own apology and offered too meet him and give him his money back and more for the trouble. He just said he was glad he didn't mess up, thanked me for the call and said if we bump into each other some time I owe him a ride.
I ordered a set of Stainless lines fixed it and try too keep and open mind when things go south.
Here is his thread http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c4-t...rd-a-snap.html
My story is from my C3 and a few years ago. I just got it out for the year after working on it all spring and finishing up that night. Weather was awesome, car was ruining great and I was headed out too the local cruise on a Friday night around midnight. It's about a 25-30 min drive for me and I was just over halfway there when my car died pulling up to a stop light. Car lost all power and I'm immediately thinking starter fuseable link. So I popped the hood grabbed a flashlight and hoped out too see what's up. It was kinda a main 4 lane road with lots of lights and next too no traffic, but that didn't stop a car from almost hitting my 77. Soon as I got out I saw the car coming and he was going prob just under the limit of 45mph. Since I had no power and couldn't turn on my hazards I just started to flash him with the flashlight. The guy was still in my lane and coming on slowly and I was like he'll change lanes any min and go around. Finally I got out of the street waving and flicking my flashlight trying too get the guys attention and thought I was about too watch my car I just got done working on for months get totaled. He swerved at the last min and I immediately started too push the car around the corner. Once I got it off the main road I got on my phone and had a family member call me a flatbed. I had called a friend before getting out of the car with a trailer and left a message. He was supposed to meet me out anyway, but changed his mind and shut off his phone cause I never got ahold of him that night. While waiting for the flatbed I shinned a few more cars, but they all saw me in plenty of time. The funny part is earlier when I was on the phone I saw a flatbed drive by and sure enough it was the same one that came back. So he loads up the car and we get going and just around the corner my lights come back on. The driver looks at me and says "it's prob a loose battery cable, I've seen it before after we hit a few bumps". Then he explains he's already loaded the car and at this point it'll be just a few dollars for mileage and he'd unload it if I wanted and I could drive it. At that point I was like take me home I'm gonna park it and call it a night, so I hoped out shut the lights off and got back in the cab. I was annoyed and I never looked at the car because of all the traffic and especially after the near miss I was kinda anxious. None of my car friends answered their phones and they all where up, after talking to one the next day and describing what happened he was like battery came loose before I even told him.
Well got it home safe at least. Then backed it off the flatbed and right into my garage. My driveway is long and at a dead-end street, so the driver just parked at the end. When I got out of my car the last time that night I saw the driver rushing around too get his chains put away and bed tilted. Then I noticed the trail of transmission fluid that went all the way back too his truck and up onto his bed. I was pretty pissed, but I kept my cool and got too him before he got in his truck and was like dude I think you snagged my trans line with your hook, it was in the same area he hooked up pretty much. You could see it on his face, that was the reason he was rushing and trying to get out of there, he knew. After an apology and $5 bucks for a new line I let him go. I was just glad to be home and wanted to go to bed and deal with it another day.
The next day I went out too inspec the damage. Jacked it up and couldn't see the leak, so like a idiot I fired up the car and let it idle. Soaked my laydown carpet with trans fluid and got only a few drops in the pan. Anyways to my point finally! After I found the leak and looked it over carefully, I saw it was rusted and had blown out. The bad spot was right before the front pass tire and could of oiled my tires down and who knows. If the batt had not come loose it could have blown while going down the road at some point, maybe even during a race or a high speed jaunt. If the car wouldn't of almost hit me and damaged my calm, I'd of investigated it more and maybe figured it out. If my friends would have answered their phones I might of fixed it and been on my way. If I had unloaded it when the lights came on I would have still gone out. That night I called the flatbed driver because I got his card and gave my own apology and offered too meet him and give him his money back and more for the trouble. He just said he was glad he didn't mess up, thanked me for the call and said if we bump into each other some time I owe him a ride.
I ordered a set of Stainless lines fixed it and try too keep and open mind when things go south.
Last edited by BOOT77; 05-07-2014 at 02:39 PM. Reason: sp
05-07-2014, 04:14 PM
#2
Max G’s
The Closest call. I have had in the Vette was boiling my brake fluid on track. Fortunate for me I had come up on traffic that had slowed down and realized I had no brakes. Two more turns and I would have been on a long straight. Who knows how that would have came out? Lucky for me I didn't have to find out.
05-07-2014, 08:05 PM
#4
Le Mans Master
I had a couple of line issues.
On my '86 T-Type Regal I took my wife and her brothers from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. The next morning I started it and when I backed out I had a trail of transmission fluid. A line had broken. I am just lucky it was not on our trip.
On my '64 GTO I was going from central Iowa (Iowa State) to New Jersey. Somewhere in Pennsylvania I took an exit ramp and found no brakes. I got it stopped at the bottom before the stop sign with some aggressive downshifts and the emergency brake. A brake line had worn through. I drove it with the ebrake to a parts store, replaced the line, got an employee to help me bleed the brakes and was back on the road in about an hour.
It is really scary how close a real problem could be.
On my '86 T-Type Regal I took my wife and her brothers from Phoenix to the Grand Canyon and back. The next morning I started it and when I backed out I had a trail of transmission fluid. A line had broken. I am just lucky it was not on our trip.
On my '64 GTO I was going from central Iowa (Iowa State) to New Jersey. Somewhere in Pennsylvania I took an exit ramp and found no brakes. I got it stopped at the bottom before the stop sign with some aggressive downshifts and the emergency brake. A brake line had worn through. I drove it with the ebrake to a parts store, replaced the line, got an employee to help me bleed the brakes and was back on the road in about an hour.
It is really scary how close a real problem could be.
05-08-2014, 09:19 AM
#6
Burning Brakes
After changing brakes on my 80 I went in for dinner before tightening the lug nuts. Got up the next morning and forgot I hadn't tightened them in my haste to get to work. Wheel lasted almost 40 miles before it gave up.
I have the unique pleasure of driving a 3 wheeled Vette. Thankfully no one was hurt on the busy two lane road I was on. Broke the frame however.
I have the unique pleasure of driving a 3 wheeled Vette. Thankfully no one was hurt on the busy two lane road I was on. Broke the frame however.
05-08-2014, 10:01 AM
#7
Le Mans Master
Member Since: Dec 2000
Location: munising MI USA
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power master system went on my grand national right after I gave it to it in town along side my buddys camero. It was at about 50mph that i realized they were the peddle was hard and i had to so some serious slaloming through the trafic before I came enough to my sense to remember the emergency brake. Came inches from hitting a couple cars. Got rid of that powermaster setup the next week.
05-08-2014, 11:47 AM
#8
Le Mans Master
power master system went on my grand national right after I gave it to it in town along side my buddys camero. It was at about 50mph that i realized they were the peddle was hard and i had to so some serious slaloming through the trafic before I came enough to my sense to remember the emergency brake. Came inches from hitting a couple cars. Got rid of that powermaster setup the next week.