Brokeback mountain [long opus] part 1
That's the nickname I've given this fiasco. Brokeback Mountain
without the gay sex. Just a mountain and a broke back.
Broke the BE too.
Now that the back has been repaired and I'm well on my way to a full recovery it is time to fix Screamin' Mimi.
Began the task today.
What happened was the driver's side rear wheel and tire came off and passed me going down the road.
The Sprite has those wire wheel adapters so as to use spin on Minilites.(see pic) They are bolted to the hub via some little nylock nuts. All has been fine and I've run the car pretty hard.
(see Carolina Motorsports video)
Link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5csbvgUDsgw
Routine 7k+ shifts etc
No problems.
I recently went from a HIF6 carb setup to twin HS4s.
(see pics)
Noticeable power increase.
On my first mountain run with the new carbs I was leading
a 933 Porsche and pushing it pretty hard. So hard in fact
the 933 was getting loose trying to keep up even though
I was staying in my lane and not drifting or getting loose.
On my way home I noticed the car was VERY quick on lane change. I stopped and checked the car over. No problem was obvious. We had all slpit on seperate ways home so I was by myself.
Going back on Devil's Fork road I had slowed to maybe 15-20 mph, as the condition had worsened, when the rear driver's side squatted and I watched in horror as the rear wheel passed me. Link to Devil's Fork :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdFdzM41r6o
I ground to a halt without a wreck. WHEW!
Luckily I was able to retrieve the wheel and tire about a 1/4 up the road.
I called my wrecker friend and when he arrived we decided
that dragging the car onto his rollback could cause damage.
I tried to lift the rear corner so as to stick the wheel back on for the winching onto the wrecker.
CRACK...Brokeback Mountain. Acute fracture of L1 vertebrae.
Ambulance etc ensued.
So far this little episode has cost about $40K + in medical bills. Hap thought my temp brace pending surgery looked like a Borg invasion. Surgery was amazing.
Link to surgery video:
https://spinalfracture.com/understand/understand3.aspx?gclid=CKuPxdam8KECFUtX2god1X1TLg
Funny thing was Doc got a good laugh in the operating room when he discovered I have an extra vertebra. They thought it was a T12 but it turned out to be a L1. "Who can't count?"
"We're cutting on a lawyer and somebody screwed up the count!"
They got it right in the end.
Today I began the car repairs.
The little nylock nuts are just not sufficient for the use I make of Screamin' Mimi.
The darn things had stripped completely off the studs and stripped the studs in the process.
End of Part 1