Doug Goes to the Dixon British Car Meet,or...

[AngliaGT]

......I know how they pay for those tow trucks.

I left for the British Car Meet in Dixon,CA,on Saturday
morning.I got about an hour South,when I heard a noise getting
louder,that I was sure was a loose wheel bearing.
I pulled over to the side of the road,when it got louder.A
CHP officer,on the other side of the road stopped,& asked if I was OK.
I told him that I planned on making it to the next town,& have it checked-
out.It got worse,so I decided to start heading back home.
I got a few miles down the road,when the Left front wheel locked up,
& was able to ease it to the shoulder.The CHP Officer was behind me,& stopped
right behind me.We had a Good talk,while waiting for the tow truck.
Tow truck arrives,& tows me to the towing yard in Redway.Unload the car,
& find out that the wheel pulled the lug nuts throught it.Got a ride to the NAPA parts-
store - no lug studs available,but got a die to clean the threads with.
Cleaned up the threads,had our #2 Kid brind a second set of wheels/tires down,
& put them on the car.I could have sworn that I'd double-checked that the lug nuts
were tightned down,but can't be certain.
The tow company employee loaned me the tools to swap out the wheels,but
his company charged me $10/mile to tow the car back (X10 = $100).AAA only paid for
5 miles,out of 15.
Made it to my motel in Dixon,leaking antifrease everytime I stopped.
Attended the meet,& got a 2nd place trophy,& met some graet people.
After the meet,I had to go to the local "In & Out" burger place in Vacaville.
I left there,with the dash guage pegging the "HOT" part of the guage.I walked to
a gas station,where the lady working there told me that it was "2 miles down that road".
I walked forever,until I found an Autozone store.Bought the coolant,& was offered a ride
back to the car.
I took it,put coolant in the car,discovered a loose lower radiator hose,tightened it,added
coolant,& was on my way.
I drove up Highway 16,to Highway 20,to the North side of Clear Lake,where the car
quite.I called a GREAT friend back in Eureka,who told me to check the fuel filter/carb bowl.
Checked those,& got back on the road,& made it home.
As bad as everything was,I was delayed,but ending up making the 700 mile trip.
Someone was watching out for me!

- Doug

 

[NutmegCT]

Doug - which car?

I think many classic car insurance policies pay for much more towing than your AAA coverage.

Tom

 

[MarshgrassA]

Doug...Now that was an adventure!

Check into AAA Gold card. You may also be able to file with your insurance for some of the cost.

Irene

 

[Jerry]

700 miles for a car show! We should have given you first place! Glad you made it home Doug. I think you need towing insurance. I enjoyed meeting you at the show. Jerry

 

[AngliaGT]

You to Jerry!I just have the basic towing.
I'm still kicking myself for not checking the lug nuts again.
I'm also still not sure if they were loose,or the wheel was
defective.
I also need to be thankful that all of the problems
didn't leave me stranded,& two of them were in places that
weren't remote,or unsafe.The car was the '69 Cortina Estate.
It also damaged the wheel stud holes,& did some damage
on the backside of the rim.Unfortunatly,this was a Lotus Cortina
rim - worth money,& hard to come by.
Also on the plus side,it pushed the fender lip out,but I was
able to tap it back into shape,with a hammer & a piece of wood.
All you can see know is some chipped paint.

- Doug

 

[Guest]

I'm also still not sure if they were loose,or the wheel was
defective.

- Doug

Why, no ~course~ they weren't loose....I'm sure that hose clamp was defective too.

Sound like you have CRS just like me. :thumbsup:


Aluminum or steel rim?

 

[AngliaGT]

Billy, I've been beating myself up over this ( & over,& over,& over...).I could have sworn that I double-checked,but there's no way of knowingfor sure.I held off posting that,because I felt like such an idiot,confirmingmy Wife's suspicions. We'll have 35 years of marriage (Monday),IF I don't do somethingREALLY stupid. - Doug

 

[AngliaGT]

BTW - they were steel wheels. - Doug

 

[Guest]

We'll have 35 years of marriage (Monday),IF I don't do somethingREALLY stupid. - Doug

LOL, then stay away from other women if you can't remember if you screwed something or not....


Doug, we all get distracted. Just go back and check everything to see it it is tight. I CONSTANTLY went back over the cars when I was on the team. That was on top of my post-race inspection where I would go over EVERYTHING on the car to make sure it was tight. If your studd isn't real dirty, mark each checked fastener with a paint pen. Draw a line down the side of the bolt/nut flat and then out on the piece it's holding. That way you'll know with just a glance if it's tight or not.

 

[DART]

Good technique, Billy. I just found out the reason the SP made a "bumping" noise at every slight change in road surface was a rear lever shock not connected to the frame. Both bolts had gone off to bolt heaven. I found the other side to also be less than fully tight. Starting to lust after a 2-post lift again.
Doug-you are certainly resourceful, I would never have continued on.

 

[AngliaGT]

Dale,

Not resourceful,just "reality challanged" (oblivious).

- Doug