Driving on two wheels - not recommended.

[jjbunn]

Out for a drive, doing about 30mph, I hear a horrible bang, and the TR6 swerves to the left, into the adjacent lane. I grapple with the steering wheel to correct course, but then there's another horrible crunching noise: the driver's side front wheel has come clean off! Suddenly the car is on two wheels only, the whole car is at 45 degrees and I think it's going to flip over. The top's down, so I brace myself, and struggle to hold the steering, and I think I may have thrown my body to the left in an effort to tip the car back down - everything happened very quickly. The car rights itself, and I end up skidding down the street, mount the curb, and come to a grinding halt.

No injuries, I'm just shaken, thank goodness.

But the car is a real problem. AAA came and towed it back to my house, and it's now in the street, on a jack stand. I have no idea what to do about it. I can't drive it. It looks like the axle simply snapped. The bonnet is warped, the front driver's side fender is shot. See the photos below. A repair of this size is simply beyond my capabilities or equipment, especially since I can't actually move the car at all. I'm going to have to have someone come and take it away. Frankly, I have little motivation to repair it because I couldn't bring myself to ever sit behind the wheel again.

Any advice most welcome: I'm a little desperate :-(

 

[DNK]

2 Things.
1. The late great uncle Jack
2. That's why there is ins. Hope you got lots of photos.

 

[PeterK]

From the pictures, it looks like the stub axle nut loosened and came off and the axle pulled out of the hub. If that's all there is, not a hard fix.

Q. Have you worked on your front suspension lately?
Like .. bearings?

Get it fixed and keep on drivin', don't worry, you did fine and your 6 will also be OK.

 

[DNK]

There is no axle to pull out is there? Looks like it broke.

 

[jjbunn]

From the pictures, it looks like the stub axle nut loosened and came off and the axle pulled out of the hub. If that's all there is, not a hard fix.

Q. Have you worked on your front suspension lately?
Like .. bearings?

Get it fixed and keep on drivin', don't worry, you did fine and your 6 will also be OK.

No, I haven't touched the suspension at all. The wheel detached, the brake caliper broke off, the brake line severed, and the remaining bits scraped along the ground for tens of feet.

My insurance doesn't cover mechanical failure like this, unfortunately (actually, with the deductible and increase in premiums with a claim, I don't think I'd be better off if it did.)

I think I'm going to have to sell it as-is at a loss: I don't see much viable alternative.

 

[jjbunn]

There is no axle to pull out is there? Looks like it broke.

Yes, Don, I think that's right. A guy pulled up while I was sitting there waiting for the two truck, and took a look: he said he had a TR4A He reckoned the spindle broke. He took a look underneath the car and opined that the damage was minimal.

The thing is, I can't move the car, so I can't even get it into my back yard to take proper stock. And I just know some busy body neighbour is going to complain that the car is "abandoned" and call the police (we have an unpleasant neighbour who does that sort of thing regularly).

Ugh.

 

[tdskip]

Oh bummer Julian - really glad to hear you are OK.

Did you put a big note on the car and let the Pasendena PD know?

 

[jjbunn]

Oh bummer Julian - really glad to hear you are OK.

Did you put a big note on the car and let the Pasendena PD know?

Thanks td ... Right now I've put a cover on the car. Do you think that I should tell the PD?

 

[tdskip]

I would - that way if they do something stuipid you are on the record.

What about putting a car dolly/skate under the side missing the wheel and using that to move it?

 

[Andrew Mace]

Not to sound too blunt, unsympathetic or matter-of-fact, but here's what I would do:

1. Call a towing service to get the car to where you can work on it.
2. Disassemble what's left of the LF suspension and determine if any of it is worth saving.
3. Plan on getting a good used (or new) vertical link, stub axle, trunnion, caliper, etc. Renew ball joints, tie rod ends, caliper seals, brake lines, wheel bearings, any/all locking nuts that hold it all together and whatever else you need.
4. Fix it and drive it.
5. Worry about bodywork later.

At worst, you'll have a slightly dinged but still driveable car to sell. At best, you'll realize that a: this was a bit of a freak occurence (no sense assessing blame; it happened and you're now past it); and b: in a few days you'll be right back in synch with the car and almost all will be well with the world again! :wink:

I had a parallel experience with a Spitfire many years ago. I'd just gotten off a rather high, curvy bridge ramp (ahem, "at speed" as it were), driven about a half-mile further, and then found myself on a 5 mph roadway (this time at the speed limit) when the LF trunnion snapped, stopping me completely dead and just about blocking traffic.

Luckily, I had a friend who had a foreign car repair shop about a mile away, so the tow wasn't outrageously expensive. They allowed me to leave the car there until I could come back with bits to repair. I did so, and I actually surprised most of the guys in the shop when I had the whole job done in about an hour!

We're with you, Julian, at least in spirit, and we'll get you through this!

 

[jessebogan]

Use a floor jack and several big friends, and just push it where it has to go. You can place the jack in the center of the front crossmember and lift the entire front. By pivoting the jack, you can steer. It is not hard, but you do need to be sure that the lips on the jack pad are over the edge of the frame, and you need to be careful as the car is manuvered. Or hit up harbor freight and put a dolly under it and do the same thing. Don't give up now, this is only a set back, even though a scary one. I think Moss sells a stiffening kit for the stub axles, so this cannot be unheard of.

 

[tdskip]

Julian - before you do anything regarding the car I bet a couple of local folks will rally and help you get it sorted. I'd certainly come up to take a look and help.

 

[jjbunn]

Jesse, Andy, tdskip: many thanks for the excellent advice.

The dolly is a good idea. I need to basically push the car twenty yards further down the street, then up over the curb and into the backyard through the garden gates.

My impression is that the RF wheel is buggered too: it's leaning at a weird angle. Probably not surprising.

If I can just get the car back into the yard, I can ponder it, look it over, and mull my options. I can also get some better photos of the damage for everyone to have a look at

 

[BryanC]

Don't panic. Deep breath. Ok, even if you decide to sell, it will be much easier if it has four wheels. I think that PeterK has basically diagnosed it. You'll need a few things like a brake caliper, new stub axle, etc. You can get those from the usual suspects. Move the car as others have described. Bolt on the new pieces, bleed the brakes and you have a car with four wheels. If the fender is really shot, you can get a Heritage one and bolt it on. I can understand that you might decide to sell but at that point you have a reasonable car to sell. The money you put in for parts will pay for itself if you sell vs. dumping it as a non-running car. All the work should be pretty simple. You can do this.

Have you talked to your insurer? The wheel failure may not be covered but damage from the insuing incident (fender and hood) may be.

 

[Opa]

JJ glad your ok and nobody else involved.have you got any pics of the rest of the stub axle?

 

[tom628]

Julian: That's a nice looking Tr6. Don't give up on it. Those repairs are not what would be considered difficult, as TR repairs go.

Consider:

-you don't have to rent an engine hoist;
-you don't have to gut the interior;
-you don't have to wrestle with the tranny;
-you don't have to worry about how you're going to get those dang rear hubs apart;
-you don't have to amuse your youthful body by crawling around under the dash;
-etc.,etc,etc.

You get the idea. I think once you get it into your yard and have time to calmly assess what parts you'll need and the sequence of repairs you'll feel better about it. Don't give up.

Good luck,
Tom

 

[rotoflex]

Andy Mace's advice is the way to go.

Just call a wrecker, always preferably a flatbed. They'll be able to get it into your yard. They'll have dollies: you often see them lashed down in the back of the wrecker. Tell them they'll need dollies on the phone, though, just so they'll be sure to have them.

The wrecker guys have always seen far, far weirder things & harder problems than whatever you can present them with. They saw my GT6 straddling two 2x6's stretched over a 16' deep water main excavation, just floating in air.

 

[DNK]

Blame Paul. He started it! :laugh:

 

[70herald]

Julian, First of all you are alright so 99.999% of the real problems are already taken care of.
To move the car, get a bit of thick plywood and 4 dolly wheels, bolt them onto to board and just drop the left corner onto the dolly and you can easily move the car. Since you are on the road and it is a bit rough, get fairly big wheels it will be easier.
something like this:

The threaded part of the stub axle is clearly visible so I agree that the retaining bolt came off somehow and then the entire wheel axle and brake pulled through.
Now to fix this, the first thing you need to do is disassemble the parts remaining on the vertical link and find out if the vertical link is damaged. The factory manual should have the exact dimensions to check. Also take a look at the hole that the axle presses into to make sure that it is not damaged. The new axle will need to fit in snugly. Then you need to replace the broken bits and get the front end re-aligned. I think that it might be wise to have the frame checked for alignment also. If the suspension caught on the ground it could have knocked things out of whack.
The bonnet can be twisted back into shape.

All in all, not pleasant, but this is not a disaster and you can certainly handle the mechanical repairs by yourself.

 

[mikespain]

Glad you're ok,I agree with Peter K.,the nut holding the stub axle into the assembly has either stripped it's thread or come loose,it hasn't broken,you can see the threaded portion.Once you've got it to where you can work on it,check for damage to the stub axle assembly(vertical link in parts diagram)where the stub axle goes through and seats) and hub,at least hub and bearings look damaged,check the caliper mounting for damage,probably bent when caliper snapped off, change the stub axle,bearing hub and bearings,replace brake caliper mounting and caliper,brake pipe,straighten or replace dust shield ,I would also change the rotor(brake disc as I know it)because of the nasty groove the caliper has worn in it and it is probably out of true now,and brake pads.build it all up ,bleed the brakes,Check the other side for tightness of that nut and change the rotor and pads on that side,(brakes discs and pads always done in pairs)check tightness of all bolts in suspension and steering,and off you go!the cosmetics can be done later,leisurely mornings work including beer breaks.Once you've checked everything it should renew your confidence in the car cause you?ve made sure it's right.good luck