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kcbugeye1275

kcbugeye1275

Jedi Knight
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My winter project has been to install a super charged motor in my bugeye I've had for over 25 yrs. Its led to a complete repainting and many other upgrades. I've not gotten the bonnet back from the body shop, but I have patience that is wearing a little thin. Tomorrow, it works out that I probably can drive from Olathe to Lawrence(about 40 miles) where the bonnet is to rag my buddy with the body shop to complete the bonnet. I've put 500 miles on the motor without the bonnet, it really shows well, but no night driving. In anticipation of the trip(in the bugeye) I thought the one thing I'd do is check the tourque of the lug nuts. Whew!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! There is a reason my racing friends always retorque the lug nuts before each event. Mine was a near miss. Please, everybody, go out and check your lug nuts before your next time in your car. If they are tight you can laugh at old Jim, because mine weren't.
 
mehheh. Only happened to me ONCE. At about age 17. That lesson seems to STICK! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

I lost the passenger-side front wheel on the freeway at about 70MPH nine years ago.

Not the thrill that one would expect.

While not pleasant, It wasn't very hard to pull over onto the shoulder in a controlled manner. Everyone gives you all the room you need in those circumstances, and the car handles fairly normally. My only caution was to not touch the brakes until I was on the shoulder and lined up properly. Then I only used the parking brake.

I was parked, out of the car, and standing behind it by the time that the wheel caught up to me. It rolled along the gaurd-rail and slowed down enogh that I decided to stop it with my foot, rather than dodge it.

BTW, I come from the Lawrences that Lawrence Arkansas was named after, which would make me a cousin to the ones that Lawrence Kansas was named after (unless I got the relationships reversed). Same thinkg with Lawrence Indiana.

My son and daughter-in-law lived in Overland Park for a coule of years, so got to come out and see your part of the country a couple times. Their wedding was in Independance MO, and she graduated from Park while he took classes at Johnson County Communit College.
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

Happened to me just after I had a tyre changed at a proper garage. I looked across to see it overtaking me on the highway as I thought "Gee, that looks just like the tyres on this thing". Fortunately I was in the old Buick, and the wheelbase was so big it just stayed upright!
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

Back in 1977 I was driving the Land Rover (in Virginia) and heard a noise from the wheels. Yeah one was loose. In 2005 I was towing a Saab on a trailer with the Land Rover (in Tappernøje) and heard a noise. thought it was the trailer and stopped. Nothing wrong. Drove a couple meters more, stopped again and tightened the wheels on the Land Rover. I have started using the torque wrench EVERY time now. Better late than never.
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

At the last race I was working pit out and noticed a Mustang that was going positive camber around a right hander. I called it in to have tech check it out. The next time the car was out it lost the wheel and ended up in the hay bails. I later found one of the lug nuts with the stud broken off inside. It you do find a loose lug nut take off the wheel, inspect the studs and the wheel; don't just tighten them up and walk away.
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

Watching the F1 last weekend and the front right wheel gun didn't locate during a pit stop, the car pulled away without the nut in place, but the driver realised straight away and managed to get the car around the entire track and back to the pits without losing the wheel!
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

ChrisS said:
At the last race I was working pit out and noticed a Mustang that was going positive camber around a right hander. I called it in to have tech check it out. The next time the car was out it lost the wheel and ended up in the hay bails. I later found one of the lug nuts with the stud broken off inside. It you do find a loose lug nut take off the wheel, inspect the studs and the wheel; don't just tighten them up and walk away.
Click to expand...

Chis: I know who you're referring to and I actually talked to him later in the day. He checked the upper camber plates first and found one loose, so he thought that was it....he never actually checked his lugs nuts! (and he was pretty embarrassed to admit that to me). I check my lugs after every session.
Last year I had some newly replaced lugs fail at BeaveRun in a high-speed turn. Lost a left rear wheel and the car spun at least 6 times, but did not roll (thank goodness). Scary! The last time that happened to me was when I was 17 (the center lock on my wire-wheel MGA came off). My "new" lugs were not made in the UK and it is my belief that they failed due to inferior quality.
You're correct....it's a good idea to inspect your lugs on a regular basis. Especially if they are non-UK replacemant parts.
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

Has anyone ever seen a wheel come off on a wire wheel car? I never have, and everyone seems to worry about this, but by it's design it's pretty hard to loosen up. (if you have them correctly installed they should 'tighten' more while turning) With all the worry about wires it's kind of funny that you do see a departure of the lug nut variety from time to time.
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

10musketeer said:
Has anyone ever seen a wheel come off on a wire wheel car? I never have......
Click to expand...

Yes. Read my post above your's.
I do not recall the exact circumstances (it was almost 40 years ago), but I believe a worn spline was part of the problem.

Last year, on a televised vintage race, Alain de Cadenet lost a wire wheel on his race car (a Ferrari or ALFA I think).

By the way, I ran an SCCA Pro-Rally years ago where one of the other cars lost a steel wheel by ripping it off <u>over</u> the lug nuts....the nuts were still in place!
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

A friend had a Halibrand come off the r.f. of his CS Cobra on the Ohio t'pike at speed (going home from the Ledges). Wheel passed him! Slowly off-throttle and a bit of wheel chasing. Never found the spinner, the crew trailering the Mini's was behind him by a few minutes so got a ride home, downloaded the racecars and went back for the Cobra. Made for a long day.
 
Re: el Camino, not a Spridget, but...

Friend & I were towing an old VW he had just bought with a tow bar....as we slowed down for a red light in Leavenworth, KS we noticed a VW tire rolling past our truck.....& the tow bar was holding the front end up in the air the whole time.
 
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