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Pretty Please - add it to our Events forum(s) and add to the calendar! >> 
I found out today what happens when a throttle return spring snaps. I was taking Baby Blue out for some exercise to a haircut appointment and then pick up a speaker I had to repair. On the way home, I took a back road when the car suddenly surged forward, like when I first got the car and was hitting the gas when I hit the brake. My right foot instinctively lifted, but the car kept going. Out of reflex, my left foot hit the clutch pedal and the engine wound up to 4500 RPM. At least I had an idea what I was dealing with. It felt like I had a stuck pedal and the gas pedal was not springing back. While trying to see if the pedal would come back, I alternated between putting the car in out of gear and braking. I finally cut the motor and pulled to the side.
When I popped the hood, the throttle linkage felt sloppy. Upon closer inspection, I found the culprit: Throttle return spring for the front carburetor was gone. Obviously, it must have snapped, and the rear return spring didn't have enough tension to take up for the missing spring. To limp home, I took the choke return spring and hooked it to the throttle. Success.
In retrospect, there were signs the spring was getting ready to go. Early in the drive, the carbs felt unsynchronized, which was quite odd, since they were close to perfect previously. The idle was rougher than usual, too. I'm going to go ahead and replace all the return springs so I don't have a repeat. It was a pretty scary moment. I'm just glad it happened on a fairly deserted back road where I had plenty of time and space to figure things out without endangering myself or anyone else.
When I popped the hood, the throttle linkage felt sloppy. Upon closer inspection, I found the culprit: Throttle return spring for the front carburetor was gone. Obviously, it must have snapped, and the rear return spring didn't have enough tension to take up for the missing spring. To limp home, I took the choke return spring and hooked it to the throttle. Success.
In retrospect, there were signs the spring was getting ready to go. Early in the drive, the carbs felt unsynchronized, which was quite odd, since they were close to perfect previously. The idle was rougher than usual, too. I'm going to go ahead and replace all the return springs so I don't have a repeat. It was a pretty scary moment. I'm just glad it happened on a fairly deserted back road where I had plenty of time and space to figure things out without endangering myself or anyone else.
