Nightmare stories

GJS

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Excuse the photo of a photo but I came across this today and some bloody and horrendous memories just came flooding back!

My very first C-body. A 1969 Sport Fury, purchased for a wapping 400 bucks! Bought in BC, Canada it was a 318 car originally that looked and drove the solid candidate part.

First ride back to Seattle, a mighty rain storm hit somewhere south of Bellingham, WA. The windshield wipers were good, I'll say that. Unfortunately, the rest of the car was taking on water at an alarming rate. I **** you not, my pant legs were soaked within a minute of hitting the downpour! Feeling a little shaky, I pressed on home.

The next day I decided to take her for a ride out of the city and see what she did at speed as most of the way home the previous day I didn't really make highway speed. 60 mph was comfortable, 65 saw some loose tracking, 75 brought about a shake that must've been bouncing rubber 1000 times per second, 2" off the pavement and it didn't stop until I slowed to around 50.

I had no place to do work so I took it over to an alignment place in Tacoma who, after contorting the car viciously on its lift, informed me that the front stub had been crumpled then straightened and was toast... They refused (rightfully) to work on it.

Being completely uninformed on anything Mopar related (this was prolly around the time that this very forum was being started) I set out to find a suitable replacement stub.... Or any other cbody with a solid front subframe, as I thought at the time.

100 bucks later I bought a 73 NEW YORKER 440. Possibly the only thing left to the car was a tired 440, 727 and a *relatively* rust free front stub... Which, of course in no way fit on the fury but I didn't know that at all at the time..

By the time I figured it out, the stub was sitting underneath the front end of the fury which was lifted by and engine hoist in the back parking lot of the apartments that a friend of a friends drug dealer/pimp lived in.

Now, the fact that the New Yorker had rubber insulators where it mounted to the body was clear... The difference in the mounting tab locations wasn't so much. .. Not having a welder on hand further complicated issues so, a tape measure and a call to a traveling welder later, I'd cut the tabs off the fury frame and had them grafted on the New Yorker frame in *roughly* the right place. Bolted that stub up, tired assed 440, burnt smelling tranny and all.

After getting everything together and all sheet metal back in place, the last thing was to link the steering column back to the box. I was having a hell of a time lining up those splines and once I did, I couldn't get the coupling on far enough to slip the roll pin in....

It had been 2 weeks worth of wrenching while watching the friend of a friends drug dealers clients try n abscond with my tools and local working ladies "clean themselves" with the garden hose... I was really ready to get out of that situation. ..

So I grabbed a pry bar and applied a little pressure to the coupling and it slid right on... Drove the roll pin in and Bobs yer uncle.. Off to the races.

Spent the next day bombing around with no mufflers, enjoying the rumble of the 440 amazed that I was even driving the thing let alone at high speeds on steep grades and windy roads. Got low on fuel rather quickly and pulled off to gas up. Put the car in reverse to line up with the pump, cut the wheel to the right and SWISHHHH... The wheel kept spinning and spinning.

Needless to say, I put it in park, shut off the motor, got out and popped the hood to find the steering coupling shattered, parts of it resting on the frame... Others on the pavement. (Balls in throat)

Had what was left towed to my sisters place where it was eventually towed as a derelict. Dumped it for the price of the ticket and tow.

All n all, I grew up that day. I realized most importantly that I could have KILLED people with that thing and that respect for vehicles, like respect for fire arms or any machinery, really, is of the utmost of import. These things were designed by VERY skilled individuals to do very specific jobs. I am not one of them so have chosen to learn from those that are before acting. I've forgiven myself for my lack of foresight being 20 years ago but I have to admit, if I had 1/2 the balls I had then and 100% of the wisdom I have now, I'd save my friggin money and buy well... And potentially some lives!

So whatd'ya say? What's your life lesson moments?

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Most of mine has been hindsight, you think back and say wow I was really stupid. I can't wait until my 18yr old figures out I am not as dumb as he thinks because at that age you know it all.
 
Most of mine has been hindsight, you think back and say wow I was really stupid. I can't wait until my 18yr old figures out I am not as dumb as he thinks because at that age you know it all.
Give it another 5 to 7 years...
 
Thanks for sharing your story here GJS.:thumbsup:

Glad you didn't kill anybody or anything other than a car eventually. :)
I had a few POS's and some that were fun cars to drive and did try to accidentally(of course) kill myself or others with me while driving

In fact when I reflect on the 55 years of my life so far there are times I think I should not be here still but looking down from the pearly gates of heaven!
I think that Heaven isn't ready for me yet so here I am still plugging away thankful for every day I'm on top of the grass!

It's a great community of extended family members we have here!:thumbsup:
 
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