What was your best "oh thank you, thank you Lord" moment?

Having a heart attack while driving past a hospital was a nice bit of luck. If I'd been at home I would have crawled back in bed and tried to sleep it off.

 

I would have to say the day SlddnMatt called me and said he found me a '49 Merc with no rust!!!
Pretty hard to beat that.

Maybe the day that me and 53burb almost flipped my sons Shoebox,when the brakes went out,on the way to Bob's BigBoy! That was a "thank you God" moment!

 

Bad Bob and 53 Burb, the new dreamteam. Maybe you should get him in, the Mofo's.

 

Well, I have had a few of those moments but I seem to say 'Thank ****' more. Yes I'm a heathen and don't believe.
Most of the worst ones still make my knees go wobbly and happened while serving overseas.
I still have a bullet (Projectile) that hit my gear and was stopped by it rather than it stopping in me.
A piece of shrapnel that welded itself to my back rather than cutting me in two.
The grenade ring from a dud that a mate found in his combat webbing...............
Yup, he pulled that ****er out, no pin, no s**** and fizzing!!
We were facing each other no more than three feet apart, 4 second fuse but we didn't know how long it had been burning. Then it just stopped and didn't go BANG.
He placed it down real gentle and we got the **** out of dodge! He kept the s**** and I kept the pin and pull ring.
There are a few more but not things I wanna think about again.

My best on topic one was in my old 38. In traffic on a slight left hand curve when I gave it a little to get around another car. The motor jumped like it was going to climb right out of the car then thunked down again. The steering locked tight, all I could do was slow down and hope I didn't hit anything.
I used the last of my luck up that day, the car pulled off the road with the steering locked onto the emergency stopping lane like it was meant to do it!
Had the car towed home (Only about 2 kilometers) and jacked it up and climbed under to see WTF happened.
The right engine mount rubber had torn through and with the torque bounced the motor up, the side of the mount still on the ch***is dropped down (XY Falcon mounts) and the extractors sat back down on the steering column!!
Needles to say, all cars I have built since have a 'fail safe' so if a mount does fail the motor wont drop like that.
Man was I lucky that day!

Doc.

 

Hitting an elk while going 85 mph on a motorcycle.....Two elk were crossing the freeway in Castle Rock CO 5:30 am. Timimg was on my side, as I managed to get between them, although I knocked one down with my knee (felt like hitting a block wall) I was able to keep the bike up....but knew exactly how lucky I was.....The State Trooper said I was the luckiest man alive....

 

None of mine had to do with cars..... I'll just leave it at that

 

What Brandy said...but HEY! Where would be the fun if we had a normal trip? And it was the Benicia bridge....the old one...less lights than the bay bridge and more trucks. HA HA HA. I got us home in one piece didn't I? I'm a rockstar.

You forgot to mention you dragging the dodge off the road and me catching the trailer as it came back across the highway, and the ***hat just standing there telling us we should have had a chain. (umm...do you SEE that broken one? We had a chain...)

I think there are more. Let me think of them.

 

maybe a bit different but , i drive trucks for a living ,was in a dump bucket {semi 40 foot dump } p***ing through warrensville ill , when this a-- munch goes around me cuts me off and slams on the brakes to turn . all i can see is this little boys face who was just scared to death as i was n't gonna get this thing stopped and he had a front row seat to heavens gates . . i jerked her hard to the right and thank the good lord somehow i was able to squeeze past him in between him adn a rather deep ditch . to be honest i was aiming for the ditch , better me get hurt than the kid . thank you lord for getting me outta that one !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! good lord thank you ....

 

When we got airborn leaving Da Nang, Aug. 1968

 

Right after the Motorcycle crash last july and I stood up and asked the wife if she was ok.. I wasnt.. an ambulance ride for me
Dave

 

take my son and his best friend out for icecream in my A.....hit a pot hole and snapped the front monoleaf.....the car vears in to on coming traffic and hits a car coming the other way....remember there are 3 of us in an A roadster with no seat belts.....2 of us kids under 12......car stops and no one is hurt ..at all, BIG dent in the other car and a dented front fender....one second earlier and I would have hit the car head on.......
the previous day I has been driving in a "spirited fashion" with my son in the car pushing the car in to 3 figures shall I say......if it had gone then we both would have been road pizza......

 

welcome home......40 years late , but welcome home

 

Well let's see...Her mother was Brazilian, and her father was Italian.

 

After just getting done with the 327 engine transplant in my 53Chevy ..didnt have the Carb I was going to run on the street yet so I slapped an old 650CFM Holley on the manifold..Went to fire it off and didnt know the rear fuel feed was leaking..Well the ignition wires were just temporary and arced off the head and started a fire..**** i thought the dam carb back fired and was flaming out the throat..hit the gas to **** it into the carb..but that wasnt it..dam i run out to look and ive got about half a beer can of fuel on fire on the back of my manifold near the distributor just flaming away..run over grab the fire extinguisher to put it out and by that time all the fuel burns up and goes out..whew..what an exciting night that was...changed the carb and all the plug wires and my shorts ,,, done for the night

 

Had some beers at lunch and went cruzin the lincoln. Tried to get into the turn lane and my steering linkage came apart. I stoped just before the median. Boy oh boy no steering is not fun. Could have been on an overp*** and would have been the end. Thank you lord!

 

Hey..
Get'n taged for street race'n last summer
80 in a 45 zone
no rear lites of any kind ( 2 AM)
no inspection sticker, front plate
open headers
Cop lets me go scott free..

Oh Lord thanks.. I owe you one!
Pontiac Slim

 

I had just traded a 75' Monza for a 68' Corvette, minus motor. Since I had a 454 in the garage, I put the big block in to go street racing that night. I raced a 1000cc Kawasaki and pulled him on the big end. Went to hit the brakes and the Vette was all over the road. Good thing it was a long stretch. Got off the brakes and the car straighten out. Hit the brakes and it was all over the road.

Coasted to a slow enough speed to use the brakes. Next day, I tore the suspension apart. Took a week and rebuilt everything. Tried another banzai p*** and it was all over the road. Tried new tires and the cured it.

No roll bar and no seat belts. I thought I was gonna die that night.

 

had to move my 55- couldnt get a car transporter so rented a equipment trailer instead. rental company hooked it up and I left first light. went about 40 miles on I90 and went over a overp*** when the trailer came unhooked-- safty chains held buuuuutttt the trailer headed off the road and yanked my *** end into the other lane, then headed for the shoulder and yanked my *** back over that way- then back and forth again b4 I could slow down enough to get it wedged under my truck and guide it on to the shoulder.. was thanking jesus there wasn't any other traffic that early and I didn't have my double nickle sitting on top. then I called the rental company JUST alittle pissed. shoulda checked it myself tho-- always do now

 

Thursday night

 

A few years ago.
Around 10PM sitting in my 49' F1 at a light. turns green and i go to take off, backfire & stalled then it goes compleatly dead, lights out and all. just as i look up two idiots go flying through the red light, one trying to p*** the other. If the truck hadn't died, they still wouldnt of seen me till it was too late.
Got out and saw that the cheap vac-cap on the carb had broken & the backfire shook the positive cable off the battery i forgot to tighten.

 

every minute in SE Asia

 

got home with my 50 chev sed del. the wheel cylinders were not releasing i was smoking the clutch just to get it up to the garage .. in nuetral now reving a bit to cool the engine and clear the clutch smoke ..... then turn it off

go in the house lay down with a cool pillow over my head fall asleep an hour later hear squealing brakes and honking ???

look out the window and here is the pilotless car doing a reverse uturn onto my front lawn.....

the car's brakes let loose and it steadily rolled backward 50 yards on the almost level driveway rolling into the first lane of a two way street.... the p*** side tire then went over a piece of broken tar on the edge of the road which caused the car to turn sharply right back into the yard .. now my street was pretty busy with traffic going about 50 mph...luckily all was okay started the car and parked it again.. would have not believed it if i had not seen it rolling to a stop

another day...
then while driving my 52 buick that was very very low... riding on the bump stops ..going over a railroad track the tail pipe broke loose .. i heard the grinding and pulled over at the next stop sign 1/4 block from the tracks .. i got out to look and yup the pipe was broke part way off ... but the rear muffler clamp attached to the broken rear hanger dragging had punctured the gas tank and was still embedded in it ...now the tank was full and started to run out but i could not remove the pipe without a struggle .. i pulled the muffler clamp out of the gushing tank and was able to cover the hole with my finger almost stopping the flow .. in this position i was able to open the trunk and get at my tool box while keepin my finger over the hole i found my tinsnips and was able to get to the pipes partial break after removing the fender skirt all the while holding a finger over the hole most of the time and cut off the pipe... kinda scambling around on the ground on the street side of the car while p***ing cars are honking and drivers yelling.. so now the pipe is removed the pipe and skirt are thrown in the trunk digging in the tool box did not come up with a solution to plugging the hole .. electric tape and odd bolts nothing ....even a old partial tube of gasket sealer shoved into the hole did not work just then a guy i worked with at the autoparts store drove by the oppsite way stopped and wtf? i yelled for him to go get a jb weld epoxy tank repair kit or two from the store .. he sped away ..its been 20 minutes or so into this whole event so now i'm sitting on the ground behind my car trying to hold my aching finger over the hole i switch hands and notice the gas was melting my shoes soles .. damn .. then i notice the gas has run down the gutter pooling at the 4way intersection.. where cars are stopping and going... so now i realize that any one flickina **** out while stopped ... ka bloooey like the movie the birds ...
soon the guy come back he had been kneading the epoxy on the way so he jumps out and i am able to push it into the hole and the flow is stopped completly.actually permanently too. i close the trunk and get in drive away turning away from the intersection a short time later i notice a fire truck heading that way seems that the gas was ignited shortly after i drove away hopefully no one was hurt?

i hate gas spills

 

I took my freshly painted Challenger that I have been working on for 3 years to the gas station for its first 3/4 fill-up
Over the 3 years I rebuilt or purchased new everything!!!!! from laying on my back with a torch burning of the undercoating to installing the brand new gas tank and straps
Until this time I would test and tune with 5 gallons at a time.
I took my first real drive of 8 miles to the gas station(nervous alot could go wrong) and shut my car off. I then proceeded to fill my tank to 3/4 with 94 octane. I returned the nozzle and when i went to get in the car i noticed a steady little stream of gas running out from under the car.(#^%#$) I grabbed my flashlight and looked at the gas tank and noticed i had forgotten to account for the vent tube in the middle of the gas tank. The gas was draining out of the tube and on to my Hot mufflers, Didnt no wether to run, #$it or go blind!!! I had my small extinguisher but I had to stop the gas.
I was scared but I thought of all the hard work and hrs rebuilding, painting, and colorsanding!!!
I found a stick crawled in the wheel well with the raw gas and hot exhaust and plugged the vent tube. !!!!!! A friendly Hottrodder p***erby noticed the white look on my face and lump in the back of my pants and stopped to help.He took me to Autozone for a Gas line and Clamp to replace the stick. THANK GOD FOR STICKS!!!
When it was leaking gas at the pump the proprieter kept asking me if i was leaking gas. Not wanting the fire dept to come and hose my car down i told him it was just antifreeze and not to worry.I kept pushing it away from the ac***ulating gas puddles until i got it over to the corner of the station. Funny now that I think on it

 

I have had alot but one I am truley thankfull for happened on a snowy day back in the late 70s. I had an old pickup, 2 WD with no snow tires and I was going in at lunch to pick up my father at work. I was ******* and moaning that I had no gas and da da da, you know a dumb kid. As I crested the hill (the roads were totally covered with snow) there was a car setting catawampus in half of my lane with a man standing beside his car between his car and me. Now the fun begins, everything went into slow motion as I hit the brakes, when I slid by him I could see this fearfull look on his face like his life was flashing before him. I was traveling pretty fast and went by him but I ain't kidden you it was in slow motion. As soon as I p***ed him everything sped up, as I looked back in the fresh snow I could see my tracks. My truck just missed him and my rear just missed a telephone pole by inches, to see those tracks looked like I drove through it. Since he was sideways in my lane my tracks were 'S' shaped. There was no way I steered through that small opening, it was almost like a huge hand drove me around him and his car like you would play with a model car. I had no job, no money and no insurance if I would have hit him my life would have been over as I know it. I thanked God because there was no other way for me to have gotten through that. To this day I can still see the mans face, I think he thanked God also.

 

Climbing sand pit walls in a 69 Bronco (place is now a driving range) and got too much air. Battery broke the bungee retaining system and went into the fan. Radiator survives but I made the mistake of shutting off the engine to lift the hood to investigate the acid steamcloud. Of course this is at the top of the rearmost wall in the pit and no way out through two miles of woods. Back down the wall and out across the pit is the only way but no room to pushstart before it goes over the side and down the wall. I think thank you lord is pretty close when the 289 fired up after we got to the bottom. Seemed like we were going down forever, second gear, motor turning, but someone forgot to turn the ignition on until we were at the bottom. I kept it running all the way home with my buddies jumping out of a running, rolling vehicle because the alternator wasn't keeping up. It never ran again but got me home that night.
Oh to be 17 again.

 

when my divorce was finalized

 

Pulled out of my parking spot in my old Econoline,drove up the hill,hit the flat part,then down a steep hill through a residential area...Didn't hit the brakes til I'd gone a ways down that hill..pedal to the floor,stomped the hell out of it,panicked,threw it into second,felt like the damn thing picked up more speed as the ****ty rear tires slid,turned the key off,that didn't do ****,cause I also pushed the clutch in,turned the key back on,drove it through somebodys yard sideways,finally got it stopped in the guys back yard,going up the hill behind his house.The poor old guy was sitting on his porch,watching me drive straight towards him.Think he was yelling something as I hauled *** out of his back yard.After I got a couple of houses away from the old coot,I slowed down a lot for the careful drive back to the house.Drove by later that day in a different car,that guys yard looked like **** after my landscaping job..Not much of a story,you had to be there.
My other ones include hearing the judge grant my divorce,and the call from the doctors office.All I remember about that call was the word "negative"

 

Backing up a 221 mph p***.........hearing a noise that sounded like running over a dzus fastener, wondering why I only went 215 mph, going through record certification, getting ready to try to bump up our own record, .........to discover I had lost the tire on the last run...........

 

!959 my buddy Bill and I were out riding around in his 56 chevy ,he was driving .301 ,4 speed ,456 rear end. Long story short ,got into a street race with another equally equipped car and we were ahead until 3rd gear when the clutch and flywheel exploded taking out the bell housing ,dash ,radio,windshield ,rear view mirror and various other parts and pieces.He got the car stopped on the side of the road. We started counting toes ,feet ,fingers and THANK YOU JESUS neither one of us got a scratch. To this day blow proof bell housings and trans blankets are a way of life with me. Did I say thank you Jesus,you bet

 

sliding a jack stand under the front of my f100. my dad said itd be fine on the hydraulic jack while we greased the front end. well sure as ****, he was thankng me for not listening to him later.

you have alot of these moments when you do enough electrical work on cars.