Big Olds Heads to Daytona but only makes it to Dayton

Friday morning started off cold, very cold for mid-November in the Metro Detroit area. I was planning on driving Big Olds to work on Friday morning and leaving for Florida directly from work but it was so cold that morning I hopped in the daily driver instead. I got off at 4pm, buzzed right home, and then left south bound in what was turning out to be a snow storm. I thought to myself, this isn’t going to be a pleasant ride at all.

There was not only snow but icy roads and traffic was flowing very slowly all the way south on US 23 till I hit the Michigan Ohio boarder at which point the roads were dry, the air was dry and traffic was now cruising at 75MPH. I called Roby and told him to expect me just alittle later then planned because of the snow. I was staying the first night on the road at his place in Lexington, KY.

Well about 9:30pm I was in Dayton, Ohio when all hell broke loose. It felt like a bunch of rocks or nuts and bolts hitting underneath my floorboard. Then I lost the ability to accelerate. I pulled to the right shoulder, braked to a stop and put Big Olds in park BUT when I went to take my foot off the brake peddle I started to roll forward. What the hell?? I was stuck sitting in the drivers seat with my foot on the brake or I would roll forward. Just up ahead was the entrance ramp to another highway and I certainly didn’t want to roll to that point with no way to accelerate to the other side.

I called Brian, AKA BlktopBandit, my savior in Dayton and filled him in on what was going on. I was stuck at work till 5pm but said he’d call Steven Fields who lived very close by to see if he could help. Brian and I were both hoping the issue would be something simple like linkage or something.
I hung up with Brian and called Kurt AKA Spoons who I knew also lived close. He said he be right there. Steven showed up first and brought some wood that we used to block my tires. Right away Stven mentions he smells gear oil. I went around and felt my hubcaps feeling for heat. Nothing, cold to the touch.

Steven tries to check under the car but Big Olds sits so low it’s hard to see anything under there. We pop the hood and everything that we can see from that angle looks normal. Shortly thereafter Spoons arrives and we jack him up. To get the floor jack under Big Olds the guys have to actually lift him up by the front bumper and I slide it under him. We then got out a second floor jack and used it in a second location for safety.

The boys both slide under there and determine the issue must be in the rear end since there is gear oil all over.




Spoons then mentions his buddy Dave Pleasent’s rear end shop is less then 5 miles away and we should take the car there. He calls Dave who said no problem we’ll take a look at it in the morning. Dave's shop is Quality Machine 5648 Wadsworth, Dayton, OH 45414, 937-278-7302 and from what Spoons and the rest of the guys said, he is the top rear end specialist in the area. The guys kept reasurring me that I could not have broken down in a better location.

AAA of Michigan is called (they are idiots by the way) and a flat bed arrives 1 ½ hours later. Two hours total on the side of the road in the cold. The tow truck driver was awesome though and was very careful loading Big Olds on the flatbed. He even bought pieces of wood to ease with loading.




Charlie’s was the name of the towing company and it was Allen who was the driver.
1300 W. Dorothy Ln 937-298-6700
4001 S. Dixie Dr 937-293-3561




It was a short ride to Dave’s shop where we unloaded Big Olds very carefully. I grabbed what I needed out of him for the night and then tucked him in for the night.


Spoons then drove me to Brian place where his lovely wife Kelly had my usual bed all ready for me in their daughters playroom. I’d like to thank both Steven and Spoons for coming to my rescue so fast. They were both amazing and made me feel like everything was going to be alright.
The next morning Brian and I headed over to the shop and my the time we got there the guys had the S10 that was on the hoist buttoned up and off, Big Olds up in the air already and half the bolts off the cover. Spoons wasting no time getting down to business.




The first look at the internals….and the calprit. Yes, that’s correct, the bolt that holds the pin in place was not lock-tighted and backed out over the last 2,000 miles since I had the whole rear gone thru in Sept and rebuilt. I thought I had done the right thing and took Big Olds to what was described to me as the top rear end place in the Metro Detroit area right after I got home from my Speed Week/HAMB Drags adventure. Drive Train Specialists, sometimes referred to as DTS, located on Groesbeck in Warren Michigan, rebuilt my rear with a new carrier, gears, bearing, seals, right axle, etc. Everything was explained to me and I thought I was set for another 88,000 miles, Boy, that couldn't have been further from the truth.

Not to get too far off the subject but while Big Olds was in their shop and employee of DTS used a crowbar to open the hood of Big Olds and did almost $400 worth of body/paint damage to the very front edge near the grill. It's hard for me to imagine anyone recommending this place. Not only are they going to pay for the damage they cause I plan on getting everything I paid to them for the shitty work they did back.

This is just plain negligence


The pin granaded into three pieces, two are sitting on the bottom…


Brian then took the wheels off so we could pull the axles

 

Once the internals are taken out more damaged is discovered….ah shit, this must have been what I felt underneath the car




The boys trying to cheer me up


Now the pinion gear needs to come out….


…but for some reason, it’s not budging…..


A puller is used….


And more beating……


…till it finally gives. Guess what was what in the way?? The third piece of the grenade pin was lodged in there.


After carefully examining the pinion gear it was determine it was toast, mainly because it had a large crack on the side of one of the teeth. Dave is very patient in explaining what happened, why it happened and what needs to be done to make it right. He then gets on the phone and starts to make calls trying to find parts. I take a walk around the shop checking out all the machinery and other projects.

Dave’s place either makes the rails or boxes them in for Brookville.


Dave’s son Shawn has just started his own bubbletop car.


A customers Camaro project




A very impressive shop indeed

 

Dave explains to me that they are going to make a plug for the hole and that since it will not be under pressure there is no worries about it not holding. In fact he joked that the rest of the casing might come apart but the plug sure won’t. Spoons and I then ran up to the auto parts store to purchase two part apoxy for steel.

Brian in the mean time ran home to look for some parts that he knew he had that would help out. He brought back a posi carrier that he insisted on donating to the cause. Brian is such a generous sweetheart, a great friend and always there when I need him. Thanks you Brian!

Brian and Dave work to get the ring gear off.


Spoon cleans the area around the hole….


…and prepares it for the steel plug he plans on making


He measures the hole…..


…and makes the plug outta a large piece of stock


He takes it back and forth a couple of times to the car to make sure it was not only the right size in diameter but in thickness as well




Since it wasn’t going to be under pressure, why couldn’t we just duck tape it??


Not really….. the epoxy was mixed and applied and number of times between drying….on both sides


Brian couldn't find the pinion gear that went with the ring gear the first time he went to his place so he went back for a second search but came up empty. What he did find was a ‘71 Skylark under 5 other rears that he had on his property. Because the ground is frozen around here already he had to use a huge piece of steel as a pry bar to get it unstuck from the ground. He then threw it in his truck and headed back to the shop. We unloaded it hoping the gears would be the same, or close.


We had to chisel the earth off it and shortly there after it was determine it was the wrong size and wouldn’t work.

There were a ton of guys in and out of the shop all day. Everyone was making phone calls and trying to find what was needed. At about 3pm I threw in the towel and said enough was enough. Dave could order the parts on Monday, fix the rear at his leisure and I would come back and pick him up. I knew at that point my trip to the Turkey Rod Run was history.

Words can’t even begin to explain how bummed I am. I’m disappointed that I’m not going to make the show BUT what I’m the most bummed about is all the other events with my pals that I had planned. For me, the people are the most important factor in this hobby and missing them and the great times we had planned to spend together this week is just heartbreaking for me.

I then called my Dad and asked him to drive to Findley Ohio to pick me up and Spoons offered to drive me up to there.

I’d like to thank Spoons, Stephen Fields, BlktopBandit, Dave, and all the other guys that showed up at the shop to lend moral support and to those that looked for the needed parts and those that called on the phone with well wishes and support. I truly appreciate everything that you guys do for me.

I’d also like to thank Enjenjo for the call this morning letting me know that he had EXACTLY the ring and pinion that is needed and that he was boxing it up and shipping it to Dave’s shop first thing on Monday morning and he wouldn’t hear of taking any money for the parts. What a sweetheart! I see cookies in his future.

Speaking of cookies, sorry to say to the Atlanta boys and the Poor Boys Tampa, I shared “your” cookies with the boys in the shop. I’m sure you understand they went to a good cause. Next time we all get together there’ll be more.

Plan now is to pick Big Olds up on Saturday and drive him to Earl Schieb’s shop outside of Nashville where he’ll reside for the winter while we put in Air/heat/defrost, touch up the paint and rework a few bugs.

I need to plan a HUMAN HAMB rely down I-75 for next Saturday morning to get my butt from Detroit to Dayton. I'll do a post about that in a couple of days.

 

Bummer, Denise! But, like you say, it's the people. It's only this time, you got to to spend it with a bit different one than planned. Think of the story you now have to share when they write the Hotrodladycrusr book!

 

Sorry to hear of your little mishap. We will miss not having your smiling face down in Daytona. Get a rental car, cause Nads may need his scooter towed off the freeway!!
Can always be worse, have a good Holiday.
JT

 

AHHHH, Very Bummed Denise, Very Bummed indeed.!! Was looking forward to meeting you, But hey there will be other chances. Wish I was somewhere where I could have helped!. Your a Diamond here Denise!!

 

That blows huge donkey dick (our old Highschool expression). Good friends who have what you need and eager to work are always a welcome to have around!

 

bummer Denise...always enjoy your pix and threads...good luck to the big olds during its hibernation

 

Damn girl sorry bout the car....props to those guys for helpin ya out.Thats what this hobby is really about.Friends and friends helpin friends

 

After reading the post from CGR iI could imagine the carnage, but the pictures show the true extent of it.

Ive got a couple of 57 Olds rears around here if one of them will work as an upgrade I will donate it to the cause.

I'm hoping that it all comes together for the repairand the drive to Earl Schiebs next week.

Hugs


jerry

 

I'm very sorry to hear of your ordeal. I'm glad you have so many friends who are willing to give their time. You'll clear this hurdle and have many more mile of trouble free cruising. Keep your chin up!

J.

 

Sorry to hear about your ordeal, but you got a story you will always remember and friends you will have forever

 

my hair looks good in those pics... i was worried when you took them

 

Hope you get good compensation back from DTS. I admire the fact you drive that car all over, I actually saw you once on I94 in MI last year.

 

Sorry to hear another bad tale about Big Old's tail. Huh? You may have not have been able to meet your friends from the South, but you have some when it counts the most. You learn who your true buds are real fast then. Can't wait to see you rollin' again.

 

Glad you and Big Olds are safe, thats what matters. Double check everything while he's up in the air. Brakes, bushings, etc......

 

DTS needs to have their balls cut off...............wait they dont have any...........and the backstraps removed!

 

Megan is going to have to handle any necessary towing for Nads.

and I you sweetie.

Thank you very much for the offer bud but I've got it covered. I thought of you alot on Saturday though when I was cleaning out the rear cover.

Your hair ALWAYS looks good, even first thing in teh morning.

I have a face to face meeting with them tomorrow evening. I will except nothing less then a complete refund for what I paid them in Sept, full repair costs for the hood damage and a new Optima battery that they ruined.

I will update with the results and let everyone know whether they stepped up to the plate or not.

 

denise

same thing happened to the BNL chevy

apparently this is a common problem..

sucks that someone else was at fault..

heres my carnage..

stop trying to keep up!

 

Big Olds was up on a hoist and gone over with a fine tooth comb last weekend. He was then lowered and the engine compartment was gone over as well. I was so very confindent that he was ready to roll. Of course who pulls a rear end cover off before a trip to take a look see? I was so sure that with just 2,000 miles on the newly rebuilt rear it should have never been an issue.

 

Geez Denise what an ordeal! Glad to hear that there's no permanent damage. Can't believe that Big Olds got paint damage at the rear end shop! What a bunch of bozos they must have working there!
Hope all is well soon.

Max

 

Denise this just SUCK'S . You know you could just fly on down anyhow.There's gonna be an awful lot of dissapointed people down here.I dont think you would have any problem getting rides around town. Gregg

 

I could fly down now or ride down with Megan on Tuesday BUT then Big Olds is in Dayton and he needs to be in Nashville by Sunday night or the flight that I bought from Nashville to Detroit goes to waste. My plan was to drive Big Olds from Daytona Beach to Nashville on Sunday and fly home from there for work on Monday. Big Olds comes first in my life and he needs to be taken care of and secure before I could relax and have a good time. I'm going to miss you and all my other southern pals more then I can say.

 

Denise,
So sorry to hear about your "ordeal." You deserve nothing but the best and I am more than glad to help you with DTS (not that you can't handle that one on your own!!!). Sounds like you had some GREAT friends in Ohio nonetheless. Keep that smilin' face...you are a true inspriration to all of us who WISH we had the balls to drive our rides as far and long as YOU do! Best, Ebert

 

Damn that sucks Denise. I thought I heard the last of your rear end tails ( tales ). Take care.

 

Denise, it is a statement like that which makes me respect you even more than I ever thought I could. I'm glad you're ok, saddened that your trip is off, but again, so impressed by this community and how it comes together in times of need.

Hmmm, or maybe it is just yer cookies they're after?

 

Props to all of the Dayton gearheads that helped Detroit's "damsel in distress"!!!

It's amazing what some guys will do for cookies!

 

Denise, sorry to hear of your ordeal and the shoddy work done on Big Olds. But, you couldn't have found a better place for the rear to let lose. I'm sure you will straighten out some rear ends at DTS tomorrow. You have plenty of proof to take it to court IF you have to. They can make it easy on themselves or you can make it very hard on them. Go for it.

 

You must have gone I75 through the state line. I was sitting on US23 at mile 10 for 30 minutes because it went from clear to ice in 90 feet. Talk about pucker power. I pulled seat material on that one.

What time are you heading out on Saturday morning? I'm on vacation all week and might be able to help. Should be at Enjenjo's with the boys on Friday but if I can get you out early and home by noon, I might be able to help with the relay.

 

Remember that long-term bragging rights only come from events that suck while they are happening. I am sure you will get it squared away, and pleased that you haven't lost your sunny demeanor. Hope to see you soon.