So we were getting my buddy's '63 F-100 ready for it's maiden voyage. All systems go. Fresh tires at 8:30am, oil, coolant, fuel, fire extinguisher, ice chest and cigarettes. We're ready. We get about 1.5 miles from his house in North Austin, and the driver's rear wheel falls off at 45mph. For some reason we lost the brakes, and can't stop, so the truck is just sliding on the backing plate, swerving all over the road for about 100 yards. We finally spin around, then give the guard rail a love tap with the taillight. No injuries of course, as we barely tapped the guardrail, but we went for a wild rild. I think the taper on the new lug nuts was too small for the holes in the steel wheels and was bottoming out on the drums and not actually cinching down the wheel because they were all tightened with our impact wrench before leaving the house. When I went to pull off a lug nut from each other wheel, just so we could get the other wheel back on to make it roll, I noticed the other lug nuts were a little bit loose as well. Travis Co. Sheriff's were cool about it, and didn't write a ticket. Tow truck driver charged an arm and a leg. But we got it back home, got our bearings, loaded up the daily driver, and headed for the dragstrip. So if you're ever at Howard Lane and Dessau, headed north on Dessau. Look for the 100-yard s****e marks winding down both lanes, and the black paint on the guard rail. I think he's got some pics to develop (35mm) and I have some on my phone, but don't know how to transfer them yet.
Damn Jeremy that ****s, glad to here both of you are ok and the truck isnt hurt too bad. You should come to the Dog and Duck Monday night too hear all of the lies of how fast everyone went!
[quote= Tow truck driver charged an arm and a leg. ********: Casey turned me on to AAA a couple of years ago....sure will save you money. 4 tows a year.....you ought to hear of some of "Casey's Tows"....sure has worked for him. Glad nobody got hurt!...and glad that you got out there. Skot
That happened to me one time about 5 yrs ago. I lowered a guys 91 chevy stepside truck and was taking it back to him. As I took off on the rural highway by my brother's shop, I just got it to 70 and then I felt the *** end drop (same side) then I looked to my left and my rear wheel went hauling *** past me. I tried to stop, but the brakes wouldn't work. I had no problems steering it, and it wouldn't have been all that bad, but I was about 100 ft from a busy intersection when it happened. I managed to get pulled over on the side just in time to see the rogue wheel fly past me and disappear. I don't know how it didn't smash into the four cars that were coming through the intersection. Long story short...after searching for the wheel for an hour, I found it down the road in a ditch standing straight up! It went completely through a fence post, snapping it in half. The entire drum came off and 2 lugs broke, so I spent 2 hrs swapping lugs and nuts to get it home. It was scary as hell, but I laugh at it now Glad to hear nobody got hurt.
I'm glad you guys are alright! It really ****s, after feeling so good about finally getting it on the road. I was looking forward to him rolling in with it.
Brakes go when the drum comes off and the wheel cylinder suddenly has alot more room for fluid so your pressure goes away. ****s , Glad your okay.
Oh, by the way Casey.....the Texas Dept of Transportation is still looking for you, something about a long groove in a highway, up around Dallas, that they had to repair! I told them that "I don't know you"....so you better "keep a low profile"......hahaha, fat chance. Skot
Been there done that. Lost a rear wheel flat towing a 67 F'bird convert. By the time I got it stopped it had s****ped the shock mount OFF and had knife edged the shock. But.....I it was black night, along some oklahoma freeway, by the time we got another tire on in we were *** busted. Got in the tow car, a 67 'bird hardtop, pulled it into gear and funny......it started to drag again....? In one revolution the shock cut a perfect slice outa the spare. Got pics too..... :-(
Dude, Jeremy, I agree with the whole AAA thing. You want to get the advance package, though. Otherwise, you get 4 three mile tows per year. And since I've had to tow the damn Belaire all over this friggin town, I learned the 3 mile rule the hard way. Well, we're just all really glad that you and J2 didn't get hurt. And P.S. thanks for writing in my birthday card!
This may or may not be relevant to your wheel coming off but I have always used a torque wrench to finish tighten wheel nuts, I do not trust impact wrenches to properly torque the nuts. I have Canadian Tire road service and have 250 K tow distance and have 3 cars on for the price of 2, you have to ask for this deal as they do not tell you about it, I told them I was going to CAA, Henry.
There's been alot of maiden voyages gone bad lately on here, model a coupe, chevy coupe, a roadster and this. I don't know if caseys was a maiden voyage but if so there's one more. Makes me want to slow down on my t until this p***es. Glad everyones ok!!!
My friend had the same thing in the middle of nowhere in France, NO BRAKES NO BRAKES. The bearing retainer ring from his 9"Ford came off. I saw it happening in my mirror, the car was getting wider and wider...
I lead a boring life....never had a wheel come off....but I've had a few start to rattle when I didn't tighten the nuts enough.
Thankfully, it didn't turn out worse - nobody got hurt and the truck wasn't totally hammered in the process. Hope your buddy is able to get his truck up and running safely soon.
Never had it happen to me. Had lots of friends had it happen though. Glad you guys are alright. Could have been worse.
Closest I can come to that is when I towed the Chevy over here Thursday, one of the tubes blew out while I was doing about 30 on a city street, sounded like a gunshot, then the hubcap comes rolling past me. Had to stop quick and jump out to save it from getting run over. Good thing I was in a nice neighborhood.
I was flat-towing a '65 Dodge D-100 pickup home from Denver to OKC. One of those deals that was too good to p*** up, I didn't have my trailer with me, so I bought a tow bar. Got everything hooked up good, checked the wheels, lugnuts and tires on the old Dodge, and headed East out I-70... I stopped every 40 miles of so to check on everything - tow bar is good, wheel hubs are not hot, truck is following my ***mins Dodge as its supposed to. About 110 miles from Denver, I looked in my right rear view just in time to see the right rear tire, wheel, and axle(!) shoot out the side of the D-100 and fly through the air off the right side of the freeway! Immediately, the right rear of the D-100 slams into the pavement as I slow down and get over on the shoulder. Everything, including the backing plate, left the truck! It was just a smoking axle housing with the melted remains of the axle bearing welded inside. One of the definite drawbacks of flat-towing, but it certainly relates here. If you are moving a vehicle that you have not had on the road before, expect the unexpected.
I had the right axle bearing come of in a turn going up hill on my 63 Galaxie while it still had the single chamber master cyl. That was interesting coming backwards down hill with no brakes on to the highway and the tire out against the wheel well. Then a couple of years later the left side snapped off at the bearing in a left hand turn and rolled out the back never hit the quarter at all. Damn thing is these both happened about 2 blocks from home.
Never lost a wheel, but had a guy not tighted one wheel on a truck. Got a mile from my shop at midnight and noticed a wobble. Let me just say that hand tightnenig lugnuts for a mile back to the shop, and stoping about every 100 feet ****ed!
The grooved pavement by backing plate club must have a large membership. I did the same thing with my 55 Buick in 1966. lost the left rear wheel and put a long groove in the pavement. I never did find the wheel and tire. When I first put the 48 together I hung a Camaro axle under it that I got with a couple of parts cars in a trade. drove about 16 miles home with it and the left axle walked out of the housing on a left hand turn about mile from the house. I jacked it up shoved the axle back in and very carefully drove on home.
Single or dual chamber master cylinder? No drum, no resistance on a wheel cylinder, no brakes with a single reservoir. With a dual reservoir, you'd have still had your front brakes. That's why hot rods need dual chamber master cylinders. Fortunately you swerved into a guard rail. You could have just as easily swerved into oncoming traffic. -Brad
I lost a RR wheel on my '58 TR3 when bringing it home on my tow dolly. The car has wires with knockoffs and someone put a LEFT SIDE HUB ON THE RIGHT SIDE AND IT LOOSENED UP RATHER THAN TIGHTENED WHEN DRIVING! oops...
Sorry guys... I couldn't resist. Loose Wheel On a road in Toledo, across from the depot I was cruising in my old heap. It wasn't good lookin' But I was sure bookin' And anyway I got it dirt cheap. Me and my old lady Were cruising 'bout 80 When the car really started to roar Round the curve we were turnin', and something was burnin' But I shoved that old gas pedal down to the floor In the mirror I saw something cruise down the highway I thought how it looked out of place It was my tire, going like fire I had a strange look on my face I really don't know but, it looked like a donut For a minute I thought I was dead I started crying, I thought we were dying I looked out the windshield and said You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel With four old bald tires, you were such a good deal I've had some clunkers, some really bad junkers But you were just a great steal You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel After the collision, I made a decision I thought how I'd lived through it all In the glow of the headlights, I checked out the damage You really couldn't see much at all I started thinking, I'm glad I'm not drinking And these words came back time after time You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel With 4 old bald tires, you were such a good deal I've had some clunkers, some really bad junkers But you were just a great steal You picked a fine time to leave me, loose wheel
Got close, but didn't loose a wheel. Maiden voyage with a customer's car, on the way to the alignment shop about a mile down the road. I'm driving in the shop truck behind the almost finished customer car driven by one of the mechanics and I see shining things flying off the car and bouncing off the road... ouch.. I lean on the horn, flash my lights and reach for my phone.. luckily we both stopped right then.. had ONE lug nut left on the driver side rear wheel, all the others had been catapulted into traffic. No damage and just a bad scare, but a good reminder to use the right lugnuts for your wheels.
Lost a front wheel on a customers custom Ranger as I was getting ready to deliver, tire store gave us the wrong lugnuts for the new wheels. Crusing with the ft rotor digging the pavement didn't scare me as much as watching the wheel heading into oncoming traffic, I still don't know how it missed a dozen cars! Watching both rear wheels, drum and axle sliding out of the drivers side on my old duelly at 70 mph on a busy interstate got my pulse going! I was lucky and got it to the side and stopped before it came all the way out, I'd hate to think of how much damage those wheels whould do if the hit someone coming toward me. I had a brake job done the day before, turns out the "mechanic" that did it broke the retaining clip. Instead of replacing it, he just left it out! The shop was more the happy to tow the truck, put it together right and fire the mechanic.
Casey's car has been on the road for as long as I can remember plus 10 years or so. He puts some substantial miles on it and typically "drives it like he stole it". His issue was just wear and tear. I wouldn't slow down on your T, just be diligent on the build and have a friend look it over. I consider myself a pretty good builder, but I still have a friend double check my ride before I hit the drag strip or when Im finishing up a project. You cant do much about the fatigue stuff, but I've caught several potential issues on a re check. Doesn't matter how talented you are, a last minute rush to get a job ride done for the (fill in the blank) can result in some over looked details. Most of us arent above it happening, I know Im not.
The Jalopy Journal
