Featured Technical Getting Stranded

One more thing, it showed me that there are a lot of really nice people in this hobby.

 

My worst breakdown was in Virginia, about 30 years in my '37 Chevy coupe, when a crankshaft babbit bearing gave out. Left it in White Post with Billy Thompson, rode with a friend and drove down from home (Rochester, NY) a week later and towed it home and fixed it. Met a bunch of nice people along the trip. Sometimes, the breakdowns become the best time of the trip!

 

In my younger years, I did a lot of roadside repairs for other people (and a few for myself). Back then, roadside repairs were not nearly as dangerous as they are these days, I was more able to do things, and I always carried a well stocked tool box.
I'm not young anymore, so i don't move as well as I did back then. Roadside repairs are no longer even close to being "safe" and I no longer carry a well stocked tool box. The best I have these days is a screwdriver, a pair of pliers, a few fuses, and a few simple patch it things that all fit in the glove box. There are no roadside repairs done by me.

Years ago I looked into road side ***istance through my insurance company. At that time you had to have full coverage on every vehicle (or the towing would not cover it, but they tacked the extra fees on every vehicle insured by them on that policy. When you get 3-4 vehicles insured it p***es AAA, which covers everything you drive, or are riding in (except commercial transportation vehicles). AAA writes the coverage for each person, not the vehicle. Its less costly to cover my wife and myself through AAA then it was to cover just our cars through our auto insurance, and I don't have to pay for full coverage on our 20 year old appliance my wife drives. A couple of years ago, my insurance agent told me it wouldn't be feasible to put towing insurance on my covered vehicles! She suggested AAA.

 

My '55 chevy was my only car for about 4 years, I was fortunate to never have any serious breakdowns, just ran out of gas a few times. It always helps to have a few zip ties, tools, and friends with you. I have found that people are generally willing to help if they can, so don't be afraid to ask!

 

AAA is the worst! Left me stranded for one night and never showed. My cousin had to rescue me at 1:am over an hour away from home.
I now have Hagerty and fortunately have not had occasion to use them yet. Has anyone?
I also carry a local towing company card.
I would never recommend AAA. I dropped them the next day!

 

The HEMI32 Coupe has only been “stranded” once in the past 72 years . . . Dad was headed to the 1974 NSRA Street Rod Nationals in St. Paul Minnesota . . . but only made it ~100 miles from home before the custom "Henry's Axle" broke (due to hydrogen embrittlement) on I-80 near Sacramento:

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NOTE: The HEMI32 Coupe was also flat-towed to The 1958 NHRA Nationals in Oklahoma City, OK . . . and then back home to Beach, North Dakota:

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