Had a buddy towing me home with a rope and a one ton chevy . I was in a 62 international scout with a froze up transmission , no floors , no brakes but the tires held air . He thought it was fun to here me yell out the window as he accelerated down the country roads and i couldnt stop . Finally one of the times i ran into the back of his truck he knocked the tranny loose. So from then on out i could get it into low side and dump the clutch to slow him down lol. 60 mph on a country road in a scout with no brakes on the end of a rope is no fun .
I saw a ...."Rat Rod" with the drive shaft exposed to the interior, between the "bucket seats" u-joint spinning right next the the driver....scary to even look at.
Duece doins! 1958 this was one of many scary rides, but this was the most traditional. My good buddy Al, bought a 32 ford 4dr. in L.A., all stock but not running, so we worked on it and got it to fire. Finally, blew all the cobwebs out and 4 of us climbed in. Down the road we went with me driving, we were out in the orange groves and then into the hills. Bouncing around the dirt roads in that old beater, i mean the guys were laughing and yelling as they bounced out of thier seats, it was a blast and that old buggy handled the beating great. well it was starting to get dark so I started back to Al,s place. I had to give it the gun because light was going fast and the headlites were pretty dim. Was headed down the street speeded up and suddenly came up to a T in the road. I hit the brakes and- -nada not much in the way of brakes,and the lites went out and the engine died, - - - was headed towards that T pretty fast. let up a little and the lites lit again, engine started, hit brakes all died again, by then i was at the T and it wasnt stopping, so I went thru and hung a left and I swear i thought we were gonna tip over and go into the ditch, but that ol duece just hung in and we made it! good thing nobody was coming thru on that road. I stopped and gave the driving to Al, I had to sit down and relax. turned out the brake pedal was hitting the battery cable and directly shorting the battery out. Later we took the body off and then thats another story ggg.
he he- thats a funny image right there.. Doc & Sanchez- winners. I can relate to some of the stories here.. the Jack Daniels gentlemen's tours (4 lizards & a Fairlane), Bad tractor drives ( F#*#!- Creek! ) - mind alteration & weight transfer! Dont pick fights with the countryside; "this corner has a camber which slows me , but it won't tonight". So, hit it at MY speed, and remember looking at that high moon through the passenger window. On re-entry I luckily glanced off the T- pole instead of wearing it. Youth- Sheesh.
I was running my dirt late model at Cottage Grove OR in '87 or '88, made my way thru the consy into the 100 lap main. About half way thru the main i felt something pulling on my belts, thought maybe the extra belting on the crotch strap unraveled and was dragging on the ground or something, but i kept going. Every few laps it would pull pretty hard, but we were doing good. Ended up finishing 10th in the main, best of the cars w/o a 6' sideboard. After it was over we were loading up the car and happened to look under the body when strapping it on the trailer....noticed that the extra belting on the crotch strap was WRAPPED AROUND THE DRIVESHAFT!!! I always cut the extra belting off now.
I didn't actually see it, but the one of the cops that tried to stop it told me about it. A pre-WW2 LaSalle chassis, 4 wheels, a seat wired to the gas tank that was wired to the frame, an Allison aircraft engine. State cops tring to stop it on Hy 41. Call came in from Oshkosh,WI. to head them off, finally stopped near Milwaukee,WI. around 80 or 90 miles. Don't know where it actually started. This was late 40's/early 50's My generation doesn't have a lock on DUMB! JRL
In 1963 and friend of mine had a friend that had just bought a new red 63 1/2 Ford 427 four speed with 2X4s.Seems his wife didn't know about it until he brought it home. Well she put him out and he started drinking and running the Ba_ _s off of it before the loan co. came to get it back as his wife was the only one of the two working.He picked my friend and I up one night from the Burger joint we hung out at to take us for a ride.He did not sound drunk or look drunk until he took us up onto an Interstate and "Let it all hang out"as he would say.Well as John Force said "I say Jesus" several times and my butt ate a hole in my underware in only about 15 mins.Glad the Loan co. got the car back before the Grim Reaper took us all out.As I was always told as a kid ."Don't get into a car with a stranger"!!!! TOM glad to be a (Tired Old Man)
The unknown scares the hell out of me. I got in with a friend in his newly assembled ride, had only put a couple of miles on it, no real road testing or wringout. We were going a few blocks to get coffee but he decides, unannounced, to get out in the left lane and see how fast it will go. Scary situation. Proves one thing. Even the best of friends can be idiots.
Shared a house with a guy with a " bitchin Camero" 67 with 350 and a 4 speed, nine inch rear. Added Nos and a paint job and four link expensive stereo Four link was built with hardware store rod ends at $14 each Hecch on China Nos secured in trunk with a hose clamp, disc front drum rear old ta radials no lock rite, no safety wire, no torquewrench, no fire supression system rompped gas once and added nos and rear window popped, bondo body cracked on the right rear quarter panel. Solution was have it repainted. Install new window, add pinstripe scary as he'll oh and the roll bar was not bolted in, just set into place so if he hit brakes the roll bar tilted forward and bangged the headrest!
******* I WIN! ******** Here's a different perspective than many of you may have. So it's early in my police career and I had just finished writing some poor soul a ticket. I'm on a rural highway that runs up a very long hill. It's late at night and darker than the inside of a cow. I hear (doplar radar) the car coming towards me and it's getting faster by the second. 50, 60, 80, 110, 130, and climbing fast. I activate my overhead lights thinking this person will see me and start slowing down, but the speed keeps climbing. This kid gets to the top of the hill and is now over 150 (impressive for sure) when he see's the blue and red lights. Instead of slowing this kid jams the breaks on and throws his car into a wild skid. All I see is swearving headlights and taillights and know this car is heading my way completely out of control. Lots of smoke and screaming tires. I'm trying to do some quick physics in my head, figuring mass x intertia etc. Either way we are both completely screwed. The kid misses me, but only by inches, and slides right on by. I unpuckered and turned my car around. To the kid's credit he pulls to the side of the road. I'm mad as hell but trying to retain my "autority figure" status. The kid rolls down the window and asks if he is in trouble. (insert the "here's your sign" joke here). The kid's dad is a surgeon at a local hospital and ordered a Porsche Ruff turbo. The kid decided to see how fast that car could go when I interupted. He asked if he was getting a ticket and I told him "oh ya". I ended up calling his parents who came and got him and the car. When I gave him his copy of the ticket I told him that both of us would brag about this for years to come.... I still see him every once in a while and razz him about it. He framed the citation and now brags about it.
I used to drag race a 63 Dodge.My buddy had a 32 Ford 5 window coupe and wanted me to ride down the track in it with him.Found out real quick what a light and short wheelbase car was all about. Wheels came up,went toward pit side,shifted,came down and he cranked wheels .Came up again headed toward spectator side.My head kept slamming against the back and I thought he was losing it and that we were gonna roll.I looked over at him to see what he was gonna do and he had a crazy look on his face with his foot still in it trying to get more out of it.I will never forget that ride and the look on his face.
The Jalopy Journal
