Car Stories

[Charles Lindsey]

Car stories, truck stories, wild, scary, dumb; let's hear them.

I used to drive a 1967 Rambler Classic that my grandmother gave to the family when it would no longer pass the rust out laws in PA. The rear fender wells rusted through and you could reach into the trunk through them.

It also had vacumn wipers. The wiper blade motor would run off of engine vacumn. Under load the engine doesn't create much vacumn so going up hills in the rain was very interesting as the blades would slow to a crawl. But if you ever got to the interstate they would go so fast I was scared the blades would fly off.

I was delivering Pizzas in it one day. I was passing a bunch of cars but someone had politely left a hole so people could turn left. Just as I was passing this hole someone turned left and nailed me in the right rear and spun me around so each of the other three corners got hit too. That was an interesting sight. I took the front fender off and beat it out with a sledge hammer. It looked even worse then but didn't scrub the tire.

I still drove it for a while before we traded it in.

[Guest]

I still have my first car, a 1973 Plymouth Satellit Sebring. it has a 340 magnum and a 727 torqueflight tranny with a 3rd stage B&M shiftkit.

When I was in the Army in Kentucky it started making this ticking sound, terrible sound. Sounded like a lawnmower driving down the road. It turned out that I had a loose wristpin. Anyway, I drove that thing from Kentucky to Washington State in under 2 days like that, and as I was driving one night, ALL the lights in the car began to flash on and off, and the radio started to crack and snap. I pulled over and opened the hood, with the engine running, and see a spark flashing near the alternator.

I'd lost a wire, so shut down the enigine, got out my little electric tool kit, put a new connector on and hey it was all goood, EXCEPT, that I had left the key in the ignition in the on position, and when I reached across for my tools I hit the damn high voltage, (I can't remember it's name, it just went away) it gives the spark to the center of the distributor cap. This thing is HIGH voltage hot rod stuff. when I hit it, it tossed me out from under the hood and 10 feet into the bushes beside the road. Took me a half hour to get feeling back in my arm so I could drive. LOL

It's funny now, but it wasn't then!!

[Guest $iLk]

My kids were concieved in cars...

[GREG MILLER]

Well, my 1990 Chevy S10 Blazer 4x4, just had its 128000 mile oil change (Yea, I know, I was a little late). I asked the guy if I could look at the underside while it was up on the rack, as PA inspection is comming in March.

I noticed I need a new tail pipe, and my gas tank has a very small leak in it. I knew I needed a new tail pipe, but am glad I waited. Can you imagine what might've happened if they used a blow torch to install a new tail pipe???

[Fendi]

quote:

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Originally posted by $iLk:

My kids were concieved in cars...

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Leather seats?

Sorry I had to get that one in. Uh oh this is going of topic again. Charles another thread on "How my kids are conceived" is probably in order soon.

Anyway on topic. Of all the cars I had the one that gave me the least amount of problem is my Proton Persona (based on the Mitsubishi Lancer). She may not go fast but compared to my 200SX or my Porsche, she's a gem that would get you where you want to go without fail. I still have it but it's in Malaysia. I will be driving it in December after Christmas for 2 weeks. Ahhh nice warm weather....

[Charles Lindsey]

quote:

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Uh oh this is going of topic again.

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Nah, it was a car story. Though I did set myself up for that one.

quote:

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Charles another thread on "How my kids are conceived" is probably in order soon.

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Now that's not nice, trying to get the moderators banned.

Jaguar; Most Chryslers were ugly as sin in my opinion but you can't fault the motors. I can't remember the Sebring but I liked Dusters and Scamps and Chargers and Cudas.

I also liked AMC Gremlins.

A couple years after (before?) the Rambler we got a 1968 Olds 98 the same way. This thing was as big as a subway car and nicked as such along with land barge and various other things. It had a 425 4 bbl. No air and only 12 mpg. My grandma's friend had hand painted the vinyl hardtop with gloss black oil based paint. The rest of the car was painted an odd orange color my mother affectionately called baby sh!t brown.

I was always a careful driver. Not the typical teenage hot rodder but some friends talked me into it one time. This guy with a 76 camaro with a 403 olds engine in it (so he said) just had to race me. I won 5 of 5. He could never get his back tire past my front fender. Then once my car got its momentum up it was all over.

The power this thing had was amazing. It wasn't instant on like pocket rockets but you could feel it building up beneath you till it finally found its stride then you were gone.

[Badgerius]

When I was in high school, I drove my parents used Chrysler Lebaron. The thing wasn't anything to write home about, but it got me from here to there, most times without too much trouble.

A bunch of us were headed from a video arcade to a movie theatre about 50 km away (this is rural BC, Abbotsford to Chilliwack for those who know the area). Anyway, it's 11pm and 4 lane highway the whole trip, and my buddies in the other car (Ford POS) decide to race me. No problem. We're doing 150+ kph down the highway with the POS out in front. I was letting him troll for cops. When we get to the offramp, he slows down, but I don't. I hit the offramp at about 80 kph, passed him, hit gravel, and locked up the brakes. I came to a stop about 8 feet past the stop sign, but there was no traffic. I took off and still beat the POS to the theatre.

The funny bit is that the race destroyed both cars. The POS had red, yellow, green, and black fluid steaming on the pavement under it when we parked, and the Lebaron's engine blew 3 weeks later. Luckily, I wasn't in it at the time, so my parents couldn't punish me for destroying the car, although they suspected I was responsible.

Now I've got a family car with a car seat, and I live on an island where, for the most part, fifth gear is optional. How's that for Karma?

[Guest $iLk]

quote:

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Nah, it was a car story. Though I did set myself up for that one.

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Indeed.

I had the old 79 Ford LTD for about a year I guess, I was on the way to school one time and my back tire exploded and the hub cap somehow flew over the other side of my car and almost hit a cow... I had to walk to school for about... 4 miles I guess.

I got 2 flats while at school...

I eventually got tired of my "hip" AM only radio and installed new speakers and a new radio. It was fun to play the Dukes of Hazzard theme while flying across a field at 70 mph

[Fendi]

Hehe just joking Charles.

Anyway I don't really cane my cars on the road as I've lost some friends through road accidents. However I DO cane my car during track days. Imagine speeding on an empty airfield. Now that is fun and it's quite safe as you won't have to worry about other drivers or the cops.

[Guest $iLk]

I live next to a grass airfield. About 3 or 4 years ago me and my stepbrother got up around 6AM and got on the 4 wheeler. We put speed to the max in 5th gear going down the runway.... unfortunately the grass was wet from dew. So when we slammed on the brakes the 4 wheeler spun circle after circle and ended up sliding backwards... What's even worse is that we are going at least 50 mph and heading towards a dropoff over a hill that is heading to pavement, we spun the handlebars and flipped it about 12 times while we were thrown off... thought I had broke my arm but the briar bushes broke my fall, but hurt like hell.

[Emmett.hendrick]

Hummm car stories......

I used to drive a Ford Escort, nice car, drove well, put in a fairly good stereo, cd player and stuff, used to use it when working as a field engineer to get around put 70K miles on it in a year(quite an achievement over here I tell you) Driving to a client one day crawling through a little town and guy in front of me brakes suddenly, I brake, I skid, I hit him. Ok got that sorted about two months latter heading back to the house from the shops and a child runs out in front of me(luckily I was going slowly I never was one of those mad drivers), kid was ok and about 6 witnesses said there was no way that I could have avaoided the kid. But after that I could not drive, not good as a field engineer, I had to take time off work and everything.

This is now 4 years latter and I still hate driving a car, I bought a motorbike a little while ago and I loved it, but I had to sell it due to financial difficulties, now I drive to work because I have no other choice but I so wish I could get my bike back.

[Antimatter]

Even though I'm still in High School, my car stories are varied and intense.

My father and I have been restoring a 1954 Volkswagen Beetle since May. When we got it, it was in the worst possible condition. The torsion bars had snapped, so the car was practically scraping the ground. The electrical system was shot, and the only thing that did work was the headlights (intermittently). The only good thing was the 1776cc Porsche engine in it (may not seem too powerful, but a beetle only weighs about 1000 pounds. It goes about 120 mph). Amazingly, it was almost rust-free. We went to Rockville, Maryland to pick it up. I have serious doubts about whether it was street legal or not, but whatever the case, we stupidly decided to drive it 400 miles home (it also somehow was in running condition). After doing some minor fix-ups, (such as creating an aluminum/PVC pipe exhaust system-it melted off later-) we took it on the road.

Now as we all know, Beetles are economic cars. I asked how much gas was in it, and my father said he didn't know, but he assumed it would be enough to get us to my uncles house, 20 miles away so we could spend the night. A 1954 Beetle does NOT have a gas guage (it only has a speedometer, which, by the way, was not working either), and instead has an emergency reserve fuel tank that can be activated through a lever in the floor. We were on I-91, in WASHINGTON DC TRAFFIC (!!) when the car ran out of gas. "no worries," said my dad, "we'll just flip the reserve lever." he reaches down, pulls the lever, and it comes off in his hand!, so we were stuck in the middle of the highway, in rush hour,(in an illegal car) with no gas. Somehow, we managed to find a break large enough to push the car to the side of the road, and called AAA, who later came to the rescue.

A LOT more happened on that trip, but I can't type well with a broken thumb (the result of another accident in the same car). My other 3 cars (which are mine, even though im only a junior in High School) are an '86 Pontiac 6000 GT, an '85 Monte Carlo, and a '68 Mustang convertible.

P.S. My family is NOT rich, so don't think my parents drive Mercedes', or we live in a mansion, me and my dad just have a thing for cars

[Fendi]

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My family is NOT rich, so don't think my parents drive Mercedes', or we live in a mansion, me and my dad just have a thing for cars

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I know exactly where you are coming from. Most of my cars are "budget" cars or one where I made a good deal. My Porsche 924 cost me less than a grand. My present car though is the most expensive one that I have ever had. I don't know what got into me when I bought it.

Oh $ilk next time when that happens to you give me a call and predict six sets of numbers between 1 and 49. I promise to split the money if I win the loterry.

[ 11-20-2001: Message edited by: Fendi ]

[Guest $iLk]

Hehe we were lucky that day. Sadly he was killed in a car wreck about a year later...

Of course I have been in a couple of 4 wheeler wrecks since then - nothing but minor injuries, landing on my head hurts though...

[Charles Lindsey]

I'm sorry to hear that $ilk. Condolences.

The two cars I mentioned above were family cars. I haven't even started talking about the cars I myself have owned.

Or the fact that the first time I ever, ever drove a car was in Driver's Ed. Or the fact that once I got my permit I was my mom's chauffer. Then when I got my license I was the family gopher. Fun at first but got old quick.

I got some stories left. Others are welcome.

[Antimatter]

(my dad told me this one-it must have happened in the seventies sometime) About the dumbest thing I ever did was, (in a desperate attempt to get my own car a week after getting my lisence) take an old 10-cylyndar Korean war era truck engine my grandpa had lying around, and stick it in a (crappy, crappy, crappy) 1954 Ford Fairlane. It took 3 months to get it running, and the flywheel didn't quite fit into the clutch assembly, but I drove it only once....on the Berlin Turnpike.

For those non-Connecticut residents, the Berlin-pike is the drag-racing capital of New England (it was then, too). People saw an old Ford with flames spitting out the exhaust pipe (which I later realized was the result of an insufficiently-aspirated exhaust system combined with a poor fuel mixture, and a crappy valve adjustment) and assumed I wanted to race, even though I was only test-driving it with my brother. Cops are everywhere on the road, but there was one stop-light with these stupid people in a Chevy something-or-other they had souped up and were racing. I accepted the challenge and when the light went green, let out the clutch and stomped on the gas.....

(here's the good part...)

A series of events happened all at once. The power of the ten-cylider engine and the bad flywheel-transmission connection put way to much weight on the clutch, and destroyed it. The engine revved to an incredible 9000 RPM's (it prolly made about 380 HP at the time) and the jerry-can gas tank I had rigged up dropped off when the car jolted. apparently some gas got on the super-heated exhaust pipe, and the whole rear section of the car exploded into flames. The traffic in the road stopped, and my brother fainted from the heat of the explosion. I pulled him out, and THEN the cops came, saw the car wasn't registered, and ticketed me, gave me the towing fee, and brought me to my parents. They took my lisence and wouldn't give it back for another 6 months.

(I call this the legend of the dragon car, and I think it's a big lie, but my dad has the charred lisence plate from the car. if anything, it's a good story)