Tom,
Thanks for the story.
It is somewhat amazing, but these little cars are loyal if they are loved,
and vengeful if not.
In my younger days I drove a B every day for years. It broke several times,
but only stranded me once.
The time it stranded me, the alternator was out, and I couldn't afford to
fix it for a few weeks. Every night when I got home, I'd hook it up to the
charger. In the morning I'd unhook & go to work, about 30 miles each way.
The night it stranded me, I'd stopped to visit friends after work and on the
way home had to use the headlights. Totally my fault, & I'd been warned.
When I pulled over in the dark on a country road, completely blind, I ran
smack in to the end of the only guard rail within a mile in either
direction.
That road is now under Joe Pool(e?) Lake, just outside Dallas...
Oh well, that gave me the opportunity to learn bodywork...
All the other times, it would allow me to arrive at my destination before
giving up completely.
Don't ignore that tire too much longer or your baby will turn mean...
Cheers,
Jim
-----Original Message-----
From: Tom McLaughlin <tmcl98@yahoo.com>
To: mgs@autox.team.net <mgs@autox.team.net>
Date: Thursday, November 19, 1998 10:02 AM
Subject: miscelaneous ramblings - 77B
>Since I can't contribute too much to this list technically yet as I
>still consider myself a rookie, I thought I'd tell the story of my
>LBCs experience while moving from Dallas to St. Louis.
>
>The moving company built a platform in a big moving van and put my B
>up on the platform and the rest of my stuff underneath and behind the
>car. I noticed that the center bracket holding the exhayst system was
>trashed and just hanging there. I assumed that it must have happened
>on one of my last drives, but looking back, I believe the moving
>company did it putting the car in the truck.
>
>All was well until we got to St. Louis and it was time to get the car
>down. We had to go to the warehouse and unload it off a dock which
>was about 40 miles outside of town. For "insurance reasons", I was
>not allowed to put the car into the truck or pull it out. The ramps
>were up and the moving guy started to pull the car out. I probably
>shouldn't have watched. The ramps were too steep, the exhaust system
>was drooping because of the broken bracket, it got caught....I yelled,
>"hold on", he kept going.................the car was down and the
>exhaust system lay still on the ramps totally separated from the car.
>
>Distraught, but thinking that if this is the worst thing that happens
>to me on this move then I guess I'll be all right.
>
>I jumped in the car and drove to the nearest Midas which may have been
>a mistake, but I had to get the system back on the car as there was no
>other way to get it home. The mover put the exhaust system in his
>truck and followed me. The guy at midas got the ES back on the car
>with some makeshift brackets which I will replace with the correct
>ones. The mover bought me lunch and it turns out he was a car nut
>too. He had 2 1970s Detamasso Panteras (sp?)
>
>While up on the rack I saw that the left rear tire was in need of
>being replaced, probably a long time coming, but I thought I could get
>home with it and deal with it tomorrow as it had been a long day. I
>jump in, top down, and start driving home. It gets cold and starts
>raining a bit so I pull over and put the top up. I notice the tire
>getting really low. I"m going to get new tires anyway so I put a can
>of the dreaded fix-a-flat in it and continue. I then notice that I'm
>really really low on gas and pull over again, however, I had only
>given the movers the ignition key and didn't have the gas key with me.
> So, I decide to just go as far as I can and either the tire will give
>out or I will run out of gas. I made it all the way home, get out of
>the car and the tire almost deflated before my eyes...
>
>What a fun ride!
>
>Sorry so long.
>
>Tom
>77B
>
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