I've got sort of a fun "stopping" story involving my first Healey, a 59 BN7,
one of the very first 3000s.
Coming home from work one night, in San Francisco, I chanced upon the
California Highway Patrol doing some "public service" roadside
reaction-time/brake
testing in Golden Gate Park. I thought it would be good for a laugh, so I
joined
the queue. When my turn came, the "tester" (not a uniformed officer) made a
big show of getting in the car - he'd had a full day of old ladies in Chevies,
I guess. I told him to buckle his seat belt "Naw, I'll be OK, sonny" (this was
1960) he said . . . . . .
The test apparatus consisted of two metal tubes, each loaded with a piece of
chalk and a .22 blank, hung on the front bumper, pointed at the ground. The
first barrel was fired by the officer, using a string which you could not see.
The second was tripped when you hit the brakes - thus, your reaction
time/distance, and the stopping distance could be measured.
We started out, and he cautioned me about going too fast (it was like 15-20
maybe, I don't know). Anyhow, he pulled the cord, and I must have either been
lucky, or anticipatory, for I hit the brakes nearly instantaneously, and he
went sailing up out of his seat, winding up draped over the windshield - in
view
of all his buddies (remember the bravado about the seatbelt). The car had
stopped almost immediately. Then he got down and started looking for the marks
-
which with some of the old ladies, had been a long way back down the road.
After a bit of this, I suggested moving the car so he could check underneath.
"Nah
- we had a bad test" said he.
Well, needless to say, I pulled the car ahead, and BOTH marks were there!
Might have been his first experience with disc brakes - he was ASTOUNDED - said
that was the best test they had ever recorded, up to that time! I just chuckled
to myself and went on home.
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