Jeff,
I've been their! Thirty years ago, I was 18 years old working at a small
airport and driving a Spitfire MkII I bought from the airplane mechanic I
worked with. My high school buddy was following me home from work one
summer evening. As I crossed a rail road track in town I saw my right front
wire wheel heading down the road ahead of me. At first I didn't realize it
was my wheel since the car was moving along quite well on three wheels. I
carefully pulled into a parking lot and looked in the rearview mirror in
time to see my friend leaping over the closed rail road crossing gate. Just
after I crossed the track, the crossing gate closed to halt traffic for an
oncoming train. His car had stopped on the other side of the crossing gate
where he saw what had happed. He noticed my knock off cap lying on the
track, so he got out of his car, jumped over the crossing arm retreiving my
knock off cap and leaping over the second crossing arm just before the train
passed by.
We put the wheel back on and drove toward home. After the wheel came off a
second time, we realized that applying the brakes was causing the knock off
cap on the right front wheel to unscrew. We continued home using only the
emergency brake and downshifting to slow down.
I found the splines on the wheel and hub were so worn that when the brakes
were applied, the wheel would spin on the hub and the knock off cap would
unscrew.
I only hope my 18 year old son has a little bit of my luck.
Best wishes,
Mike
-----Original Message-----
From: Simmons, Reid W <reid.w.simmons@intel.com>
To: 'Banbury, Terrence' <Terrence.Banbury@dnr.state.oh.us>;
'spitfires@autox.team.net' <spitfires@autox.team.net>
Cc: 'jmcneal@ohms.com' <jmcneal@ohms.com>
Date: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 2:19 PM
Subject: RE: Another wire wheel experience/cautionary tale
>
>Gee, which one was really the more stupid - the car or her?
>I sure hope you made her walk home after that episode! :-)
>
>Reid
>'79 Spitfire (original owner)
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Banbury, Terrence [mailto:Terrence.Banbury@dnr.state.oh.us]
>Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 10:03 AM
>To: 'spitfires@autox.team.net'
>Cc: 'jmcneal@ohms.com'
>Subject: Another wire wheel experience/cautionary tale
>
>
>
> A girlfriend (very much former) took off in my first MkIII without
>my permission "just to visit a friend". After an hour's absence I get a
>phone call....." the stupid car won't move!" I went there, put it in
>reverse to back out of the driveway, let out the clutch and sure
enough...no
>move. After a while I figured out why. Turns out she had over-revved the
>engine and popped the clutch in reverse thereby unscrewing the knockoff nut
>and loosening the wire wheel enough to allow the splines to disengage and
>begin to strip themselves as she sat there gunning the engine! I still
have
>the wires...she's been gone a looong time.
>
>> Terry Banbury
>> Mk III
>>
>> ----------
>> From: Jeff McNeal[SMTP:jmcneal@ohms.com]
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 12:34 PM
>> To: Banbury, Terrence
>> Subject: Re: Humiliating Experience (on the lighter side of a
>> dangerous incident)
>>
>> Hi Terry,
>>
>> Your note made me feel a wee bit better, as did the e-mail I received
from
>> John Smith who had the same thing happen to him 7 years ago.
>>
>> Your analogy was right on the money. I was in too much of a hurry to
rush
>> things along, ha ha. Oh brother!
>>
>> Take care,
>>
>> Jeff
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: Banbury, Terrence <Terrence.Banbury@dnr.state.oh.us>
>> To: <spitfires@autox.team.net>
>> Sent: Tuesday, February 01, 2000 9:05 AM
>> Subject: Humiliating Experience (on the lighter side of a dangerous
>> incident)
>>
>>
>> >
>> > Every relationship has it's ups and downs and both parties share in
>> them.
>> I
>> > think you must assume the responsibility for this one, however, sir.
>> Mrs.
>> > Jones was trying to tell you (in her own way) that things weren't right
>> > between you somehow. But you, being a typical male and wanting to rush
>> the
>> > relationship along, just didn't listen carefully enough. The little
>> noises
>> > that she issued failed to get your attention, so she had no choice but
>> to
>> > cause a big scene in public. Personally, I don't think she is ready to
>> get
>> > your relationship "down the road" just yet. Take your time with her.
>> Show
>> > her you are willing to make a commitment to a lifetime of motoring
mirth
>> by
>> > doing the little things that make all Spitfires happy. Then she will
be
>> > like putty (Bondo?) in your hands, willing to take you wherever you
want
>> to
>> > go. ;-)
>> >
>> > Seriously, though, glad you are ok. Wire wheels are a pain if they
>> aren't
>> > 100% right. Short road tests w/o the family is a good idea ( I know
you
>> > didn't go far, but like the rest of us, once you got caught up in
>> running
>> > the errands...you pushed it too far). Thanks for sharing the
>> info...who
>> > knows, it may have saved a life. Press on!
>> >
>> > Terry Banbury
>> > Mk III
>> >
>> > P.S. A fire extinguisher is mandatory on all test drives. BTDT Ouch!
>> >
>>
>
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