Thread: Road Stories Working On Your Car

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Since a question was asked about tools for a road trip. I thought I would see if some of you guys and gals had a story about working on your car on the side of the road with minimal tools. This is one of my stories.

The year was 1967 I just got off work at Ford Motor Co. at 1:00 a.m. I was driving a 65 GTO 389 Tri power 4 speed going to Ohio to pick up my Mother and two sisters. I told them I would take them to Kansas to attend my brother’s wedding I was going to be the best man. After the first 100 or a little over miles the water pump bearing went out, the fan blade was trying to go through the radiator. It was pitch black at that time of night, just got off where the four lane high ended I spotted a light on a building. I made it under the light I had a water pump in the trunk since the car was making a noise but I couldn't pin-point it to the alternator or water pump since the fan was not loose. I had a 6 inch crescent wrench, a flat screwdriver, and a pair of pliers. I managed to change the water pump after taking the fan off through the shroud with bleeding knuckles from the fins on the radiator plus losing the antifreeze. It was day light when I was ready to fill up what I lost out of the radiator, I found a small can and there was a house close by I went with the can knocked on the door but no one came. I wanted ask for their permission to use their water. They may have been sleeping or scared but I needed water so I turned the faucet on and had my back to their door I thought if you’re going to shoot me your going to shoot me in the back. I got the radiator finally filled up and was tired after several trips to the water faucet but I had another 350 miles to get to my Mother's house. I didn't get 2 miles and had a flat tire I could have picked up something when I pulled of the road but no less it was flat. I changed the tire and went to a gas station to have the tire fixed. The tire was on a 5 spoke ET mag wheel and of course I didn't want the guy to scratch it but he couldn't guarantee not to, they didn’t have special tire changers at gas stations for specialty wheels back then. Now the tire is fixed with some scratches, back on the car so off I go tired from working the 4:00 till 1:00 shift at Ford then driving working on the car things were not looking good. I get to my home town and stop at my older sister's house first, I tell her how tired I am but my Mother and two younger sisters are waiting for me. My older sister said they would understand just tell them you can't make it. I go to my Mother's house and they are all dressed and ready to go. I tried to find a way of saying I can't drive another 750 miles but seeing the disappointment when I said I couldn't do it. I told my youngest sister to run me some water in the bath tub so I could get cleaned up. Other than having a hard time staying awake we made the trip but it was hard and we didn't have much time to get there. I don't recommend this but I was young and dumb driving the straight 4 lane highway at 100 /110 miles an hour at times all I could see was the next rise in the highway way ahead so I would shoot for that, then pick out another horizon. We got to Wichita one hour before the wedding, I just had time to take a shower and put on the tux they had for me. As the couple were saying their wedding vows the preacher said let us pray the couple knelt down and so did I, that was the only mistake at the wedding but I think they understood since I had been awake for over two days and had driven over 1200 miles after working an 8 hour shift at Ford Motor Company.

Richard

Cool story! Other than a flat tire, I've never been stuck on the side of the road. Just dumb luck I guess?!?!

34 40, Thanks it was quite a trip but I was 20 sure couldn't do it today. Now when we go to a car show I have jumper cables, breaker bar, hand tools, extra battery if it's a 6 volt, oil, antifreeze. I try to cover it all and then last year the first time out with the 54 Merc the radiator blows up, we come home on a roll back.

Richard

Long around 96 or 97 I was using a 66 Mustang as a daily driver and I'd just gotten off work and it was about 1:15 in the morning. I drive about 9 miles on I-44 to and from work and when I got to my exit and slowed down to stop for the light the Mustang died. It had been running pretty crappy the last few miles and I got it stared again but it died shortly thereafter. Since it was in the summer I had the windows rolled down and I smelled gas. I got the car off to the side of the exit and popped the hood and the front bowl of the 650 dp was leaking like a sieve. I always carried a small tool box in the trunk so I tore the carb down and replaced the o ring on the needle and seat. I was fortunate to have a spare and when I got it home I replaced the one I used and it was a good thing because a week later I had to do the same thing for the rear bowl in the parking lot at work. The gasahol I'd run it a couple of years earlier was the culprit.

NTHFDAY, You did good. There has to be plenty of stories where car people have had it improvise make do on the side of the road. In the 60's I had a 60 Corvette same thing double pumper smelled gas when I stopped to get gas the front bowl was leaking, got out the screwdriver and wrench to adjust the float.

Richard

I've done a ton of roadside repairs.... changed injectors/pumps on the big truck in weird places.

The best was a friend of mine, he was driving a semi truck from here in Ga to NJ to campbell soup. Anyway if ya know Camden NJ it's a pretty town :-)
As it goes, middle of camden, at night the engine starts making alotta noise.
Basically the turbo grenaded and made a mess of the engine. A cylinder head, turbo, and a few pistons get loaded into a taxi and he repairs it in the middle of the city and drives it home to Ga. We joke that no one wanted to mess with "that crazy redneck stealing the semi truck engine"

My father in law once blew out a hydraulic slave in Indiana.... he needed to get the load home and floated the gears back to Ga. Lucky he didn't have to come to a stop :-)

back in 68 i had a water neck casket go out on me and only had an 8" cresent.took a bit but i got it.made a new gaskit out of a winston carton.was still there when i traded the car off.it was a 59 ford.i was 17 then.

deepRoots, some people do some amazing things without a second thought. That is really a roadside story of repairing to get back on the road.

I changed a fuel pump in the parking lot of an auto store on a 77 Thunderbird the year was 1979 or 1980. We were in another State, I didn't want to have a towing bill plus the repair bill. It only cost me for the pump and hand cleaner, they even let me use the wrench to get it off, plus some rags to clean my hands. They could give me a clean shirt since I was lying on black top.

Richard

Originally Posted by geezer69

back in 68 i had a water neck casket go out on me and only had an 8" cresent.took a bit but i got it.made a new gaskit out of a winston carton.was still there when i traded the car off.it was a 59 ford.i was 17 then.

geezer69, I just heard recently cereal boxes are good for making gaskets and I just made one for a fuel pump on my 454 it work good.

In 1967 I had a 61 Vette I had to use gum foil to get the dash lights to work. I didn't have extra fuses it was a temporary fix.

Richard

No stories about myself breaking down but I did rebuild a starter solenoid for a kid at a local White Castles. He sure was happy when I got out & ask if I could help him. He was driving a 68 Nova w/a 6 cylinder in it, he was broke after buying his $3.oo lunch & wasn't getting paid for a week. After opening the hood up & seeing what he had, I disconnected the battery then leaned over the fender & removed the solenoid from the starter. I sat down on the sidewalk w/the small tool box I carry & took it apart & fixed it for him. The kid was grinning ear to ear when he hit the key & it started up.
Hey the wife even gave me an Atta Boy ...joe

Originally Posted by ford2custom

34 40, Thanks it was quite a trip but I was 20 sure couldn't do it today. I try to cover it all and then last year the first time out with the 54 Merc the radiator blows up, we come home on a roll back.

I remember your thread of the car overheated and on the wrecker. I guess I took after my Dad as he was always packing the trunk, "Just In Case", then we would go to a swap and you couldn't buy much as the trunk was always / already full!

I did go to Carlisle, PA one year and had to work the day before and then drive all night. Was up 40 hours straight and when we were walking around at Carlisle that first day I was crankier than an old wet hen! , I swore never again! But a month later we wanted to go to the races in Englishtown, NJ... oh well.. you can guess the rest!

But I never broke down!

Joe, I know that must have really made you feel good to help the guy. How many times did you file some ones points with your nail clippers, and scrape the inside contacts on the distributor cap with your knife to get them going plus scraping the battery cables, and post then pour your coke to get the acid off? Wow coke and acid in the same sentence today would be enough to confuse people. In the late 60’s we would hang out at a Clark station the guy working nights was a car guy like the rest of us so nobody cared about the place filled with hot cars and you guessed it hot chicks. One night I was sitting in my soon to be wife’s new 68 Cougar when a big red Buick with a white convertible top comes in breathing hot steam. The guy got out and was dumb founded what with the car and the Clark station only sold gas and cigarettes, sometimes I think more cigarettes than gas. Anyway this was really a cold night he was not dressed for the cold weather he was shaking like a leaf. I still had my work clothes on and since I worked outside I was better dressed for the cold. I felt sorry for the guy and told him to go inside the station to get warm. The car was so hot the radiator was thumping like any minute it was going to blow up. When the car cooled down enough I pulled the thermostat housing and took out the thermostat. My future wife was right by me trying to help and she had dress clothes on since she worked at a Jewelry Store. She felt sorry for the guy also and kept telling him to go inside he was so cold. I told my Girl friend to get in her car but she stayed right with me the whole time and we are still trying to fix the cars ourselves when we can. Cars were a lot easier back then. I really loved the 60”s we put antifreeze in and he was set to go he knew he would have to get a thermostat soon but it got him back on the road. My wife thought I really did something but I have been helped in the past and you just pass it along.


35 40, I think the worst thing about coming home on the roll back was the driver went right by another car show in town and people were looking at us, not a good picture.

By the time I get the trunk loaded up with tools, and supplies going on a trip, I don’t have much room for anything else. I did walk out of a car show/swap with $500 in parts for a 55 Chevy back in the mid 80's.

Richard

Back when I was driving a 72 Pinto as a DD, I was on the way to a morning appointment driving down the main street of a town when the engine suddenly stopped. Fortunately, there was an empty parking spot nearby so I wheeled in and popped the hood. It didn’t take long to notice that the timing belt had broken and was sticking out of the shroud.
I was dressed in suit and tie, but I had a few tools in the trunk so I took off my jacket, rolled up my sleeves and proceeded to take off the cover. I then walked several blocks to a Ford dealership and purchased a new belt (which fortunately they had in stock) walked back, lined up the pulleys and replaced the belt and cover.
I had phoned my appointment that I would be a bit late so I drove to a nearby service station where I cleaned up, put my jacket back on and drove to my destination. I was only about an hour late.

RestoRod, It's amazing what we can do when we are willing to tackle a job. You saved a lot of money and still got through your appointment. Good deal.

Richard