So, my friend with his '71 Demon texts me today asking me if I want to go to the car show a club that our University holds by the local In N Out. It's the last show of the year so everyone was going to be there with their cars. So, I get there pretty early and park in a real nice spot and start talking with the very few guys there. 30 minutes later my buddy comes over hangs out for a little bit and then we go to In N Out to grab a bite to eat. As we pass my car I hear a hissing noise and I ask my friend...
Me: "Is that my car?"
Friend: "Yep!"
Me: "Wait really?"
Friend: "Yeah, don't worry, it's just a little warm, it will cool down."
Me: "No, it's not overheating. That's air leaking."
Friend: "Yep, your valve stem looks cracked."
Me: "I just replaced... the other side's. Crap."
So, I try to forget about it because it's too late to do anything about it since I don't have a spare and I go inside to eat my burger. As I'm coming out, a couple guys traveling in their '32 Fords for the LA Roadster Show in Pomona walked by because they saw our cars and noticed our mopars in the midst of a bunch of imports. They come over as I'm checking out my tire. One guy thought I had a screw on valve stem but since I don't it was no use. Luckily, they were nice trying to make me feel a little less embarrassed and we got to talk cars for a little.
So, since the spot I was in was too compact for a flatbed to fit in, I had to drive my car to another spot of the parking lot (while the crowd was around) so that AAA can come and pick up my car. So, I crank the Dart and it turns over but doesn't start getting everyone's attention ("Great!"). I crank it again and it luckily started. I limped the car over to the other spot, called my home to tell someone to make a spot for the Dart in the driveway, and I called AAA.
I go back to the car show to talk with some friends as I waited 15 mins for the tow truck to come and of course once the tow truck came people were cracking jokes about my flat tire as I was walking back to the other side of the lot where my car was. I didn't really care because I didn't know 99% of the kids at the show and crap happens. Anyways, we load up the Dart and tow it back to my house. The guy really liked my Dart and was asking me all kinds of questions. I am only covered for up to 7 miles, but the guy gave me the 8th mile free.
When we got to my house, there was a problem. My street is on a big incline and my driveway is surrounded by trees. So, he had to drop my Dart on the inclined street and I had to drive it into my driveway.
Once I got it into my driveway I had to put the front on jack stands so I could take the wheel off to take it to an American Tire tomorrow to replace the valve stem. When I took the wheel off, the tire looked bad. The sidewall on the inner face is bulged and the whole tire is leaning toward and past the outer face. I just bought this tire maybe 500-1000 miles ago.
Yep, so that was my night. I mean, I was planning on upgrading to an 8 3/4, bbp, Hotchkis TVS, larger disc brakes all the way around, 18" wheels, and wide tires this summer anyways, so it's not all too bad. Just a poopy situation. I need to call my buddy this weekend to talk about getting my 8 3/4 done up. I'm not sure if I want to pay for another tire (maybe used) just to drive it around a bit longer this summer or to just wait it out till after everything is installed.
Me: "Is that my car?"
Friend: "Yep!"
Me: "Wait really?"
Friend: "Yeah, don't worry, it's just a little warm, it will cool down."
Me: "No, it's not overheating. That's air leaking."
Friend: "Yep, your valve stem looks cracked."
Me: "I just replaced... the other side's. Crap."
So, I try to forget about it because it's too late to do anything about it since I don't have a spare and I go inside to eat my burger. As I'm coming out, a couple guys traveling in their '32 Fords for the LA Roadster Show in Pomona walked by because they saw our cars and noticed our mopars in the midst of a bunch of imports. They come over as I'm checking out my tire. One guy thought I had a screw on valve stem but since I don't it was no use. Luckily, they were nice trying to make me feel a little less embarrassed and we got to talk cars for a little.
So, since the spot I was in was too compact for a flatbed to fit in, I had to drive my car to another spot of the parking lot (while the crowd was around) so that AAA can come and pick up my car. So, I crank the Dart and it turns over but doesn't start getting everyone's attention ("Great!"). I crank it again and it luckily started. I limped the car over to the other spot, called my home to tell someone to make a spot for the Dart in the driveway, and I called AAA.
I go back to the car show to talk with some friends as I waited 15 mins for the tow truck to come and of course once the tow truck came people were cracking jokes about my flat tire as I was walking back to the other side of the lot where my car was. I didn't really care because I didn't know 99% of the kids at the show and crap happens. Anyways, we load up the Dart and tow it back to my house. The guy really liked my Dart and was asking me all kinds of questions. I am only covered for up to 7 miles, but the guy gave me the 8th mile free.
When we got to my house, there was a problem. My street is on a big incline and my driveway is surrounded by trees. So, he had to drop my Dart on the inclined street and I had to drive it into my driveway.
Once I got it into my driveway I had to put the front on jack stands so I could take the wheel off to take it to an American Tire tomorrow to replace the valve stem. When I took the wheel off, the tire looked bad. The sidewall on the inner face is bulged and the whole tire is leaning toward and past the outer face. I just bought this tire maybe 500-1000 miles ago.
Yep, so that was my night. I mean, I was planning on upgrading to an 8 3/4, bbp, Hotchkis TVS, larger disc brakes all the way around, 18" wheels, and wide tires this summer anyways, so it's not all too bad. Just a poopy situation. I need to call my buddy this weekend to talk about getting my 8 3/4 done up. I'm not sure if I want to pay for another tire (maybe used) just to drive it around a bit longer this summer or to just wait it out till after everything is installed.
