New Thread: What's Your Best Story Of Breaking Down Or Hitch-hiking Stories???

[daves66valiant]

Thought this would be a great thread for fun. What are some of your best stories of breaking down in your Mopar? The Good, The Bad and the Ugly.

Hitch-Hiking stories would be great too. Some of you already read my recent story but I will post again for the sake of those who did not read it. Pretty fun story to add to the history of this car.

__________________________________________________________________

I started this epic journey on Saturday morning to go look at a nice Valiant that was up for sale. I wanted a running car to tinker with so I figured what the hell.

So I booked a short 1 hour flight to Sacramento from Santa Barbara. Saturday morning my friend who was giving me a ride slept in past her alarm. So I barely made my flight. Bad thing is I had to leave all my tools behind because I did not have time to check them in as baggage. The only thing I brought with me was some spare grill pieces.

I made the flight and landed in Sac. A few minutes later the owner Jason pulls up in a beautiful looking red 1966 Valiant hardtop. We cruise over to his place to talk about the car and gather up all the miscellaneous parts and go over the details of the car.



We made a deal but before I left Jason gave me a bunch of tools to take along with me in case anything happened on the 400 mile drive home back to Ventura. It was great talking with Jason and learning about the car and I was excited about the Sunday drive home down the I-5. I left about 2pm and it was about a 6-7 hour drive home.



My first stop was for some lunch at the classic IN-N-OUT Burger for a double-double combo animal style. Man these burgers are good.



So I've been getting the thumbs up all day which feels good and I even met a SOCAL Mopar club member along the way at a gas station. He had a his club t-shirt. Very cool.

So this is where the story it gets interesting. I'm cruising down the freeway I made it about 250 miles and the car dies on me. This was not happening I thought to myself. I'm in the middle of freaking nowhere on the I-5 and it just got dark. The lucky thing is that I was only a mile from the next exit which happened to have plenty of gas stations and places to stay and eat. So I got out of the car and looked things over. The car does seem to run hot since it has a big cam, 273 exhaust manifolds, and under drive pulleys to boot. I thought maybe it was vapor lock since the carb was still squirting fuel from the secondary squirters. Yikes. I let the car cool down for 30 minutes or so and tried to start the car. It would turn over but no spark. It has a MSD setup which I am not familiar with at all. I get to looking and notice it has a stock mechanical voltage regulator and I get to thinking it has to do with the ignition/electrical. At this point I'm screwed because it is already dark and parts stores are closed early on Sundays even if I got a ride to one.

I start hoofing it to the nearest gas station and ask where the nearest town is with a auto parts store. The guy tells me it is 19 miles away. Jeez I did not want to spend the night but I had no choice since I don't have AAA or anything. The old car and me got to know each other real well that night. I crawled into the backseat and sacked out until the morning.

I woke up and started walking back to the freeway exit and grabbed some water from the gas station and started my 19 miles walk to the parts store. I had done some hitchhiking in the past and threw out the thumb. I got picked up about one mile into the walk which was awesome. I was already getting blisters since it was so hot out. It was a father and daughter on their way to Las Vegas. They were nice and I got dropped off at the local AutoZone in Wasco, Ca out near Bakersfield, Ca. I picked up a new MSD Blaster coil, a 70's style electronic voltage regulator (bad idea you'll see later) and some wire cutters, and brake fluid. With my parts in hand I start hitching back tot he car. Oh damn I forgot to get jumper cables (this comes back to haunt me)

A major stroke of luck. I walked out of the AutoZone and noticed a semi truck was slowly starting to pull away in the direction I was headed. I flagged him down and he obliged to give me ride to the exit where I was stranded on. He dropped me off and I slipped $20 into a dash pocket.

I got back to the car and changed out the coil. She fired right up and I was in business. The bad thing is that I decided to change the voltage regulator as well. This was a bad idea after I started cruising down the road and noticed the volt gauge was steady at 12v. Crap. I'm not charging. I am hoping to make it tot the next gas station which was about 32 miles down the road so I could stop for gas, let the car cool down and buy some jumper cables which I for got to get int he first place.

The I-5 freeway comes to a screeching halt about 10-15 miles before the next gas station and the car stalls. Guess what the car battery drained and I could not start the car. I guess the electronic one I got was not the correct part or I did not hook it up correctly. So, I have no cables but thankfully a guy with a jump pack got me going again after I reconnected the original mechanical voltage regulator. I spend the next 15-20 minutes driving in bumper to bumper traffic on hot-brand-new asphalt and the car is cooking I think I got up to almost 210* Thank goodness I made it to the next gas station and got some cables and let the car cool off because I had a big long mountain pass to travel up and I did not want to overheat. Thankfully I limped her the rest of the way home.

A 27-hour epic hour journey home but now I have a drivable Mopar sitting in the driveway to tinker with while a wait for a good painter for the 66 convertible.

Please welcome home RUBY

 

[2shelbys]

My best one is from when I played in bands. We did a show at Hood College (all girls!!!) and had to get
back to Baltimore with a dead fuel pump in the stepvan. We took several pitchers from the hall and took
off the engine cover and air cleaner. We got home with me straddling the engine using the pitchers to
pour gas, siphoned from the tank, directly into the carb. What fun.

 

[FISHBREATH]

While in college in Daytona Beach many, many moons ago, two buddies and I got shitfaced on Smirnoff 100 and Busch beer after class one Friday. We were too blasted to drive, so we hitched on Volusia Ave. to go bar hopping on the beach side. What were we thinking? What kind of numb-rod would pick up three staggering idiots on a highway?

Well, some idiot did so. He was an oriental fellow and was wearing a brightly colored silk shirt, somewhat like what a jockey would wear. He passed around some type of booze inside a paper sack, but I let it pass on by (I did not know where this guy's lips were). He made small talk with his oriental accent, asking all kinds of inane questions. Finally, in the middle of the bridge, he turned to my buddy riding shotgun and asked, "What you do for sex...you massabate?" Alright, that's it, we're outta here. I don't think the car came to a stop before we were out and haulin' ***.

 

[daves66valiant]

At least 2shelbys was straddling an engine and not looking at possibly straddling some oriental fellow in Daytona Beach. LOL.

 

[rp23g7]

Not a Mopar breakdown, but still a good story,
I had worked in Long Beach, Ca for MDC, and got laid off, moving back to Wa. Sold my Lebaron.

Moved home, needed a car. My wifes, boss's grandma had a 79 Ford LTD she was selling for $800, I thought yeah what ever, at least it has a 302 in it.

I lived in Everett then, and the car was in Spokane, no biggie, my dad flies, so he said he would take me to get it.

So, we fly to Spokane saturday morning, they meet us at the airport. Typical Ford Rust Red Ford, 4 dr LTD. I drove it around a bit and paid them.

My dad takes off, and I get in it to leave, car stalls, try starting again, and gas is spewing from the carb. Great, stuck needle, I didnt bring tools and they dont have any either.

NO Problem, "you can spend the night" we will take the car to the shop in the morning. Great.

So, tow truck takes the car to the shop, gets fixed. So I am ready to go again.

Heading to the freeway i stop at a light, and smoke starts coming from under the hood, OH, OH, pop the hood, the air conditioning compressor pully is seized and the belt is spinning on the pully. Great.

Oh, but look in the gutter, there is a knife laying there, YAY. So, i cut the belt. i am off again.

All was going good till I get to Moses Lake, which as all of you Washingtonians know, is the armpit of washington. This is August and its 90 degrees.

The engine light comes on, Great. I had passes a gas station a few miles back so i turn around, just as i get there the engine seizes from heat, Great.

I let it cool down for a hr, then try to put water in it, start it up and the Water pump is leaking, Great. I leave the Rad cap loose for the rest of the drive home. Fill up the rad at the top of Snoqualmie pass again, finally make it home.

Valve cover gaskets are now leaking like a sieve from the engine heat, change them, and the water pump, then the heater core goes out the next week. Great. So I just bypass that, i drive without a heater for a year, because all of us know on those yr Fords, the heater core must be the first thing they put in the car.

That winter, on a cold night, the water in the block froze, because i naturally ddint put antifreeze in this Ford that i didnt care for any longer. Started the car, the water pump was frozen, loosened the belt, let the car warm up, no leaks, drove it for 6 more months.

You just couldnt kill that Ford, it leaked oil like a sieve, probalby from the engine getting so hot, but the final straw was, since i had bypassed the heater core, i had no defrost etc.

It was a cold morning, and i had driven through someones exahust vapor, and it had frozen on the windshield. I traded it in on a 76 Plymouth the next day.

 

[rp23g7]

Another story,

I was coming home from somewhere, on the freeway, about 8 at night. Driving my 64 Custom 880.

This 88 Mustang comes up to me, wants to race. Sure why not.

We are cruising, about 90, when i start hearing a really loud humming noise, kinda like a bearing going out.

It gets louder and louder, then Bam, right rear tire blows out. The Mustang was about even with my rear bumper at that point.

My car swerves to the left, my tail light illuminates the Mustangs headlight, it must have been really close.

Car swerves the other way, Mustang passes me, I get the car under control and stop on the shoulder. The guy in the Mustang doesnt stop, sure i almost wipe him out, but hey, I would have stopped.

I get out, tire is detroyed, I am pissed. I get the jack and the spare out.

The shoulder is not level and tilts to the right, I loosen the lugs, jack the car up, swearing. I take the bad tire off and the car promptly falls off the jack.

I am swearing, get mad and say screw this, start walking, regain my senses and go back. Swearing.

The 880 had a bumper jack that lifts the bottom of the bumper, and with the right axle on the ground you couldnt get the jack low enough.

Now bear in mind, its night and I managed to stop between the lights on the freeway.

So, here i am in the dark looking for a stick or something i can pry up on the bumper with to get the jack under it.

Luckily i find a sign post in the ditch, i can stick under the car and pry up, i finally get the jack back under the bumper and get the car back in the air.

After i get the car in the air, a guy in a Honda stops and asks if i need help. I tell him not really but if he could hang out and leave his lights on, it would be nice.
He obliges, but leans up against the car, and makes it fall off the jack, again, thanks dude. but we manage to get it on again and get the tire changed.

 

[FISHBREATH]

My brother relayed this story of woe. While he was in med. school, he shared an old Victorian house in Galveston with two other guys. Rocky was a nurse at the hospital. He came home one afternoon, plopped down on the living room sofa, and said in a woeful tone, "Mr. Lucky." The other guys asked, "What's wrong Rock?" He replied, "Well, I was towing the boat up to Clear Lake on I-45. Traffic was speeding up and slowing down. I had a good buzz going and was jammin' to the tunes. I looked to the right and my boat was passing me on the shoulder! Holy ****! We were both doing about 45mph, but the trailer began to slow down, still on the shoulder. I was praying out loud. Slower, slower, the trailer slowed to about 5mph and kinda' just meandered off the pavement. Got it made now, I thought, but nooooo, the ****** hit a hole in the dirt and bounced about a foot in the air. All the rollers punched through the bottom of the boat! Mr. Lucky"

 

[daves66valiant]

keep em coming. i know you guys have some good ones that you gotta spill.

 

[jeeper]

Sometimes my heart is bigger than my head.

It was about 3:30 in White City Oregon in early August. Hotter than heck. I see a reasonably clean looking guy with a nice bag with his thumb out. Not sure why, but I turned around and went back and picked him up.

He claims that he is from Paducah Ky and was at a motel in CA where he was vacationing. He awoke to find out that his truck was stolen along with all of his stuff inside like $, etc. This was just before cell phones came out everywhere. He can't reach his boss because he is on vacation. No one else is around.

So, he wants to go north to get on a major hwy and then head east. Not sure why he was hitching going dead east now.....

So, I give him a ride to Klamath Falls. A place that is not good for hitching I hear from others later.

My pastor will not help him, no one else will.

My wife is gone, so I get the good idea to drive him home to my house. I feed him and give him a comfortable place to stay etc. Kinda spooky, but I'm fairly big and alot younger so I wasn't too worried.

So in the morning, what to do with this guy??

I take him to the bus station and buy him a ticket to KY for $182.00. I also gave him some other money for food. Of course he is happy and says he'll send the money etc.

My wife comes home, not happy. We were not in good shape financially at that point and we really needed the $200.00.

I attempted to find him, no luck of course.

So, Rob is a kind hearted idiot and this is the end of the story.........nah that would be too easy.

Fast forward about 6 months. I am alone again driving through the middle of nowhere and I see a hitcher. Who could it be? Middle of winter in central Oregon.

You guessed it. Same guy!

It was him no question. He kept playing dumb that he knew me etc. I asked him point blank that you wouldn't remember someone who spent that much of their meager resources on another?

He has to get out at Chemult. If you know where that is, it is a town of a couple of gas stations.

I left him there.

I think he was a local who tramped back and forth from maybe CA to Wa or something.

Live and learn.

ROB

 

[ramcharger]

At least 2shelbys was straddling an engine and not looking at possibly straddling some oriental fellow in Daytona Beach. LOL.

ROTFLMAO! Thank you Dave, I needed that. No offense 2shelbys.

 

[Bigmacdak]

Man what a great thread! Im sure we will hear all kinds of good stories from this one!!

My best one had to be about 9yrs. ago. My friends & me all loaded up & went down to my great uncles place on the South Canadian river to sight-in our rifles. We were in my 95' Jeep Wrangler. (MoPar or AMC) your choice.

We had finished up sighting in our guns so we decided to go down the river in the Jeep. Now we kept it on the sand for the most part, im not one of them guys that goes out & floats his Jeep down the river or anything.

We crossed the river at the narrowest part in order to get to the other side. At this point the river was about 50 feet wide & about 2 feet deep. Nothing a lifted Jeep couldnt handle!!

After putting around on the other side for a couple of hours, we decided to head back home & call it a day. We went back to the spot we thought was the same place we had crossed & proceeded to get to the other side, just as we did hours before.

I pulled up to the waterline & looked out to the river. It looked deeper than before! So I hollered to my good buddy in the back seat & said... "Hey Terry since you have waders on, hop out & see how deep it is". He says "OK" & hops out. Its not too deep he says, about the same as before. I said OK stay put & i'll pull up & pick you up.

Indeed he did stay put. I dropped the Jeep in 4low & started out in 2nd gear getting ready to pick up my bud. I pull up next to him to let him in. At this point we were in about 6 inches of water. I pull up next to him & say "hop in". He attempts to hop in but cant! He says "Im sinking"!! "My feet are stuck"!! Satrtled I didnt know what to do when all of a sudden my other buddy in the front seat says "Holy $hit Matt, the Jeep is sinking"!!! Panic stricken I floor it, dump the clutch, spinning all 4 tires deeper into the river bed.

QUICKSAND!! Well at this point we are stuck good. & I mean good. I should have never stopped in it. Should have let him walk back to the Jeep & get in so we could have just kept on rollin'. Im freekin' out big time. I had the Jeep for a month & still had 5yrs. of payments on it, so I didnt want to be driving a water logged Jeep for the rest of my life.

Just to give you an idea of how much it sunk into the mud, I had the factory half-doors on it at the time & we had to crawl out of the Jeep. We couldnt open them. Sand & water seeping into the Jeep through the doors & drain holes. Yes I was flippin' out! Just to add insult to injury, we were 7miles down the river!! The nearest house was my uncles & it was 7 freekin' miles away! & let me tell you we were out in the middle of BFE. Nothing for miles & miles & miles. That was before folks like me & my buddies had cell phones, so guess what? Start walkin"!!

I sent my fittest buddy, the one that could actually make the 7 mile hike, up to my uncles place to get help. At this point I thought we were going to have to get a helicopter to pull it out. He returned with help. My uncle & his friend. They were in a 4wd s-10 & a 4wd ford f-150. They had about six shovels & 100 feet of rope. "Start digging dumb azzes" he said.

So we dug & dug & dug for 4 hour solid with no breaks we dug under & around this Jeep. Covered from head to toe with mud & muck, my uncle says "thats good enough" & hands me a HUGE rope. "Wrap this around your front axle" he says. Concerened, I say "wont that tear something up"? PO'ed, my uncle looks at me & says "Look. Its getting dark & im late for wheel of fortune, so wrap the damn thing around the axle"!! Yes sir!!!

I hop in the Jeep fire it up & get ready for blast off. He gets in the s-10, puts about 20 feet of slack in the rope & stops. He gets out & looks at me & hollers "im gonna give it hell"!! So I said "ok"... All I could think was "im going to die"!!! "im going to die"!!. He gets in the s-10 & mats the pedal!! The rope snapped tight & it was like a jet taking off! I stomp the jeep to the floor & we are out!! He pulls my completely across the river, bouncing off the rev limiter the entire time!!

We get to the other side! Finally!! We are free men once more. It was dark at this point so we wrapped it up pretty quick. I thanked my uncle & he said "Im gonna call your momma (his sister) when I get in the house". Oh god, im a dead man! I drove home like a wild man, dropped off the fellas' & worked up a good story to tell my mom & dad. Needless to say it didnt work. After I spent 30 bucks that night at the car wash washing away all the mud, sand, & what little bit of "new" the Jeep still had, I had to hand over the keys for 2 weeks. I was being punished for nearly destroying the Jeep my folks had helped me get.

Lesson learned, I havent been back since. That was in 99'. To this day my friends still give me crap over it. Good times, Good times.8)

& yes every time I see a 4wd s-10 I tip my hat & say: "well done sir, well done indeed"!

 

[FISHBREATH]

On one early autumn evening back in the late 1970s, I was with three buddies cruising east on the L.I.E. We were doing about 70m.p.h. The windows were up, tunes were blasting, and the inside of the car looked like something from Cheech & Chong. The sun was just below the horizon as we were in the center lane somewhere just east of Holtsville.

Suddenly, it seemed as though a bright spotlight was shining through the left side windows. As our eyes began to focus on the source, we realized that the car next to us had a shower of sparks blowing out of the right front wheelwell. It was like Mount Vesuvius. The guy's front wheel and tire were gone! I then saw the driver...he had a white-knuckle death grip on the steering wheel, his eyes were bugging out of his head, and his mouth was wide open.

He managed to slow the car, slide off onto the paved shoulder, and then into the grass median, followed by an eruption of dirt and grass into the air. His wheel and tire wobbled up behind him and smacked his rear bumper. Wide-eyed, all we could utter was a collective, "Oh, wow, man." All we could talk about was the look on the guy's face.

 

[capnz]

let's see,
summer of 89 or 90 when i was stationed in el paso i was driving a 66 charger 383 which i had put an electric fuel pump on.when i bought the pump they told me to keep it as close to the tank as possible (less than 2-3 feet) and at or below it.so of course there wasn't really anywhere good to place it.sooo
i mounted it on the stamped metal brace that the upper part of the shocks mount to(which put it right above the pumpkin).needless to say with slightly worn rear spings and the weight of that body style after some time of hitting bumps and dips the car shut off.this happened as some of us where on the way to a local park with a 1/2 keg of bud,the tub and plenty of ice in the trunk.after a 5 min check come to find out the rear bouncing had cut the pump wires.so here i am laying on the ground reaching around the rearend and such repairing the wiring while my buddy video tapes the whole thing and narrates so all you see are my legs and the keg in the trunk.actually it's a nice little tape.and of course i didn't move the pump for a couple of years so that wasn't the last time that happened.and one of those was on a saturday night at about 3am along the baltimore beltway.2shelbys made me think of this when he mentioned b-more.

 

[pastortom1]

I bought a 67 Cuda Notchback a few years ago, and brought it home to clean it up a bit.

I installed a new gas tank & line set, and a new stock pump, along with a freshly rebuilt carb. It started and idled beautifully, and even better after I put in the electronic ignition conversion........GREAT, I thought.

On my first test drive downtown, which is 2 miles away, the car just stopped running at about 1.8 miles out.........Funny.........there was this guy, an older man with little to do, sitting in a lawn chair by the sidewalk as my friend and I cruised silently by him......no motor......just a silent passing........He waved.

We pushed it the short distance to the gas station, sure it had run out of gas........I put in about 5 gallons more, and started the car, and then drove it home. Ran fine, but it died again in my driveway. Now, it wouldn't start at all. I'd seen this before, from a bad fuel pump.

I put on a new pump, and away I went.........1.8 miles out, at almost the exact place it had died before, it died again..........a sick and humiliating feeling came over me like a wave as we again passed by the SAME man, in the SAME silent fashion, and again, he waved..............we waved back.

I had to tow the car this time.........Put on yet another new pump, by a different manufacturer, and it started right up. Downtown again, 1.8 miles, and again it died.........I was SO angry I wanted to curse out loud, BUT the same guy was there waving at us........I waved back...........I kept my mouth shut.....towed the car again.

Needless to say, I installed a new Holley electric pump, and I never had another problem.....EVER.

The car has been in NY for 3 years now while I worked in Florida, driven a little regularly by my kids to keep it fresh.....BIG car show just came up in their area.....they cleaned the car, waxed it and gassed it up downtown.....brought it home and put it to bed, ready to go the next morning...............They got up, got in the car, drove it toward town to go to the show.................at about 1.8 miles out, it died......I assume there was an older gent sitting there in his lawn chair waving at them as they passed by without a sound...maybe he thinks it's a new "hybrid" with UFO technology or something......Heartbroken, they had it towed back..............The Holley pump had seized.

I think I'll install a gravity tank on the roof........that'll fix the %$@#$ !!!!

 

[Robbie2734]

My in-laws had a motorhome and used to tow a car behind it. My father-in law NEVER did any pm on anything...drive them till they drop, then call me. While on a trip to New Hampshire they decide to ask my wife and sister-inlaw to drive the car back. Terri (my wife) sees a chance to get away from the kids and is off in a flash. I have a bad feeling!! They fly to Boston, miss the only flight to the lake and decide to rent a car to finish the trip...no cars available! They wind up hitching a ride with some teacher headed north (he got the last car) and made it to the lake later that night. My father-inlaw picked them up in the motor home and took them to the camp grounds...they should have smelled a rat then! The next day they started back down the turnpike headed towards Boston, got about 60 miles when the car wouldn't accelerate, the motor just revved. They coasted down the exit ramp to a gas station and found they were 4 qts short of transmission fluid. It was leaking out almost as fast as they put it in. They found they could go about 60 miles before it needed another 3 qts..and thats how they made it to my brothers place...it died there. But it was in New Jersey!!! I had it towed to a friends garage, he knew my father-inlaw!! We gave it last rites, it was an amazing car.

 

[daves66valiant]

bigmacdak. I went to OU so I know all about the canadian river. LOL. we used to go down there with a keg all the time and get wasted while 4x4ing around the river. Luckily we had tow ropes and winches. That is a hilarious story.

One summer when I was about 15 and my parents had a 1966 Valiant 100 that they used as a second car and fishing car. We would drive it to all the fishing holes in and around Oklahoma City. My Dad, step mom and I all ended up going to Canton Lake to this secret little fishing hole that had the best bass fishing you could imagine. 5-pounders all day long. The Crappie and Catfishing was great too.

We had been there a few times before and usually did some dove hunting as well. The farmers around there were really nice and didn't mind. The only issue getting back to the fishing hole was the road was really bad. It was rutted out and usually filled with muddy water. We had mud tires on the little /6 Valiant and would haul asss mudding though the big puddles. It was such a blast. Mud flying everywhere. The car was so light it really performed great.

Well it must have rained pretty good since the last time we were there and there was one big long puddle of about 100 yards and 25 yards wide. My Dad stopped in front of it and looked for about 10 seconds and looked and me as said. YOU READY? I shook my head OH YEAH!!!!. We backed up the little Valiant and got up some speed and went for it. We'll we made it about 50 yards into the puddle and stopped cold. The water and mud was just past the door sills and we had to get out and start pushing in the mud. We tried jacking the car up and moving the rearend but it was not working. We even tried putting wood under the tires. No go.

My Dad and I ended up walking about 5 miles to this old farmer's house and told him our dilemma. We all hoped in his huge John Deere tractor and head back to the little Valiant. We get to the car and he just pushed us right out. He thought we were crazy driving back on these roads. He said that he hardly seeing anyone back here but we told him we loved the fishing. He nodded his head with a smile because he knew the fishing hole and knew good and well that we were having a great time.

This little Valiant ended up being my very first car. I owned it until last year. Thankfully, I have lots of great parts from her that went into my 66 Convertible. Good times in that little Valiant. Guess that's why I have 2 of them now.

 

[daves66valiant]

pastortom. If I'm ever in that town with my Mopar I'll be avoiding mile 1.8 and the old man on the porch. He must have been a voodoo Ford or Chevy guy hexing your ride. LOL

 

[memike]

At the ripe young age of 15 :blob:I drove my grand mother from Paw Paw Ill.close to Chicago.
to plant city Fla.
Yep back then you could have a hard ship drivers license at 14.:thumrigh:
My uncle had a dodge Monaco four door 383 2 bbl screamer.
It was my job to get grandma and me to plant city to start strawberry harvest. Mom and two younger brothers will make the trip when the harvest
got going good.:clock:
It was just me and a great old native American Indian about 50 years young.
On our trip to Fla. we stoped to see uncle Robert here in Arkansas her son, my
A grade uncle , So we spend two days there and he said the car is doing great.
so he sneaks me a couple packs of cig's and some fun money and of we go with sandwiches and cooler of pop, {soda drinks}
You should have seen me in this BIG nice dark blue Monaco at 5'7" and a whopping 155lb's.
Well the trip was back on its way and everything was good, Grandma let me smoke and making the best of a long trip.
Tallahassee was getting close and it was after dark and the thumping sound started and sounded like the floor board was vibrating .
That's when we made the disition and stopped at the next turn off and slowed the car down and as we entered the turned off on the exit the car though's a drive shaft and we barely rolled off the road.
I looked under the car and the drive shaft was gone.
We walked back and found it and took it back to the car.
Grandma and I walked to the top of the turn off and seen the next town was
in site, But a lady stopped and ask how we was and she drove us to a dinner that was open. as grandma was getting change for the pay phone a man ask me if everything was all right. so I told him what has happened to us.
He was there eating supper there because his wife was bowling.:angel5:
He and my grandma and I had a sandwich and fries and he said that he can fix it in no time. He said wait here and he would get your car and meet us two corners down the street at his garage.
Grandma and I was worried about how much this would cost.
He backed the big Dodge in his garage and had every thing and had us up and ready in about an hour. God bless the good old day's
and a great place with a good man that made a bad time good.
sorry but this is a true story and not real exciting but so true and it had to be told. It sure could have been a worse. cost to do every thing was $15.
I think that was the only time mother mopar ever let me down.:salute:

 

[2shelbys]

ROTFLMAO! Thank you Dave, I needed that. No offense 2shelbys.

None taken my friend.

 

[Bigmacdak]

daves66valiant, I didnt know you were familiar with the area, nor did I know you went to OU. Thats awsome! You wouldnt believe how many old cars around here had mudders on the back. I remember that very well. As a matter of fact, my uncle Vernon, the guy that pulled us out, had an old 80's caddy that had a set of super lugs on it. I remember it very well from when I was a kid! Good times & great memories!!

 

[Alaskan_Dart]

I'll try to keep this short.
November 1992, I lived in Tri-Cites,WA. I was moving back to my old home town P.A. driving my '69 charger w/a 383 stroker. I left Tri-Cites at 5 a.m. Temp was 51* above FYI.
As I got near Yakima,WA. I ended up in a race against a mid 60's vet'. We were neck in neck @ 130 mph, my car was loaded also, we called it a draw after 8 or 9 very quick miles.
As I got closer to the Summit, it was snowing bad, weird, but whatever I told myself. State Troopers had everyone stop at bottom of the hill. Chain up or turn back. I had a pair or bais ply snow tires in the trunk mounted up plus a set of chains. I put tires on as the Trooper said to me, Mr. you nuts, pardon me after words, I said no big deal, I'm from Alaska. He said beautiful charger you have, please be carefull.
I drove on, through 2 feet of snow at times, fresh and not fun, cold, windows fogged up, heater stopped working, -15 below on top of mountian.
I kept buying two cups of coffee at every stop, not shutting the charger off, one cup to drink and one between my legs to help me stay warm.
After 5 hours of driving through hell. I hit North Bend,WA. 55* above finally. I swapped my rear tires back to mag wheels and drove home to P.A. My car was black from dirt and snow, I almost cried seeing it so dirty. Took me 13 hours to drive a normally 4.5 hour trip.
Yeah, good times, not!
Unforgetable though, thats for damn sure!

Mark