Catastrophy in the rain! Legacy broke down.

JaySVX · #1 02-14-2008, 08:16 AM

Well, I was on my way home last night, and made a bit of a detour, hopped on hte turnpike, and went to visit a friend in Glenside. On my way home, driving down 73, I went around a bend. And then I heard a thump and grinding. I thought I ran over something, so I put on my 4-way's and got out. The sound was coming from the front driver side wheel, so i went to the front of the car and looked under. It was raining pretty good, and i couldn't see much, but I didn't see anything obstructing it. So I got back in, and started easing it forward. It was ok, then bam, grind again. So I get out, and notice that the wheel is rubbing on the rear side of wheel well.

I thought to myself, that wheel shouldn't be touching the wheel well. So I looked between the spokes in the tire and I saw the lower control arm sitting on the inside of the wheel. The ball joint came out of the lower control arm it turned out. I was in the middle of a heavy traffic road laying in front of my car with my 4-ways on, and I thought, if someone hits the back of my car, I'm going to be run over by my own vehicle. So I got up, and limped it about 100 yards down the road into the closest parking lot. I called young Tom up, and was like hey, stuff broke. Tom said hang tight, I'll be right there. So, I looked around, and realized I was in the parking lot of a bar. What better place to be stuck for two and a half hours while tom makes his way from his garage in NJ to where I was in the philadelphia suburbs.

So I head in, and make sure with the bartender that my car wasn't in the way of where customers would be parking, then ordered a beer. 6 beers later, Tom showed up in his wagon. He got his jack out, and jacked my car up, took the wheel off, pried the ball joint off, put the new ball joint in, lifted the wheel hub into the lower control arm, put the new lug and pin in, and we drove to my house about 10 miles away.

The car drove fine the whole way, Tom was nice enough to do the work, as I was in my work clothes, slacks and a button down, so I didn't get dirty laying on the ground as it was a mess out. We cracked open a beer, shot the **** for about an hour, then Tom was on his way, after 9pm, to drive home to NJ.

I'd just like to say, Thanks Tom. You dropped everything you were doing, grabbed some tools, hopped in your wagon, and drove 2.5 hours to me stranded on the side of the road. Then, fixed my car, and followed me home to make sure everything was ok. Service like that you can't get anywhere else.

Without Tom, I would have jacked it up, put the bolt back in the lower control arm, and put a bolt or pin on it, so i could get home and fix it the following day, having to take a day off from work. But Tom was there, and the problem was fixed the right way on the spot, and saved me a ton of time and effort. And who knows what I would have messed up driving it like that, risking perhaps another occurrence. Plus I had already called all my friends locally and they said it was nasty out, they didn't want to come all the way out to where I was. But Tom managed to get there in no time, considering the distance he had to travel, and help me out.

Tom, this is my thoughts:

TomsSVX · #2 02-14-2008, 08:35 AM

no problem bud... Sometime things NEED to be done, and this was one of those times

Tom

Tim · #3 02-14-2008, 08:57 AM

I had a similar experience Jay. I was in LBI picking up a spare rear seat from Tom. He had to leave to go to his brother's engagement party. I left on my way and as I'm driving I hear a really bad air leaking sound. Got out of the car and looked at my rear tire and it looks like I ran over something plastic like a pen.

I called Tom up and he asked if I had enough air to make it back. Then I drove back and Tom came back to his house. He got my car up on the jack, took the tire off, pulled out a miniature screwdriver that punctured it and patched the tire. He was done in 10 minutes and wouldn't accept a dime. He had to go wash up again needless to say.

If that doesn't show true colors then I dont know what does.

sicksubie · #4 02-14-2008, 02:14 PM

what caused the prob?

JaySVX · #5 02-14-2008, 03:48 PM

Think the cotter pin that holds hte bolt in place came out at some point, the bolt worked it's way off, and then it was a matter of time before the ball joint jumped out of the lower control arm.

shelfy · #6 02-14-2008, 03:50 PM

what's a 4-way? the kind you put on, anyway.

TomsSVX · #7 02-14-2008, 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelfy

what's a 4-way? the kind you put on, anyway.

Gutterbrain, its a 4-way stop (an intersection...not intercourse)

Tom

shelfy · #8 02-14-2008, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TomsSVX

Gutterbrain, its a 4-way stop (an intersection...not intercourse)

Tom

that doesn't make sense either.

shelfy · #9 02-14-2008, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JaySVX

I thought I ran over something, so I put on my 4-way's and got out.

I was in the middle of a heavy traffic road laying in front of my car with my 4-ways on, and I thought, if someone hits the back of my car, I'm going to be run over by my own vehicle.

this is what i'm talking about.

Hocrest · #10 02-14-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelfy

this is what i'm talking about.

Hazard's

4 way flashers...

shelfy · #11 02-14-2008, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hocrest

Hazard's

4 way flashers...

gotcha. postcount +1.

Landshark · #12 02-14-2008, 10:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shelfy

gotcha. postcount +1.

agreed +1

wat is a postcount?

JaySVX · #13 02-15-2008, 03:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hocrest

Hazard's

4 way flashers...

Yes. 4-way's = hazard lights. You know, cause there's 4 of them? Front left, front right, rear left, rear right. Dunno, that's what we always called them. maybe it's a local thing.