This coulda been really bad!!!

[-83MONTESS-]

This happened just this past saturday night. My buddy was over and we were swapping in the 3.73s in place of the 2.29s in my monte. Everything went smooth, got it done in a couple hours without breaking something! So I topped it off with fluid and finished bleeding the brakes and i was pumped to see what kind of a difference it will make. I went inside to clean up and had my buddy put the tires on. So I pull the car out and we go down the road and after about 2 miles I start hearing a faint hum and the car kinda shakes. Im trying to think of what it is when I ask my friend if he tightened the lugs, he answered with an "oh sh*t" look. Just as I start to pull over the rear end starts swaying side to side and begins violently shaking. Luckily I had a 4 way under my seat so I tightened them up, each one had probly 1-2 threads keeping them on. Needless to say I nursed it back home and torqued them down immediately! Not much of a story but it could've been real bad!

 

[Bumpin1ohmSS]

Aw man! Glad this had a happy ending. Yessir! ive seen wheels fly off on the freeway after buddy's have done a rear end swap or a disc brake conversion. We get all excited to see what the new mod is gonna do. Thanks for the story. Just the wake up call and reminder all of us need to check our work!

Elco Warren 8)

 

[upandaway84]

Close call. I've been in a vehicle that lost a tire. Not much fun when your seeing sparks and watching the tire headed for the car dealership ahead.

 

[pontiacgp]

lucky you caught that since I expect you were interested in checking out the improved acceleration with those gears and had your foot into it.....I'd be looking at the studs to make sure they aren't damaged..

 

[Phoenyx]

That reminds me of the last time had my Monza. When I bought it back, one of the rear wheels (4 lug set up) was missing a stud. So I was out cruising with a friend and the rear started to feel all wobbly. I was on a main road so I turned off to see what it was. But it went away as soon as I turned off, so I just assumed it was the road. So back onto the main road, and onto a bridge (about 4-5 blocks long) and it starts up again, but worse this time. So I baby it across the bridge and pull over. Look at the wheel and there is only ONE lugnut (about half way off!) holding it on.

Here's what saved me. I had a set of aluminum slots on the car. And the hole in the rim caught the round piece of the axl the sticks out a bit. So the wheel didn't flop around to much.

Since I was only 2 minutes from home at this point, I took one of the lugs off the other rear tire and put it on the wheel with only one and made it home safe.

 

[455rocket]

Dodged a bullit on that sumbitch huh!!

 

[-83MONTESS-]

Close call. I've been in a vehicle that lost a tire. Not much fun when your seeing sparks and watching the tire headed for the car dealership ahead.

Been there in a newer Dodge Ram! Luckily it wasnt mine so it was even more funny!

 

[pontiacgp]

how did you like the difference between the 2 ratios?

 

[-83MONTESS-]

how did you like the difference between the 2 ratios?

Well now it chirps the tires going from gear to gear, it wouldnt do that before and the response and acceleration is amazing! Im buzzing 2700-2800 rpm at 55 so its screaming pretty good for an old stock 400. I wanna find a 700r4 or 4L80e but dont wanna cut up the floor. I did a small powerbrake in the garage and heard a loud POP! noise but im hoping it was from the wheels not being tight because it doesnt happen anymore.

 

[jrm81bu]

Glad you avoided any carnage. I had to learn the lesson of always checking your own nuts myself. We had just finished upgrading to an 8.5 3.08 posi rear in my Caprice. My brother and his friend supposedly tightened them. Found out in the middle of a sideways 60mph burnout that his friend was wrong. Lost all the lug nuts, but the studs just dropped down on the inner lip of the rim, instead of the whole thing flying off. Sad part was that that was the second time a wheel came off that car, first one was the fron driver that came off completely.