<VV> Veteran's Day---Corvair Content---

Thu Nov 12 09:42:04 EST 2009

Tony

Thanks for a terrific story that'd read well in the Comminique.  We've all
felt your pain.  Its a big reason why I carry  a cheap air compressor in my
cars...I can pump up a tire and limp to a garage or home to repair/change
the tire.  Tho in your situation, the rain would likely have killed the
little air pumper.

Mike in Michigan  

On 11/11/09 10:53 PM, "Tony Underwood" <tony.underwood at cox.net> wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> Today I took a previously scheduled vacation day off
> work.    Veteran's day... it rained cats and dogs all day and it's
> 9:40 PM now and STILL raining.   Weather dood said it was going to
> maybe rain this morning... 20% chance.
> 
> 
> 
> The '60 4-door and I took the daughter to school since she missed the
> bus.    All was well as I pulled up in front of the school.    In the
> time it took her to collect her book bag, Dr Pepper, potato chips,
> and Cheese Danish  (we'd stopped off at 7-11 on the way) the LR tire
> went flat.    I didn't hear any hissing or the like, just noticed the
> car slowly lowering in the back corner as she tentatively made moves
> to dash up the steps while hoping the rain would let up for a few
> seconds.    It did not.
> 
> 
> I wobbled a few feet down the curbing to get out from in front of the
> steps, waited a few minutes for the rain to maybe abate (it did not)
> the bit the bullet and got out in the rain to change the tire.
> 
> 
> The spare hadn't been touched in years.   Still had a full compliment
> of air.   It is mounted on the original spare tire rim (same color as
> the rest of the car's rims) and has a code date that appears to be
> 1966 (which sounds about right considering the width of the
> whitewall) and is getting close to being bald but it continues to serve.
> 
> 
> Got out the jack and lug wrench, did the do jacking up the car while
> any and all manner and sorts of student drop-offs came and went in a
> steady procession.    In the rain came SUV, minivan, pickup truck,
> family sedan, VW Beetle.   The majority of them rubbernecked as they
> passed by me while I was wrestling with the lug wrench trying to
> loosen the lug nuts...  which had been put on with an impact wrench
> when the new tires went on the car last spring.
> 
> Three of them eventually came loose after straining until veins stood
> out in my neck like Ahnold in a pose, breaking loose with a SNAP as
> they relinquished their grip on the studs.
> 
> 
> One would not give up.    I strained harder, both knees on the
> submerged pavement to steady the pull as the rain poured.   I
> wondered if the procession of vehicles contained drivers who felt empathy...
> 
> 
> I took a brief break, went back to the trunk and plucked out a late
> model tail pipe picked up at a show that was still riding around in
> the trunk and slipped it over the end of the lug wrench to save the
> hand which was taking a beating trying to bear down on the handle to
> crack loose the last stubborn lug nut.   A deep breath, grab the
> tailpipe extension on the lug wrench with right hand, left hand on
> the end of the lug wrench to steady it and then pull hard...  SNAP.
> 
> The lug wrench broke, split on the socket end... I'd expected it to
> break where the pivot is, if it was gonna break anywhere.  The lug
> nut sat there staring back at me.    Back to the trunk to the
> handy-dandy tool kit I won as a door prize at a Vair Fair a couple
> years back.    You know the ones, black plastic box with clamshell
> doors and a 1/4 and 3/8 socket set, screwdrivers, allen wrenches, and
> a set of torx bits.    The ratchet, an extension, and 3/4" socket
> went back to the lug nut, with the tail pipe extension on the ratchet
> handle in hopes it wouldn't break as well.    SNAP.   The extension split.
> 
> 
> At this point my sense of humor had gone the way of the sunshine.
> 
> 
> Back to the trunk, putting away the tools and broken
> extension.   Brainstormed.  Recalled a salvation under the passenger
> side front seat where the 4-way lug wrench had been stashed for who
> knows how long.    Not one of those big boys with a 2 foot wingspan
> but the smaller one that fits under a 'Vair seat without peeking
> out.    Back to the arrogant lug nut.   That's when a female driving
> an Oldsmobuichevy stopped, window rolled down and a voice called out:
> 
> "How old is that car?"
> 
>       "In a couple months it will be 50 years old."
> 
> "Is that a Corvair?  We used to have one when I was little."
> 
>       "Everybody used to have one.   I have a dozen.  Maybe even the
> one you used to have."
> 
> "Oh my!   Well, good luck!"
> 
> ...wasn't sure whether she meant with the tire, or being saddled with
> a dozen Corvairs.
> 
> 
> On with the 4-way, pulling and
> pushing.   Hard.   Harder.   Hardererer.   F*cking lug nut would NOT
> budge.    The rain was not letting up.   Hair stringing down in my
> eyes...  sweat shirt clinging, stickywet.   Back on my knees with a
> two fisted grip mumbling "you're gonna come loose this time you
> sunuvabish or you're gonna break, one or the other."
> 
> The 4-way bent but nothing broke.   I never bent a 4-way lug wrench
> before.   Damn, it was just a corporate GM 3/4 lugnut, shoulda
> snapped the stud off by now.   I am not a small person and I have
> enough muscle and ass behind it to twist lug studs off, done it
> before several times.  Rust flakes sprang off the lug wrench's wet
> shank and still the lug nut refused to budge.    Back to the trunk,
> secured some mechanical assistance via that tailpipe extension on the
> right-hand end, a funky dusty (now soaking) red shop rag on the
> left-hand end to keep from leaving lug wrench socket depressions
> embedded in my palms.    The knees were starting to wick water down
> to my shoes...  a huge Ford pickup with a LOUD diesel rumbled past me
> at a brisk rate spraying more water off its gumbo-jumbo tires which
> was hardly worthy of notice considering the soaking already in place.
> 
> My logic this time would be that the lug wrench shank would now be
> work hardened a bit by the twisting and bending it had taken and thus
> maybe would not give in anymore and I would be able to wring off the
> offending lug stud, nut and all.    Another hard pull with growling
> sound F/X and I felt something give.   Finally the stud was twisting
> off, or so I thought.   But nope, lo and behold the nut had loosened
> and I spun it off.
> 
> Onion-grip spare went on, checked the flat radial for a nail or a cut
> or anything at all, saw nothing.   Put everything else away, drove
> home...  pissed off.   The car is in the driveway and it's still
> raining.   Tomorrow the ragtop will take me back to work... I'm not
> gonna get rained on anymore and I'm not gonna ride the 43 year old
> bias ply semi-bald spare across the county.
> 
> 
> 
> Weather report for tomorrow is clearing and slightly warmer, with
> Friday being dry and warmer yet.   Saturday more of the same.
> I'll believe it when it happens.    This weekend is likely gonna be
> the last "nice" weekend of the year, if experience is any indication.
> 
> 
> 
> On the way home I was kinda tempered by the fact that I was able to
> enjoy getting rained on while changing a flat with a stuck lug nut in
> 40 degree temps in front of a high school with half the student body
> checking my progress from the windows.
> 
> A lot of guys wearing a Uniform in some desert shithole on the
> opposite side of the planet would likely gladly have traded places
> with me.    It makes you count your blessings...  and made me think
> about the times when I was in Uniform getting rained on and sticky
> and muddy and in the middle of no-friggin-where wishing I was just
> dry for a while...  thought about those guys a bit more as I drove,
> with Neal Boortz on the radio talking about soldiers in distant
> places as well as a dozen others at Ft Hood...
> 
> Here's to remembrances, and a thoughtful Veteran's Day to everyone
> who served.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> tony..
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