Check Your Lug Nuts!

[BobPalma]

These have been going around some collector-car forums for a month or so, but I haven't seen them here.

Supposedly, this fellow hobbyist just completed his 1938 Plymouth and went for a shake-down cruise before disembarking on a longer trip last April. The report has it that the LR lug nuts weren't tight and he lost the LR wheel, dropping the chassis to the ground and damaging the gas tank upon impact.

And the rest, as they say, is history.

('Hope his insurance was in effect, but you'd never get paid for what was your labor of love.)

Check your lug nuts!

[Lothar]

Another good reason to have a fire extinguisher in every car!

[Invalid User Name]

That could ruin your whole day!

[TX Rebel]

I had a lug nut issue once on a Golden Hawk which was my daily driver in '97. I left work on a Sat at noon and headed for a Stude meet about an hour out of town. Just as I was exiting the highway, I noticed a rattle, but decided to check it after I arrived since I was just a few miles from my destination. Coming in to the meeting a bit late due to having worked that day, the place was full of people as I drove in, and about 30 ft from where I was going to park, I had a rt fr wheel come off of the car in full view of the crowd! I drove it on and parked it with 3 wheels. I was fortunate that 3 of the studs were usable so the car could be driven home. My only guess is that some jerk at the job loosened my lugs, though I had no suspects. One local bozo still reminds me of the glee he had witnessing the wheel coming off to this day. I just thank God that it did not turn out worse, and for all of the help I had getting the thing fixed.

[Corvanti]

put disc brake pads on stepson's firebird in may. the next day he called from college saying the car was making an awful noise. yep, rear lug nuts were loose. i was tired of him standing around watching me work while he played with his i-phone, so told him to put the rear tires on and jack it down after i had finished the brakes... seems he "forgot" to tighten them after it was on the ground...
this time last year, he was a usaf f-16 crew chief!!!

[jimmijim8]

S-C-A-R-E-Y. I hate when that happens. At least he may be proficient with the I phone. I know a couple in-laws with the same qualifications- auto related that is. They are air traffic controllers. They are really talented when it comes to x box or that other thingy. jimmijim

[showbizkid]

I chose to edit and delete rather than close the thread.

Let's keep it civil and non-political, guys.

[David56j]

I can relate to that. A few years ago my wife and I saved for two years for a trip to Australia. The day before we were to leave, on the way home from work, my '74 Bronco lost a wheel because of lug nuts. I was on the East end of the Lake Washington floating bridge in Seattle at rush hour. The car slammed into the inside concrete divider and stayed there. I created quite a traffic back-up. About an hour later a State Trooper arrived and asked where the tire & wheel went. I didn't know because I was a little busy at the time. He said that he thought he knew. It flew across the freeway and he a girls Honda. Hit just above the windshield and peeled the top off like a sardine can. She was cool enough to drive to the next exit and call it in. Luckily no one was hurt. We still made our trip.
Check them nuts!
David

[FlatheadGeo]

I had a Rambler and worked part time at an AMC dealer. Had the my 60's Custom rear brakes done. On the way home I heard a loud clanking and banging from the driver's rear wheel. When I got home and checked: ALL, Every single lug nut was loose and one was rolling around in the hupcap! I went back and told the service manager, he could have cared less. Informed the owner and the manager was toast within the week! Imagine how he sent the customers' cars home!!!!

[JBOYLE]

I just heard on the local news that there was a serious crash on a hiway near here. A wheel came off a horse trailer, struck a car which then went out of control and hit another car while narrowly avoiding a third.
Be careful out there.

BTW: After storing my trailer there for 5 days, Bob Palma wouldn't let me leave his place until I checked its lug nuts. Thanks, Bob.

[BobPalma]

I just heard on the local news that there was a serious crash on a hiway near here. A wheel came off a horse trailer, struck a car which then went out of control and hit another car while narrowly avoiding a third.
Be careful out there.

BTW: After storing my trailer there for 5 days, Bob Palma wouldn't let me leave his place until I checked its lug nuts. Thanks, Bob.

You're welcome, John.

Now for "the rest of the story..."

While I was at the SDC National Meet in Springfield, a large branch broke off the Silver Maple tree that is immediately south of right where your trailer was parked, John! It was large enough and fell in the proper trajectory, that if your trailer would have been parked there, it would have suffered at least some damage. (It might have damaged your car inside; 'just depends on how it would have hit your trailer on the way down.)

Yipes! I did not realize that particular branch was rotten; it looked OK from the ground. Anyway, I had our tree guy come out shortly after I got back.

$650 later, he had removed the entire 70-foot(?) Blue Spruce that died as a result of last year's drought; the tree that was immediately off the RF corner of your trailer while it was parked here.

He pronounced the offending Silver Maple, the one from which came the large branch that would have damaged your trailer, as being in satisfactory health for the time being, but needing serious trimming and pruning, which he did.

Here's what that driveway area where your trailer was parked looks like today. Note the large brown splotch where the Blue Spruce stump was ground out. You can't see any low-lying branches from the Silver Maple at the right side of the picture, because they've been trimmed back:

[Corvanti]

gee whiz! for $650, i hope he cut and stacked the culprit(s) for future fireplace use...

[BobPalma]

gee whiz! for $650, i hope he cut and stacked the culprit(s) for future fireplace use...

That's the low end of the market around here, Kerry.

This guy has done good work for me for years, and did extensive trimming on the other tree at the same time. The price included coming back with his stump grinder and grinding out the stump...and my wife lassoed him into trimming a decorative Weeping Cherry Tree up by the front door at the same time, all included in the $650.

More than I'd like to pay, sure. But I'm comfortable that no commercial tree service in the Indianapolis area would have been near that price. BP

[62champ]

One local bozo still reminds me of the glee he had witnessing the wheel coming off to this day. I just thank God that it did not turn out worse, and for all of the help I had getting the thing fixed.

Didn't realize I was still considered local... You were very lucky Barry - my uncle lamented for some time after that what might have happened going down the highway if that would have happened.

[65cruiser]

Once while driving down I-65 south of Louisville I noticed the car in front of me do a quick evasive maneuver and right in front of me was a semi wheel rolling my direction in my lane. I changed lanes and watched as it went by me, hit the divider wall, went airborne and exited into a field on the other side of the interstate. I shudder to think what might have happened if my car (or any car) had nailed that at speed.