The Story - by Phil
My dad bought this car from an individual in SoCal who had owned it for over 20 years. He had it painted over 15 years ago then kept it in the garage. When my dad picked it up it had not run for almost 15 years. After some serious work on the shift mechanism, brakes, carburetor, electronic ignition, and general cleanup it was running. Unfortunately one day it suffered a cracked head and destroyed three valve guides. Turbo heads are almost impossible to find so he found someone who could weld and machine the existing heads. The only downside was the cost and the nine months it took to complete the job. Because of this, he took the opportunity to rework the engine compartment with new rubber, glass beaded and painted sheet metal, and installed all new seals. He also replaced all of the flexible brake lines, converted to a dual master cylinder, and replaced all of the wheel cylinders. A fuel pressure regulator solved the chronic flooding problem on the temperamental turbo carburetor.
The Damage: In the Spring of 2007, my dad decided to bring the car out to Arizona for me to show and drive. The only way he had to get it out here was to tow it on a tow dolly so he backed it up on the dolly and tied down the steering wheel. He checked the tires before leaving and they appeared in good condition so we decided to get new tires after getting it out here. The first tire blew while going through San Diego. The steel belts came apart, shredding the left front fender, trim, and paint. He pulled over and put the spare on and continued on. The second one blew shortly later, duplicating the damage on the right front fender. He swapped one from the rear onto the front and vowed to drive slowly and make it here, hopefully, without further complication. Just outside of Gila Bend, the third one blew, causing the trailer to fishtail and almost flip the truck. Somehow he ended up off the freeway, jackknifed and shaken. I left immediately to rent a flatbed trailer from U-Haul at 5 minutes to close on Friday night, and meet him out there. The damage was extensive and disappointing. Both front fenders were torn up and the left rear fender was bashed in where it jackknifed against the rear of the truck. We limped it up on the flatbed (with both front tires shredded) and got it home. The next day we took all five tires and rims to the tire store to get new ones and, to our extreme dismay, found out that they only cost $20 each.
Lessons Learned:
- I will never again rely on tires of questionable integrity. If I didn't buy them and don't have a record as to how old they are, I will not rely on them to go any distance.
- We are going to buy a flatbed car-hauler to transport our classic cars. Driving or towing them from state to state is out of the question now.
