[T3] loose nuts

[HiReVPunK@aol.com]

<< Knocking could just be loose wheel nuts (lug nuts). >>
SO tonight I go out for a drive in my notch, which hasn't been driven more 
than 5 miles the past week due to my flu. Everything seems fine, starts right 
up and I'm smiling. I drove it out to the other side of town to visit a few 
friends and hopped on the freeway for the ride home. Being a leadfoot I got 
it up to 70-75 mph and rambled on back towards my side of the valley. I got 
off the freeway a mile early to drop by another friends house and grab some 
dinner. This is where I started hearing a strange thud thud thud noise, which 
was probably drowned out by the noise of my screaming stock 1500 and freeway 
traffic. I stopped to grab a sandwich right off the freeway and rocked the 
back of the car on both sides to see if anything felt loose or strange, 
nothing here, so I continue on towards home, the last 2.5 miles being a 
nightmare. As I drove the noise got much louder and scarier, so after driving 
maybe a half mile I figured I should pull over and see what I had run over, 
no such luck. I barely slowed down and began turning into the center lane 
when the left rear wheel came completely off the car. My poor notch skidded 
to halt in the center of a very busy road, the wheel severely damaging the 
rear fender and inner fender, and rolling through oncoming traffic and out in 
front of me. Luckily some friendly car salesmen that witnessed the incident 
from a nearby Ford dealership helped me to lift the car up and set it on my 
spare tire so I could get the jack in place and put the tire back on. The 
sprint star wheel was not damaged, although 3 of the lugs were. We pulled a 
lug off 2 more wheels and tightened everything down and I limped it home, 
with a new battle scar and another story to cry over. At least I wasn't hurt, 
although I can't say the same for the car (luckily I hadn't installed my new 
gravel guards yet, and the factory exhaust and heater boxes held up under the 
force quite well). I can only imagine what would have happened if the wheel 
came off at 70mph on the freeway, so I do consider myself lucky. Morale of 
the story, check your lugnuts. 
-jim
'65 3 wheel notchback (sparky)

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