NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES
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That last about the 3 neighbors rings a bell. When I'm working out under the car, I do take precautions, BUT I always tell my family where I'm at and what I'm doing. Check me once in a while and I won't mind answering. *S*
I happened upon a friend who was working on an old VW bug supported by...cinder blocks. I insisted he borrow my jack stands. He agreed. As he was getting up from the ground, he used the car to help him stand up. Just putting his hand on the car make the cinder block crush. He credits me for being a lifesaver to this day.
I just remembered- i wanted to make sure my ignition coil had a crack on it- so i sprayed water on it. i saw no spark, so im like oh it must be good than, than i touched it. BAM! it shocked me multiple times, the first time it gave me one shock, i pulled my hand away- and my reflexes made me touch it again, and it kept shocking me- i backed up into my garage wall, stumbling, than tripped over myself and fell back wards onto the driveway- shaking while i was down. My mom comes out- and she says "Sun bathing huh?"
I have 2 car-related stories, but first want to visit the cinder block issue. I just used a cinder block as a jack booster to jack my friend's 4-Runner, but would not get under it and did so using the non-hollow side. It worked fine that way and I recommend it, just don't get under. I think we have too many examples from movies where cars are left on cinder blocks after wheels are stolen. I've used milk crates to support a car while using the jack on the other side/end or whatever. Milk crates are pretty strong, depending on the temps.
My 2 quick stories. At the approx age of 18, I had my Dad's 914 with a Neoprene fuel line in my Mom's in-house (townhouse) garage. I smelled gas and thought, I better move it. Duh, I started to car to see all 3 mirrors light up orange and it felt the rear car lifted about 6 inches off the ground. I pushed the car out of the garage on fire and grabbed a jug of milk and tonic water to douse the fire. (filling a bucket would have taken too long) I almost got it in time not to scorch the paint, but a 3x12 in portion of the trunk got it. Wire harness was fried, Dad was happy to get the insurance money. It ended up not too bad.
Darn, I forget the other story now. fwiw, I use 6x6 wood blocks as cribbing now and own a racing jack.
My 2 quick stories. At the approx age of 18, I had my Dad's 914 with a Neoprene fuel line in my Mom's in-house (townhouse) garage. I smelled gas and thought, I better move it. Duh, I started to car to see all 3 mirrors light up orange and it felt the rear car lifted about 6 inches off the ground. I pushed the car out of the garage on fire and grabbed a jug of milk and tonic water to douse the fire. (filling a bucket would have taken too long) I almost got it in time not to scorch the paint, but a 3x12 in portion of the trunk got it. Wire harness was fried, Dad was happy to get the insurance money. It ended up not too bad.
Darn, I forget the other story now. fwiw, I use 6x6 wood blocks as cribbing now and own a racing jack.
Years ago, while working as a Paramedic, I got a call for a crushing injury-person trapped. An older gentleman was working on his full size Pontiac, under the right front, and he WAS using a jackstand. ONLY one jackstand...
The jackstand collapsed from the load while he was still half under the car. The rescue squad got him out, and it ends up he got only a small pelvic fracture. He could have been crushed from the waist down. At his age, it would have probably ended up killing him. Lucky pup.
My dear Dad was safety minded, and securely propped up his Chevelle to work on the rear shocks. One mistake. He didn't realize that the axle would shoot down when he reached the last thread on the shock mount bolt. (Coil springs) It stopped short of crushing his forehead by about an inch. He had the wisdom to tell me his mistake. His example has kept me out of trouble lots of times. I miss him.
The jackstand collapsed from the load while he was still half under the car. The rescue squad got him out, and it ends up he got only a small pelvic fracture. He could have been crushed from the waist down. At his age, it would have probably ended up killing him. Lucky pup.
My dear Dad was safety minded, and securely propped up his Chevelle to work on the rear shocks. One mistake. He didn't realize that the axle would shoot down when he reached the last thread on the shock mount bolt. (Coil springs) It stopped short of crushing his forehead by about an inch. He had the wisdom to tell me his mistake. His example has kept me out of trouble lots of times. I miss him.
I like your mom's sense of humor! Her son gets zapped like a Texas Mosquito that stared at a Bug Zapper 12000 for a little too long, and she has jokes...
FWIW, whenever I have to remove a wheel or two, I always lay them underneath the car as backup in case the jack and/or stands fail -- better than nothing!
Oh, and then there's this:
(on close inspection, there's more than one thing wrong in this picture!)
Oh, and then there's this:
(on close inspection, there's more than one thing wrong in this picture!)
I remembered my "other" event. My car was overheating and I wanted to limp back to my mechanic, so I was shutting the engine off while coasting down hills. Well, I turned the key back farther then I thought and locked the column as I enterewd a curve. Yikes, I QUICKLY turned the key a loosened the wheel. I ran off road about 5ft and trashed the underneeth of the car a lil, but if I had not gotten the turn done, bam! Near-Death.
lol, i've seen that before but it's still one the best pictures i've ever seen.quote:
Originally posted by Tyson F Nuss:
FWIW, whenever I have to remove a wheel or two, I always lay them underneath the car as backup in case the jack and/or stands fail -- better than nothing!
Oh, and then there's this:
(on close inspection, there's more than one thing wrong in this picture!)
I had the rear of my car up on a hydraulic floor jack while I adjusted the coil-overs. I had my right arm up in the wheel well and didn't notice that the jack was slowly lowering. Well my right forearm got pinched between the tire and fender. I was trapped and no one was around to help me. My circulation got cut off instantly and the pain was unbelievable. I tried to remain calm and think. I couldn't reach the jack with my left hand but I managed to reach the handle with my feet and give it a few pumps, enough to pull my arm out. It swelled up like a football and for a couple weeks afterwards I had a huge mark across my forearm from the fender lip but I feel lucky to have got out of it with an intact arm. 2 years later, I still get a little nervous working under a raised car.
I had the same experience, but at low speed and in a location where it would not matter.
Only one thing to say... OMG!!! I'm having visions of the aftermath!!!quote:
Originally posted by outersquare:
lol, i've seen that before but it's still one the best pictures i've ever seen.quote:
Originally posted by Tyson F Nuss:
FWIW, whenever I have to remove a wheel or two, I always lay them underneath the car as backup in case the jack and/or stands fail -- better than nothing!
Oh, and then there's this:
(on close inspection, there's more than one thing wrong in this picture!)
We can only hope that he's Osama Bin Ladens right hand security guard and mechanic!
We had 3 finger joe in High School that we got to watch.
I went up to Fairfax Va. last winter to haul his boat he just bought back to Tennessee.
Comeing through the mountains I hit snow, it wasn't bad at first. No snow sticking just falling.
I get down to around Roanoke and the snow is sticking to the road and the snow s****ers are out s****eing and salting. It wasn't helping much.
I hit a hill and a Trucker on the C.B. tell me to come over "I got behind a salt truck that was barely moveing. I got to change lanes and the boat tried to pass me, I turned to save it and I'm looking at a concrete wall in the meadian, turned again going towards the shoulder, then back to the wall. I flip floped about 4 times before I slowed it down and pulled off to the shoulder. I had a big rig behind me and the boat prop missed the wall by about 3 inches.
I could have gotten it that night, wasn't worth $150 to go get the boat and bring it back.......
A while back I was putting a powersteering line on a 91 lumina. We had the car on stands and had a jack under the subframe to lower it enuff to work on the line.
The jack slipped and subframe and engine all came down, I moved as fast as I could but the courner of the frame cought my nose as it came down. The owner was nice enuff to say "I'm sorry you guys got scratched working on my car" after she had rushed us all day.......
I was trying to brake a engine mount bolt on a 91 Mazda Navajo. We had a 1/2 drive ratchet, pipe and a regular socket. I was pulling and dad was pushing, both of us giving it our all when the socket busted. The pipe caught me accross the nose.
I crawled out trying to keep calm and hold my head up. I didn't want dad upset since he just had a light stroke. Didn't brake it but it did hurt for a few days.......
Had a car wreak with a girl I was seeing in High School. We were comeing down a hill doing about 45 towards a intersection. We had the green light but a drunk woman in a mini van turned in front of us comeing from the opposite way to other street. I screamed "Oh S---!", my head hit the windsheild and and the way back to the seat I yanked my shirt off and put it on my face, got out of the car, and sat in the road.
I was in the passenger seat and the girl was driveing. I put my knee through her console where the radio was.
She broke her thumb on the steering wheel and mashed her mouth and nose on the wheel also. My head and face was all cut up and a cut on my knee. Had a peice of glass through my eyelid into my eye, got three stitches.
I wasn't wearing a seat belt and there was no airbag, it was a older VW fox. She had her belt on but I didn't see the belt helping her more than it would have me, they cut her seat and took her out the back window on a board.
The only thing that helped us is the way we hit. We just hit the van with the left front of the car into the right fender of the van. Any more might have been worse.....
And the latest.
Last night I was rideing my 4 wheeler. I saw a tree on the side of a hill and it didn't look steep. I wanted to try go up the hill and around the tree then back down to the trail. I get to the tree and there was a big root sticking up. Before I could slow down the quad came up and back. I fell to one side but I think a foot peg hit my leg.
I had a swollen spot about the size of a softball to the inside of my leg right below my knee. Hurt bad everytime it bounced on the way out of the woods last night. Today it's just a little sore. It could have been worse I guess.....
Sorry about the long post, I just wanted to post all that I could think of involving vehicles. The quad wreak was just extra...........
Comeing through the mountains I hit snow, it wasn't bad at first. No snow sticking just falling.
I get down to around Roanoke and the snow is sticking to the road and the snow s****ers are out s****eing and salting. It wasn't helping much.
I hit a hill and a Trucker on the C.B. tell me to come over "I got behind a salt truck that was barely moveing. I got to change lanes and the boat tried to pass me, I turned to save it and I'm looking at a concrete wall in the meadian, turned again going towards the shoulder, then back to the wall. I flip floped about 4 times before I slowed it down and pulled off to the shoulder. I had a big rig behind me and the boat prop missed the wall by about 3 inches.
I could have gotten it that night, wasn't worth $150 to go get the boat and bring it back.......
A while back I was putting a powersteering line on a 91 lumina. We had the car on stands and had a jack under the subframe to lower it enuff to work on the line.
The jack slipped and subframe and engine all came down, I moved as fast as I could but the courner of the frame cought my nose as it came down. The owner was nice enuff to say "I'm sorry you guys got scratched working on my car" after she had rushed us all day.......
I was trying to brake a engine mount bolt on a 91 Mazda Navajo. We had a 1/2 drive ratchet, pipe and a regular socket. I was pulling and dad was pushing, both of us giving it our all when the socket busted. The pipe caught me accross the nose.
I crawled out trying to keep calm and hold my head up. I didn't want dad upset since he just had a light stroke. Didn't brake it but it did hurt for a few days.......
Had a car wreak with a girl I was seeing in High School. We were comeing down a hill doing about 45 towards a intersection. We had the green light but a drunk woman in a mini van turned in front of us comeing from the opposite way to other street. I screamed "Oh S---!", my head hit the windsheild and and the way back to the seat I yanked my shirt off and put it on my face, got out of the car, and sat in the road.
I was in the passenger seat and the girl was driveing. I put my knee through her console where the radio was.
She broke her thumb on the steering wheel and mashed her mouth and nose on the wheel also. My head and face was all cut up and a cut on my knee. Had a peice of glass through my eyelid into my eye, got three stitches.
I wasn't wearing a seat belt and there was no airbag, it was a older VW fox. She had her belt on but I didn't see the belt helping her more than it would have me, they cut her seat and took her out the back window on a board.
The only thing that helped us is the way we hit. We just hit the van with the left front of the car into the right fender of the van. Any more might have been worse.....
And the latest.
Last night I was rideing my 4 wheeler. I saw a tree on the side of a hill and it didn't look steep. I wanted to try go up the hill and around the tree then back down to the trail. I get to the tree and there was a big root sticking up. Before I could slow down the quad came up and back. I fell to one side but I think a foot peg hit my leg.
I had a swollen spot about the size of a softball to the inside of my leg right below my knee. Hurt bad everytime it bounced on the way out of the woods last night. Today it's just a little sore. It could have been worse I guess.....
Sorry about the long post, I just wanted to post all that I could think of involving vehicles. The quad wreak was just extra...........
I think in the newer cars with auto, you have to put it in P to lock the steering, like when you're parking on a hill and need to have the wheels turned.quote:
Originally posted by TallPaul:
I had the same experience, but at low speed and in a location where it would not matter.Doesn't the left hand (safety) of the auto regultors know what the right hand (anti-theft) is doing. What a stupid thing to require on a car as a steering lock. I wonder if it really helped prevent many thefts.
p.s. I don't trust jackstands. The welds are not x-ray inspected. Big wooden blocks.
I don't trust jack stands either. Even the heavy duty jack stands with the ratchet bother me. I want a positive pin throught the shaft, not a ratchet. Best is a pit in the garage, but I guess building codes don't allow it. There always is the redneck way: straddle a ditch. Just make sure the ground is not soft and carry your bug repellent. All my vehicles are high enough I can crawl under for most stuff without jacking.
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but too funny to pass up: Once threw a car in park doing 30 mph. Boy was that noisy. Rode it down to a lurching stop Didn't even break the pawl. 1971 Ford C3 on a 302 V8.
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