Six Cylinders Motoring Notes - Not such a good day today!

[Dick Cheeseburger]

10 minutes ago, LightBulbFun said:

yeah I dont like how dirty she has gotten, If I had known she would be standing for a year, I would have not parked her horizontally to the hedgerow! (which is why I think she got so grubby, as Dolly was parked perpendicular to the hedge row and has clearly not got anywhere near as grubby!) 

thankfully fibreglass does not rust!

there was a plan hatched late Saturday night to on sunday throw some not so sad looking head lights on her, give her a good scrub and then someone with any car insurance to take her for a quick spin on some actual tarmac, for a better assessment of things, but it never came to fruition sadly (but understandably so since REV got all the attention on Saturday, it took a surprisingly long time to fit what is a simple fuel line! and Sunday was Dolly's time to shine   )

 

who is it here that really likes to clean cars?  

 

but speaking of when REV was clean, did have an amusing moment when seeing what photos I took at the FoD, and how my phone automatically categorised them and other photos on my phone

 

"Sports car"

Well the number plate shouts sports car... ?

When's Dolly getting her plates? 

[richardmorris]

Yes madam, it’s a nice little runner, no rust issues.

[richardmorris]

Bamford called, he’s disowning this one.

[richardmorris]

Autoshite Wurzels- I’ve got a brand new working dumper truck.

[wuvvum]

The only issue with that dumper truck is that there is only one person (Talbot) who is able to get the bloody thing to start.  Much like the tractor will only fire up with Mrs6C in the driver's seat.  'Tis strange.

[High Jetter]

Maybe it's a key issue? Sounds like a loada fun, wish I could have been there.

[beko1987]

Ha, I did an asm quote on the van at the weekend, seems @Six-cylinder has some profit in the old tub even when broken.

Seems they've seen my enquiry, I must have let it auto fill my real email address

[Six-cylinder]

Today started with the Collection of Andyrew’s Suzuki SJ to my place so he can take our VP1500 into his workshop. First try of Mrs6C’s “Timmy” trailer made for cars of this size. It tows very well but notes for the future, ramp arrangement needs sorting out, winch needs adding and tie down points need adding.

[Six-cylinder]

First run in my Peugeot 504 Cabriolet – It did not go well

The Peugeot 504 Cabriolet started easily, jacking and checking the brakes there was some minor binding but we decided to give it a run up the road with @Andyrew following me in my CLK and see which brakes got warm. The car gathers pace nicely showing 37 mph, then I remembered it has been converted to a 5 speed gearbox and the speedo under reads badly so I was guessing at 50 mph. We reached the turn round point 1 mile away and the car was running well and the only thing I had noticed was a bit of wheel shake that I put down to old tyres that had been sitting around in one spot.

Wheel shake eased on the way back that I thought was the tyres getting used to being round again. ¼ mile from home and all hell let loose, violet shudder followed by n-s front hitting the deck and me fighting to keep control with only one wheel steering! Andyrew reports the CLK speedo was saying 60 mph when it all went horribly wrong.

n-s front wheel had come off so a quick trip home for a jack we and borrowed some wheel nuts off other wheels and we were away again realising we should have check the wheel nuts before driving it. I decided that for ease of working on the car it was better to reverse into my garage so drove past my house to turn round as it is safer to reverse in from the same side of the road, that’s when the engine cut out!

A brief try to work out what was wrong and we decided to tow it with the CLK. We turned into the junction I planned as I know most cars will U turn in that junction, that’s when the wheel pinged off for the second time!

We refitted the wheel and carefully did up the wheel nuts but 1/8 mile later they were loose again so tighten and we were home.

Well sort of home, the 504 was sideway across our drive entrance at the bottom of quite a slope to the garage. Best bet was to get out my Triumph Vitesse out which had been resting for a year, a bit of churning but it started ok. It was parked behind the Peugeot so if I pulled the Peugeot into the garage backwards the cars would both be away and safe.  

There was some doubt from some, that a Vitesse could pull a car much heavier than it with binding brakes up a slope on loose gravel! I have been driving Vitesses for 43 years I knew it could do it.

Both cars are now away safely and diagnosing the Peugeot 504 problems is for another day.

Funny thing, Andyrew was due to go home in the VP 1500 but expressed concerns as to how the day was going and side steps another disaster by going home in the CLK.

[richardmorris]

How does a wheel come loose so many times? Was there any damage?

[Zelandeth]

Ouch, guessing the threads on the wheel studs have stripped?  Garage had the wheels off but left the nuts finger tight?

Looks like the bodywork had a lucky escape, could so easily have totally mangled the wing, looks like a little damage to the leading edge, but could be worse.  Or the car could have propelled itself into the undergrowth.  Sounds like a very lucky escape given how that could have ended!

[chaseracer]

Glad you're OK, Gaffer!

[hairnet]

far canal chris least yer ok

next time bring beko stunt driver :P

 

[Andyrew]

1 minute ago, chaseracer said:

Glad you're OK, Gaffer!

Very glad the 6s live on a long straight road. 

 

28 minutes ago, richardmorris said:

How does a wheel come loose so many times? Was there any damage?

You couldnt make it up! 

The wheel coming off for the second time ive no idea, Whilst there was only two fitted they were done up tight, and the car was doing all of about 5mph untill it conked out. 

I checked all the remaining and still attached wheels and whilst some nuts were not overly tight they had been more than nipped up.  

Im thinking the wheel nuts are not correct or have been damaged im not sure. Also the missing  6 of them are now somewhere in the countryside!

 

Roof down drive home in the merc was much needed.

[jonathan_dyane]

The 504 may be knackered but it is very beautiful 

[Six-cylinder]

I guess Andyrew was mentally and physically drained by the whole experience, as it was him who was doing all the running around fitting the wheels I was flinging off!

Me, just another motoring adventure and a tale to tell.

Thanks so much for your help today @Andyrew.

[quicksilver]

Yikes, that's scary stuff! Sounds like maybe the threads are stripped on the studs and there's clearly something wrong there. Lucky it happened where it did and not on the main road.

[beko1987]

It's even more shit your pants scary when it happens on the m25... At least you had an Andyrew to help you, a valuable addition to any toolbox! 

I presume new hubs/a retap and smaller nuts? 

[Six-cylinder]

4 minutes ago, beko1987 said:

 At least you had an Andyrew to help you, a valuable addition to any toolbox! 

Oh yes!

[LightBulbFun]

shitting Nora! glad you both came out of it without injury and got home safe and sound with relatively minimal damage to the 504!

the slightly eerie thing is I was just reading of @beko1987's wheel loss adventure the other day (and the subsequent posts from other shitters about their own wheels parting ways adventures)

[nigel bickle]

Had it happen to me, similarly. it was steel wheel nuts on an alloy wheel fitment. Seems to chamfer is wrong and unwinds. New set of studs and the correctly angled nuts sorted it.

[Tadhg Tiogar]

13 minutes ago, nigel bickle said:

Had it happen to me, similarly. ..

Also happened to me when I had the 635, but that was because the feckin' tyre shop hadn't tightened the wheel bolts properly. 

[egg]

My mum lost a wheel on her 850 mini in the 70s. Went bouncing past her down the hill...

Glad no serious damage to anyone or anything.

[Talbot]

Seems to happen with remarkable regularity: 

I've had several wheels come loose, but never actually lost one.  I wonder if the nuts are not the correct thread for the studs.  There are a few metric and unf sizes that will fit each other and torque up, but then come undone very easily again.

[Andyrew]

57 minutes ago, Talbot said:

I've had several wheels come loose, but never actually lost one.  I wonder if the nuts are not the correct thread for the studs.  There are a few metric and unf sizes that will fit each other and torque up, but then come undone very easily again.

 

1 hour ago, nigel bickle said:

Had it happen to me, similarly. it was steel wheel nuts on an alloy wheel fitment. Seems to chamfer is wrong and unwinds. New set of studs and the correctly angled nuts sorted it.

This is what im thinking because Before we set off i jacked the car up on each corner to check how easily the wheels rotated and whilst there was a bit of drag it seemed fairly minor and freed up with a few rotations , the plan was to pop it up the road for a brake check to see if there was any pulling to one side etc etc come back and take the wheels of and pull appart if needed. 

Before we left When the front wheels were up in the air i had hold of the wheel roughly top and bottom to rotate it with both hands and would have noticed any movement when i gave it a  basic "is the wheel bearing alight" wiggle if the nuts had been that loose. 

 

 

[Ghosty]

I had the front wheels on my Prelude come loose on the M6 once, thankfully this was on a section that actually had a hard shoulder or I'd have been well stuffed. 

I'd changed the front struts with my dad's help, had to go off and do something and asked him to torque the wheelnuts... he didn't and just slapped the centre caps back on. 
I never leave that to anyone else now. 

[dozeydustman]

Losing a wheel is unpleasant at best. At least you’re unharmed Chris

[dollywobbler]

Yikes! That's certainly enough excitement for one day.

[barrett]

Any use? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/311701223271760/

[Andyrew]

On 9/15/2020 at 8:25 PM, Six-cylinder said:

Funny thing, Andyrew was due to go home in the VP 1500 but expressed concerns as to how the day was going and side steps another disaster by going home in the CLK.

After a few days of top down waftage in the CLK. I returned to chateau 6 tonight to continue the remainder of tuesdays plan of taking the VP back to mine for a cheeky tickle with the sparkle stick. 

Coffee consumed, keys exchanged and i hit the road.

 

30 seconds later

Thankfully just a slightly misleading fuel gauge resulting in lack of juice. A quick dash to the station for a jerry can of tescos finest and we was back on the road and from then it was plain sailing.