Sad to see
 

A reader sent me this photo and story. I checked around the interwebs and didn't see it so I assume it hasn't gone viral. Maybe it just has the sniffles.

A chap in Massachusetts just finished this 1938 Plymouth on Friday. Saturday was to be a shaakedown drive of about 50 miles just to see how it was.
Driving along and the left rear wheel came off...the car dropped and the gas tank was punctured...the rest, as they say, is history. He said all 5 lug nuts had come off and the studs were stripped on the updated 1990 Explorer rear end.
All 3 pictures were taken on Saturday April 30 2011.



http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1305039037.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1305039051.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1305039063.jpg

Ouch. I sure hope he had it insured. Sad story.

So parts off a Ford Exploder will even make a straight six Plymouth burst into flames, wow, those things are really cursed.

That should buff out, no problem.

Don't let John Walker see this thread!!! :(

Randy

Wow, that's really horrible!

If they put a ford exploder front end on it too it would not only be burned up, it'd be upside down and burned up.

WOW!

Recognized it the car right away... my Dad had a 1938 Plymouth... it was very old and used when he bought it. Poor student with a wife and 2 kids.

I remember it fairly well even though I was really small then. Remember the Mayflower hood ornament.

Black 4 door sedan.

That sucks. Sounds like he used the wrong lug nuts. They were tight enough to get him going, but not stay on. te

I had the same issue with an old Camaro I fixed up for re-sale. Had to change the rear axles and got some used ones. After driving around for a few days, I was pulling into a shopping center that was down hill. The left rear wheel fell off and rolled about 200' right towards the front glass doors of a store. Luckily, a guy stopped it just before it crashed into them.

The only time I've had a wheel come loose was after having a body shop give the wheels (and the whole car) a show-quality paint job. The build up of primer, surfacer, and paint held up to tightening the lug nuts, but only for a while. I learned later that that is why they tell you to check the torque on the wheels of a new trailer after a few miles. The paint fails under the nuts and lets them come loose. Feel free to post squirrel photos here.