tonight's red light excitement
 

soooo, about 1/2 hour ago I'm heading home in my rat rod and see the yellow light flashing warning of the light changing to red at the foot of the bridge. I'm sitting there watching the cross traffic pass and leaning down so I can see when the light changes. I lean back and check my rearview mirror and all I can see is the grill of an 18 wheeler doing about 60 about 50 ft behind me. he locks em up and swerves at the last... the very last... split second. I think he might have taken a bit of the white off the lettering on my tire. he's blasting by, smoke rolling from the tires, and manages to squeeze thru the crosstraffic..the cab bounces off the guardrail but the float jumps on top and he wipes out about 50-60 ft of that before finally stopping. I pull over, walk to the truck and thank him for missing me. a 1926 model T and an 18 wheeler? they would have cleaned me off the road with firehoses.

No way you could have moved out of the way? Definitely a close call.

Dang dude thank your angel. Glad you're ok.

me, dead stop, 18 wheeler, 60mph, 50ft behind me? no one has reflexes that fast. didn't even have time for a decent buttpucker..

Have you cleaned your shorts out yet?

Whoa, that was close. It's so surreal when you witness something like that.

Once I was sitting in freeway traffic, not moving, in the fast lane. I looked over to the opposite lanes, which had very little traffic. A CHP was exiting opposite me, but there was someone driving onto the freeway, the wrong way, on the cop's off ramp. The cop swerved and hit a light pole, which then fell across all lanes of traffic. I thought, "Did I just see that?"

Pictures of the car would be nice.

picture of my car?
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1270602620.jpg

Glad you're still with us, John! Too close is just close enough? Nice Rat Rod..what tractor supplied that Grille?

Massey/Fergusson grill, 60's Barracuda hood for the roof, chevy drive train. bunch of this and that.

Do you run straight headers like that... and get away with it? Jesus

Too cool. No doubt a gas to drive! Corvette wheels???

I don't think I would have been so calm when I walked over to Mr. Truck driver. WTH was this guy doing? Sleeping?! I would have been, first off, thankful to be alive, and next be madder then a hornet for almost getting my ticket punched.

rat rods are in a "special" class. no fenders. no turn signals, no bumpers, no inspection sticker, no mufflers, etc etc. it's really not loud. well, pretty loud inside, but outside not as loud as most diesels or bikes on the road. I bought those 4 wheels about 25-30 years ago for $15. first car I've had that just needed 10" rims, so there they are.

Very cool ride John

Is that a "T" frame...channelled? Fun rod...

the only thing original model t left is the cab. this is what it would have looked like long ago.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1270605530.jpg

Love it!! I can't believe you get away with straight pipes . . . oh, Louisiana. I was thinking CA.

When I first dropped my short stroke 427 into my '72 El Camino I decided to go for a drive before muffling it. Less than 5 miles down the road- in the middle of nowhere outside of Shelbyville, TN no less- I was pulled over and given a warning to put on a proper exhaust.

I've never thought about it, but I suppose you don't have to stretch the roof to chop straight pillar cars?

the guy said he was checking his radio and thought traffic was moving
after all the crap that's happened to me all my life, I really don't get excited about much. just another day in my life. got more excited earlier when I ripped my thumb and fingernail open on some rusty sheet metal

I just looked back and was going to say that's a full size truck, a couple inches wider at the back than a coupe. Bigger doors. Cool.