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Topic: Huge scare about 45 minutes ago....... (Read 8861 times) previous topic - next topic

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

I was having some battery power issues, so, I took the car to Autozone and had it checked. Bad battery, so, I got a new one. I figured since I was cranky about shelling out large dollars for a battery, I'd go treat the Sport to a bath. So, I went to the car wash, washed the car, did a little spray shine and tire treatment, and then left.....Here's where it get bad....On my way home I was driving about 45 mph down the street and I felt the Sport DROP on the rear driver side. I saw the tire flying through the air, and the car went to the left quickly. I ended up in the median on the grass. I assessed the damage, and luckily, the body and all are in great shape. The rear brake assembly...dead. The wheel...broke in half. The tire looks o.k though. Pics tomorrow of the minimal car damage and busted wheel. My brake drum is MIA. All of the lug bolts were in excellent shape. I think somebody loosened them. I checked the others and they sem tight. new locking lug nuts, a wheel and brake asembly have to be bought, and the brake cylinder. .
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #1 –
Quote from: vinnietbird;429221
The wheel...broke in half.


Whaaaat!?  That's crazy...  Glad you and the body are OK!
Brian Leavitt
86 TC 5-Speed -- MS2x w/COP | 83lb. Injectors| T3/T4 50 Trim Stage 3 .63AR | Full 3" Exhaust - No Cat | Motorsport FMIC | Ranger Roller |
------------------------Ported E6 | Walbro 255HP | Kirban | Pierburg EBCV @ 20psi | BOV | 120-amp 3G | K&N Cone | 8.8" 3.55 rear |
87 TC 5-Speed -- Cone Filter | Bypassed BCS | Stock Daily Driver
66 Mustang -- Pertronix Ignition Upgrade | Slow-Mobile

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #2 –
WTF? How did that happen? Does somebody want you dead?
88 Thunderbird LX: 306, Edelbrock Performer heads, Comp 266HR cam, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, bunch of other stuff.

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #3 –
Looks like it may be a good thing I bought those parts from you. That does really suck though

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #4 –
Vinnie, anything in particular you need?  ..if I have it, it's yours man

Glad you're ok...the Sport is some nicely arranged pieces of metal, and can be fixed...I doubt there's another V-man floating around out there ;)
'98 Explorer 5.0
'20 Malibu (I know, Chevy, but, 35MPG. Let's go brandon, eh)

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #5 –
Thanks guys. I'm glad I'm fine, too. LOL. My biggest need is a brake drum. It's from an earlier model Fox Bird. A little deeper than the '88 model. I had swapped the brake stuff years ago and now I'm looking for another. Gotta ask Chuck which one I need. he is the one that told me what I needed. So, that's what I'll be needing. I'll order a new wheel asap, too.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #6 –
whoa! Glad you're ok--there are few things worse than watching your wheel head down the road beside the car.  It (losing a wheel) happened to my teenaged brother right after he had slowed from highway speeds to in-town speed, but unlike you, he had only put one lug nut on (finger tight).

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #7 –
That's crazy.  Glad you're ok.
1986 Mercury Cougar - 2.3T/T5 swap, TC brakes and suspension and rearend, 3" exhaust, 255 lph fuel pump, Stinger BOV, Gillis MBC @ 18 psi
2003 Chevy Suburban Z71 - Daily driver
2015 Chevy Volt - Wife's daily driver

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #8 –
Wow glad you and the car are in one piece

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #9 –
Vinnie, i am glad your ok, and no major damage........ it's really odd, because that happened to me with my Bird in 1987 after i brought the car in for a wheel alignment and tire rotation.  The genius kid they had work on my car didn't tighten my Driver front rim down, and it came off my car at about 50+ MPH.  It was a miracle that there were no other cars around me cause it was after midnight and was out cruising alone.    A really nice guy driving next to me saw it happen and pulled over, let me jump in and we found my runaway rim and tire a 1/4 mile down the road on a side street.  I even located all four lugs in the road.  I went back to the shop the next and 2 co-workers had to pull me off the kid. (I was a kid myself back then) He felt super bad about it, and apologized like fifty times.  I went to the boss and begged him not to fire the guy, let him learn from the experience.    My only real damage was the front disc itself which ground down flat partially from the long spark filled skid to a stop.  Speedy recovery!








1983 FORD THUNDERBIRD HERITAGE 5.0
2008 SAAB 9-7X AERO 6.0 (LS2) 1 0f 554 Made
2011 FORD FLEX SEL Family Hauler

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #10 –
So odd that this showed up on my Facebook news feed. Small world. I now see that my 4 lug brake parts can not help you even if my 5 lug conversion was complete. At this point in time, I don't see anything I can do to help, but if there is just let me know. Apparently, you can reach me in more than one way. lol

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #11 –
How did the wheel break in half? This should never happen.

I'm glad your alright and no major damage.
Quote from: jcassity
I honestly dont think you could exceed the cost of a new car buy installing new *stock* parts everywhere in your coug our tbird. Its just plain impossible. You could revamp the entire drivetrain/engine/suspenstion and still come out ahead.
Hooligans! 
1988 Crown Vic wagon. 120K California car. Wifes grocery getter. (junked)
1987 Ford Thunderbird LX. 5.0. s.o., sn-95 t-5 and an f-150 clutch. Driven daily and going strong.
1986 cougar.
lilsammywasapunkrocker@yahoo.com

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #12 –
Quote from: vinnietbird;429229
Thanks guys. I'm glad I'm fine, too. LOL. My biggest need is a brake drum. It's from an earlier model Fox Bird. A little deeper than the '88 model.

I'm a little rusty on that, but it sounds like you may need one from an '86 7.5 rear?

Of course, I will defer to Chuck on that, however. But it seems like when I was doing my big 5 lug drum research, that the odd width rear had the proper depth of drums, but in 4 lug, so hopefully that's what will get you in order.

Anyway, if you need a sway bar, I've got 3 or 4 of them...Stang GT sized, which IIRC, are the same diameter as the TC bars..?
'98 Explorer 5.0
'20 Malibu (I know, Chevy, but, 35MPG. Let's go brandon, eh)

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #13 –
Beau, I'd be very interested in a rear Turbo Coupe/GT sway bar. Mine has a pretty wicked flat spot on it now. May compromise it's strength. PM me and we can make a deal.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..

Huge scare about 45 minutes ago.......

Reply #14 –
I'm going to OEWheels and ordering a new rim right now. Then, one step closer to repairing the damage.
'88 Sport--T-5,MGW shifter,Trick Flow R intake,Ed Curtis cam,Trick Flow heads,Scorpion rockers,75mm Accufab t-body,3G,mini starter,Taurus fan,BBK long tube headers,O/R H-Pipe, Flowamaster Super 44's, deep and deeper Cobra R wheels, Mass Air and 24's,8.8 with 3.73's,140 mph speedo,Mach 1 chin spoiler,SN-95 springs,CHE control arms,aluminum drive shaft and a lot more..