Hotrodjimmy

Hi guys, I just joined last week, and figured I'd share a ridiculous slip-up on my part, and a few pics that I finally got uploaded. I have a 70 Cutlass S and a 4-dr 72 Cutlass that I just picked up for parts and what not.

So, today I was basically just starting "my" cutlass to move it so I could get to the 72 behind it, and I decided to take it for a quick spin down our semi-private road. Well, as I was backing up to park it, I heard a terrible noise. One that I haven't heard before. I immediately threw the car into park, because the noise it was most similar to was that of a CV joint just failing while you are driving it. The noise continued a bit, so I shut the car off as fast as I could! I get out of the car, and to my dismay, I see both my driver's side tires are ****-eye, toeing badly. In fact the rear tire is completely off the studs, but somehow still holding the car up, and I can see 5 or 6 shiny lugs lying on the pavement 25 feet away. I panicked, grabbed the jack and quickly supported the thing.

It was only then that I realized, for some reason, 8 out of the 9 studs (one was stripped when I took it off the 72 last week) had come right off! After a precarious operation (the car was on a hill, semi-sideways, and unmovable). I pondered why this would happen...I had tightened them, so I thought; with an impact wrench no less. Stealing an old lug that was originally on my car gave me the answer...the studs were too short for my new wheels that I took off the parts car! What an oversight! I can't believe I didn't notice when I was working; sure a bunch of people were hanging outside with me, but that's pretty obvious. Luckily, no real harm was done (though the brake drum cover nearly fell off the studs too...not sure how that happened), and I put the car back, resolved to not drive it again until I buy all new studs and lugs. Those damn lug nuts that cover the end of the stud, being all fancy, didn't alert me to the problem while I tightened them; now I know for the future.

Anyway, here is two pics of the car about 3 minutes before I almost killed it today! I have to scan the pictures of this car when I got it at some point. I wish I had taken pictures of how ridiculous my situation was today, but to be honest, I was too worried and scared to think to snap some pictures. Maybe next time (lets hope there isn't one)!!

citcapp

Scary for sure, lesson learned, I bet this won't happen to you again

jensenracing77

good job on stopping asap. what are your plans for the car. will you be painting it soon?

Lady72nRob71

Glad you did not make it out of the drive and that no harm was done.
Replace studs and lugs and you're golden.

Hotrodjimmy

Well, for now I just want it painted so we can put it back together. We're painting it as soon as I can scrounge up a few grand to give to a friends brother to paint it. Tight finances and all...but at some point this year it will be on the road! I've always been partial to blue (and not the baby blue that was on it when I got it). The interior is blue (but in my opinion ugly... though it may just be because its faded and dirty), so I'd like to change it to black in the future. That's really it in the short-term for major changes.

In the future I'd like to pull it all apart myself and put it back together all shiny, but I don't have the skill (or time or money) yet to pull that off.

BIGJERR

I did the same thing back in the day...........Swicthed out to my new Crager SST's and took her for a spin and went around a corner and heard this weird sound,which was lugnuts flying off! lol Needless to say we noticed it before the whole tire assembly came off but still had to be rescued by a buddy with a jack and some new lugnuts,Mine were tightened down also and came loose but were the correct ones for the rims........Still a mystery why they were fine after the second try......Sh*t happens I guess!