Bad Start to the Big 50?
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 490
From: Gladstone, OR
Bad Start to the Big 50?
So I turned 50 today! 
It didn't start out so well though. I got a call at 4:00 am that a conveyor broke at work. So I do my morning routine and head out for work in the '66 Jetstar 88. Two blocks from home the left front end drops like I hit a Big pot hole, only there's no hole & the front doesn't come back up. So I steer her over to the curb thinking I lost a tire. I get out looking back down the street to see if a tire came off. Nope! Then I look at the tire and it's leaning out at the top & laid back against the fender! The lower Control Arm (A-arm) BROKE! Never had that happen before! And there was no warning!
Oh well! I walked home, got the pickup and headed to work. Got her towed over to a buddy's house after work. The local classic auto salvage is closed today. But I think they have an A-arm and I should be back on the road in a few days.
Walking home I got to thinking I was pretty Lucky! Ten minutes later and I would have been on the freeway doing 55 - 60 mph! Everything considered it happened about the best place it could have!
I'll get some pictures when I get a chance.
Don
It didn't start out so well though. I got a call at 4:00 am that a conveyor broke at work. So I do my morning routine and head out for work in the '66 Jetstar 88. Two blocks from home the left front end drops like I hit a Big pot hole, only there's no hole & the front doesn't come back up. So I steer her over to the curb thinking I lost a tire. I get out looking back down the street to see if a tire came off. Nope! Then I look at the tire and it's leaning out at the top & laid back against the fender! The lower Control Arm (A-arm) BROKE! Never had that happen before! And there was no warning! Oh well! I walked home, got the pickup and headed to work. Got her towed over to a buddy's house after work. The local classic auto salvage is closed today. But I think they have an A-arm and I should be back on the road in a few days.
Walking home I got to thinking I was pretty Lucky! Ten minutes later and I would have been on the freeway doing 55 - 60 mph! Everything considered it happened about the best place it could have!
I'll get some pictures when I get a chance.
Don
Geezer
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 360
From: So. Central Texas
So I turned 50 today! It didn't start out so well though. I got a call at 4:00 am that a conveyor broke at work. So I do my morning routine and head out for work in the '66 Jetstar 88. Two blocks from home the left front end drops like I hit a Big pot hole, only there's no hole & the front doesn't come back up. So I steer her over to the curb thinking I lost a tire. I get out looking back down the street to see if a tire came off. Nope! Then I look at the tire and it's leaning out at the top & laid back against the fender! The lower Control Arm (A-arm) BROKE! Never had that happen before! And there was no warning!
Oh well! I walked home, got the pickup and headed to work. Got her towed over to a buddy's house after work. The local classic auto salvage is closed today. But I think they have an A-arm and I should be back on the road in a few days.
Walking home I got to thinking I was pretty Lucky! Ten minutes later and I would have been on the freeway doing 55 - 60 miles per hour! Everything considered it happened about the best place it could have!
I'll get some pictures when I get a chance.
Don
It didn't start out so well though. I got a call at 4:00 am that a conveyor broke at work. So I do my morning routine and head out for work in the '66 Jetstar 88. Two blocks from home the left front end drops like I hit a Big pot hole, only there's no hole & the front doesn't come back up. So I steer her over to the curb thinking I lost a tire. I get out looking back down the street to see if a tire came off. Nope! Then I look at the tire and it's leaning out at the top & laid back against the fender! The lower Control Arm (A-arm) BROKE! Never had that happen before! And there was no warning! Oh well! I walked home, got the pickup and headed to work. Got her towed over to a buddy's house after work. The local classic auto salvage is closed today. But I think they have an A-arm and I should be back on the road in a few days.
Walking home I got to thinking I was pretty Lucky! Ten minutes later and I would have been on the freeway doing 55 - 60 miles per hour! Everything considered it happened about the best place it could have!
I'll get some pictures when I get a chance.
Don
Oh yeah, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
). I hit Five Oh last month. You might want to have the replacement control arm (and the one on the other side) magnaflux inspected for cracks.
Geezer
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 360
From: So. Central Texas
Good idea!
For you guys lamenting hitting the big five-O, I can assure you there is life afterward. Been making it just fine for seventeen years following that event, even the hair line is exactly the same. Unfortunately, there is little hair within the line........
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 490
From: Gladstone, OR
Thanks for the "Happy Birthday" guys.
For now I just needed to get the car going. I picked up an A-arm with good bushings and ball joint for $50 and put it on today in about three hours. I did wire brush and check it as well as the other side. But I like Joe's Magnaflux suggestion. I plan to keep the car quite a while. So I think I'll look for a set of lower control arms to rebuild. After they are magnaflux. Should make my front end rebuild go a lot quicker & I'll still have a spare set. Still need to get the front end aligned.
Texascarnut - Where are you at in Texas? I lived south of Dallas in the area of Ennis for 18 years.
I don't worry to much about hair issues. I found my first gray hair when I was 16! And a receding hair line runs in the family. I love it when my youngest son (26) tries teasing me about my hair lose. His best one is; "You don't have a forehead, you have a five head" I always respond by looking real close at his hair line, then comment something like; "I don't think mine was that far back at your age!" "Your brother's isn't that far back yet, is it?" Then I start looking at the top of his head. "Oh.... Starting to thin out there too..." He always drops the subject real quick for some reason.
But... I do dread the day my receding hair line meets my bald spot.
For what it's worth, I did learn the lower A-arms from regular 88's fit the Jetstar 88's.
Oh yeah, still need to get some photos of the broken arm. Sorry!
Don
For now I just needed to get the car going. I picked up an A-arm with good bushings and ball joint for $50 and put it on today in about three hours. I did wire brush and check it as well as the other side. But I like Joe's Magnaflux suggestion. I plan to keep the car quite a while. So I think I'll look for a set of lower control arms to rebuild. After they are magnaflux.
Should make my front end rebuild go a lot quicker & I'll still have a spare set. Still need to get the front end aligned.Texascarnut - Where are you at in Texas? I lived south of Dallas in the area of Ennis for 18 years.
I don't worry to much about hair issues. I found my first gray hair when I was 16! And a receding hair line runs in the family. I love it when my youngest son (26) tries teasing me about my hair lose. His best one is; "You don't have a forehead, you have a five head" I always respond by looking real close at his hair line, then comment something like; "I don't think mine was that far back at your age!" "Your brother's isn't that far back yet, is it?" Then I start looking at the top of his head. "Oh.... Starting to thin out there too..." He always drops the subject real quick for some reason.
But... I do dread the day my receding hair line meets my bald spot.
For what it's worth, I did learn the lower A-arms from regular 88's fit the Jetstar 88's.
Oh yeah, still need to get some photos of the broken arm. Sorry!
Don
Geezer
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 360
From: So. Central Texas
Thanks for the "Happy Birthday" guys.
For now I just needed to get the car going. I picked up an A-arm with good bushings and ball joint for $50 and put it on today in about three hours. I did wire brush and check it as well as the other side. But I like Joe's Magnaflux suggestion. I plan to keep the car quite a while. So I think I'll look for a set of lower control arms to rebuild. After they are magnaflux. Should make my front end rebuild go a lot quicker & I'll still have a spare set. Still need to get the front end aligned.
Texascarnut - Where are you at in Texas? I lived south of Dallas in the area of Ennis for 18 years.
I don't worry to much about hair issues. I found my first gray hair when I was 16! And a receding hair line runs in the family. I love it when my youngest son (26) tries teasing me about my hair lose. His best one is; "You don't have a forehead, you have a five head" I always respond by looking real close at his hair line, then comment something like; "I don't think mine was that far back at your age!" "Your brother's isn't that far back yet, is it?" Then I start looking at the top of his head. "Oh.... Starting to thin out there too..." He always drops the subject real quick for some reason.
But... I do dread the day my receding hair line meets my bald spot.
For what it's worth, I did learn the lower A-arms from regular 88's fit the Jetstar 88's.
Oh yeah, still need to get some photos of the broken arm. Sorry!
Don
For now I just needed to get the car going. I picked up an A-arm with good bushings and ball joint for $50 and put it on today in about three hours. I did wire brush and check it as well as the other side. But I like Joe's Magnaflux suggestion. I plan to keep the car quite a while. So I think I'll look for a set of lower control arms to rebuild. After they are magnaflux.
Should make my front end rebuild go a lot quicker & I'll still have a spare set. Still need to get the front end aligned.Texascarnut - Where are you at in Texas? I lived south of Dallas in the area of Ennis for 18 years.
I don't worry to much about hair issues. I found my first gray hair when I was 16! And a receding hair line runs in the family. I love it when my youngest son (26) tries teasing me about my hair lose. His best one is; "You don't have a forehead, you have a five head" I always respond by looking real close at his hair line, then comment something like; "I don't think mine was that far back at your age!" "Your brother's isn't that far back yet, is it?" Then I start looking at the top of his head. "Oh.... Starting to thin out there too..." He always drops the subject real quick for some reason.
But... I do dread the day my receding hair line meets my bald spot.
For what it's worth, I did learn the lower A-arms from regular 88's fit the Jetstar 88's.
Oh yeah, still need to get some photos of the broken arm. Sorry!
Don
Jim
Last edited by Texascarnut; Jun 19, 2008 at 07:30 AM.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 490
From: Gladstone, OR
Here's a photo of the broken arm. Looks like the break started at the front edge.
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...n/100_0209.jpg
Don
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c...n/100_0209.jpg
Don
Freedom Fighter
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 109
From: Nine Mile Falls, Washington
Joe's right about the need to have 'used parts' inspected before using them. The cracks start out nearly invisible to the naked eye, and if you do not know what indications to look for, even with a magnifier you will miss them. The 'magnetic particle' inspection (often refered to as 'Magnaflux') will reveal both minute surface AND sub-surface cracks.
Well worth the extra expense vs. a failure on the road (results vary )
Glad to hear you were not hurt and did not damage your Olds.
Well worth the extra expense vs. a failure on the road (results vary
)Glad to hear you were not hurt and did not damage your Olds.
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