SOS...HELP...HELP...Bill Ball is in trouble!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
07-30-2009, 04:05 AM
#32
Under the Lift
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Special thanks to Darien Nunn, Dr. Bob, Kevin Flynn and Jim Corenman!!! Everything is roadworthy again.
The short story is I ran over what Kevin surmised must have been a 3 1/2" round, maybe 18" long steel pipe, judging by the impressions on my completely destroyed rear driver side exhaust (Jim Corenman's pic clearly shows the round impression). Besides that damage, it mashed the shifter cable brackets on the side of the tranny and mashed the cable, tore up the bellypans and pushed up a few areas of the floor just a bit.
I really didn't get a good look at the object. It made one helluva racket as it tore up the underside of my car. At that moment I was sure my trip was over. There I was, 100 miles east of Tucson in 105F heat figuring my oil pan had to be broken open from the feel of the impact. I killed the motor and coasted to a stop. A quick look under the car showed no oil pool or trail behind the car but just a damaged rear exhaust hanging down and almost torn off.
I tried to start the car but I could not get the shifter out of drive. I figured part of the object must have jammed between the torque tube and the bottom shifter. A bit hard to imagine, but possible. So, using the tools in the factory tool kit, the only tools I had with me, I removed the shift console to free it up. That didn't help. So, I got under the car again and discovered the object had pushed the mangled exhaust and the heatshield up against the tranny. I undid what remained of the exhaust, threw it in the hatch and tugged on the heatshield a bit. The shifter was stiff but it moved. The car started and ran OK. All of the rubber exhaust hangers were broken, so the exhaust and RMB dangled close to the ground. With the loud rumble of no driver side exhaust cat-back and the low-hanging pipe I felt very ricer, but the car ran and I found 4th gear eventually.
A few hours after I reached Alamogordo, Darien and the boys had a "new" 86 driver side exhaust mounted, which doesn't quite reach the RMB but is otherwise very nice. Darien had 4 rubber hangers too. The banged up heatshield was banged back into reasonable shape. We did our best to fix the mashed shifter cable but it is still stiff but workable for now.
So, I again am one lucky dude. The pipe missed all the vital organs. It travelled a few inches to the left of the tranny. Judging by the damage to the exhaust, it would have torn off the tranny pan and probably destroyed the valve body had it been a few inches to the right.
The short story is I ran over what Kevin surmised must have been a 3 1/2" round, maybe 18" long steel pipe, judging by the impressions on my completely destroyed rear driver side exhaust (Jim Corenman's pic clearly shows the round impression). Besides that damage, it mashed the shifter cable brackets on the side of the tranny and mashed the cable, tore up the bellypans and pushed up a few areas of the floor just a bit.
I really didn't get a good look at the object. It made one helluva racket as it tore up the underside of my car. At that moment I was sure my trip was over. There I was, 100 miles east of Tucson in 105F heat figuring my oil pan had to be broken open from the feel of the impact. I killed the motor and coasted to a stop. A quick look under the car showed no oil pool or trail behind the car but just a damaged rear exhaust hanging down and almost torn off.
I tried to start the car but I could not get the shifter out of drive. I figured part of the object must have jammed between the torque tube and the bottom shifter. A bit hard to imagine, but possible. So, using the tools in the factory tool kit, the only tools I had with me, I removed the shift console to free it up. That didn't help. So, I got under the car again and discovered the object had pushed the mangled exhaust and the heatshield up against the tranny. I undid what remained of the exhaust, threw it in the hatch and tugged on the heatshield a bit. The shifter was stiff but it moved. The car started and ran OK. All of the rubber exhaust hangers were broken, so the exhaust and RMB dangled close to the ground. With the loud rumble of no driver side exhaust cat-back and the low-hanging pipe I felt very ricer, but the car ran and I found 4th gear eventually.
A few hours after I reached Alamogordo, Darien and the boys had a "new" 86 driver side exhaust mounted, which doesn't quite reach the RMB but is otherwise very nice. Darien had 4 rubber hangers too. The banged up heatshield was banged back into reasonable shape. We did our best to fix the mashed shifter cable but it is still stiff but workable for now.
So, I again am one lucky dude. The pipe missed all the vital organs. It travelled a few inches to the left of the tranny. Judging by the damage to the exhaust, it would have torn off the tranny pan and probably destroyed the valve body had it been a few inches to the right.
07-30-2009, 07:38 AM
#33
Team Owner
Bill Glad your back on the road , Sorry you had to replace that hi milage pipe it was working so well.
If you need any more assistance i will lend a hand, Stan
If you need any more assistance i will lend a hand, Stan
07-30-2009, 08:06 AM
#34
That is an example of why this community is so great. If roger doesn't have the exhaust, I've not an extra set of the larger resonators/pipes that I've not installed on my car yet.
07-30-2009, 08:12 AM
#35
Range Master
Pepsie Lite
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
Pepsie Lite
Lifetime Rennlist
Member
So Bill, drive AROUND that stuff in the future, ok.......??????????
Glad to hear it all worked out!
Glad to hear it all worked out!
07-30-2009, 12:56 PM
#41
Burning Brakes
Bill
Glad to hear you are all right. You have way to many "Helpin others" CARma points to keep you stranded in the desert.
Great to see "the list" come to the rescue.
I have a feeling that with so many people comming from all over to OCIC that this will be one of many stories of 928ers helpin each other out.
Glad to hear you are all right. You have way to many "Helpin others" CARma points to keep you stranded in the desert.
Great to see "the list" come to the rescue.
I have a feeling that with so many people comming from all over to OCIC that this will be one of many stories of 928ers helpin each other out.
Last edited by Mako 928; 07-30-2009 at 02:38 PM.
07-30-2009, 05:09 PM
#42
Nordschleife Master
Jeff,
FULL marks on your avatar there! NICE!
BB glad you are back up and running and little worse for the wear! Have a safer journey the rest of the way!
FULL marks on your avatar there! NICE!
BB glad you are back up and running and little worse for the wear! Have a safer journey the rest of the way!
07-30-2009, 06:02 PM
#44
Nordschleife Master
07-30-2009, 06:19 PM
#45
Addict
Rennlist Member
Rennlist Member
