[DeTomaso] Bill Taylor saves the day!

[MikeLDrew at aol.com]

Hi guys,

This weekend I zipped down to So-Cal to spend the weekend with my girlfriend. 
  I chose the silver Scirocco for the trip.

A year and a half ago I drove this car to New Mexico.   On the way, it 
developed a very slight front-end vibration whenever the front suspension was 
unloaded (going over a rise, or when going around a RH corner where the RH front 
suspension was extended by body lean).   An audible clicking could also be heard 
at low speeds, although it came and went.   I determined that it was a bad CV 
joint on the passenger side driveshaft.

It got me to New Mexico, through a couple of weeks of running around, and a 
scenic drive back (a substantial portion spent with the throttle pinned wide 
open and aerodynamics setting the actual cruise speed).   A month after I got 
home I decided to take the time to change the driveshaft out, which fixed it 
completely.   At the time, I noted that the driver's side shaft felt a bit 
sloppy, so as a precaution I ordered a replacement for that side too.

However, the car was driving just fine, and as spare time was at a premium, 
instead of installing it, I just tossed it into the back of the car, intending 
to get to it once the car made its demands known.

Fast-forward a year and a half to this weekend.   The car was perfect leaving 
the house, but about 2/3 of the way to LA I started feeling and hearing that 
familiar vibration.   I concluded that within the next few months I'd have to 
attend to that remaining driveshaft.   However, the condition worsened 
dramatically, and by the time I was grinding through bumper-to-bumper traffic, it was 
making godawful knocking noises and pulling severely to the left whenever I 
lifted off the throttle.

It seemed unwise to drive it all the way back home (some 400+ miles) in that 
condition, so I phoned Bill Taylor and asked if I could perhaps utilize his 
well-equipped garage to perform the swap before returning home, and he 
graciously agreed.

I parked the car for the weekend (Julie's Honda has an automatic transmission 
and A/C, both prerequisites for So-Cal motoring), then this afternoon, fired 
up the Scirocco for the drive to Bill's house.

It made a sharp CRACK when backing out of her driveway; clearly things were 
not going well down below.   I made it to Bill's house without incident, and 
backed the car into his garage.   He suggested that I turn the car around, so I 
pulled it out again, and just as the car reached the street, CRACK! and the CV 
joint broke completely, eliminating any and all drive.   So I literally got 
every single last mile (indeed, every FOOT) of life out of it before it finally 
gave up!)

We pushed the car around and back into the garage, and after a quick run to 
the auto parts and tool stores to buy the requisite socket (Bill wouldn't let 
me pay for it!!???) we got the old driveshaft out (in two big pieces, plus lots 
of shrapnel and wreckage left sitting on the A-arm) and the new one in.   The 
repairs were successful, and I hit the road late in the afternoon and pulled 
into my driveway shortly before midnight.

So, a big THANKS to Bill for not only volunteering his workshop and his 
afternoon, but also for providing invaluable help in getting the car back on the 
road!

I love these Pantera guys! :>)

Mike


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