[DeTomaso] Bill Taylor saves the day!

[Asa Jay Laughton]

Go must love you Mike. . .

I read to this part here:
"instead of installing it, I just tossed it into the back of the car "

and KNEW what the rest of the story was going to be.  The first words 
that came into my head, before reading any further were:
"good thing you threw it the back."

I'm getting this feeling you've not worked on enough other peoples cars 
lately.
:)

Asa Jay

Asa Jay Laughton, MSgt, USAFR, Retired

& Shelley Marie
Spokane, WA

1973 Pantera L 5533
[ASASCAT]
    
******************************     
http://www.asajay.com
http://www.351c.info
  



MikeLDrew at aol.com wrote:
> 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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