[DeTomaso] Pantera near disaster

[zumzum at cox.net]

I am sorry but my mail should have been addressed to Boyd.
Jeff Cobb
---- zumzum at cox.net wrote:
>
> Steve, sounds like this, a worker induced problem, sorry;
> Bearings were not preloaded correctly.
> Wheel studs were wrong and or put in wrong.
> Wheel nut were torqued wrong also.
> You were not hearing the car talk to you!!!!!!
> Vibrations should have been felt!!!!!
> Alignment shop was wrong for not checking wheel bearing free play.
> Removing the wheels is not important.
> You sound like you know what went wrong. Are you Catholic? Guilt is ingrained and hard to remove.
> Easier to fix a car than a human.
> Next time be careful when you bolt together expensive parts and drive.
> Death/damage is on only a moment away.
> Jeff Cobb________________________________________________
>
> ---- Steve Hawkins <shawkins777 at comcast.net> wrote:
> > Possibly the wrong studs.
> >
> > Steve
> >
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: detomaso-bounces at realbig.com [mailto:detomaso-bounces at realbig.com] On
> > Behalf Of boyd casey
> > Sent: Saturday, August 21, 2010 5:56 PM
> > To: De Tomaso List
> > Subject: [DeTomaso] Pantera near disaster
> >
> >
> > For those of you who may have been following the progress of my Ken Green
> > brake Mod and the concurrent rebuild and upgrade of my suspension. I had a
> > near disaster on Thursday afternoon. I picked up my car at the alignment
> > shop and was very pleased with the report from the owner who was also the
> > person that worked on my car. I was driving home from the shop in Port
> > Chester NY to my home on Long Island NY ( a distance of around 40 miles. I
> > was traveling on 95 south (the New England Thruway) when all of a sudden the
> > car started to shake and I heard two PING'S in rapid succession. I had the
> > windows open due to the lack of functional AC and I saw two lug nuts and
> > studs shooting across the highway. I managed to quickly pull over without
> > being struck by any of the numerous tractor trailers that were surrounding
> > me. I won't bore everyone with the horror story about getting a tow truck
> > other then to say it was a life altering ordeal on it's own. It took four
> > hours to
> > get home (a distance of another 25 miles) at a cost of $300.00. When the
> > car was dropped off at my house the remaining three lug nuts and studs fell
> > off in my hand. The wheel was literally within a moment of falling
> > completely off. The studs had enlarged the holes in my forged three piece
> > wheels, the hats were chewed up and the holes were oblong and out of round
> > and the hub and bearing assemblies from Ken's design (made by German
> > engineering) where destroyed. Two of the studs had pulled completely through
> > and the other three remaining studs were turning freely in their now
> > enlarged holes. I was concerned at how I was going to be able to facilitate
> > the repairs in my garage which has such limited space but luckily the past 5
> > months I have spent working on my car at my car clubs garage has improved my
> > skills to the point were I was able to disassemble the entire left rear
> > wheel assembly , CV joint, upper a arm from ball joint and caliper and
> > rotor. So I have the damaged hub, hat, and wheel all removed. The wheel is
> > at a wheel repair facility being re sleeved. (This is a temporary repair
> > that will allow me to have the car in a mobile state. The company that made
> > my wheels going to replace the center( I will have to disassemble the wheel
> > center and send it to them) and for $500 they will send me a replacement
> > that I will have to use to reassemble my wheel. The new replacement hub with
> > bearing assembly and the new hat have already been shipped and will be here
> > by Wednesday or Thursday at a cost of around $400.00. So hopefully I will
> > have everything back together by the end of next week.. It is clearly not a
> > moment to celebrate but considering what COULD have happened. I could have
> > been killed or the wheel could have come completely off and the damage could
> > easily have been well into the thousands of dollars. The Brembo caliper the
> > wheel house the rotor, the Koni shock All of which was brand new, the
> > powder coated a-arms the poly graphite bushings, That's if I were lucky
> > and only dragged the suspension parts. I could have lost control and wiped
> > out the car and wound up with anywhere from a few thousand dollars to a
> > total loss and any where between no injury and death. The alignment tech
> > claims he did not take the wheels off so I have no way of knowing what the
> > cause was. If anyone has any suggestions I would be interested in hearing
> > any theories. I could be feeling sorry for my self and but when I look at
> > everything that is going on in the world from, floods, wild fires,
> > earthquakes to people being killed by suicide bombers or fighting terrorism
> > in Iraq or Pakistan I have to consider myself extremely lucky to have a
> > Pantera in the first place and to not have been killed or injured. This is
> > another part of what goes with owning a Pantera or any other exotic or high
> > performance toy. (Unless it's a trailer queen). So instead of being
> > discouraged or depressed. I am going to chalk this one up as a chance to
> > count my blessings. Boyd _______________________________________________
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> --
> Jeff Cobb
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--
Jeff Cobb