[DeTomaso] When it hits the fan

[Dave Londry]

Will
Your story about the donuts;
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"Once we were doing donuts on the ice/snow in a big empty parking lot. I 
was 16. I told my brother to "check this out". I was going to make an 
attempt at the biggest donut so far. The rear-end whipped around so fast 
that the battery popped out (it was bungy tied down - 68 Mustang - the 
tray was rusted out). The battery hit the fan, bent a blade, cut a 
circle in the radiator, cracked the distributor, and spewed acid all 
over the engine."
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gave me an ugly flashback (maybe a couple of years/decades older than yours)

I'm 19. it's 4 AM and there's 300 miles of empty, empty prairie highway 
to go.
My trusty 1960 Plymouth going way too fast (canted-valve 318 with some 
bolt-on stuff).
An unmarked, unlit, 30-inch subcut happens, out of the dark.
It doesn't even appear, it just happens.

The Plymouth hits the bottom of the subcut.
The battery case tears.
The battery hits the alternator.
The alternator chews a hole in the battery as it passes.
The battery continues on to the fan - the fan blades dog-ear and core 
the rad.
[The distributor is at the back of Mopar small blocks, so it's safe.]
The fan coughs the battery up into the hood, giving a nice, lumpy effect 
across the front.
W come to a steaming, acid-smelling stop.
It's still 4 AM and I'm going nowhere until traffic starts at 6 or 6:30.
Can't listen to the radio either.

The good news
 - it's 50F so I don't freeze.
 - the subcut is maybe 1/4 mile long, so I just bashed down into it 
without much other damage.
    If it had been only 20 or 30 feet long I would have been a stat.

(A subcut is what highways people do when they don't like what's 
underneath a road and decide to get rid of it)
dave