my sister calls me at around 9:30 this evening needing help. two flat tires. okay, not the worst news in the world, but how do i move a car with two flats and only one spare? it's a ford but i figured i'd try the spare from the chevy. i drive down to her with my brother in law (married to my other sister), luckily she was in the city but unfortunately the slums, and what a mess. it wasn't just flats, it was an accident. all four wheels were crooked, there was red paint from the dodge that rammed her head on into oncoming traffic all over the driver side. she overcorrected and hit the curb, he ran. that's the story, at least. step one, get the car up.
the chevy has a larger spare so to try it we had to use the chevy jack. the car went up and while we were checkin to see if the bolts would match, the jack snapped. what the hell? an impala jack snapped under a taurus, bent in half at the joints. it gets worse. we try again with the ford jack, the car goes up, and drops again. this time only the base bends then the jack tipped and car pinned the jack on its side against the ground. we couldn't pull it out. my brother in law grabs the front passenger wheel well and squats the front of the car while i free the jack. rear tires were blocked with rocks, by the way. now the front disk, with no wheel, was on the ground and there was no room to get a jack in.
new plan. we went back home and got the 2 ton air jack and stand. drove back, jacked the car up just enought from the back with the ford jack after bending it straight again then used the 2 tonner. we also traced the bolt patterns to see if they matched rather than tryin to put it on. no good. we had to try to repair one of the tires on the scene and drive home on it. we had the compressor and plugs so we did it while suspicious characters kept passing and watching. it was a very remote parking lot under the skyway. pick up the pace. one tire had a 4" rip, no fixin that. the other had a small hole, couldn't fit your pinky through it. that's the one we plugged and filled then put back on the car in the rear, spare in the front. it was holdin the air till we started it, then the plug popped out and the air hissed out. we had no more time to wait, characters were gettin more suspicious with the behavior, we had to bolt. my brother in law drove it home while it hissed. i drove the chevy. he had no time to wait for reds with the air comin out of the tire and took one right in front of me. it flattened completely maybe a quarter mile away. steering was shot, very tough drive, but he's a champ, made it home on the rim.
i know what some of you are thinkin. if we could get the spare on one wheel that's all you need for a tow, so why not? well, turns out the very same day she lost her job and couldn't afford a tow. she worked for quest diagnostics and that ship is sinking fast, they're laying everyone off. i was willin to pay for it myself after i saw the damage but my brother in law insisted we try.
at home i sat down with my sister and we talked things over for a while over some tea. these are not her only two problems nor are they the biggest. a few months ago my priest told her she should join the missionary. she really likes the idea. i worry if that's for her but i'd be glad to see her persue and fulfill that role. it is also a form of running away but better to run to something good than to run deeper into trouble.
in any case this would be rock bottom for a lot of people. i'll spare of the other details of her misery but you can't do much worse. she's still got us and we'll support her but she doesn't want to accept that shame. i told her to take a hit now and make things better or they'll only get worse. i was blessed to never see the ugly side of life. she's inches from it. call me romantic but i do believe there are lessons to be learned from this and things to gain. if it becomes a turning point for her then i will be glad this terrible day occurred.
the chevy has a larger spare so to try it we had to use the chevy jack. the car went up and while we were checkin to see if the bolts would match, the jack snapped. what the hell? an impala jack snapped under a taurus, bent in half at the joints. it gets worse. we try again with the ford jack, the car goes up, and drops again. this time only the base bends then the jack tipped and car pinned the jack on its side against the ground. we couldn't pull it out. my brother in law grabs the front passenger wheel well and squats the front of the car while i free the jack. rear tires were blocked with rocks, by the way. now the front disk, with no wheel, was on the ground and there was no room to get a jack in.
new plan. we went back home and got the 2 ton air jack and stand. drove back, jacked the car up just enought from the back with the ford jack after bending it straight again then used the 2 tonner. we also traced the bolt patterns to see if they matched rather than tryin to put it on. no good. we had to try to repair one of the tires on the scene and drive home on it. we had the compressor and plugs so we did it while suspicious characters kept passing and watching. it was a very remote parking lot under the skyway. pick up the pace. one tire had a 4" rip, no fixin that. the other had a small hole, couldn't fit your pinky through it. that's the one we plugged and filled then put back on the car in the rear, spare in the front. it was holdin the air till we started it, then the plug popped out and the air hissed out. we had no more time to wait, characters were gettin more suspicious with the behavior, we had to bolt. my brother in law drove it home while it hissed. i drove the chevy. he had no time to wait for reds with the air comin out of the tire and took one right in front of me. it flattened completely maybe a quarter mile away. steering was shot, very tough drive, but he's a champ, made it home on the rim.
i know what some of you are thinkin. if we could get the spare on one wheel that's all you need for a tow, so why not? well, turns out the very same day she lost her job and couldn't afford a tow. she worked for quest diagnostics and that ship is sinking fast, they're laying everyone off. i was willin to pay for it myself after i saw the damage but my brother in law insisted we try.
at home i sat down with my sister and we talked things over for a while over some tea. these are not her only two problems nor are they the biggest. a few months ago my priest told her she should join the missionary. she really likes the idea. i worry if that's for her but i'd be glad to see her persue and fulfill that role. it is also a form of running away but better to run to something good than to run deeper into trouble.
in any case this would be rock bottom for a lot of people. i'll spare of the other details of her misery but you can't do much worse. she's still got us and we'll support her but she doesn't want to accept that shame. i told her to take a hit now and make things better or they'll only get worse. i was blessed to never see the ugly side of life. she's inches from it. call me romantic but i do believe there are lessons to be learned from this and things to gain. if it becomes a turning point for her then i will be glad this terrible day occurred.
