No the run of bad luck started after Hammy and I shovelled out the driveway, I noticed the rear driver’s side tire on the Mighty Cavalier was flat…. dang it!! I should mention that though it was still snowing, it was warm enough to cause it to melt, yet windy enough (blizzard) to refreeze it instantly…. which of course froze all 5 doors shut on the Mighty Cavalier….. the jack, tire iron, jack stands… everything…. inside the car. and guess what… NO SPARE!! not even a dinky donut wheel !!
After prying one of the doors open (Hammy held the handle in the open position, I pried it open with a crowbar) << Standard practice here on the prairies) we get everything we need to change the tire…. AAAAaaaaaannnnndddddd the lugnuts are frozen solid!! not only frozen but also covered in frozen mud and other debris …Oh my day just keeps getting better!!!
After cleaning the lugnuts as best I could with steel wool, (they were still froze) with Hammy jumping on the wheel wrench trying to break the lug nuts loose (he weighs in at 135 pounds) … they were not coming off with the wheel wrench, so I break out the BIG GUNS… a 6 foot Breaker Bar and a Heavy Duty socket set, I put all my 225 pounds behind that bar, and Hammy threw in his 135 pounds to be sure…. those lug nuts came off!… all except for 1…… which after some cursing and brute force, came off too ….. and got stuck inside the dang socket!!
3 hours later and the lug nut is still stuck in the socket wrench, finally my will to live utterly shattered I walked over to a neighbour and asked if he could remove the lug nut from the socket, he had it free in less than 5 minutes!!…. in my defence, I did pre oil it for him, and if my dang workshop wasn’t froze shut I coulda done it myself!
Oh it just gets better, I walk back to the car and think to myself… my God it is leaning heavy on the front ( it wasn’t on the jack yet)… I thought maybe I broke a shock or something…. I go for a closer inspection …. AAAAAAAaaaaaaannnnnddddd…. the right front tire is flatter than a pancake!! AAArrrrrgggghhhh!!!!
Repeat the above storyline with the front tire…and yes all the lug nuts save 1 came off with the breaker bar….. and yep you’re right, that 1 lug nut gets jammed in the socket wrench…. Back to my Neighbour I go…. the long walk of SHAME!! he’s laughing, I’m not, and once again he removes the lug nut from the socket.
I think I told you I have no spare tire, let alone 2 of them…. now I’m in a pickle, I need to buy 2 new tires, I have the money, that’s not the problem, the problem is I can only jack 1 side of the car at a time and leave it on the jack stands without a tire….. the laws of Physics begin to take over if you try to remove a tire on the opposite corner, if both back tires were flat, or both tires on the same side of the car were flat it wouldn’t be much of an issue, gravity would do it’s thing and hold the car firmly in place on the jack stands……HOWEVER….. the flats are in opposing corners, ( Left Rear and Right Front)…. add to that an icy uneven driveway, mixed with solid ground and soft snow…. and it’s the twilight zone…. the car will teeter totter on the jack stands, can’t have that! if the car teeter totters it stands to reason that 1 if not both jackstands will fail or kick out and then I am ROYALLY HOOPED ….
All I can do is take 1 tire off , have it replaced, put it back on then remove the other tire and do the same…. I live 35 miles from the nearest tire shop…. yes a friend will take me and my tire in, both times, but the kicker…. the weather, more snow and munis 40 temperatures are on the way for all next week!
Yep if it weren’t for Bad Luck, I’d have no luck at all!
Remember folks,express your love often,never take tomorrow for granted,and be kind to others.
Butch
easy wood projects to build
