So I finally get my 5 speed running without dying thanks to Tim Hollister sending me a care package with ignition and reference sensors earlier in the week. As some of you may recall, back in February last year I donated the front and rear bumpers, headlights, and one headlight wiper motor to the newly-acquired '93 4.2 liter beastie. I had toasted the bumper covers headlights and the like at Steamboat Springs during our spirit ice driving event lol. So since Tim was parting out his pearl V8, we proceeded to swap out the good with the bad Sunday afternoon and evening.
Wonder what a bare front end of a V8 looks like?
We also replaced the hood and Tim was able to lubricate the throttle actuator rod, which before had a tendency to stick anywhere from 3k-7k rpm
I would have come out earlier, but between the sticky throttle and tires with cords showing, replaced the tires with the 'new' ones from my black V8 parts car before making the trip to Charlotte.
Had a great time and Sam cooked up some authentic weiner schnitzel and home made German potato salad (best I've had, btw).
With Tim's success wrt the linkage, we saved a lot of time not having to switch out intake manifolds, too!
So I got out earlier than expected ~10:30 PM and would be home around midnight.
It was not to be. I had noticed that the tires either weren't balanced and/or had been sitting for a while, flat spotting them. I had heard a noise from the right rear at slow speeds on the way out, but on the way back the car was vibrating more and more. I pulled into a gas station past Brighton and checked all the tire pressures and suspension bits. Everything seemed OK, so I replaced the right rear wheel with a full size spare and went on. Now the car was really, shaking, like the front end was about to coem apart to where I slowed down to about 50 on I-96 -- Pow!! Damn, it, I thought. Pulled over (it's midnight now) and checked to see what was amiss. Hmm. All the tires had air. Got the flashlight and looked around. Right front wheel had a torn CV boot. Damn. Blown out the CV, I thought. So I called AAA. No one in the area. But they'd call me back. By 1:05, they called to say they were sending someone from Westland with a flatbed withing the hour. Great. Waiting is no fun. I almost fell asleep. At 2 am the tow truck pulls up. He asks if it will roll, and I say sure. So I pull it up on the flatbed and am almost at the top when he says, "I see your problem, and it's not the CV. Roll her down and i'll show you."
And this is what I saw:
The cords had ripped internally. The pop I'd heard was when the inner lining popped through the cords! That is why you don't want to have tires sitting on a car that isn't beeing moved very often. Flat spot is one thing, this is quite another.
We released the air from the tire and replaced it with the tire I'd removed 5 miles earlier. And I was on my way home
Never seen anything like it.
