05snopro440
Well-known member
This past weekend was our annual trip to the Columbia Valley Classics car show in beautiful Radium Hot Springs, British Columbia.
We set out on Thursday morning, myself, my parents in their 64 Impala SS, and one other couple in a 1930 Model A. About an hour down the 4-lane divided highway after we met we ran into a bit of snow, which started to accumulate on the road. Traffic was travelling about 30km/h under the speed limit (80km/h), and it wasn't so bad. Another driver travelling the same direction decided this wasn't fast enough, and that his BMW with bald summer tires was capable of speeds at or near 110km/h. He went out of control sideways, and plowed right into my parents 64 SS. All down the side... quarter, door, fender, mirror, even hit the bumper and chipped some paint from the corner of the hood. Dad said it was a hard hit, but nobody was injured.
They got his info, and because of the snow and traffic we went to the nearest town to get breakfast and make a police report. By then the weather cleared, so we decided to press on towards Radium. The roads were pretty good the rest of the way and we got there safely.
Friday morning we decided to drive up to Panorama, a mountainside ski/biking/etc. resort village up a winding mountain road. On the way down, one of the rear tires was rubbing. We crawled all under the car, and I finally spotted that the rear drum was moving away from the backing plate, meaning the axle was coming out. We jacked it up and had to dig a hole under the tire because the gravel turnout where we stopped was allowing my jack to sink into the ground. Pounded it back in, got it back together, and got it back down. Didn't make it a kilometer and the axle came out far enough that the car wouldn't drive. Of course the car was right around a blind curve at the time. While dad jacked up the car to put the axle back in and limp it 300 meters to a turnout, I drove my truck up the road to call a tow truck. I also called a friend who lives in the area, who told me to cancel the tow truck and he was on his way with a trailer to tow it to his place. He showed up with his early 60's dodge crewcab that's on an International chassis. After finding some logs to prop up the ramps and get the low car loaded, we were on our way again. Near as we can tell, when the guy hit the car it loosened the retaining ring on the back side of the bearing and allowed the bearing to eventually come loose on the axle.
Went into town to the nearest parts store, a bearing was $250 their list price. They would give it to me for $200 and could get it Saturday at 8:30AM. This was at 2:30 PM Friday. So I went to the other parts store in town, they could get it for the same time... their list price was $350. I told him I was there because the other store was too expensive... he shows me his lowest price: $175. Sold.
Mom and I go back to my friend's shop, where dad and the car now are. I should mention the shop is warmed by a nice wood burning stove, quite nice. Dad has the axle out, but the retaining ring dropped into the diff. We can't fish it out so we make the decision to pull the other axle out and the center section to get that ring out. Sure enough, it was right under the ring gear. Got it all back together, and Saturday morning by 10:30 we had the bearing pressed on and the car all back together, and we were at the car show.
On the way to the car show, a guy in a Chevelle ran through a yield sign as I was approaching and almost hit me in my 46. After that, no more events and no more drama for the entire weekend. Now trying to find a decent body shop...
As a result I took basically no photos of the car show. I've got a few photos of the other events to follow.
We set out on Thursday morning, myself, my parents in their 64 Impala SS, and one other couple in a 1930 Model A. About an hour down the 4-lane divided highway after we met we ran into a bit of snow, which started to accumulate on the road. Traffic was travelling about 30km/h under the speed limit (80km/h), and it wasn't so bad. Another driver travelling the same direction decided this wasn't fast enough, and that his BMW with bald summer tires was capable of speeds at or near 110km/h. He went out of control sideways, and plowed right into my parents 64 SS. All down the side... quarter, door, fender, mirror, even hit the bumper and chipped some paint from the corner of the hood. Dad said it was a hard hit, but nobody was injured.
They got his info, and because of the snow and traffic we went to the nearest town to get breakfast and make a police report. By then the weather cleared, so we decided to press on towards Radium. The roads were pretty good the rest of the way and we got there safely.
Friday morning we decided to drive up to Panorama, a mountainside ski/biking/etc. resort village up a winding mountain road. On the way down, one of the rear tires was rubbing. We crawled all under the car, and I finally spotted that the rear drum was moving away from the backing plate, meaning the axle was coming out. We jacked it up and had to dig a hole under the tire because the gravel turnout where we stopped was allowing my jack to sink into the ground. Pounded it back in, got it back together, and got it back down. Didn't make it a kilometer and the axle came out far enough that the car wouldn't drive. Of course the car was right around a blind curve at the time. While dad jacked up the car to put the axle back in and limp it 300 meters to a turnout, I drove my truck up the road to call a tow truck. I also called a friend who lives in the area, who told me to cancel the tow truck and he was on his way with a trailer to tow it to his place. He showed up with his early 60's dodge crewcab that's on an International chassis. After finding some logs to prop up the ramps and get the low car loaded, we were on our way again. Near as we can tell, when the guy hit the car it loosened the retaining ring on the back side of the bearing and allowed the bearing to eventually come loose on the axle.
Went into town to the nearest parts store, a bearing was $250 their list price. They would give it to me for $200 and could get it Saturday at 8:30AM. This was at 2:30 PM Friday. So I went to the other parts store in town, they could get it for the same time... their list price was $350. I told him I was there because the other store was too expensive... he shows me his lowest price: $175. Sold.
Mom and I go back to my friend's shop, where dad and the car now are. I should mention the shop is warmed by a nice wood burning stove, quite nice. Dad has the axle out, but the retaining ring dropped into the diff. We can't fish it out so we make the decision to pull the other axle out and the center section to get that ring out. Sure enough, it was right under the ring gear. Got it all back together, and Saturday morning by 10:30 we had the bearing pressed on and the car all back together, and we were at the car show.
On the way to the car show, a guy in a Chevelle ran through a yield sign as I was approaching and almost hit me in my 46. After that, no more events and no more drama for the entire weekend. Now trying to find a decent body shop...
As a result I took basically no photos of the car show. I've got a few photos of the other events to follow.
