We got in from the VTR Sturday night. The TR4 made it all
the way there, ran a rally, ran an autocross (my convention
record is safe, I still have received an autocross trophy at
every convention where they were awarded), ran all around
the town on tours and for shopping, and made it most of the
way back.
That's right. Most of the way back. On Highway 61 south of
Red Wing, right in front of the Correctional Institution,
the left front wheel came adrift. Looks like total
wheel-bearing failure. Broke the mounting ears off the brake
caliper. Amazingly, the assembly stayed with the car. The
brake hose stayed attached, so the single-system brakes
(1962, remember?) still worked. We came to rest on
centerline 20 feet upstream of the beginning of a median and
the sign therefor, so we don't owe the state for damaged
property. Bodywork looks OK. Nothing ever touched the
pavement but the tires. Sue and I were unhurt.
Amazingly, as the AAA guy was winching the car onto the
flatbed, Phil Vanner (owner of Square Peg diner in
Minneapolis and a Twin Cities britcar guy) drove up and
stopped. We were OK riding in the truck, so we declined
Phil's offer to take us home. The AAA guy has this really
neat nylon skid he puts under the tire the tire with a
sledge. I actually drove the car into my shop, then
foor-jacked it up to remove the skid. After that, the whole
assembly fell apart.
TR44SUE is resting on stands in my shop now. Priority is
switching over to getting the Lotus ready for the next
convention in Saint Louis.
__________________
Phil Ethier West Side Saint Paul Minnesota USA
1970 Lotus Europa 65/2597, 1992 Saturn SL2, 1993 Suburban,
1962 TR4 CT2846L
pethier@isd.net http://www.mnautox.com/
http://www.lotuseuropa.org/gallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=philethier
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