Road Side Poll Fix

Who's got duct tape, bubble gum, spit and php/sql???

hehehe

Don't mind me. I'm all punchy due to life's evil twists and teasing.

A.

Does side of the trail count?

And Andre... what about bailer twine?

How about breaking down within sight of AAA's U.S. headquarters? A ground strap clamp has stretched the point that no amount of tightening was going to help.

Dropping your keys down the sewer...

Loosing your glasses while looking for your keys...

A.

To me, it looks like the poll needs a roadside fix. Anyone else having the same issue? Can't vote.

Yep hence the topic :)

A.

My best were roadside fixes on other folks' cars were generally rather funny.

I walked by a mid 70's Civic back when I had one. Two ladies were looking it over in a defeated way. The keys were locked inside. I pulled my key out and unlocked the door. I said something about them all being similar but really didn't know. I had a Corona that wanted a new fuel filter about every 6 months. So I kept two in the trunk and when the idle got poor, I would replace it - my $2 tuneup. There he was, another Corona but a wagon stopped by the road. I pulled over and grabbed my filter. No start? No problem. Here I got this filter in my pocket and popped it in place. His incredulous eyes popped as he stammered about a payment as the car started and ran smoothly. I said, I did my favor for the day - pass it on.

Then there was the old bang on the carburetor with a rock trick. I was 18 and with my friend's parents returning from a cotage when the carb began to leak fuel. The rock worked perfectly and I was a magician.

Cheers Ron

Pulled over one late afternoon to help an obviously pregnant woman, standing outside of her car on the left lane shoulder of the 14 Freeway southbound towards LA.

It was hot out. This is the foothills of the high desert, just north of LA. She was at least 7 mos preggers. She had no water to drink. Was standing in the shoulder. The car was leaking coolant AND oil at a pretty good clip. She had a flat tire, no spare.

She was on her cell to her brother or something and he was coming to help.

A can of fix-o-flat got get off the highway, and a bottle of drinking water so she wouldn't dehydrate.

I was pissed. How the hell does a pregnant woman go out in a car like that, in that kind of weather (95 degrees+) with no water, no spare, no AAA!!!!

One time when leaving the Roadster Factory summer party, the group I was caravanning with came upon a broken down car (basic American sedan). We helped push him to a safe place off the road and offered to help. I think he was too stunned upon seeing so many Triumphs actually running to accept. That, and he had AAA.

I saw a 240Z stalled in hot weather at a stop light in Madison, WI years ago. I pulled up in my old Volvo 142 asked the guy what was wrong - wouldn't start after it stalled at the light. We pushed it off the road, and I asked him to open the hood. I loosened the two pistons on top of the dash-pots had him try it and it fired right up. Hero for the day!

I don't seek these roadside mishaps but they do happen. We were at a small gathering of sports cars and the owner of a nice Spitfire was moaning about his trunk that was locked without a key or a tumbler and about the shop who were going to tear off the lid and get him to replace it. The beer gave me the bravado to call for a knife and fork. I stuck them in the hole wiggled them about and the hood popped open much to everyone's surprise, delight and ammusement - no one more so than myself.

Cheers Ron

A college buddy called me from a town that had closed for the night about his broken-down '69 Toyota. I drove the two hours out, arriving at midnight. We worked under the town's lone street light. Massive fuel leak, caused by stripped in-carb filter threads. The "fix" to get him home involved the trifecta: Baling wire, duct tape, AND JB Weld.