Chevy & GMC Vans

My wife, daughter and I were at (my daughter's) soccer practice last night at a local school from about 5:15 to 6:30. After it was over, most of the kids and parents had left and there were only a few families around. One was a father and son who were getting ready to leave... except the guy's car wouldn't start.

It was a SWEEEEEET '69 427 Vette! Very nice stock condition.

Turns out the starter gets hot and won't turn over. Three of us went over and pushed him to start it. Once it fired up, his kid jumped in and he pulled out on the street heading north.

Of course he wanted to show off his big bad Vette a bit... come on, who wouldn't?!?!... so he put his foot in it and broke the rear tires loose.

That's when things started going wrong...

The rear end started sliding towards the right, so he let off the gas and over-corrected, bringing the car around 180 degrees clockwise. He was then sliding very fast across the northbound lanes, but facing south...

And then slammed the curb sideways at about 15 mph...

The left rear wheel rolled up under the car as it went over the curb.

After a couple of cars passed by, the Vette limped back across the street over to the bus parking area and we assessed the damage. Not only was the wheel completely trashed, but the control arm for the IRS was visibly bent. I'd guess the axle shaft and a few other parts were tweaked as well.

By 7:30 the Vette was being towed away to the owners home. This kinda set back his plans to put it up for sale soon.

Those of us around felt real bad for the owner. Who hasn't miscalculated a bit while showing off.....

Know he was sick. If number matching big block, it's a high dollar car. Does sound like he bent a strutrod but maybe that's all but probably not. My guess is he got a strutrod, strutrod bracket that's on dif. housing, both dog bones and bracket on that side and probably hub. All those parts are easy to find and not that high but if he broke the dif. housing,,,it's I'm sure a Dana 44 and will cost a few bucks.

Ya, we've all done it. #-o And boy do we feel stupid afterward. This one is going to cost him "Big Time". Nothing on a Vette is cheap.

Yep, been there done that.

When I lived in England, at a huge American Car cruise infront of hundreds of people, driving my newly restored Boss Mustang....

I hit the car infront, while staring at a chick bending over across the street. Boy did I feel stooopid.

I feel bad for the dude but I feel better now after laughing at Darren's post (Sorry Darren, but you know it was funny). Yeah we've all been there one way or another, and some of us numerous times.

A 15 year old girl I knew in highschool was at her mom's softball game . Her mom was the player coach. After the game she was going to pull her mom's 75 (?, the big one) El Dorado around to where everyone was hanging out. The car was backed into the parking stall. She put it in reverse instead of drive and floored it. It crashed hard into a stadium light pole and then the enitre light assembly came crashing down on top of the car. She sat in the car and cried and wouldn't come out. Ouch.