Bills 66 hubcap dilemma

["Wm. R. Ulman" <twolaneblacktop@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thanks Mikey.  Seattle has some of the worst traffic in the nation now,
second only to L.A. they say.  If you get on I-5 and don't ride the car
in front of yours bumper you get cut off constantly due to Seattle's
unique left lane on/off ramps and people desperately trying to get over
4 lanes to get off on the next right lane exit in less than 1/4 mile, or
lane changing to gain a car length in the great commute race.  That, and
I find that way to many people have come from the shallow end of the
gene pool, and somehow manage to get a drivers license anyway just so
they can go out and kill people on the road.  I pride myself on keeping
my old car in better running condition than most people keep their new
cars, but that being said, it is still 6000 lbs, and when I get
rolling...well everyone here knows about what I'm talking about.  I know
for a fact that most people today have never ridden in, or better yet,
driven an old style car, with tons of power, and drum brakes.  My drums
on the front are new (to me at least, turned and in spec, thank you Bob
Hoffmiester), I have a newly rebuilt power booster, and pads, and wheel
cylinders, and my brakes work better than ever, but they are still drum
brakes, and as such are not up to today's standards.  Recently on the
highway, some little teenage pr**k in a CRX with a kazoo shoved up it's
exhaust pipe cut me off and then had to stop suddenly, well then so did
I.  I had to hit the brakes, and you would think all the people around
me had never heard a '60's dead teenager song!  The screeching tires and
smoke from me locking up, and my back end cutting loose and starting to
go sideways scared the lady next to me so bad in her Lexus SUV she
literally clutched her pearls and stared at me with her mouth wide open!
The punk ahead of me sat bolt upright (he was driving with his seat
reclined to better see the roof of his car, I think it is a cultural
thing) and looked back at me in terror.  I was very grateful I stopped
before hitting him, but was pretty embarrassed too.

I know the feeling of having an newer car, I had a '97 Ca*illac DeVille,
and that car could stop on a dime!  Due to being unemployed, the repo
man paid a visit last fall, so the '66 is in daily service now, again.
I start a new job Monday, so maybe things are finally turning around.

On another note, I do feel very safe in the Imperial if I do have an
accident.  In '95 I still had my '63 Custom, and got royally rear ended
one morning by a sweet little gal in her Isuzu I-Mark, her car was
completely totaled, but I only had two scratches on my rear bumper from
where the collapsible struts from her bumper came through and gouged
mine.  Her insurance reechoed it and that was it.

Anyway, today's hubcap situation just brought everything to a boil, I
guess.

See 'ya,

Bill



-----Original Message-----
From: mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:mailing-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of mike sutton
Sent: Saturday, March 27, 2004 8:20 PM
To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: IML: Bills 66 hubcap dilemma


Bill,
I sympathize entirely!  I see far too often that people have a tendancy
to throw their cars - and themselves - in between other cars with
general abandon and lack of common sense just because they believe they
have a car that has such great brakes that THEY can always stop.

 Too bad the empty  semi truck or blue haired octogenerian on the way
back from a 2 martini bridge game or the gang banger who cant see over
the chain steering wheel in his low rider cant say the same for its
braking ability. I for one consider such sfb's ( something for brains )
nothing more than mobile crumple zones and if my 62 ends up with another
scratch on the bumper and a streak of subcompact paint on the k member
...so be it!

Mikey
62 Crown Coupe - and yes, I drive OFFENSIVELY