The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Emotional roller coaster ride

Decided to take the 55 Napco to work today. As I pulled out on the main road I felt a light thumping vibration under my foot. I ignored it as I was late for work. Half way to work that light thumping became an impossible to ignore clunking from the front D-side wheel. I limped the 7 miles back home at 10 miles per hour. Thoughts of rebuilding the front axle ran through my mind. Where am I going to find all those rare parts again? Maybe it is just a broken brake?

I get home, two hours late for work. I can't go to work without taking a quick peak. I remove the hub cap.

Loose lug nuts.

Tighten, back on road. It's a good day. Note to self, don't ignore the truck when its trying to tell you something!

Glad to hear it wasn't something too serious. At least loose lug nuts can be easily taken care of.

This could'a been a much worse situation, just think what could have happened if that wheel had come off. Glad you got it home o.k. and got it fixed.

I spent yesterday under the truck just tightening everything up and hitting every zerk with fresh grease. Checked the lug nuts too. It's amazing how many bolts and nuts had loosened a bit since I last time I did this. So - 'Bolt Brothers - if you've got a little extra time, it might be well spent snugging everything up.

You might want to pull the wheel and check the condition of the threads on the studs. Damaged threads mean a weaker connection and the possibility of the wheel saying by-by while you're driving.

I agree, that would have been horrible if the wheel took a left while I kept going straight! This weekend will be all about tightening and zerk greasing!

The stupid part is that if I had some tools with me, I could have popped the hub cap and fixed it right then and there. So I'll be gathering up some tools to carry on a regular basis.

this happened to my uncle when i was riding with him as a kid. it was a rear wheel and at first we didn't even know what happened. we just saw the tire roll past us on the road because he had slowed down a little bit and were going down a hill. we just sat there and watched it roll till it went off the road a long ways away, took us forever to find it.

I took my truck down to a garage two blocks from me to get the brakes worked on. The next day I go to pick it up and the guy says he pulled the rear drivers side wheel and couldn't get the cylinder to bleed, said it was because my master cylinder was bad. Guess I'll just fix it myself. So I drive to the gas station three more blocks down the road, fill up, and head home. Thump-Thump-THUMP-CLUNK-CLUNK!WAMM! Back of the truck jumps way up in the air, comes down hard, I screech to a stop (get this) right in front of the garage that forgot to tighten my lug nuts, only it's five minutes past five and they're closed. My nice new wheel with my nice new tire is now jambed up under my (now mangled) rear fender and I'm stuck right in the middle of the main drag in town.
The next day I took the truck back to the same garage to have all the studs replaced at that wheel. It was a pleasant visit

My family and I were late for a flight to Puerto Vallarta Mexico and driving about 15 miles from DFW airport when the left rear of the car began to bump-bump. I never would have guessed it was the tire as it was only two days since the Firestone store had put it on new. Finally the tire came off at 8 miles an hour. The wrecker came and hauled it and the 4 of us off stopping at the air port to drop us off. My 15 year old daughter was disgusted and embarrassed having to get out of a tow truck there in front of the airport. The tow truck hauled it car to Firestone while we caught the plane (barely). As was said, "listen to the noises".
Sorry Charley...

I had the same thing happen to my 70 chevy truck in 75 after having new tires put on at Sears. left front wheel came off. i worked there at the time and took it in first thing in the morning on a work day and they the could work on it between of jobs and someone forgot to tighten the lug nuts. i drove it on the highway at 70mph to look at a new house then back home and to work the next day, wheel came off 2 miles from home at a stop light. heard a grinding noise then the truck went up to the right and when i looked out the wheel was laying in the middle of the intersection.

Anyone that says a mechanical device can't talk, just ain't listening. There are a lot more than will admit to it that has had the same thing happen to them. Only reason they won't admit it is they were the root cause. Myself included.
Tramp

I had a wheel come off my beater truck last winter,heard a noise and stopped to look but everything looked find and figured it was the wheel bearings going bad so I get off the highway to limp home and get about a mile away when I notice the wheel going past me and then it hit the ground.

I had a similar experience. I was driving to work just after I got the truck on the road. Thump, Thump, Thump,..No tools on board.
Towed it back home. No witnesses it was 04:30.

Loose Lug nut on rear.

Now I carry these under the seat, and a good flash light

1968 C10, was home on lunch and went to head back to work. Left front was flat so I changed it out quick. Didn't get the lug nuts tight enough. Got about a half mile from where I was working, driving down a gravel road at about 40 mph and watched the wheel go into a corn field before the front hit the ground. Never had a wobble or anything, no warning at all. Be thankful they do give warning most times because there are odd occasions where they don't.