Near Disaster

General chat about the car goes in here.
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courtenay
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Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:41 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Courtenay, BC, Canada

Near Disaster

Post by courtenay »

Had a near disaster this morning. Driving on the highway at about 80kph (50 mph) and the car felt a bit strange - like a tire going flat. Looked in the mirror to see a wheel nut bouncing down the highway behind me. Pulled off the road right away and found two nuts gone, one very loose and the last quite tight. Took a nut off the front wheel, so I'd have three on each wheel and slowly went back home - about 4 miles.
I'm now a couple of nuts short of a full load on my Rota's - but quite thankful no major damage was done.
Will be ordering a new set from Mark...
Bruce Shearer
'80 Spider Fi
'10 Volvo XC70
'06 GMC 1 Ton PU
'72 Spider a long, long time ago
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spidernut
Posts: 1906
Joined: Wed Jan 25, 2006 12:20 am
Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider Automatic
Location: Lincoln, CA

Re: Near Disaster

Post by spidernut »

Check your lug bolts regularly. My 81 when brand new would have its lugs loosen about every 2-3 months. I always checked them after that.
John G.
1979 Spider (Owned since 2000)
1971 124 Sport Spider (Owned since 2017)
1977 Spider (Sold 2017)
1979 Spider (Disposed of in 2017)
1979 Spider (Sold 2015)
1980 Spider (Sold in 2013)
1981 Spider (Sold in 1985)
2017 Spider (Owned since 2019)
So Cal Mark

Re: Near Disaster

Post by So Cal Mark »

I have chrome or black in stock
vandor
Posts: 3996
Joined: Sat May 23, 2009 1:23 pm
Your car is a: 1971 124 Spider
Location: Texas, USA

Re: Near Disaster

Post by vandor »

When I was about 8 years old someone stole the neighbor's car's wheels. What we did not know is that they started to steal the wheel on my dad's Fiat 132, but then changed their mind, so some of the lug bolts were undone. We went on a weekend trip, usual 80-90 mph on the highway, then after an hour turned off into a little village. At the first turn at ~20 mph the right rear wheel comes off and passes us! If it would have happened on the highway I may not be here...
Csaba
'71 124 Spider, much modified
'17 124 Abarth, silver
http://italiancarclub.com/csaba/
Co-owner of the best dang Fiat parts place in town
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courtenay
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Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:41 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Courtenay, BC, Canada

Re: Near Disaster

Post by courtenay »

I am losing the will to live. I've tried posting a couple of photos using Pete's instructions but every time I try to get something out of photo bucket a stupid "you've won something" screen appears and I can't get rid of it.
I used to be able to get photos posted from flickr but somehow that whole thing has gone south as well.
GRRRRR
Bruce Shearer
'80 Spider Fi
'10 Volvo XC70
'06 GMC 1 Ton PU
'72 Spider a long, long time ago
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courtenay
Patron 2020
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Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:41 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Courtenay, BC, Canada

Re: Near Disaster

Post by courtenay »

OK, one more time...
You think I would have learned....here's a couple of pictures of my boat loaded on a flat bed after the lug nuts, and wheel, came off travelling about 50 mph about 100 miles from home...

Image

Image
Bruce Shearer
'80 Spider Fi
'10 Volvo XC70
'06 GMC 1 Ton PU
'72 Spider a long, long time ago
User avatar
courtenay
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Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:41 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Courtenay, BC, Canada

Re: Near Disaster

Post by courtenay »

Now if I could only figure out how to size the bloody things! Time for bed.
Bruce Shearer
'80 Spider Fi
'10 Volvo XC70
'06 GMC 1 Ton PU
'72 Spider a long, long time ago
User avatar
courtenay
Patron 2020
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Posts: 1321
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2009 11:41 pm
Your car is a: 1980 Spider 2000
Location: Courtenay, BC, Canada

Re: Near Disaster

Post by courtenay »

Yee ha - I think I got it!!!

Image

Image
Bruce Shearer
'80 Spider Fi
'10 Volvo XC70
'06 GMC 1 Ton PU
'72 Spider a long, long time ago
AriK
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Posts: 1148
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2011 7:58 pm
Your car is a: 1979 Fiat Spider
Location: Montreal Canada

Re: Near Disaster

Post by AriK »

I experienced a loosening lug problem at one time, i determined it was caused by glazed mating surfaces between lug and wheel. Changing those wheels cured the problem. Since then i don't allow anyone to overtorque my wheels. Here's an interesting read:

http://www.normarkindustries.com/CausesEffects.htm
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