Dumb Me!

[TomC750]

I have to relate something I did a few weeks back when I clearly wasn't thinking things through. I had my 1930 White one-ton front wheels on ramps and the rear axle on jack stands. I was in the process of installing the driveshaft I just built. The rear U joint was hung up on the pinion nut, so it looked advantageous to set the rear back down on the floor so the pinion would not turn. Well, as soon as the rear wheels touched the floor the truck came back like a rocket. I guess in my mind I did not anticipate the truck moving as the front wheels were on the level part of the ramp.

I don't know if I or the door suffered more damage. In either case not a good result. I managed to push the truck ahead in order to extract myself. I fell down to the floor and crawl out. I then worked my way along the truck trying to reach my phone on the workbench, at the halfway point my wife showed up unaware of my plight. She ran back up the driveway, got the side by side, got me aboard and took me to the house. (and by the way my 82 year old bride can still run!) Luckily, a pair of crutches hung on the wall right adjacent to where I stopped next to the truck.

OK, we hung out for a couple of hours assessing the damage and decided to go to the ER. Xrays and CT scan showed no broken bones. They said I would be sore for a few days. RIGHT. I am on a narcotic prescribed by my primary. It does not begin to relieve the pain. I have an MRI scheduled for the 15th, should have been done in the first place. I have made some minor progress, getting to a standing position from a chair and have managed to take a half dozen steps without the crutches. I have a ways to go.

Bottom line, I this helps anyone else to remind themselves to slow down and really thinks things through, the time typing this will be worth it.

[tubman]

Hate to hear things like this.The fact that the painkillers don't seem to be working is especially troubling to me. I think a second opinion by a good orthopedist is in order.

Please take care of yourself.

[glennpm]

Originally Posted by TomC750

Bottom line, I this helps anyone else to remind themselves to slow down and really thinks things through, the time typing this will be worth it.

Sorry to hear about your accident Tom and as we know with age, it's never just a couple fo days to heal.

.I find that with aging, that I, always one to focus too much on a task and barge along, that I'm not slowing down to do something properly or doing something dangerously stupid without giving pause.

An example, a couple of months back my stater wouldn't one day leaving the garage and thankful that it happened there and not on the road. The front little bracket to the oil pan rail had fractured (after market part BTW). With the starter just held at the back it loosened a few of the rear oil pan bolts and the bolt inside the starter hole to the bellhousing. I struggled maybe two hours to tighten up the obscure hex head bolt. I got it done and then said why didn't I just use an Allen head bolt??

Two events as a young guy stuck with me. One, a local kid was working on the ice and snow under his car with a bumper jack. He got pinned and died underneath it. Another was the manager of another Shell station across town, died one day when revving an engine when the fan exploded, I think it was one of those Chevy fluid drive ones, he died instantly. When I'm working with jacks and inline with the fan, I ALWAYS remember those hard lessons.

[ford38v8]

Tom, so many of us have been in similar situations, close calls, learning experiences. Why we've survived to tell about them is sometimes a wonderment. Glad your wife is still able to pull your butt out of trouble!

[The Art Doctor]

I did a similar thing once, rolled my wife's 56 wagon off the ramps and towards me jacking it down at the rear first. Luckily the wagon hit my welding cart and pushed that into my '40s tail pan that was parked behind it and put a good gonk in it keeping the car from squishing me into the '40. I never drove up the ramps, just used them for stands. I have begun to switch to 2x4 cribbing for wheel stands so no more rolling off, but I need to make a second set. Take time to heal and get back on the old car/truck horse but carefully.

[Flathead Fever]

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[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by Flathead Fever

When I was 18 in 1979, I bought a really nice gold '66 Mustang convertible, but it was an automatic, I hate automatics, so I decided I was going to change it to a 4-speed. I got all the parts together, installed the pedals and the linkage and waited for my parents to go to the beach. Nobody would be home the entire day, I had the hole garage and driveway to work in. By the time I had gotten the automatic trans out of the car I had made a giant mess, trans fluid all over the place. I knew if my dad saw the giant mess I had made, I'd get yelled at. I thought it would be a good idea to roll the car back and mop up the floor before putting the 4-speed in. The house had a steep driveway, and I had parked my other Mustang, a fake '65 Shelby at the bottom of the driveway. I got in the car and push it out of the garage with my foot, and it started rolling back. When I was out in the driveway, I realized I had no parking brake or trans to stop it. It would have rolled into my other mustang sitting at the bottom of the driveway which had a fiberglass front valance and hood on it. I had to sit there with my foot on the brake for two-hours until a neighbor came home, I yelled for him to come block up the wheels. My brake pedal knee hurt for about a week after sitting there. I've never made mistake again.

Here's a photo of the driveway. The gold convertible was the one be converted to a 4-speed and the fake Shelby was sitting at the bottom of the craneway. Eventually I got a real '66 Shelby which I still have and a basket case '70 Boss 302 that is going to need a lot of work, it's an interesting car, it was built with every option except a drag-pack. Then it was sent to Ford headquarters for testing on the track. It's one of only two made with the color and interior it has out of all the '70 fastbacks make, not just Boss 302s.

[Flathead Fever]

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[Model51]

Tom - I'm glad you weren't more seriously injured. Sudden and unexpected movement of heavy iron is not good for us humans.

I hope you get better and recover soon.

[sugarmaker]

Tom,
Wow you were lucky. Hope the MRI shows everything is ok just sore.
Thanks for the safety reminder!
Regards,
Chris and Cheryl

[TomT/Williamsburg]

So glad you are not badly hurt - we’ve all done stupid things and some of us get lucky like yourself. Message to self: review my great ideas before doing them. From one Tom to another - stay safe my friend!

[corvette8n]

Hope the MRI finds the cause of your pain, take it easy and let us know how it goes.

[Bored&Stroked]

Hey Tom - thanks for the post and I sure hope you are just banged up and sore and that the MRI comes back with positive news. We've all done some dumb/unsafe things in our lives and as I get older, I try to think a lot more about the bad things that might happen, versus forging ahead like a 20-year-old who thinks nothing bad can happen - to them!

I've had a few close calls - usually when I was in a hurry and not taking time to ponder what I'm doing. By the grace of God go most of us . . .

[TomC750]

Well, for sure it is not the first dumb thing in my 85 years, but likely the worst. I usually think things through better knowing that I have ADD. My father used to shake his head at my unique approaches to problems and solutions. Thinking out of the box is my forte and also my distraction. Maybe I will get myself down to the shop, take a pic of my garage door and post it.
Thanks to all for the encouraging words! And Oh, the painkillers: I get no response to the narcotics except for a bit of sleepiness. Opioids? Makes me feel sick with no benefit. Hard for me to understand how people get hooked on them.

[chap52]

I am just a youngster (80 in a couple of weeks ) but I will admit that my pre-planning isn't as complete as it once was. Praise God that you are on the mend. It just takes so darn long as we get older.
I know that when I get to heaven that there will be a dozen exhausted guardian angels sitting on a bench saying, "finally". Rest and heal my friend. God has a way of slowing us down. Chap

[Tom F OHIO]

Tom, hope the pain gets better and everything shows good on your test. Seems the older we get the longer it takes to heal. Take care of yourself.

[flatford8]

Sorry to hear of your mishap!…..hope you heal well and quickly….Ill bet this statement applies to a lot of us…..
“I know that when I get to heaven that there will be a dozen exhausted guardian angels sitting on a bench saying, "finally". Rest and heal my friend. God has a way of slowing us down. Chap”……….Mark

[Heard]

Hope you heal quickly Tom. That is some scary stuff for sure.

I don't trust floor jacks or jack stands if I have to get under my cars. I keep a stack of 4x6 timbers about 2 feet long. I always put a stack of these things strategically under one or more of the frame rails such that if the car falls off the jack or stands, it won't crush me.

[TomC750]

My internet has been down for a few days, so I am slow in posting a pic of my garage door, which does not do it justice, It needs a lot of work. And if you can believe it, while I was trapped I was formulating a plan to straighten out the door!

[petehoovie]

Originally Posted by TomC750

My internet has been down for a few days, so I am slow in posting a pic of my garage door, which does not do it justice, It needs a lot of work. And if you can believe it, while I was trapped I was formulating a plan to straighten out the door!