Uglier Olds...

[UGLY OLDS]

Hi Kids ...It is with a heavy heart that I post this ....The good news is that Cathy & I seem to be OK .... The "Ugly Olds" , well, not so much soo.....
We were traveling home from a show & short stay at our sons house Monday afternoon, on the Interstate , just kinda cruising along in traffic at the speed limit, A/C blowing cold & enjoying good tunes, when the L/Rear tire blew ...
It lost the complete tread, just like a semi-truck tires we see so often...

 From what the people that stopped to help said, I was able to sorta control the first 180* spin on the pavement , then went off the road, at speed, backwards over an embankment...

The car landed on the R/Rear corner, spun another 180* & thank God , landed on its wheels ....

This allowed us to slide to the bottom of the embankment in the proper direction to stop in the trees & brush at the bottom of the hill...

Again, many people stopped to help, we are very thankful for that ...We both had seat belts on, as we normally do..

 At this point we are still kinda gathering all the bits & pieces as Monday afternoon & yesterday were kind of a blur.. :oops:

 The state troopers & first responders were there within minutes & could not have been more helpful & professional.  :b-d:

We actually had somewhat of a "search party" on the side of the road, as when the car landed the trunk popped open, completely emptying its contents down the embankment ...It seems that we actually drove over our own luggage before coming to a stop in the trees..  :?
 
As far as the Olds, I have not had a chance to inspect it completely at this time ...All four fenders are damaged, the tire tread broke loose the fuel filler neck, the running boards are bent & the rear lower body is "crunched"....
 My main concern is the undercarriage & suspension ...  As many of you know, the front end was a prototype for the Heidt's "Universal Series" of Mustang II suspensions...The rear suspension was the stock "truck arm" style that we rebuilt & added a late GM rear end to....
  We cannot get under the car to assess anything, but can see bent lower control arms & other damage to the front end with possible damage to the rear end .....   :cry:

  On the bright side, a couple of ironic things .....

 We had just stopped about 5 miles before the crash at a local truck stop for lunch & fuel ...We were congratulating ourselves on the 21+ MPG we were getting up to that point .....( Note to Phil, 58 Yeoman, We had stopped at the "Dixie" & crashed just North of there ) ...
  The second thing...  We found a big bug "splattered" on the trunk lid...That's the first time I ever killed a bug, traveling  BACKWARDS    

 The strange part.....The grille,front chin, all the cast aluminum parts that truly make the Olds "Ugly", appeared to survive with just scratches & bruises ...

 I will try to post some photos , after I FIND the camera.....

Bob...

[416Ford]

Glad to here you and Kathy are all right.
Now you can fix that rust spot on the quarter panel you were meaning to fix.
Is this a Grundy or Hagerty insurance claim? I will be curious to see how long it takes to actually get the car fixed.
We don't want this one in line behind your A.

[chimp koose]

Glad to hear you are OK . Sorry to hear of the olds . Hopefully it can be rebuilt .

[butch27]

You sir are living a blessed life.

[rumrumm]

Wow! That was frightening to hear much less experience! Glad to hear you are both okay.

[purplepickup]

Wow! Good that you two are ok, Bob. We're getting too old for those kind of thrills.

[lofat46]

Glad to hear you and Cathy are OK. Hopefully the damage to the suspension is just having to bolt on new parts and there's nothing bent frame-wise.

[enjenjo]

Another reminder to keep your tires up to date. Radials definitely have a use by date. I have had old stock radial self destruct in less than 100 miles.

[58 Yeoman]

Wow Bob...glad you're okay. Hope the car makes it through this.

[kb426]

Glad to hear you're ok.  Sounds like a mess. Hope it's not too painful getting everything squared away.

[idrivejunk]

Zowie, Bob  :!:    That's a tough break, man.   Whew and a scary read, too.  Real glad to know y'all are faithful about seat belts, and even more so that nothing got in the way. Glory be.  Sounds like the ug was doing great. I gotta go buy tires right quick now but you keep us informed as he drama unfolds. Fingers crossed for your rod...

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Wow.  Quite the story.  Glad you kids are OK.

[sirstude]

What a ride, sure glad you are all OK.

[moose]

Glad you both are okay...The Olds can be resurrected. Going thru this with my 36 sedan.

[34ford]

Wow that's pretty scary. Hope all plays out well for you.