The year was 1991...
I was driving my 75 Hurst/Olds on a Saturday night, T-Tops out, no seat belt. Car was very nice, engine was modified, nice trans with a good hard shift.
I was in a local residential area, speed limit was 25 with a double yellow line. Cars parked parallel on the street bumper to bumper on the left as far as the eye could see, telephone poles on the right every 50 yards next to the curb.
Young and stupid I decided to get on it a little bit, something I would never do now. That's not the place for that. I crank it up to 5000 rpm in 1st gear, big shift around 45 mph, and that's when all hell broke loose.
I heard a loud snap, bang, things hitting off the floor boards. I had no idea what was happening. Next thing I know the car is completely out of control. I'm fighting the car to try and counter-steer / counter-maneuver it's every erratic move. I find myself sliding broadside with all 4 wheels locked up in the center of the road. As soon as I let off the brake a little bit all hell breaks loose again. Next thing I know I'm turned 180 degrees will all 4 wheels locked up. This happened about 3 times all while avoiding parked cars and telephone poles.
I finally come to a stop on the side of the road, half on the road and half on the curb. With everything happening so fast I'm trying to get myself together. *hands shaking*
I want to get out of the car asap. I put the car in park, let off the brake, and open the door to jump out all in one motion. To my surprise the car starts rolling backwards. I jump back in and hit the emergency brake, but nothing happens. Considering what just happened, wasn't thinking clearly, I jumped out of the car and tried holding it back from the rear. Being that it's a big heavy car on a slight grade downhill, I was unable to stop it. It drifts onto the road, broadside, in the center of the road, on top of the double-yellow line, blocking both lanes.
I start it up, try to move it, but it won't go into gear, it won't do anything. I then try to get behind the car and push it off the road. (yeah right) About this time is when people start coming out of their houses to see what all the noise is about. (cause it sounded like I totaled 5 cars) There are skid marks everywhere. They are all in the street starring at me from a distance, watching me try to push this big car off the road. I'm a basket case at this point, I scream at them... "are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me push this thing off the road!"
Finally they build up enough nerve to approach me and help. We get the car off the road, back to where it was before when I originally came to a stop. I then brick the tires, sit down on the curb to gather my thoughts. One guy offered to let me use his phone. I called my buddy with a flatbed to get me the hell out of here.
What caused it?
The rear trailing arms connecting the rear axle to the frame had surface rusted to a thinner gauge steel then what they were originally. With the additional engine torque and hard shift, it snapped the trailing arm like a toothpick. That started a chain reaction... sending the left side of the rear axle backward with nothing holding it in place. The left rear wheel slammed into the rear wheel-well, practically into the trunk. The drive shaft slipped out of the trans and the emergency brake cable snapped. So basically the rear axle was slamming back and forth in the wheel-well steering the car from the rear any way it liked, completely unpredictable.
It's amazing I didn't hit anything. Those counter maneuvers were practically impossible. One thing I was VERY lucky for... the rubber hydraulic brake hose that goes from the body to the rear axle didn't fail, even with the rear end slamming back and forth violently. If it had broke, I would have lost hydraulic brake pressure, and would not have been able to lock up the wheels, would have been completely helpless.
Lucky I wasn't killed.
I was driving my 75 Hurst/Olds on a Saturday night, T-Tops out, no seat belt. Car was very nice, engine was modified, nice trans with a good hard shift.
I was in a local residential area, speed limit was 25 with a double yellow line. Cars parked parallel on the street bumper to bumper on the left as far as the eye could see, telephone poles on the right every 50 yards next to the curb.
Young and stupid I decided to get on it a little bit, something I would never do now. That's not the place for that. I crank it up to 5000 rpm in 1st gear, big shift around 45 mph, and that's when all hell broke loose.
I heard a loud snap, bang, things hitting off the floor boards. I had no idea what was happening. Next thing I know the car is completely out of control. I'm fighting the car to try and counter-steer / counter-maneuver it's every erratic move. I find myself sliding broadside with all 4 wheels locked up in the center of the road. As soon as I let off the brake a little bit all hell breaks loose again. Next thing I know I'm turned 180 degrees will all 4 wheels locked up. This happened about 3 times all while avoiding parked cars and telephone poles.
I finally come to a stop on the side of the road, half on the road and half on the curb. With everything happening so fast I'm trying to get myself together. *hands shaking*
I want to get out of the car asap. I put the car in park, let off the brake, and open the door to jump out all in one motion. To my surprise the car starts rolling backwards. I jump back in and hit the emergency brake, but nothing happens. Considering what just happened, wasn't thinking clearly, I jumped out of the car and tried holding it back from the rear. Being that it's a big heavy car on a slight grade downhill, I was unable to stop it. It drifts onto the road, broadside, in the center of the road, on top of the double-yellow line, blocking both lanes.
I start it up, try to move it, but it won't go into gear, it won't do anything. I then try to get behind the car and push it off the road. (yeah right) About this time is when people start coming out of their houses to see what all the noise is about. (cause it sounded like I totaled 5 cars) There are skid marks everywhere. They are all in the street starring at me from a distance, watching me try to push this big car off the road. I'm a basket case at this point, I scream at them... "are you just going to stand there, or are you going to help me push this thing off the road!"
Finally they build up enough nerve to approach me and help. We get the car off the road, back to where it was before when I originally came to a stop. I then brick the tires, sit down on the curb to gather my thoughts. One guy offered to let me use his phone. I called my buddy with a flatbed to get me the hell out of here.
What caused it?
The rear trailing arms connecting the rear axle to the frame had surface rusted to a thinner gauge steel then what they were originally. With the additional engine torque and hard shift, it snapped the trailing arm like a toothpick. That started a chain reaction... sending the left side of the rear axle backward with nothing holding it in place. The left rear wheel slammed into the rear wheel-well, practically into the trunk. The drive shaft slipped out of the trans and the emergency brake cable snapped. So basically the rear axle was slamming back and forth in the wheel-well steering the car from the rear any way it liked, completely unpredictable.
It's amazing I didn't hit anything. Those counter maneuvers were practically impossible. One thing I was VERY lucky for... the rubber hydraulic brake hose that goes from the body to the rear axle didn't fail, even with the rear end slamming back and forth violently. If it had broke, I would have lost hydraulic brake pressure, and would not have been able to lock up the wheels, would have been completely helpless.
Lucky I wasn't killed.
. i pull the car over and put it in park and open the door. theres a loud, fast banging coming from under the car. i look and 1/2 the driveshaft is sticking out of the trans spinning around beating the exhaust closed and denting up my floorboard pretty good. so i turn the car off. i guess what happened was the ding in the ds caused it to split in the center, the rear part dropped down and stuck in the freeway pole-faulting the rear of the car up, it ripped it out of the rear end and sent it flying across the 2 lanes of west bound traffic. 
