Dang car scared me good today...

[moparedtn]

So...
I'd been hearing a sort of rattling under the GTX since the new 18 spline was installed a while back. Sounded sort of like a linkage vibrating or such.
I discussed this with my bud with the lift who did the work...who told me to stop worrying and just drive the damn thing - so I have been.

Today, wife and I get in it to go to town and when the GTX fires up, it sounds like a muffler has split open. She's LOUD anyways, what with 3" duals all the way back off headers and single chamber mufflers, but today it was instantly apparent something was WRONG - so we abandon ship and take the Charger instead.

This evening, up in the air "Fred" (as the wife has named the GTX) goes. I slide underneath, fearing the worst...

(Hell no, there's no jack stands in the pics. I put those under after I took this pic - as far as you know

).

"Hmmm" I think to myself once under there, picking the drivers' side first. "This header collector bolt and nut looks a little loose..."
Well yeah, as in all three of them are finger loose and about to fall off the car.
Wonder who the last one to tighten THOSE were?
Might have been the fella swapping the transmission...
Held the muffler/exhaust pipe where I wanted it with my foot, cranked on the bolts with both hands on 9/16" box wrenches.
Fired "Fred" up and all was well.

"Fred", eh? Is that a proper name for a "she"?

Life with an old car. Wouldn't have it any other way.

 

[khryslerkid]

I thought you were going to find a bunch of potato chips under there making the noise

How about Fredricka?

 

[Jerry Hall]

So...
I'd been hearing a sort of rattling under the GTX since the new 18 spline was installed a while back. Sounded sort of like a linkage vibrating or such.
I discussed this with my bud with the lift who did the work...who told me to stop worrying and just drive the damn thing - so I have been.

Today, wife and I get in it to go to town and when the GTX fires up, it sounds like a muffler has split open. She's LOUD anyways, what with 3" duals all the way back off headers and single chamber mufflers, but today it was instantly apparent something was WRONG - so we abandon ship and take the Charger instead.

This evening, up in the air "Fred" (as the wife has named the GTX) goes. I slide underneath, fearing the worst...

View attachment 809099
(Hell no, there's no jack stands in the pics. I put those under after I took this pic - as far as you know

).

"Hmmm" I think to myself once under there, picking the drivers' side first. "This header collector bolt and nut looks a little loose..."
Well yeah, as in all three of them are finger loose and about to fall off the car.
Wonder who the last one to tighten THOSE were?
Might have been the fella swapping the transmission...
Held the muffler/exhaust pipe where I wanted it with my foot, cranked on the bolts with both hands on 9/16" box wrenches.
Fired "Fred" up and all was well.

"Fred", eh? Is that a proper name for a "she"?

Life with an old car. Wouldn't have it any other way.

Fred is a mighty pretty lady .

 

[moparedtn]

I thought you were going to find a bunch of potato chips under there making the noise

How about Fredricka?

Man, we're working on all these chips... don't want to be wasteful, but in the process I imagine
I'm just getting more "waist-full" in that effort.
"Fredricka" is a tad hoity-toity methinks.

Fred is a mighty pretty lady .

Thanks, I appreciate that a bunch. She's got a bunch of driveway gravel dust on her there, but she's as
pretty as she'll ever be in my ownership.
I got some sage advice from a local, well-known older gentleman who has a ton of seriously collector cars
who's also a friend. Back when I first got the GTX, he came over to check it out and I was telling him
what all I wanted to get fixed on the body and so forth and he stopped me cold with all that.
Now, keep in mind this guy has owned his own body shop for decades and he owns several show-quality
cars himself...
When I started asking him for his help in making the GTX prettier, his advice instead was "don't make it
too pretty, Ed - you'll be too nervous to drive it if you do, trust me."
Never having had a really pretty old ride in my life (they've all been "challenged" in that arena, one way or
another over the decades), I couldn't really fathom what he was telling me at the time.
ME? NOT drive a car? Yeah, right...
Well, turns out he's right and I'm wrong. Shocker, I know.
The car still has imperfections all over it, but she's pretty enough to where I do actually fuss over its' appearance
somewhat, something I've never really done with one of these before.

That said, she's still not TOO pretty not to drive - and I do, every chance I get.
She's earned it - as have I, if I allow myself to think about it for a moment.

 

[BDF6]

Drive the heck out of them!

 

[Dennis H]

I thought that’s why we owned these cars. To be scared.

 

[66383]

Yes Sir!!

 

[moparedtn]

I thought that’s why we owned these cars. To be scared.

Yes sir….while driving them. Not in the dang garage!