Re: Smithey Ironware

On 11/5/2024 6:40 PM, dsi1 wrote:

On Tue, 5 Nov 2024 14:51:30 +0000, Michael Trew wrote:

>
I'll clarify that it was an old car I bought to tinker with, and while
driving it from one part of the property to another, the brakes went
kaput.  Of course, I'm not driving infants around in a 74 year old car
without seat belts.

 I once forgot to secure the hood on a 67 Mercury Parklane. I was driving
down the road to Kailau and noticed that the hood was a little loose. As
I was straining my brain trying to remember if this model year had a
safety catch, the answer suddenly sprang up before me in the clearest
way possible. It did not have this safety feature that we all take for
granted these days.
 Pro driving tip: If this happens to you, your best bet is to sight way
down low under the hood to see where you're going and then stop at the
nearest safe place. If you're a redneck/hillbilly type, your best bet is
to stick your head out the window and holler out a rebel yell to warn
people to get out of your way.
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVHdESbXV2o

Unfortunately, that happened to me once.  Luckily it was a straight 50 MPH road.  Apparently, some Geo Metros were recalled in the 90's due to a faulty hood latch, and the one I was driving had not been repaired. The hood bent backward, damaged the windshield, and I had to slowly pull off of the road and throw the hood into the hatch to get to work. Driving the car sans hood to work and back must have been an amusing sight for bystanders.