I'm going
through Kansas doing about 80 but it's very difficult because of very
high winds with big gusts. No wonder they call this the "wind -swept plains."
After a huge gust of wind causes me to jerk the wheel suddenly, I hear
a high-pitched squeaking over "Turn Me Loose" (Loverboy) on the earphones.
Turns out to be a prophetic song for what's to come. Uh
OH. Off goes the CD player. SqueakSqueakSqueakSqueakSqueak
Slow down to 65. Squeaking stops. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. Ah, must have been the sphincter synchros....or the farumbus valve....but anyhow, it's gone now. Back up to 75. Loverboy is wailing again, "Turn me Loose! Turn Me Loose! I've gotta do it may way..........or no way at allllllllllllllll" SqueakSqueakSqueak KlunkKlunkKlunk Oh shit. This is bad. I pull over. Has to be the left-front tire gone flat. Nope. Tire is good. Open hood. Engine is still there but light drifts of smoke are coming from the right side. Ouch. Hmmmmmmmmmmmm. Start up engine......running like a top. Advance the car.....KlunkKlunkKlunkKlunkKlunkKlunk. Time to call for help.
To the left: Not part of the plan.
73
facts about 1973
Wimbledon results:
Women:
Billie Jean King defeated Chris Evert (6-0 7-5)
Men: Jan Kodes defeated A. Metreveli
(6-1 9-8 6-3)
Turn Me Loose....Loverboy
1973 was called the "Year of the Bumper" by many car folks. Among other dictums from the feds, all 1973 cars had to be able to withstand a front 5 mph barrier crash test without damage to safety-related items (and 2.5 crash to the rear). This completely changed the look of all cars in 1973, but especially cars like the GTO which had, until this time, used the soft-nosed Endura bumper as part of the car's overall design.
The 1973 GTO bumper was a massive chrome-plated steel unit that utilized an energy-absorbing frame mount. This mount housed two telescoping steel chambers with pressurized gas and and hydraulic fluid (small shock absorbers) that could compress three inches without damage.