[tcb] Re: Brakes, always the brakes.

  • From: "Denis Dodson" <coocoo@xxxxxxx>
  • To: <tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 8 Jul 2011 18:55:10 -0500

Yes, dammit.

 

From: tcb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:tcb-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of 
sammie smith
Sent: Friday, July 08, 2011 6:09 PM
To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [tcb] Re: Brakes, always the brakes.

 


Denis:  Now aren't you damn glad we hasseled you till you got an E-brake.  
Without the E-brake you would have backed Murray into a tree this time.

--- On Fri, 7/8/11, Denis Dodson <coocoo@xxxxxxx> wrote:


From: Denis Dodson <coocoo@xxxxxxx>
Subject: [tcb] Brakes, always the brakes.
To: tcb@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Friday, July 8, 2011, 1:46 PM

After Danny and Derrick went all though my brakes and even replaced a backing 
plate and set up the E-brake, I felt so grateful, telling them that Murray has 
never had good brakes. 

 

So I am turning off Nob Hill Road and onto Beartrap (for you who have never 
been to my house, there is a slope like a 100 yard ski jump. If you just rolled 
down without applying brakes or using the engine to slow you, you would be 
doing about 125 MPH at the bottom. All right, you might be doing 45), so I 
apply my brakes AND THE PEDDLE GOES RIGHT TO THE FLOOR. I had to use all my 
skill and abilities learned from years of losing brakes and crashing in to 
trees and rocks and such to control my speed. I quickly took off my sandal and 
used my toes to pull the brake pedal up and was able to pump up the brakes 
enough to remain under control.

 

I got to my house and found NO fluid in the reservoir. I filled it with brake 
fluid and took off for the shop thinking that I won’t need brakes going uphill 
and I can put Murray on the lift to see what’s the F#*^.

 

Getting to the top of the horrendously steep hill. Right to the very top, my 
tires slipped on some loose rocks and Murray stalled. I put on the brakes, 
nothing. I am rolling backwards. I am going to be doing 45 MPH backward. I get 
it into 1st gear and USE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE! I HAVE ONE NOW!. I stop rolling. 
I am at a diagonal now, thinking that, if I lose it, I will run my ass end into 
the bushes and, if I am lucky, won’t roll over.

 

As all this is happening there is an old woman standing on her porch across the 
street watching this. I feel like yelling out through the open safari window to 
call 911 or triple A, or bring me a cinder block. I don’t.

 

So, if I put in the clutch so I can start the motor, I start rolling. The slope 
is too steep for the E-brake to do more than slow me. I open the door and, 
without getting out, put my shoes, a big roll of paper towels and a book behind 
the wheel as a chock. I push in the clutch…and it holds! I start the bus and 
go. I am exhausted but elated. I look at the old lady and say, “I about lost it 
there”. She goes inside without comment.

 

I am thinking that I am going to hire a hit man to take out Derrick and Danny, 
but it turned out to be a split brake line, so…

 

I installed a new brake light switch(unrelated problem) and replaced the line 
and bled all around and now I have good brakes.

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