Repost from the RT 10/GTS section, but I wanted everybody to know how cool some of the people that helped me in my time of need are!
I wanted to take a moment to thank the many that help me get back on the road during the AL/TN Tail of the Dragon drive in Pigeon Forge, TN. We had 33 cars and there is always one that has to have issues. This time it was me
.
After driving 6.5 hours to get to the hotel on Thursday(car drove without any issues), me and my son went out for diner and I notice some notchy movement from the steering wheel. To anyone who has had the problem, it is an impending P/S pump pulley failure
. Driving straight line and small easy turns are usually ok. So after I realized I might have an issue, I gave a good friend a call(JD) to see if he had one and if he could Fedex it to me. He had recently upgraded to a billet pulley and was going to throw out the cheap plastic one, BUT it's amazing how valuable it is to some one in dire need
. Since the GA Prez(******'s Chad) was going to see him just before leaving for the, Joseph said he would pass it on and that I would have it the next day
.
Well, I decided to chance it and go on the Tail of the Dragon anyway, just could miss out. About 5-6 miles into it I made the mistake of trying to stay with Matt at Speedwerks in his S/C Viper
. I hear a pop and notice my P/S has gone bu-bye and the temp gauge is on the rise
. On goes the hazards and pull over as I watch everybody go by
.
My buddy John Slaughter took pity on me and stop to give a hand. After popping the hood, it looked lie the belt just popped off. We got it back on and fired it up and...............
the pulley comes completely apart. I tell John to go have fun, I've got AAA and give them a call. 2 hours later, they finally arrive and get me to the hotel with a interim stop at the parts store for some tools. I knew I had a PS pulley coming an I will have it off before they get back, right?
Wrong, trying to get that metal insert off was one of the biggest pain in the a$$. I actually broke off the lip on the pulley insert because it was on so tight. This is where Matt at Speedwerks comes to the rescue
. He gives his friend Jason (Randy's Customs) a call to help me get back on the road. He shows up just before I get the pump off the car and takes his Saturday morning to cut/press the insert off the shaft of the P/S pump. We first tried to use an impact to press it out, but no dice
. He got an air cut off wheel and took off the lip of the insert, then put the pump in a 20 ton press to break it loose! Unbelievable! I don't know why it was so difficult, but was happy to see it come off! I have change out a few pulleys with a puller on the car and never had THAT much trouble. But two minutes later, Jason had the replacement pulley from Joseph on the pump, and I was ready to go!
We got back to the car and 20 minutes later, I was good to go
. I can't say enough about the help I received from the many people(JD, John, Chad, Matt and especially Jason) that took their time to help me get back on the road. If not for them, I would still be in Pigeon Forge sitting on my butt. And Jason from Randy's Custom's would not take anything for his efforts! The help I received was priceless and all he would take was a thanks and a handshake. Although I wanted to give the guy a
, I figured it would look a little
. So thanks to JD, john, Chad, Matt at Speedwerks and Jason from Randy's Customs!!!!!!! You guys are why I love the Viper nation so much