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Three Wheel Action Challenger


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Don't load too many willing customers, but every now and then the call comes in.  Customer says, "the tire is off the car" - I figure from the area they're in (lots of construction) they flattened a tire and peeled it off the wheel.


Wrong.

 

chally1.jpg

 

At least they went and picked up their spare parts...

 

chally2.jpg

 

I was already prepared for a dolly job knowing I was going after a RWD car, auto trans, with a bad front tire.  The reality of it changed things quite a bit, as the dollies weren't going to cut it on the front.  Strut was at full drop since bottom of it was loose, and rear dolly bar would have contacted the catalytic converter, so that was a no-go.  Front bumper already damaged so I wasn't too worried about lifting against it a little bit.  Lifted from rear, used my trailer attachment and some 2x4 scraps under the "rail" that is just inside the rocker panel towards the front.  That let me get the front end high enough to get under it.  Strap looks loose around the strut but that's just the tied-up excess.

 

chally3.jpg

 

Dollies for the rear, not going to do a 20 mile trip with an auto trans in neutral, even though we *could* have left the car running, I chose not to go that way.  As you can see the rear wheel took a hit too although the tire was still holding, didn't want to risk it.

 

chally4.jpg

 

Dropped at their residence per request, to be picked up later by whatever shop they choose to repair it.  I propped it up on the destroyed wheel/tire so the next guy doesn't have to work so hard to get under it.

 

chally5.jpg

 

I know some of you might want to second-guess how this or that was done, but I made the best of the situation at hand and the tools available to me at the time, and got a couple of young people out of a rough area and their car dropped off with no secondary damage, so I'm good with it. :)

 

Richard

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Thanks fellas.  Tire/wheel was placed on top of truck's deck which was more work than just about any of the rest of this call!  Easy to forget how much they weigh when rotor, caliper, and spindle are attached. 

Suspension didn't need any attention as strut still attached at top, it just poked down too low to dolly the car from the front - strut would have dragged the ground.

 

The curb in the foreground is what they hit, by the way.  As you can see many others have hit it, too.  The round chrome piece sitting on the island is the cladding from their chrome-clad wheel.

 

chally6.jpg

 

Richard

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Too heavy and I have a New Truck, not wanting to scratch it up so quickly. I would likely hang it if I could not get it in the truck. I've never taken the to remove the rotor from the rim, I suppose that would be an option as is placing it in the truck provided there are keys and room in there.

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On 8/30/2018 at 3:54 PM, TowZone said:

Too heavy and I have a New Truck, not wanting to scratch it up so quickly. I would likely hang it if I could not get it in the truck. I've never taken the to remove the rotor from the rim, I suppose that would be an option as is placing it in the truck provided there are keys and room in there.

This ol' girl I'm in right now is creeping up on 350K miles so there's a few scratches already.  Still, I was careful getting the wheel up there and then back down.  Didn't want to put it in the trunk as the caliper hose could still leak brake fluid and damage the trunk lining and contents.  Plus, a Challenger's trunk opening isn't very deep and that thing was too heavy to attempt to maneuver it in there.


Getting the lug wrench out and separating them would have saved my back some aching, in hindsight...

 

Richard

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Yeah, 250 or 350K the majority don't matter about a couple of more scratches. I have 9K and have to ask firemen how they would like it if I threw debris on one of their units. Really just cause it's a tow truck doesn't mean I want it treated like a dump or garbage truck.

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  • 2 weeks later...

You did a fine job...I have no problems with it. I carry a rubber mat in my 650 for laying under vehicles pulling driveshafts. I also use it on the deck to set pieces like this if needed. I use it all the time when I take the shoes off the wheel lift to use forks.

 

So now if you want some constructive criticism...(and maybe you don't?)...the only problem was dropping it in the customer's driveway. A late model vehicle like that w/ full coverage...I would make every effort to take that to my shop and put it through insurance. That car has maybe 5 grand in damage and it will certainly go through insurance for repairs. Sell the job! Tell them it can go to whatever body shop they like in the morning. Do whatever you can make the decision easy for them. Take them home, get them a rental...whatever you can do. Just add any time to the invoice. I have set up limo or Car service for customers trying to get home to a distant location. You could double the value in that job over taking it home. Just an observance...if it was possible.

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Ed, great advice and constructive criticism always welcome!  I think that's what we're all here for, to share and learn.

 

The only catch with it is we don't have a shop.  We're strictly PPI which explains the limited tools on the truck for dealing with jobs like this.  We're not even remotely hooked up with any body shops as our exposure to crashes are usually limited to hauling worthless abandoned cars off properties where the management is sick of looking at them.  So, in this case where the owner wants it dropped at their home (daddy's home actually!) because he has hookups in the business, then that's where I drop it...for better or worse.  Honestly at the end of a very long weekend shift I was happy to be rid of it!

 

Richard

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