Drive it day 24th April

[Stuart Giles]

Well, after enjoying a breakfast with other Tunbridge Wells PWA7C members this morning, this is how my "drive it day" ended. Pootling along a Kentish lane in convoy on the route to a vineyard at Biddenden, I heard two popping noises followed by a nasty unstable feeling from the car's rear axle. Two studs had sheared one after the other followed by the one remaining wheelnut stripping its thread. Realising that to ease recovery I needed 4 wheels on my wagon, I managed to get the wheel back on using a wheelnut from my spares kit on the single remaining stud.




Sue found this remainder of one of the studs a bit further back on the road.



These aren't the original factory studs, I replaced all of the car's wheel studs when I did a general makeover on the car  in the mid 80s. However they have worked quite hard over the years as a close look at the rear tyre in this shot taken at Lydden from the late 80s will show. Moral of the story for me is replace the wheel  studs at the same time as wheel bearing replacement.



Recovery was via RH insurance which was remarkably hassle free, told them the issue over the phone, recovery truck was dispatched without any quibbling. we had come to a halt right outside a rather posh barn conversion where the owners kindly provided us with tea and biscuits and produced a couple of deckchairs for us to sit on whilst we were waiting.