Hi you all Shirley and I are doing fine after our accident on I 44 returning from Springfield. The 40 was totaled and we both are lucky to be alive. Shirley spent 3 weeks in the hospital in Joplin with a broken right clavical 2 broken ribs, and a cancer operation while she was there. At 9am on the 25th of May after having a fun filled weekend at Springfield the left rear tire on our 40 blew sending us on the ride of our life. Your many prayers have brought us through with flying colors they were very much appreciated. Tires did you know you should not run tires over 6 years old? Even if they have 0 miles on them. Check the dates on your tires. Find the DOT and just after it you will find a series of numbers 1106 would mean your tire was manfactured November of 2006. Please check your life depends on it. Thanks Again for the many prayers Joe & Shirley Joseph
wow glad to know you are ok. and good heads up on the old tire warning. I just replaced my 2 front tires before going to Michigans BilletProof show. knowing they were too old for that far of a run 8 years old.. I hope you are feeling better and very sorry to hear about the car too. its a blessing you both came thru this alive.
Glad to hear you made it through this. We recently bought some discount tires online and found that they were so cheap because they were already 4-6 years old before even being sold to you. When we questioned the company, they agreed to send new ones. The DOT date said they were only about 12 weeks old when we received them. Hard to say what we would have gotten had we not thought to ask. If you buy em on line, it is a good idea to make sure you get "fresh" ones. For the life of me I cannot remember the name of the company we used, but I would not go anywhere except a reputable well known company anymore...
We were late coming thru because of a fuel pump failure but we heard about it. Wondered whose 40 it was. Sorry to hear of the injuries to your wife, glad she is recovering. Is the 40 rebuildable? I can't say I know your 40 but I do remember one fine 56 Ford Panel. Hope you guys are back on the road soon. Joe
Our story and pictures of the accident are on www.hot rod happenings.com under show photos scroll down to Joe & Shirley
glad you guys are alright, and sorry about your car to. but just for information when the dot says 1106 it means it was made in the 11th week of 06
Thanks for the info regarding old tires, I never knew it was that important. You may have saved many lives.
And, if you have a 'glass' car remember to install a cage. If you think not, look at those pics again. These "old" cars were designed to go 40, maybe 50 mph. At today's freeway speeds ANYTHING can happen. Joe, what kind of door latches are on the '40? And, did it open during the incident?
Damn glad to hear that both of you survived and are recovering. Looking at the picture of you 40 it's amazing that the two of you got out alive. Looks like something caught up in a twister. Can't imagine what mine would end up looking like.
Seeing those photos it's amazing you both were able to survive that! Best wishes to a speedy recovery..sorry for the loss of the 40.
Blessing in disguise! given the choice between Life and a 40 ford....Well, You can always get another 40 ford.
im very sorry for your loss of the 40..but on the other hand very glad you and the mrs. are alive to build another one. I was wondering if there is something to be learned by this other than the old tire issue. My question comes from how the car acted, and did the tire seperate or blow out? and when it went flat was your loss of control due to the car bottoming out? or when the tire blew, did it some how get you sideways and dig in? I know plenty of us have had tires blow out or go flat quickly with out these terrible outcomes. What would the age of a tire blowing out have much different effect than a normal tire blow out due to say like, road debris cutting the tire? I am in no way second guessing what happened here..this is horrible..I am bringing these points and or questions up to learn from this and hopefully save a few lives in the process..anyone have any idea why this was so violent than an average tire blow out?
I pull a trailer to the South and West most winters. Trailer tires, like those on many rods, get little mileage put on them so even after 5 or 6 year the tread is good.... but the rule of thumb is, replace your tires after 7 years, even if they look new! Glad you and the Mrs came out OK, and that cancer finding was a blessing.
The Jalopy Journal
