So this morning I get up early and hook up with Les and Mario as we go on a canyon cruise. It's been a while and we've all been itching to get our cars out and have some fun. He head up the 243 to Idlewild with me in the lead. Nice morning, little traffic and what is out quickly pulls into the turn outs so we can continue on. Sun is up, cool morning temperatures as we climb the mountain. Roll thru the sleepy little town of Idlewild and begin to head down the mountain to our turn off at the 74. As I round a steep right-hander, I feel and hear metal grinding against the highway. it takes me just a second to realize that this sound is not going away. I quickly tug the car into a gravel turnout as Les and Mario go by me. I stop the engine, get out and start to look under the car.
I'm thinking, brake air deflector or something behind the car dragging. I look around but I don't see anything. I look up front on hands and knees and then I spot the issue. The front of the battery tray has become disconnected from the underside and acted like a big snow shovel. There is gravel and rock sitting on the tray and the tray is sitting on the ground with only the back side still attached to the car. OK, I'm going to need to pull the tray back up and reattach it with something so that I can continue down the mountain. About this time Les has come back and looks on with amusement. I grab some long zip-ties out of the trunk and try to attach the tray to my sway bar to hold it up. Les grabs some elastic bands with hooks and we cobble together enough of a rig that the pan stays up for the most part and we head down the mountain. All is good until we reach Temecula.
Down there I notice my brake lights are on even though I am not in the car and the ignition is off. I find some small blue pieces in the driver side floorboards and am reminded of the dreaded plastic brake pedal button thingy. Ah, what a day. Something more to deal with. I ask Mario to drive behind me so that no one hits me because of my constant brake lights. We start down another canyon road on the way to our lunch spot and the Zip-ties let go. I am back to plowing canyon roads. I pull over again and Les and Mario are looking at me "like what are you going to do now?"
Mario offers to drive back to Temecula to the Home Depot and buy some wire so that we can tie this bracket up so I can get the car home. I'm sweating and pissed and looking around for anything that will help. I then spot the fix. Right beside the tree that I have come to rest under, is a bunch of discarded barbed wire. I look at Les and head on over to the wire hoping I can find a small piece that I might be able to use. I find a piece and with my miniature Leatherman and fierce determination, wire the tray back up enough to drive home. Only cost a few pints of blood wrestling the wire around but I now present my finest MacGyver moment today. The tire iron belongs to Les and will be returned once we reattach the tray and cut away all of the barbed wire. Photos courtesy of Les. The first photos is of fix number one.
I'm thinking, brake air deflector or something behind the car dragging. I look around but I don't see anything. I look up front on hands and knees and then I spot the issue. The front of the battery tray has become disconnected from the underside and acted like a big snow shovel. There is gravel and rock sitting on the tray and the tray is sitting on the ground with only the back side still attached to the car. OK, I'm going to need to pull the tray back up and reattach it with something so that I can continue down the mountain. About this time Les has come back and looks on with amusement. I grab some long zip-ties out of the trunk and try to attach the tray to my sway bar to hold it up. Les grabs some elastic bands with hooks and we cobble together enough of a rig that the pan stays up for the most part and we head down the mountain. All is good until we reach Temecula.
Down there I notice my brake lights are on even though I am not in the car and the ignition is off. I find some small blue pieces in the driver side floorboards and am reminded of the dreaded plastic brake pedal button thingy. Ah, what a day. Something more to deal with. I ask Mario to drive behind me so that no one hits me because of my constant brake lights. We start down another canyon road on the way to our lunch spot and the Zip-ties let go. I am back to plowing canyon roads. I pull over again and Les and Mario are looking at me "like what are you going to do now?"
Mario offers to drive back to Temecula to the Home Depot and buy some wire so that we can tie this bracket up so I can get the car home. I'm sweating and pissed and looking around for anything that will help. I then spot the fix. Right beside the tree that I have come to rest under, is a bunch of discarded barbed wire. I look at Les and head on over to the wire hoping I can find a small piece that I might be able to use. I find a piece and with my miniature Leatherman and fierce determination, wire the tray back up enough to drive home. Only cost a few pints of blood wrestling the wire around but I now present my finest MacGyver moment today. The tire iron belongs to Les and will be returned once we reattach the tray and cut away all of the barbed wire. Photos courtesy of Les. The first photos is of fix number one.
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