Driving down a dark two lane road Monday night and a guy coming in opposite lane begins flashing his lights. I flashed back because my lights were not on bright. Just after he passed me I am facing a 20" bolder 15 yards ahead in my lane and I am doing 40 mph. At first it looked like a paper sack or box. By the time I realized it as a bolder all I could do was hold on. My truck cleared the rock at the bumper but caught it hard in the front skid plate causing me to launch off 2-3 feet in the air. It rolled under the center of my truck bending the drive shaft badly and hitting the rear axle between the diff and lower shock mount. I was able to drive back home, two miles, at 10 mph with the drive shaft vibrating badly. Now I wait for the dealer and insurance adjuster to figure out what to do with my truck. Other than the screwed up front steering, bent drive shaft and skid plate there is no visable damage. But, where the skid plate crushed against the frame it is a welded in member and definitely bent out of shape. Not sure if it will ever be able to be aligned right. The adjuster only shook his head like he could not decide what to do. Such a pity too, only 53,500 miles and truck in great condition. I will not take it back if there is any doubt as to frame damage. Maybe time to go for the new SCREW. To be continued.......

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Mine:1997 F150, XLT, SC, Oxford white/maroon 60/40 cloth, 4x4 ORP, 4.6L, 3.55LS, 17" ORP wheels w/GY AT/S LT265/70/17, auto, 6 CD,Towing package, alarm, Rhino grill guard w/PICCA lights, dual exhaust. Bought new June '96

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/Album...1294&a=3025874
Wife: 1999 Explorer Limited,pearl white/tan leather,4.0L,4:10LS,CD,sunroof,towing pkg.,alarm. Bought new Sept. 1999

Next: SuperCrew, 5.4L, 4x4,3:55LS,tow pkg. etc..

Previous: '65 Mustang 289 HiPo, '70 Chevelle SS 396, '70 Vette Conv. 350/350, 72 Datsun PU,'74 Vette TTop, '79 Blazer, '81 F150, '83 Bonneville, '84 Gran Marquis '89 TBird Super Coupe 3.8L SuperCharged, '93 Explorer 4.0L

 

Gee! ,sorry to hear that Dewayne.

20" bolder !!

How did it get there ?

Literally,you were on top of the rock.

Hopefully,everything will turn out okay for you.

 

A witness thinks some kids rolled it out into the road. I got the news just before the holidays last week. Insurance said they will write off the truck due to frame damage. Ford and the state of Texas does not allow repairs to a damaged frame. Just waiting on the settlement amount today. Time to start looking at a SCrew

 

Dewayne,

Sorry to hear about that. Where in Dallas did this happen? I'm in Dallas from time to time and was curious. Hope you get it all worked out.

 

It happened in southwest Dallas county, between Duncanville and DeSoto. Somebody will get a salvage price on this nice truck, straighten or replace the front cross member and make a bunch 0of $$$$$ off of the truck.

I am picking up a new SCrew 4x4 tomorrow - White Lariat with med. gray leather interior. I am taking off the POS RT/S 17" tires and going back with the AT/S. I had them on my 97 truck and really liked them.

Guess it is time to update my signature.

 

Hey Dewayne,

Bummer about the boulder. I had a similar experience a few years ago. This guy pulling a POS trailer loaded with railroad ties dumps it in the middle of a 4 lane freeway in the middle of the day. I'm driving behind a van, and of course can't see what is going on in front of me. The van driver just whips into the right lane, and there I am, doing 65 and staring down a 4 foot piece of railroad tie about 20 feet in front of me. I swerved, but there was not enough time. I hit it with my right front wheel. I remember looking in my mirror and seeing this damn thing shooting about 15 feet in the air after I drove over it. It took out both passenger tires, bent and crunched both passenger wheels, messed up the suspension, and completly removed the rear bumper. The car never drove the same after repairs. Fortunatly, it was my POS company '93 Lumina.
I hope they catch the kids. It could have been someone in a smaller vehicle that got seriouly hurt instead of you in your F150. Last year some kid here in KC threw a 5 pound rock into oncoming traffic on I-35. They caught him, but it went right through the windshield of a car, and hit the car's passenger right in the face. It really f**ked her up. The other really sad thing is the mother of this kid told the kid's friends (they turned him in) that if they did turn him in, she'd kill them. Such a world we live in. I think our kids are learning that lying and cheating your way out is the thing to do these days. Sorry I'm rambling. Just be thankful that your F150 protected you well, and that your insurance company isn't trying to screw you.

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1999 Lariat 4X4 SuperCab Flareside 5.4; Auto, Tow Pack, Offroad Pack, 3.73LS, Factory Step Bars, 17" Chrome Wheels, Oxford White/Silver, Graphite Leather, Keypad Mod., Airaid, SuperChip, ARE LSII Bed Cover, Alpine CDA-855/JBL AMP, Polk dX7's, Custom cat-back exhaust.




[This message has been edited by rons (edited 11-27-2000).]

 

rons, you are corrrect in all you said. Guess I was lucky I didn't swerve and hit it with a front tire because it would have flipped me over. As you said, a small car would have been completely smashed in the front if it had hit it. This is sure a hard way to get the new truck I wanted. I was going to wait a year ot two but now that has all changed. Back to monthly payments.

 

A couple of years ago now, someone tossed a rock or hunk of concrete off an overpass on Highway 40/I-64, not more than 10 miles from downtown St. Louis. A young mother was killed instantly when the rock hit, and went through the windshield, but amazingly, the infant riding in the car was unhurt by the flying glass and the ensuing wreck that occured after the mother expired. The husband of the victim (both of them immigrants who recently had come to the states) left the country with the child not long after losing his wife.

To the best of my knowledge, no one was ever prosecuted... It's a crying shame.

-IKE