introduction Howdy! I'm About to Acquire a 2002

[2002VT]

Mine was locked up too. Pulled it out with a forklift that was next door - otherwise it was locked up good! (Brakes). Called AAA and they towed it to my house. I pushed it into my garage with my tractor. What a pain. Now I need to take the wheels off and figure out what's locked up. 

[svgarage]

Had a quick visit with the AAA DMV desk. Apparently this car has been out of circulation for so long that the AAA system couldn't find the car. Now, I have to make another trip to the real DMV tomorrow morning. <Sigh>

 

So let's assume that the tranny is okay, which most likely it is. If it's the brakes that are locked up, I'll check the e-brake system first. If it's just the e-brake that's holding the car, then the front wheels might still be free- I'll only have the back end of the car to deal with. If I get the e-brake to release and the wheels are still locked up, what would be the harm in taking the wheels off and banging on the drums with hammer to see if I can knock them loose? If the brakes still won't let go, I can always cut the old brake lines, since I'm going to replace them anyway. Does this sound like a feasible plan?

 

~ Eddy

[rstclark]

Don't cut the lines If the brakes are stuck it is most likely the shoes stuck  to the drums 

Hammer  the drums all the way around  Try rocking the car first 

even towing it a little may break them loose 

[svgarage]

1 hour ago, rstclark said:

Don't cut the lines If the brakes are stuck it is most likely the shoes stuck  to the drums 

Hammer  the drums all the way around  Try rocking the car first 

even towing it a little may break them loose 

Yes, cutting the lines are overkill. I could just bring an 8mm wrench and loosen the nipples. I'm guessing that my next attempt might be this Sunday, another exploratory effort- I'm hopeful that I'll be successful this time. The legal stuff should be sorted out by then, so the tow should be good to go.

[Conserv]

6 hours ago, svgarage said:

 ...I could just bring an 8mm wrench and loosen the nipples....

 

Brake bleed nipples that haven't been opened in 30 years often prefer to stay shut!  And the brake adjuster bolts (on the backplate of the rear brakes), which you can theoretically back off, frequently adopt a similar attitude.  I like the hammering-on-the-drum method suggested above.

 

I share your concerns about attempting to get a car on dollies onto a flatbed -- it may or may not work easily -- but I'd also note that different brands of dollies have different size wheels.  Larger-wheeled dollies may work better than smaller-wheeled dollies.

 

A flatbed with a winch can drag that sum'bitch out of the garage and onto the bed with the wheels locked, and the process sometimes breaks a wheel or two loose.  But if the car has four wheels locked when it's time to unload, it's a bit of a pain!

 

Good luck,

 

Steve

 

[ray_]

 

3 hours ago, Conserv said:

 

Brake bleed nipples that haven't been opened in 30 years often prefer to stay shut!  And the brake adjuster bolts (on the backplate of the rear brakes), which you can theoretically back off, frequently adopt a similar attitude.  I like the hammering-on-the-drum method suggested above.

 

I share your concerns about attempting to get a car on dollies onto a flatbed -- it may or may not work easily -- but I'd also note that different brands of dollies have different size wheels.  Larger-wheeled dollies may work better than smaller-wheeled dollies.

 

A flatbed with a winch can drag that sum'bitch out of the garage and onto the bed with the wheels locked, and the process sometimes breaks a wheel or two loose.  But if the car has four wheels locked when it's time to unload, it's a bit of a pain!

 

Good luck,

 

Steve

 

Yeah. And IMO cracking the lines open won't contribute to freeing anything up.

 

Cheers,

[dang]

Ask the owner if she minds a couple black skid marks on her garage floor (that will come off) then go down to Home Depot and rent a truck and car trailer.  Use a come-a-long and drag the car onto the trailer.  She'll appreciate all your hard work and feel that much better about who's buying it.  ;-)

[Conserv]

1 hour ago, ray_ said:

 

 

Yeah. And IMO cracking the lines open won't contribute to freeing anything up.

 

Cheers,

 

Yet again, I agree!  ?

 

[svgarage]

Thank you all for your words of wisdom. My expectations are being managed, though I remain hopeful for my next attempt.

 

I'm currently sitting at the DMV, patiently waiting for my number to get called. It's 2 hours and counting. They are the picture of efficiency. If they can get this done without mucking it up, I'll be off to get some cheap comprehensive insurance, then I should have all my ducks in a row for a tow.

 

Patience, grasshopper....

[dang]

47 minutes ago, svgarage said:

Thank you all for your words of wisdom. My expectations are being managed, though I remain hopeful for my next attempt.

 

I'm currently sitting at the DMV, patiently waiting for my number to get called. It's 2 hours and counting. They are the picture of efficiency. If they can get this done without mucking it up, I'll be off to get some cheap comprehensive insurance, then I should have all my ducks in a row for a tow.

 

Patience, grasshopper....

 

You should be able to transfer the car into your name without much trouble since its not on the system.  They'll just need a Bill of Sale from her and a statement of facts that its been off the road (maybe).  They may require a VIN verification to finish the transfer though, can't remember.  If that's the case you'll have to trailer the car to the DMV, I don't think CHP will do house calls anymore.

[ray_]

1 hour ago, Conserv said:

 

Yet again, I agree!  ?

 

 

 

That's easy to believe...

 

I always agree with you...

 

... when you're right!

 

[svgarage]

Yes, yet another hurdle to overcome. Dang, you correct about VIN verification, but this car is not going to get towed to the DMV (I made this very clear to the DMV). It doesn't have to be a CHP to verify the VIN- any peace officer has the ability to do that. So my DMV process got me halfway there. I paid the fees and got some paperwork going. They just need the LEO to sign off, then I'm good to go.

 

I stopped by AAA to find out the facts about towing a car that's not insured. The agent was actually a little surprised that the dispatcher even brought it up! He says that technically the insurance follows the AAA member (caller). I'm not sure how that works out, but umm...okay. He suspected that it was the way that the seller described the situation of the non-running car in the garage, that prompted those exacting questions. He suggested to just be vague and get the driver to the location. Once the tow truck is there, no one is going to give two shits. That's what I wanted to do in the first place, so this time, I'LL make the call. My plan is to just tow the car to my house, then I'll get the LEO to sign it off. Once she's home, everyone is happy

[2002VT]

19 hours ago, svgarage said:

what would be the harm in taking the wheels off and banging on the drums with hammer to see if I can knock them loose?

 

Thats plan "A" for me. It will likely drag - and the wheels will turn - but more than what one old man, and a guy in a suit can do - or at least that was my case. 

 

Actually once I got mine into the garage I moved the rear end of mine with a floor jack on the rear dif. Not ideal, but it was a couple feet - and it worked. 

[dang]

BTW, when the tow driver pulls the car out of the garage, don't let him attach it to the "hook" on the spare tire well.  

[svgarage]

52 minutes ago, dang said:

BTW, when the tow driver pulls the car out of the garage, don't let him attach it to the "hook" on the spare tire well.  

 

Okay. Thanks for pointing that out. It didn't really occur to me. Where would be an ideal place for the tow hook to go? is there a better place on the frame?