capngrog Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 44 minutes ago, Restorer32 said: Now there's an inside joke only understood by true car people if I ever heard one. Not being a "true car people", I missed the inside joke. "What's a Startix?" Please share the humor. Cheese, Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
46 woodie Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 If there is a bright side to this terrible accident, at least it wasn't salt water. Of course all the mechanicals will need to be addressed and the interior replaced but perhaps the body can get away with a good cleaning and not a total restoration. If it was salt water, yikes! A fellow in my area had his '63 Corvette submerged up to the top of the doors in a flood and believe it or not he was back on the road in 3 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 2 hours ago, 60FlatTop said: Could 'splian getting over the fire extinguisher. That's easy. A smooth round object on a grass surface (or any surface for that matter) is a poor choice for a wheel chock. (Not saying that is what happened, just answering the question) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 On my '34 Packard, the key had to be on for the Startix to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 3 hours ago, BillP said: On my '34 Packard, the key had to be on for the Startix to work. That is why I would discount any theories it had one, not to mention, I believe 1936 was the last year Packard offered "Startix". Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John348 Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 It is a car, and only a car ( a nice car, but still only a car),.and a shame it happened, It could have been worse..... a lot worse! nobody got run over by the silent rolling 2+ tons going down hill. I hope that the insurance money is there and the car will be repaired, and like most of us I would think it is over insured. As Steve said nobody got hurt and that is the most important thing As to how it happened, dose it really matter? I am sure if it was an oversight by the owner they will always regret that mistake, after all, everyone has an eraser on their pencil and none of us can say we never made a mistake. I feel sorry for the owner I know he (or she) must feel like crap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Cap'n, ever hear of starting "on the spark" ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 18 hours ago, capngrog said: Not being a "true car people", I missed the inside joke. "What's a Startix?" Please share the humor. Cheese, Grog An electric automatic starting device. Turn ignition key on, on most cars engage clutch (as a safety), device turns engine over to start, once started the electricity coming from the generator disengages the Startix. If the car stalls (i.e. does not sense electricity from generator) the Statix will automatically attempt to start engine again. It was not standard equipment on a 1938 Packard. My Cord has it, it's neat to just turn the key and let the engine start, instead of pressing a starter foot switch or button..... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Startix Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Moskowitz Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 Just a couple of things. Glad most people recognize that accidents happen, people can cause damage (intentionally or not) and thank goodness a 6,000# car did not roll over some child or person that was behind it. Thankfully there is not an alligator story to go with this as well. My understanding is that the insurance company jumped to help and that the car was graciously delivered to the original restorer by Ralph's friends at RM. As to the use of a fire extinguisher as a chock. Sometimes you need to make do with what you have. Not sure anyone in that area knew they would be on an incline. I do know this, at least two major concours, including the Elegance will be reviewing all the areas on the show field and assessing the need for having additional protection. We are already in the planning stages to have some chocks built just in case we have some early cars that might need them in our sloped area of the field. A truly sad time for a 13 year odyssey of restoration but it will be back one of these days with quite a story to tell! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve_Mack_CT Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 I can speak from experience that a rolling vehicle is next to impossible to stop by hand, A runaway truck (tow truck actually, typical of the 70s) almost ran a friend and I down years ago. We happened to be looking at an old Mustang in a lot and a tow truck had been parked at the crest of a grade that dropped maybe 2 feet over say 100 feet or so away, not real steep but enough to get up some steam. Truck was left running, nuetral, no brake set from what we could tell. Truck must have started rolling because one of us caught it out of the corner of the eye, we both tried to stop it, but soon realized best to jump out of the way. Truck smashed into the Mustang, crunching the front fender in and likely doing a lot more damage. (Garage owner/manager comes out eyeing us suspiciously, we explained what happened and left. Today, he would be counting his blessing we did not get hurt or sue for a traumatic experience!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 John Utz, long time editor of the Flying Lady taught me how to spark start a car. He would pull the choke just a little before shutting a car off to load the cylinders a little, then advance the spark all the way. To start the car he would swing the spark lever to get one snap at the points. That kick would do one cylinder and rest rest joined in. The Startix I have worked on sensed current flow from the generator. Just turn the key and they would start. Restarting on the stall was close to the equivalent of an automatic transmission. A car like that Packard doesn't need to be shifted even driving around town all day. Accidentally take a corner too slow and they restart with hardly a hiccup. It may not have been a standard feature on that model Packard but they were available into the 1940's, even on boats. My concern was the article mentioning a "helper" near the car. The potential for some short attention span help with keys in their hand is probably more of a problem that redesigning a wheel chock. It is good to train and screen the field help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphicar BUYER Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 8 hours ago, Steve Moskowitz said: As to the use of a fire extinguisher as a chock. Sometimes you need to make do with what you have. Not sure anyone in that area knew they would be on an incline. I do know this, at least two major concours, including the Elegance will be reviewing all the areas on the show field and assessing the need for having additional protection. We are already in the planning stages to have some chocks built just in case we have some early cars that might need them in our sloped area of the field. I don't agree at all. A simple wood block should be in the trunk of all cars that attend a car show (mine are all equipped) if not mandated. Anyone should know a smooth round object is not going to hold anything, especially in grass. The topography is moot as blocks of wood would secure it even on an incline. Making due in an emergency is one thing, but "making due" when securing a 7 figure car in an open area with countless people meandering about is quite another. That put lives in harms way. Its a truly sad event to be sure but it could have been prevented at zero cost. (maybe a few bucks if he wanted some really nice rare wood blocks, which I would say would be a nice addition) The e brake is not enough as we all know that people can be stupid and get in cars and play, possibly releasing the ebrake or putting it into neutral. I've seen it myself. Not to say I have never made a mistake, but this had the potential of loss of life. I can see the insurance facing a $1m loss may be well within their rights to say that the car was improperly secured therefore the owner has XX% culpability. I'd be shocked if they don't assign some if not all culpability to the owner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnniesSS Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 19 minutes ago, Amphicar BUYER said: ...but this had the potential of loss of life... But the fact remains that NO ONE was hurt thankfully and I think many people have learned a valuable lesson from someone else's mistake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeke01 Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Also, consider the soil condition of the field. If the ground was soft the fire extinguisher may have simply sunk into the ground under the weight of the car. My sympathies go out to the owner. I've had enough accidents in my lifetime to feel his pain. Zeke Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Bond Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 Nice car, too bad it happened. Saw the car at Hershey and like a lot of others, really thought it was an amazing restoration. I'm sure it will be back again and I'm looking forward to seeing it again. Keep us posted on the details. Terry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest j.Illeney Posted November 12, 2016 Share Posted November 12, 2016 I saw the the car just silently roll back into the water- yep We were their set up just across from the car with antique Victorian era bicycles, and yes he did have a fire extinguisher under one wheel as well as a good size log under the other, and yes their was a report about the person reaching in moments before the car went over . The insurance guy was right their on the spot ( you know -all the big companies have booths at these shows). We were all shaken up ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 On 11/8/2016 at 1:35 PM, Steve Moskowitz said: There is more to this story. I just spoke with the owner and although I do not have permission to say everything I can tell you that everyone in the class had the rear wheels chocked with their fire extinguishers due to being on an incline. Also, the owner was not with his car when this happened but someone was seen to reach in it before the event occurred. That is all I will say at the moment. The owner reiterated his appreciation that no one was injured or that the divers did not encounter the alligators that were in the pond. He actually made the crack about a new "submarine class"! Ralph is an amazing car guy and is handling this so much better than most people would. Total class act. I wish I could say more because the rest of the story is a bit mind boggling. After waiting for 13 years to finish this car it will now go through restoration again. It's now getting to be 8 years since the mishap. How is the re-restoration coming along? Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
West Peterson Posted March 26 Share Posted March 26 The restoration was finished in less than a year. It competed for AACA's Zenith award soon after. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
philip roitman Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 It is now mandatory to have tire chocks at the Hilton Head Concours. Learned about that last year before the Concours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Harwood Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 1 hour ago, philip roitman said: It is now mandatory to have tire chocks at the Hilton Head Concours. Learned about that last year before the Concours. Not a surprise and probably a good idea whenever you're parking on uneven ground. I recon the concours' insurance company probably paid for a significant portion of the re-restoration... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 2 hours ago, philip roitman said: It is now mandatory to have tire chocks at the Hilton Head Concours. Too bad it takes an incident such as this to make organizers take action. Here, someone has to get seriously injured or killed before they install traffic lights at a crosswalk. Craig 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prewarnut Posted March 27 Share Posted March 27 They no longer park cars along that section of the fairway.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelfish Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 On 11/8/2016 at 1:35 PM, Steve Moskowitz said: There is more to this story. I just spoke with the owner and although I do not have permission to say everything I can tell you that everyone in the class had the rear wheels chocked with their fire extinguishers due to being on an incline. Also, the owner was not with his car when this happened but someone was seen to reach in it before the event occurred. That is all I will say at the moment. The owner reiterated his appreciation that no one was injured or that the divers did not encounter the alligators that were in the pond. He actually made the crack about a new "submarine class"! Ralph is an amazing car guy and is handling this so much better than most people would. Total class act. I wish I could say more because the rest of the story is a bit mind boggling. After waiting for 13 years to finish this car it will now go through restoration again. Can we hear the rest of the story now? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jp1gt Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 I have a friend that did not set the parking brake good enough on a dump truck and it went THROUGH the house below--- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueDevil Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 Now you have scared me. I am going to take the wheels off my '38 Packard 12 so it doesn't roll into the lake. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
8E45E Posted March 28 Share Posted March 28 16 minutes ago, BlueDevil said: Now you have scared me. I am going to take the wheels off my '38 Packard 12 so it doesn't roll into the lake. Or from getting stolen. (Which would be worse?) Craig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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