The following symptoms may be a sign of too much time on Jalopnik:
1. You see 'doesn't float' in the title, and expect them to land in a pond.
2. You automatically assume it is Murilee in the passenger seat.
I did the same thing in an 84 olds cutlass calais(RWD with the underpowered 231). I was ~ 17 at the time.
I was on my way home from work at night and there was this 4 way intersection where you could see oncoming traffic for quite a while in either direction. I ran the stop sign at about 70. I could see the flash of sparks in the rear view from the landing.
I only had the balls to do it once, but it was awesome.
When I was in high school, I was cruising town in my dad’s Chevy 4x4 Custom Deluxe one Friday night with my friends, after a few beers a few of my friends and I headed down to the soft ball field on the outskirts of town and spun around in the dirt and grass parking area. After a few rounds of that, I got the bright idea of jumping an earthen bank that was about four feet high and angled about 25 degrees. I hit it the first time and probably launched my dad’s truck about two or three feet in the air. My friends did the same thing in their trucks, but at a slower speed. I came around for a second go and hit the bank at a higher speed and this time went a little higher, but that wasn’t enough. The third time I hit the bank I went may five or so feet in the air, and the landing was extremely hard. My speed at the landing was high enough that I had to turn nearly full lock to keep from hitting a fence. At that point I had had enough and we all left and cruised town for maybe another thirty minutes and then I drove home. During the drive home there was a vibration, but I ignored it.
The next morning when I got in the truck I made it down the road a few miles and had a near sudden flat in a hard curve. I looked at the tire, and could see that grass and dirt apparently had gotten between the bead and the rim during the very hard turn at the end of my last jump, but the air had somehow stayed in the tire until that point the next day. I changed tire and got that one fixed, and reinstalled later that day, with no one the wiser.
About a month later I was following my father in another vehicle and I noticed that his truck (the one I had been driving) had some serious negative camber on the front axle that had never been there before. Like a good son, I didn’t say anything. I did learn something that night though, cars are not made to leave the ground any significant distance like they showed them doing on the Dukes of Hazzard.
@Flathead Smith: If you ask my kids (12 and 11) what "ramping" does to cars, they'll respond, "Ramping wrecks cars." I'm hoping there are some lessons that each generation doesn't have to learn for itself.
I never did explain to my Dad why I felt it necessary to replace the trailing arms and rear spindles in the hand-me-down Rabbit he gave me.
@Alfisted: yes as each generation gets softer and softer and doesnt feel the need to explore the outer limits of hoonage society will slowly form into an indistinguishable grey ooze of suck - 1 for you.
@Alexander Card: As a parent, I am concerned about the well being of my kids and other peoples' kids. I'm willing to make an exception in your father's case, however.
@Alfisted: They're going to need to figure that one out for themselves. Assuming they are boys it is way to tempting, plus these days there is so much video encouragement out there.
@DoogieFullHouser: At first I thought the same thing, until you start thinking about how far the observer can actually see and where a car would be if it came into view just after the "all clear". Closing rates can be a bitch, he got lucky.
Holy. Crap. How fast was he going when he crested that hill? 70 at least. Like the guy with the CB- "Yep, no traffic coming, you're clear for takeoff!"
I've got the feeling that this guy just cashed in all of his luck tickets at once with this stunt. From now on, for his own good, he'd better drive like the cops are watching and his mom is riding shotgun. This is the kind of madness you can only get away with once.
Having said that, it was bitchin' as hell to watch.
@CptSevere: No kidding! I have a feeling that landing was as much dumb luck as skill. Impressive in a dumb-ass way for sure.
I bet grandma was wondering what was wrong with her car while driving to Church that night!
WOW! I have to believe that the Buick wouldn't be much good for daily driving use after a stunt like that. At least if it did die after that jump...it would be a death that holds some dignity, instead of living the last chapter of its life wearing donk-ee rims, and being shaken apart by a jubilee of 41-inch sub-woofers in the trunk.
Ash, sorry to see you may be posting less. You make the day here at work more enjoyable.
About the jump...drawing from extensive personal experience with that car, from color right down to the Landau roof, I can say it is an '84 or '85 LeSabre, most likely with the Olds 307.
The interior very likely matches the exterior burgandy color.
I am truly amazed someone had the balls to do this. That car was classic early-80's resized land-yacht.
I wonder if the landing got the massive passenger-side dash clock ticking, again.
/turning the air-cleaner cover over made it sound better at WOT
10/06/09
10/05/09
1. You see 'doesn't float' in the title, and expect them to land in a pond.
2. You automatically assume it is Murilee in the passenger seat.
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10/05/09
I accidentally did that in my Nova, nowhere near as good a hang time but probably a little more height--busted the left rear shock but otherwise Aok.
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10/05/09
I was on my way home from work at night and there was this 4 way intersection where you could see oncoming traffic for quite a while in either direction. I ran the stop sign at about 70. I could see the flash of sparks in the rear view from the landing.
I only had the balls to do it once, but it was awesome.
10/05/09
The next morning when I got in the truck I made it down the road a few miles and had a near sudden flat in a hard curve. I looked at the tire, and could see that grass and dirt apparently had gotten between the bead and the rim during the very hard turn at the end of my last jump, but the air had somehow stayed in the tire until that point the next day. I changed tire and got that one fixed, and reinstalled later that day, with no one the wiser.
About a month later I was following my father in another vehicle and I noticed that his truck (the one I had been driving) had some serious negative camber on the front axle that had never been there before. Like a good son, I didn’t say anything. I did learn something that night though, cars are not made to leave the ground any significant distance like they showed them doing on the Dukes of Hazzard.
10/05/09
I never did explain to my Dad why I felt it necessary to replace the trailing arms and rear spindles in the hand-me-down Rabbit he gave me.
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Now that's comedy!!!!
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Brefass booze, big boy?
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Bodacious behavior...buyers beware!
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Baloney! Big boobs beat boring...but breaks back.
10/05/09
LOL..lucky lunatic lives!
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Jeez...jumping jerk just jolted Jack & Jill!
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Having said that, it was bitchin' as hell to watch.
10/05/09
I bet grandma was wondering what was wrong with her car while driving to Church that night!
10/05/09
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10/05/09
About the jump...drawing from extensive personal experience with that car, from color right down to the Landau roof, I can say it is an '84 or '85 LeSabre, most likely with the Olds 307.
The interior very likely matches the exterior burgandy color.
I am truly amazed someone had the balls to do this. That car was classic early-80's resized land-yacht.
I wonder if the landing got the massive passenger-side dash clock ticking, again.
/turning the air-cleaner cover over made it sound better at WOT
10/05/09