OT New Truck

And puts your headlights in everybody else's eyes.

Yep. Back when I was building our first house, I made regular trips to the "gravel pit" and with certain stone, a full, humped bed load was just over 1.5 tons. It flatted out the springs quite a bit, but man, it rode like a Cadillac with that load in it. I just had to make sure I got on the brakes early. :-)

And your front bumper in everyone elses rear window in a wreck.

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Wasn't it the 70's era Nova's that always look crooked when you drove behin d them?

Maybe I'm mis-remembering the model, but there was some car from back then that dog tracked or crabbed, whatever the term for that is.

That could be, I have seen many vehicles do that. Most common reasons was that the frame was bent, from a wreck, and never properly straightened. Or way out front end alignment.

Even a shorter truck, with a 3,000 lb load will put its head lights in every one else s eyes. LOL.

I have probably seen as many "cars" that do that too. 2 people in the back seat and there you go.

In Texas head light alignment was a requirement several years ago for annual state inspections. That has been eliminated, I think. Probably because alignment is more difficult with out a sealed beam lamp.

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This was too common an occurrence within a single model model line to be caused by accidents or temporary front end alignment issues. I'd guess a rear axle or rear leaf spring issue possibly due to corrosion.

The Nova did "soup-up" nicely though. ;-)

NUMMI - New United Motor Manufacturing - I believe the plant is now part of Tesla.

Dad's of bent-side F150 scaled at 2.5 tons of mixed hardwood on one load - it had quite a "squat" and had rolled 2 tires off the rims on the way down the hill to the road from the cutting site - it was quite a job to jack that sucker up to change the tires. He drove home with the tires at 50PSI at 30MPH max (about 20 miles)

Whenever I had to move 2.5 tons, I'd make 2 trips at 1.25 tons each.

That's about all the Vega could handle. ;-)

That was the one! Something about the engine being too strong for the rear axle, differential. The torque would bend $h!t up and skew the axle setting it at that weird angle, making it look like an automotive bulldog.

Back when I was a kid, we'd see them badly skewed that they'd leave four tire prints on a snowy road.

LOL! Yep, I've seen that around here with all the landscaping trucks hauling trailers that are waaaaay too overloaded.

One time I saw one on a really wet road that was so back heavy, it lost enough traction in the front tires that it couldn't make a turn at in intersection.

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Whew! Man, I'm glad I still got some memory left!

I remember swerving back and forth whenever I was behind just so I could laugh at the fact that I could see the driver side front fender but not the passenger side. :-)

Imagine a Ford Ranger with 1200 square feet of ash hardwood flooring in it - or 22 standard IKEA billy library shelves? The hardwood from Plattsville to Waterloo, and the shelves from BVurlington to Waterloo. Rode like a dream and handled like a pig.

Mist common problem was a damaged spring or worn out leaf spring or lower link bushing.

On that note - what was the biggest design flaw on the GM Chevette?? (aka the shove-it)

Single exhaust.

It's awfull hard to push a wheelbarrow with only one handle - - -

We call 'em "coon hunters" that's RACcoon

LMAO! I forgot about that! Some of them were *reeeeeally* skewed that badly. There was some other car like that where they put a big V8 in a little tin can and it tore the crap out of the back end.

It was a tiny little car, tin can, and very light, but the power-to-weight ratio was off the charts, so gearheads would take it to the track and blow away sports cars. i remember hearing stories about the back end coming up through the back seat or trunk.

It might have been the Chevy Monza.

Wow. The Ranger was NOT a truck. I bet you didn't feel any speed bumps, but it probably steered like an oil tanker with that load.

Some years back I drove one cross country. It was one of my brother's cars and his wife liked it. When he moved to San Diego, I took the Vega about a week later. Made the trip OK, never abused it speed wise, but it was never the same after that. 3500 miles in 5 1/2 days was too much. He got rid of it a few months later.