In alt.home.repair, on Mon, 19 Feb 2018 01:08:08 +0000 (GMT), "Dave
Plowman (News)" > wrote:

>In article >,
> Sanity Clause > wrote:
>> Back to the actual question: 3-inch extension keeps you close to the
>> nut, unlikely to twist sideways and fall off. 16-inch extension has the
>> possibility of pulling the socket out of alignment, maybe rounding off
>> the nut, and scraping your knuckles (and your shiny new wrench) on the
>> ground, UNLESS you properly support the wrench at the head end to keep
>> it straight.
>
>If you have a spare jack, place it under the extension bar to reduce
>sideways load on the socket. You can then use your full body weight on the
>breaker bar with less chance of breaking the tools.

Good idea.

I left my car sitting for a month after I had surgery, and one wheel had
no cover. And snow covered up to the top bolt for most of the month.

Months later, I was at Newark Airport and when I got back to the car, it
had a flat tire. I had the jack handle/lug wrench, and the bolts were
rusted on so tight I had to stand on the wrench to loosen them, I even
had to lift my body up and down on a couple, and I broke off 3.

What to do? Leave the car there, have it towed to a shop, take public
transportation back to NYC and then to Brooklyn, then take public
transportation back the next day, or drive home.

Of course, i drove.

Tire was on the left rear,and every time I turned right it went clop,
clop, clop. When I turned left or went straight, it was quiet.

Drove on Route 1 -- fairly quiet because most people on the Turnpike --
to the Holland Tunnel. What to do? If you break down in the Holland
Tunnel, you delay traffic when it's heavy (This was Sunday evening, when
everyone is coming back from the weekend) so they keep a tow truck there
all the time. But they charge you a 100 or 200 in the 1970's which
would be at least 500 now. Still, it had worked well so I took the
tunnel. Turned east on a small street towards the Brooklyn Bridge and
just as I got to Broadway, big thump. Got out. Wheel has come off the
car. Last two lug nuts had broken. What to do?

Almost no cars Sunday night, but Monday morning it's lower Manhattan
rush hour. Cars everywhere. Not allowed to park on the narrow street I
was on. Scouted ahead and found a parking lot a short block North up
Broadway, which is one-way South.

Jacked up the car, put it on on the brake drum with no bolts. Lowered
the car and drove. Got 8 feet!! Hey, that's pretty good, but then the
wheel fell off. Jacked up the car, put it on on the brake drum with no
bolts. Lowered the car and drove. Didn't make it 2 inches. Wheel fell
off. Jacked up the car, put it on on the brake drum with no bolts.
Lowered the car and drove. This time it went 40 feet to Broadway,
turned left (the good direction) 100 fett up Broadway, left across the
curb and sidewalk into the parking lot. All in one shot. The wheel
fell off just as I got fully inside the parking lot.

Took the subway home and returned the next day with tools to punch out
the broken lug nuts, and new lugnuts. Took 45 minutes. Done by 10AM.
Parking lot guy wanted to charge me for 3 spaces because I was parked
sideways, but he caved easily when I said it was only 10 and he'd fill
the spaces, and he only charged me 1.5 times the daily rate. (His point
was that the lot filled up by 9, but I guess I was right that some
people came later.)