Disaster!

[waaytoomuchintothis]

FLOOD! Somehow, a rainwater leak got into several of the big plastic tubs I store cars in, and I discovered it today, looking for cars. One tub was a nightmare. The rusty water was several inches deep, and this was the tub my most expensive cars were in. I have 3 Racer cars, from back when they ran $250 apiece, and they were in that tub. Incredibly, the upside down crystal cases they were in- floated. I carefully took the top off (how did this much water get in there with the top clamped on?), and looked in to find only 3 cars actually in the drink- all scrachbuilt, hence the rust. After a few hours work, all of the submarine cars run fine and the rusted parts are free. And of course, the precious Racers are fine. I could never afford these things nor justify the cost if I could blow the money on them. But even these come up for sale, and over the years, these 3 wound up with me.

[Billy boy]

man o man what a scare ! glad things were able to be saved

[War Eagle River]

Know EXACTLY what you’re going through Waay! Had a basement flood out and oil furnace rupture back in the 80’s, lost everything. Hope all cleans up and is salvageable.

[4424ever]

OMG Rob hope everything turns out ok

[Brad_T]

That's frightening, I can imagine the panic seeing this. I think a good lesson for a lot of us to check on our storage. You hear of many sump pump failures but not until the power was out and everything is flooded.
Hope all the damage is repairable.

[HomeRacingWorld]

Whew....close call sir.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

After some sleep and calming down, I noticed that one of the cars that was most effected ('57 Ford dirt tracker), looks great with rust stains. The Future soaked off uniformly so it looks like old oxidized paint with rust along the lower body line. All the chrome plating on cars that were soaked is gone- not a spec of it on the cars or in the tub. I built a 1/32nd hillclimber with a chrome plated 1/24th Corvair engine with a turbocharger, disguised to look like a Lycoming aircraft engine. The belts I painted black and the ignition wires, spark plug boots and other painted details retained their paint perfectly, but all the chrome is gone, making it look much better. I'm looking forward to painting it to look more realistic. All the motors run fine and have been alcohol dipped, dried and oiled, gears are all good, and only one axle is seized against a bushing. It was a half axle independent front end, so its no a big deal to just fix if I feel like it. Whew. Dodged a bullet.

[KK Racing]

Great save, I'm glad the damage wasn't as bad as first reported.

Cheers
KK

[ourwayband]

Man that had to be scary!!!
Glad you survived this well with the Rides!!

[chappyman66]

Glad that there wasn't more permanent damage. I don't suspect this is a welcome recipe for weathering, though.....

[docdoom]

that reminds me of many years ago when my older brother kids were still little teenage butt heads. they were caught snooping on a house being built not far from were they went to school at. well of course they were caught doing things they should not be doing and were grounded by there dad. well being the little a$$ they were they went back to that house right before the people were going to move in and stuck a Garden hose through the kitchen window and turned on the hose to get back at the owners. well being kids and not the sharpest tool in the shed at that, they were bragging at school about what they did when the owners kid over heard them. 1st they got there clocks cleaned by the older kid and then there dad laid into them. did over 10 grand worth of damaged that he had to pay out of pocket. . well those kids had zero free time for two years after that. he made them work every weekend and both summers at his lawn mowing job to pay him back for that little stunt.

[waaytoomuchintothis]

Your Big Bubba sounds like a good lot! Not that we weren't destructive little buttheads, far from it. But we never did anything again that got us in trouble the first time and made us lose goofoff time. Come to think of it, the worst things we did were the ones we got caught at... hmmm. My own little piece of larceny was slipping over the back fence of the country store to grab soda bottles, which I took around the store to the front and turned in for deposit, affording me a nice cold soda. A deposit was 3 cents, a big ol' bellywasher soda was a nickel, so with a handfull of bottles, I could also get a tin of mustard sardines or smoked oysters and soda crackers, which I brazenly ate on the front steps of the store. I finally stopped when the old man and woman who had the store came out on the steps and ate sandwiches with me and told jokes when there were no customers inside. My indecency had limits, and I never did it again. A few years later I worked for them pumping gas, checking oil, and wiping windshields. I used to put my bottles in the back without getting the deposits then.

[ourwayband]

Very cool story............................I think we may be kin......

[waaytoomuchintothis]

I'd be honored, Rusty ol' friend. Of course, that makes you a delinquent, too!

[Broman62]

Nice save WAY...now find the leak!!

[Slotspeed]

Glad you saved most of it and that you seem happy about repainting the rest. I know that sinking horrible feeling, my smallest two kids got into the garage one day when I was at work. Took weeks to find the cars around the house. A couple of them were submerged in a bowl of disinfectant. One of those two was saved, one of them still to be salvaged, (mechanicals and motor and electronics ok but needs repainting) a couple of them still at large. But the most valuable ones were all saved with a little bit of work. I actually didn't mind fixing them but it was a shock to find the garage door open, most of the cars missing and the track a bit beat up.