Fuck Raccoons

"RallyWrench" (rndlitebmw) 08/13/2020 at 15:30 • Filed to: Bicycles are still better than people

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Broke my right collarbone   last night after a damn ninja stealth raccoon ran right in front of my tire while spinning laps around the neighborhood, a little people-free Covid crit I like to do . Went down hard on the right at about 20mph , nothing I could do. Doc rides too, and said “well, now you’re a cyclist.” Banged up pretty good, but t hankfully it was close to home, the helmet stopped my head from hitting pavement, and gloves prevented hamburger hands. Morphine wore off about 4am and I hate taking Norco and other such prescriptions so ibuprofen it is. Good teachable moment for the kids to understand why dad is so serious about helmets, at least. Fuckin’ trash pandas. And stupid 2020.

My car s are both manuals, recovery should be interesting.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:46

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Broke my collarbone before. Not fun having a cast up the hand on one arm. Is it on the left side hopefully?

Dang, that really really sucks. 

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:48

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“cars are both manuals”

I fear leg injury so much because of this. Glad you’re mostly OK

*edit: Oh, your collarbone.  YIKES.  Shitty man

RallyWrench > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available 08/13/2020 at 15:50

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No, right side so can't shift. Still in a sling awaiting word from Ortho guy, ER doc was pretty confident it'd need surgery. Trying to keep positive though!

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:50

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Glad that you are halfway ok...

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:55

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Time to import an RHD vehicle. Not a damn thing else to do. Can’t be helped.

WRXforScience > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:56

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Did you fall trying to swerve, or was there a collision that caused the fall?  

When I was about 12 I ran over my dog while riding my bike and I stayed upright and was surprised at how stable it was (the dog was fine and learned not to run in front of the bike). The dog was a 35-40lb beagle, which seems about Raccoon size.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2020 at 15:57

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“Medical use Autozam”

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:58

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I’d rather break a collar bone than tear my rotator cuff again. Still, sorry to hear about that. I’ll flip off any raccoons I see in your honor.

Spanfeller is a twat > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:58

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I’m sorry to hear that, hopefully you recover quickly and continue cycling soon!

BTW, is your bike OK?

haveacarortwoorthree2 > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 15:58

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Effing squirrel got me. Actually cracked my helmet when I went down and definitely had a concussion, although I was not aware enough to diagnose myself at the time. It became clear, though, when I took a wrong turn on the trail and ended up lost. Then called my wife (who was at home) and was mad at her because she could not tell me where I was. lol

I ask everyone I see riding without one to wear a helmet. Were it not for my helmet, there’s a pretty good chance I would have whacked my head hard enough to kill me. 

RallyWrench > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 08/13/2020 at 15:58

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I’m just so thankful the helmet did its job and my limbs are ok so I'm not mortally wounded . I’ve had a nasty concussion before, that does not need to happen again. Could be worse, if all that has to happen is some car juggling I suppose that’s a blessing.

RallyWrench > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 08/13/2020 at 15:59

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Thankful it's not a head injury, for sure. This sucks, but it can be dealt with and recovered from, and life goes on. 

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2020 at 16:02

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‘Struth. Let’s see , did they make RHD Ranchos?

Speaking of, just found out yesterday that a good   friend just dragged this home, you’ll appreciate it:

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:03

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Sorry to hear that, fucking trash pandas and all.

I also have manual cars, actually all 4 car/trucks we have are manual and yes I can drive with one hand and a knee.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:06

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Glad to hear you’re OK, at least you can click through BaT and JapaneseClassics while you’re recovering.

Just Jeepin' > haveacarortwoorthree2 08/13/2020 at 16:07

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The nightmare scenario isn’t really death, it’s serious brain damage. I once read a court transcript, bicyclist on the witness stand who had hit his head. Almost completely incoherent answers to every question.

LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:09

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I know how that goes. I am deeply empathetic right now. Five months after my surgery and it is starting to feel almost normal . . . except for the numbness from cut nerves, and occasional discomfort of the (relatively) massive plate just under my skin. At least hiking with a backpack hasn’t turned out to be a problem.

RallyWrench > haveacarortwoorthree2 08/13/2020 at 16:09

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Aargh! One of my kids’ favorite books is called “Those Darn Squirrels!”. I totally   empathize with that experience , my last big crash years ago was similar . In and out of ER for external wounds, concussion symptoms didn’t come on until hours later. Neither did back symptoms. Spooky . Glad y ou’re ok! I'm militant about helmets and gloves for reasons like these.

onlytwowheels > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:09

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Broke my collarbone 3 times. Once in a motorcycle crash where I flew over  a car, once falling over on my motorcycle while I was being an idiot and the other roughh ousing with a friend that got out of hand. Nothing debilitating, and certainly no need for anything more than Ibuprofen.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:09

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Ya...are you still working from home? That should make it a bit easier

facw > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/13/2020 at 16:10

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Yeah, I haven’t broken a collarbone, but I know what a torn labrum is like...

DasWauto > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 08/13/2020 at 16:10

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Man, the fear is real. I broke my left ankle 2 years ago - I only had my 6mt WRX at the time and it suuucked driving my mom’s E xplorer for several weeks. Also, the whole not being able to work  thing.

T he Subaru needed new brakes afterwards because this occurred just as winter was ending and the salty brakes rusted to hell while it sat for 5 weeks. It t ook a fair bit of clutch abuse to get the car rolling again and the rear pads were basically destroyed.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:10

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The only time I’ve been seriously injured was the one time I had an automatic car. I broke my right ankle, but I just drove with my left for 2 months. It’s a weird skill to learn. The first day I had the cast off I couldn’t figure out which foot to use. 

HoustonRunner > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:12

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I assume both went straight to a shop?

(Alternate response: Can’t tell from the picture,  what was towing the Range Rover?)

RallyWrench > WRXforScience 08/13/2020 at 16:12

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No time to swerve, or even grab brake. The thing bolted right into my front wheel, basically st opping it and taking me way too far off balance to recover,  and inertia carried me right over. Big bastard, they’re we’ll fed around here.

jminer > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:12

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Glad you’re ok!

I hate trash pandas with a violent vengeance- they have no safe harbor at my house.

A lowly box turtle almost took me down on my motorcycle once, a dip in the road and there he was unable to be avoided by me. Managed to barely keep the bike upright between the bump unsettling the bike and the goo on the tires after the impact...

phenotyp > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:13

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Pictured: asshole

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > facw 08/13/2020 at 16:13

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Labrum? I hardly knew ‘em!

RallyWrench > Highlander-Datsuns are Forever 08/13/2020 at 16:14

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Sucks. I can one hand the little Nissan truck if it comes down to it, but it’s just unsafe and the wrong hand is out of commission . Forget the Porsche. Will  probably borrow a Silverado from my father in law if needed.

RallyWrench > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/13/2020 at 16:16

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I’ve done that too, took for damn ever to recover! Can deal with this, just hurts bad for now. G lad it wasn’t worse and was close to home.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:17

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I got lucky and can still raise my hands over my head. It clicks like a MF though.

RallyWrench > Spanfeller is a twat 08/13/2020 at 16:19

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Thanks, i hope so too because that bike was my sanity lately. No idea if it’s actually ok, h aven’t looked at it since getting home last night because I've been laid up. It's a tough old thing. 

RallyWrench > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever 08/13/2020 at 16:21

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Thank you. I t’s been deemed medically necessary to secure a RHD vehicle for recovery ;)

Sovande > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:22

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Oof. Get better. 

Sovande > facw 08/13/2020 at 16:22

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Me too! Me too! 

RallyWrench > ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability 08/13/2020 at 16:22

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Nope, I've been at the shop through everything, "essential business" and all that. It's a hard time, bad for me to be out right now. Will probably do payroll work remotely best I can tomorrow. 

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:23

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Aah that sucks...

functionoverfashion > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:32

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re: helmets, I went over backwards just riding around slowly with my kids - my feet didn’t come unclipped, landed hard on my back and hit my head hard on the pavement. Thankfully, I was wearing my helmet even though I was just messing around with my kids, which I didn’t always do - before that happened at least. 

RallyWrench > HoustonRunner 08/13/2020 at 16:35

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I see what you did there :)

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:38

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Station Wagon package with the usual safari top, common/typical rear quarter booboos, spare bench box, new Rovers North rear crossmember, spare rear door and other miscellany inside, and rocker trim not completely beaten to hell. Some oddness going on with the rear bucket trim, though - I was not aware any Station Wagon packages shipped with rope hooks on the corner trim, and it wasn’t a tailgate-equipped rear bucket because the latchplates don’t have tailgate pins. Some frankensteinery possible in its past, and/or possibly a very early Station Wagon. Say... ‘62ish? Smashed or not, those don’t look like the late NAS rear lights, so it’s possible.

Oh, right. “Nice haul”.

shop-teacher > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:40

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Oh man, that sucks! 

Smallbear wants a modern Syclone, local Maple Leafs spammer > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:44

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but trash pandas are nice tho

... l ooks like those guys are finished . Too bad. Made really good beer.

TheRealBicycleBuck > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 16:50

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I’m glad it wasn’t worse and you’re here to tell us about it!

I’ve been there (broken hand & ribs), but my wreck was caused by a dog. It also totaled the bike frame (bent down tube). The wreck that got my collar bone was caused by a poor landing off a jump. At least that one didn’t trash the bike, but driving my 5-speed subie home afterward was a real challenge.

Happy healing!

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2020 at 17:01

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Haha only you, man. Here’s a couple more:

Don't have any specifics, the file I was sent says '60(?).

RallyWrench > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 08/13/2020 at 17:02

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Mine still clicks from time to time, and hurts if I have arm over head for too long. 

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 17:08

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As you wish... Get well soon!

Spanfeller is a twat > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 17:12

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I’d describe my bike like that too, from April onwards pretty much. Suffice to say I can’t use it at the moment either. 

RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 17:32

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Damn, glad you’re OK! A broken collarbone is better than alternatives....get well soon!!!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 17:36

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I broke my collar bone at a time before I was driving, so I don't know how that will work out. All because of a crazy trash panda. 

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 17:38

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‘60 would make sense. Or at least, I knew they started the Station Wagon packages late in Series II rather than early in Series IIA, and I *think* from the horrible front picture designed to obscure the one thing I’m looking for, that the tie rods are to arms on top of the swivel housing and not the bottom.

That is about the only way at a glance to tell between a really early IIa and a later-on II non-a.

Which is to say, deleting the rope hooks from the rear trim for door versions probably happened at the IIA crossover line. Not something I actually know.

See this trim without the rope hooks at the top ? This is how a huge number of IIa and III are:

The five-doors also don’t have the welded aluminum rope hook tabs on the side of the bed, but all the short wheelbase ones do.

Also, most Station Wagons from factory have the “Four Wheel Drive Station Wagon” badge only on the rear. I think IIs vs. IIA are an exception. Nine times out of ten you see the little tag below the Land-Rover badge on the front, it’s because a goober found one in his parts bin and stuck it on, or bought the repro cast garbage one-piece badge for it.

Repro badge utilized by said goobers:

I think the front lights and dash vents also point to it being a II vs. IIA, because the lights are screw-on with two screws and the dash vents are put on with bolts. IIs started with bolts, went to weld-on tabs, and then with weld on tabs on the face of the vent door. Like this:

So ‘60 is looking like a pretty good bet.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2020 at 17:40

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Addendum: I had always understood that the Station Wagon badge was particularly engineered to avoid the Chicken Tax, but apparently it didn’t go into effect until ‘64, so I guess the roots of the badging were more in competition with Willys and the import exception skewing the import toward Station Wagon models later on was a happy coincidence.

RallyWrench > LimitedTimeOnly @ opposite-lock.com 08/13/2020 at 17:42

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Shit, I hadn't seen that! Sorry to hear, glad it's getting near normal. Gives me hope, thanks for the report. Backpacking without pain is important as we want to do trips with the kids and I'm always the family packhorse anyway. Hoping for the best, hope your recovery continues well!

RallyWrench > Just Jeepin' 08/13/2020 at 17:49

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This straight up scares the shit out of me.

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 08/13/2020 at 18:13

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I swear I’ve learned more about obscure Rover stuff here, from you and bloody, than any number of other sources throughout my life. He’s a Brit named Nathan whom we all call Nigel, been VW/Euro car buds for 20 years. Has the nicest Mk1 GTI I’ve ever seen, among other interesting things . I sent your first response to him, describing you as another  Rover nerd buddy with a suitably dry sense of humor. Got this back:

“Ha ha he   is a nerd... tell him it has sat in ukiah for 30 years ... has had the heater modified with something that actually works but the rest is totally original to the 1960 year.. has 2 rear fold down bucket seats not bench also.. he missed the vent knobs unique to Series 11 59-61 ... I am totally excited and it was a song @ $2500 ... have a late 19J and a Lt77 with series adaptor going in it... the body will be put back to stock”

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 18:30

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I can’t very well identify a II from the interior when I don’t have a pic of the interior dash, now can I? :p

We’ve got a semi-transitional IIa 109 with the IIA front axle and dash vents, into which some shop (or the importer themselves) installed a custom dash at least 50 years ago. Came with the II version of the 2.25 with the early type water pump and an old-style small-pin transfer case, I believe.

So he’s committed treason to the original disc Smiths heater, has he? Well, not surprising. I’ve actually stuck the Smiths faceplate onto a larger heater core my dad had lying around, which was sourced in Korea 40 some years ago and might fit some kind of Bedford or something.

Tell him I’ve been seriously considering setting up vacu-forming and losing my mind ENTIRELY. Buying toylander plans and possibly even modifying to make 109s, doing some serial production:

https://www.toylander.com/

Beefchips > RallyWrench 08/13/2020 at 19:04

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Guess you’ll have to t eam-shift... put in the clutch and get a kid to shift up or down.

Seriously tho 2020 f’n s ucks man, sorry about your collar bone

pip bip - choose Corrour > RallyWrench 08/14/2020 at 06:29

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ouch.

2020 can die!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > RallyWrench 09/15/2020 at 16:02

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How are you healing?