The following is a true story. Only the names have been changed to protect the foolish as well as the guilty.
Chuck was proud of that '65 Mustang with the 289, 2bbl carb and automatic transmission just as any 17 year old would have been proud after the 4 years of newspaper routes it took him to earn the $400.oo needed to buy it. But frankly his friends were getting a little tired of hearing him brag about his Mustang when the rest of us were still stuck driving our mothers' station wagons. That's why I pried off the right rear wheel cover and put a piece of gravel inside before putting it back on.
The next time Chuck drove his Mustang it made an awful racket as the rock tumbled around in between the wheel and the wheel cover. Chuck wasted no time in getting the car to the neighborhood shade tree mechanic who knew exactly what the problem was as soon as he heard Chuck turn into his driveway. "Sounds like you need a weeblin pin for your woblin' shaft," George greeted Chuck with a smile.
"Is it going to cost a lot?" Chuck asked.
"Probably not more'n a dollar," George answered.
"How much to put it on?" Chuck nervously asked not knowing if he could afford the labor.
"Tell you what, Chuck, you delivered my paper for years, why don't you let me call it a tip being I never gave you one." George beamed, his hand outstretched. "You just run on down to NAPA and tell Charlie what you need and I'll fix 'er up."
"Deal," Chuck said as he shook George's hand. "Will it hurt to drive it?"
"Naw, just keep it under about 20 miles per hour and she should be just fine."
Driving less than 20 the 3 miles to the NAPA store was hard but Chuck wasn't about to risk damaging his Mustang even though the old lady in the Buick behind him was blowing her horn and shaking her fist most of the trip. "Smart ass, punk," the lady yelled as she drove away from the traffic light. "Why don't you fix that hunk of junk?"
When Chuck got to the NAPA store he went straight inside and asked for Charlie and explained what he needed. "Sorry," Charlie answered, "sold the last one I had in stock just this morning. But I'll get in a new shipment next week."
"Next week," Chuck moaned, "but I need to fix it today."
"Well why don't you give W & B Auto Parts a try?" Charlie suggested. "Pretty much everybody stocks those things."
"Thanks," Chuck said as he ran out the door.
At W & B Auto Parts it was pretty much the same story so they send him to Joe's Auto Parts where again he had no luck. Finally, after repeating the same story again and again someone suggested Chuck try Jack's Auto Wreckers so Chuck held up traffic again and made the slow trip to the junkyard at the edge of town. "You got a weeblin pin for the woblin' shaft for a '65 Mustang?" Chuck asked as he walked up to the used parts counter.
"Sorry, all out," a man behind the counter said as he and everyone else in the room started laughing.
"What are you laughing about?" Chuck shouted. "I need a weeblin pin for my woblin' shaft, ain't nothin' funny 'bout it.!" Everyone could see Chuck was about to cry or spit any second but they continued their laughing.
"Okay," Jack said as he came out of his office. "This boy has done been run all over town, somebody get him a screwdriver and help him get the rock out of his wheel cover before somebody runs into the back of his car."
To repeat what Chuck said next would ruin the G rating of GreensboroJunkyards.com.
