Accident reconstruction ...fifty years later. Here are some incredible shots I just got from Randy Hernandez from his Dad, Fran Hernandez collection. They clearly show what caused Joe Weatherlys fatal crash at Riverside in 1964...and its aftermath. I am only guessing, but Id imagine that the shots were part of a study that Fomoco did itself back in the day. I direct your attention to the right front brake/spindle assembly (images 2-4). First note that the rear shoe (which is the one that carried the biggest load, BTW) is missing most of its brake material. Next notice that the shoe has gotten so hot that the top shoe surface has failed and folded down ward. Next look at the self adjusting screw assembly mounted between the bottom of the front and rear shoes. As was the custom in drum brake days, the BME crew mounted this assembly reversed from street application. Which is to say, mounted in a way that the shoes would self adjust when the brakes were applied in FORWARD (rather than REARWARD) motion. If you look closely, you can see that everyother star on the star wheel has been ground off to prevent over-adjustments. In the case of the right front assembly, this plan did not work. The star wheel has clearly over adjusted to the point that the threaded adjusting rod is all the way out of its matching threaded female half and is actually cocked. In this configuration, the brakes would not work at all and that might have allowed the wheel cylinder on the RF to spit out its pucks and lose all brake fluid preasure possibly. One thing is for certain, as Joe entered turn nine, he had NO brakes at the RF. If you review the You Tube video of the shunt, that corresponds with the #8 Marauders motion. As Joe entered the turn, his car veered to the left at an angle into the left side retaining wall on the outside of the turn. The car was completely destroyed...as the last three shots clearly depict. They correspond with what Bud told me about the wreck. He said that a new style brake set up developed by Stroppe was the cause of the wreck. It is interesting to note that the left side brake/spindle assembly still showed brake material in place on the shoes. And the star wheel is NOT overadjusted on that spindle. The shoes on the LF are also deformed...but that could be from impact damage , as that is the side of the #8 that hit the wall.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Jul 2014 21:49:03 +0000
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