My brother, a USAF A1C fresh out of AIT, was driving his '77 Volare /6 4sp, that dad gave him, home to ATL from England AFB, La, back in '89. Unbeknownst to him, the fuel pump diaphragm cracked and began filling the crankcase with gasoline. Somewhere near Mobile at around 4am, there was a loud boom under the hood. He coasted her off the highway onto a nearby exit and after waiting a few hours, was lucky enough to find an honest mechanic who took pity on him. The minor explosion blew a hole in the valve cover, and no surprise, a rod was knocking. They found a valve cover and a working fuel pump in a local junkyard and got her buttoned up enough to nurse it the rest of the way home. Having no inclination for engine mechanics, my brother bought himself a little p/u and left the poor car with dad to be hauled off.
We miss that old car. Dad got it cheap and used to have lots of fun with the 4sp behind that motor.
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