The Bolt (saved by a Veteran)

The Bolt

It's funny how life works out. I lost a brake caliper bolt on the I40 near Ash Fork, AZ while on the way to Jeep Experience in TX. After discovering the missing bolt, I limped the Jeep 20 miles off of the busy interstate (every few minutes the caliper would pop off the rotor and rub on the wheel, even at slow speeds. By the time I got the Jeep to the nearest truck stop, it was already evening.

Stranded at the Murphy's truck stop, I was approached by Daniel Larios who asked if he could help. After telling him what was wrong he came back with a wild idea: he thought the hardware holding the ramps together on this F150 might fit, and sure enough, it did the job.

Daniel is an Iraq war Veteran who is on a road trip to meet his Army buddies in Texas this Memorial Day weekend. He is a reminder that these guys deserve our gratitude and respect, who sacrificed great deal for the citizens of our country and even after they leave the service they are still willing to give. Thank you Daniel for your service and for getting me out of a jam.

I also want to thank Dave Roamer, the Jeeper who runs the station at night who gave me coffee and offered me a place to sleep if I was going to have to wait until morning. David is pictured here next to his AWESOME JK8 converted JK.

This breakdown made for a long evening and set me back half of a day, but it got me back on the road and this quick fix got me to Starwood Motors in Dallas, who had the proper bolt on hand.

It was only one bolt 18mm bolt, but in the middle of nowhere something as simple as a single bolt can completely derail you! Sure, if I hadn't run into these people I would have eventually been able to contact a shop and get the missing bolt, but it would have cost me a day or more and could have made me late to the event. Thank you to everyone who helped to get me back on the road!

 

-Pete, JKS Brand Manager