Air leak in my new GT???

[ChipBeck]

Gentlemen,

Tonight Peggy and I took 2017 Ford GT serial #34 to the weekly Pavilions Car Show. We try to make that scene at least once a month and tonight we were sporting the new Ford/Chip Ganassi Racing Team shirts that Chris Callan sent us. A fine time as usual and when we got home Peggy appeared to trigger an air leak when she walked inside. I’m almost deaf and wear hearing aids but that’s what it sounded like. Then it stopped. Ah, OK. So I get the GT on the lift and when I walk to the corner of the lift to raise it that rushing air sound started again but it was down by my foot. WTF?!? I looked down and 18 inches from my shoe is a 2.5 foot long Diamondback Rattle Snake shaking his tail furiously. I jumped higher than any 62 year old man has probably ever jumped and got a safe distance away. Leaving him in the garage was not an option so I grabbed a nearby ax and aced him with the blunt side so I didn’t damage my Premier Garage Floor! Ah the joys of living in Arizona.

This is the 5th Diamondback Rattlesnake I’ve killed on my property but the first one that actually made it inside. All’s well that ends well and on the plus side.....there was no air leak.

Chip

 

[jaxgt]

Holy sh@$&$@!. I would have had a heart attack. Glad you are ok.

As much as I hate snakes, I would have trashed my floor, the snake, and everything within a three foot radius with some buck shot, before getting ‘axe distance’ away.

 

[maxemus]

Remind me to tell you guys my black mamba story.


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[RPM217]

The "air leak", would have been me, crapping my pants!!!! Glad it ended well!!

 

[FikseGTS]

wow, thats crazzzzyyyy

 

[THamonGT]

Sounds exactly like an open GAS jet! I’ve heard it many times while Quail hunting in South Texas. You cannot shake a baby riddle fast enough to make the exact sound! We have big ones in Texas! Fact: Small rattlers are way more totent with venom than large rattlers!

 

[roketman]

YOWZA!!
I don't think its covered under warranty!

 

[Cobraguy]

Chip...you had good reason to be concerned as these “small” and potent examples can be quite aggressive when cornered. The hissing sound was a warning and he was likely as concerned about the situation as you were. It can be intimidating trying to safely relocate a snake, any snake from your garage/house. Our pool guy in AZ says this is the worst year he has seen in the last 20yrs for snakes in yards. In Southern Alberta I carry a 4’ snake relocation fork in my Raptor to routinely move them to a safer place when I encounter them.... I live in the middle of a major Rattlesnake migration route. Maybe stay away from your hangar for a while (Snakes on a Plane!) BTW... I travel with an extremely realistic rubber snake under the seat of my truck...just for entertainment purposes. The US Border Security guys did not appreciate me forgetting to mention it to them. Have a good one!

 

[nautoncall]

Remind me to tell you guys my black mamba story.


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Impressive!! Love to hear.


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[GTJack]

Cougar, Rattler. You live a charmed life Chip. What is next??

 

[jaxgt]

Black Mamba tale alluded to below has me intrigued, as their venom makes that of a Diamonback seems like Schnapps

 

[JOETWINT]

F that!That is pretty crazy!

 

[GTdrummer]

We get some nasty copperheads here in Virginia in the summer, but I suspect you are year round and certainly nastier. Impressive

 

[soroush]

wow, hate those leaks!

 

[JWZ]

Haha! Thanks for sharing, Chip! Glad it ended well!! Gotta say though, having been around heavy equipment & shops for most of my life: this is the 1st time I’ve ever heard of anyone using an axe to fix an air leak!!

 

[tpraceman]

62 year olds still allowed to drive a GT in AZ..I'm impressed.

 

[MJSFRX]

Holy smokes. That will wake you up. Glad it ended well... for you.

 

[vyprgt2]

Are you going to make a snake skin key fob cover with the skin? or maybe a rattle dangler for the rear view mirror?

 

[Awsum GT]

Only snakes I have found in my garage were Vipers... some of them actually did hiss . Glad you were able to find it before it found you!

 

[Brombear]

Glad it ended well for you.