In Shock and Broken Hearted

[440 Fanatic]

Late last sunday, it began raining really hard here in Jackson, Mississippi. I went to bed at about 11:00 P.M.
I woke up at about 4 A.M. to use the bathroom and get a swallow or 2 of milk. The top of my bed is about 3 feet above the floor. The floor of my cabin is about 3 feet off the ground. I stepped out of bed into 2 feet of flood water and it was still rising. In the next few mins of trying to make a game plan the water came up about another 6 to 12 inches. I went to get my pet carrier(It was just my cat and myself living there) and get him inside it as he was up on the bed with me.
The power was off so all of this is happening in the dark. My phone was my only lighting and I almost lost it a time or two falling over a floating coffee table and the refrigerator which had floated near my bedroom door. Barely got us out of there as I had to swim about 100 feet or so before I could stand up high enough to breathe. Luckily, my cat wasn't freaking out and was very still in his carrier which allowed it to semi-float as long as it wasn't tilted too much to the side.
Simon (my 68 Charger) however, did not fair as well as we did. He was completely submerged.  
I was able to get him hauled to what is supposed to be a reputable shop near my work yesterday.
Here are a few pics:  WARNING !! These pics are NOT for tender eyes!

[RECHRGD]

Flood insurance?

[polywideblock]

man that sux

[charge69]

Horrible luck !  Hope you have some kind of insurance.

[440 Fanatic]

Flood insurance?

Nope , wasn't available in that area under renters insurance

[Kern Dog]

The ground looks totally dry. How did it all dry out so fast?
I also  wonder how hard of a sleeper you are that all of this happened before you noticed it? I sleep hard but whoa...You were really conked out.
That is a pisser about the car. The body looks good so maybe you'l be able to save everything with some disassembly and a good cleaning. Good luck.

[tan top]

aww noo     

[XH29N0G]

This sucks and it is a freaky experience.  I have always liked your car and remember some pictures a while back.  I hope it goes back together well, but it is a big setback. 

[Baldwinvette77]

was it fresh water? i mean its still not great, but not as bad as salt. the first thing i would do is soak the frame and floors with oil and remove as much as the interior as you can, transmission clutches will be toast, and you can drain, completely fill the engine with oil, drain it again, do something similar with the gear oil. and bleed the brakes for starters.

but damn thats horrible   

[440 Fanatic]

This sucks and it is a freaky experience.  I have always liked your car and remember some pictures a while back.  I hope it goes back together well, but it is a big setback. 

Thanks Bro,   I've had this car for about 18 years and I'll have it another 18 if I live that long.  It's a setback, but he's not dead. Actually a good time to do some other repairs and upgrades I've been wanting to do. I'm just glad I didn't order and install the new carpet I was very much considering last year.

[440 Fanatic]

The ground looks totally dry. How did it all dry out so fast?
I also  wonder how hard of a sleeper you are that all of this happened before you noticed it? I sleep hard but whoa...You were really conked out.
That is a pisser about the car. The body looks good so maybe you'l be able to save everything with some disassembly and a good cleaning. Good luck.

The water(which is not salt water) receded within about 20 hours and it's been 70+ degrees and sunny everyday since monday morning. Yes, it's dry now.You might be amazed at how quiet a flood can be. It doesn't erupt like a volcano, it doesn't howl like a freight train as a tornado does, and it doesn't shake the ground as an earthquake does. I'm curious where you think the 'noise' or whatever you think would wake you up due to a flood would come from? It's completely silent,  I assure you. Also,  about 30 mins before bed, I made myself a 4 egg cheese omelet with toast. That makes for a hard sleep, no doubt.

2 interesting notes of trivia: 
1. Carpet tries to float. Every step I took, I had to push the carpet down to the floor before the next step.
2. When a hardtop car is level and completely submerged with windows up(no waves can enter), the headliner only gets wet on the sail panels.

[Kern Dog]

Okay...
We had  bunch of rain here in Northern Ca the past few months. It is the rain that will either keep me awake or wake me up a few times a night. Add to that the dogs that would bark or howl at anything strange.
It may have looked as if I am blaming the victim.... sorry, that wasn't the intention!

[daveco]

Wow, what a total shi* sandwich,.
Time to relocate to higher ground.

[440 Fanatic]

Okay...
We had  bunch of rain here in Northern Ca the past few months. It is the rain that will either keep me awake or wake me up a few times a night. Add to that the dogs that would bark or howl at anything strange.
It may have looked as if I am blaming the victim.... sorry, that wasn't the intention!

Understood,  but I have 2 simple questions for you.  Do you think it has to be raining on you to be in a flood? It wasn't raining at all when I woke up at 4 a.m. and stepped into 2 feet of water. And, when you are awakened by the rain you speak of, have you even once gone to see if your car is about to be submerged?

[TruckDriver]

WOW! That sucks  But at least you and your cat are okay, and the car wasn't under salt water.

[Dino]

Wow that bites. I'm glad you and kittie got out safely though!

I guess this is the time where you strip down the car, clean and paint, and put it all back together with an upgrade here and there. Might as well! 

[ws23rt]

I had a 72 chev PU that got flooded to the dash one year with fresh water.  All of the fluids that used to be oils were displaced with water.
After adding the proper oils back I started that truck and got many years out of it and sold it in running condition.

[JB400]

Sad to hear that this happened to you.   

[BDF]

Horrible, horrible thing to have happened.

[Kern Dog]

I may be coming across wrong to the OP. I really am not blaming you, I just have not been in your position. To me, flooding follows heavy rain. A levee or dam failure could surely cause flooding. Other factors contribute too, events outside of my experience.
My own house sits on a slight grade and water will collect underneath if the ground is saturated and the rain keeps coming. I used to worry about it, waking up to go outside, climb under the house and bail water out. I have since installed a sump pump with a float so it automatically comes on and shuts off as needed.
Again, I was trying to understand your situation, not condemn or insult it.

[b5blue]

Hang in there!    Sorry for your situation, folks forget rains well upstream can flood other areas much later. About now I'd be spraying WD 40 all over that Charger! (The WD stands for "water displacement".)

[brad mcintyre]

wow good luck hope it all go well sounds like you are pretty positive you will need that

[440 Fanatic]

I had a 72 chev PU that got flooded to the dash one year with fresh water.  All of the fluids that used to be oils were displaced with water.
After adding the proper oils back I started that truck and got many years out of it and sold it in running condition.

Thanks, that eases my mind a bit.
Was it an auto trans?

[ws23rt]

I had a 72 chev PU that got flooded to the dash one year with fresh water.  All of the fluids that used to be oils were displaced with water.
After adding the proper oils back I started that truck and got many years out of it and sold it in running condition.

Thanks, that eases my mind a bit.
Was it an auto trans?

My truck was a manual shift.  I would think filling an auto trans with fluid and running it through the gears than change the oil again would work fine.

[440 Fanatic]

I had a 72 chev PU that got flooded to the dash one year with fresh water.  All of the fluids that used to be oils were displaced with water.
After adding the proper oils back I started that truck and got many years out of it and sold it in running condition.

Thanks, that eases my mind a bit.
Was it an auto trans?

My truck was a manual shift.  I would think filling an auto trans with fluid and running it through the gears than change the oil again would work fine.

I think the clutch plate adhesive can't tolerate water at all in an auto trans.