I was only really stranded once, luckily just on the highway about 20 miles from home but had to get a tow home. It was over 20 years ago, not long after my dad and I had done the restoration of my 40. My girlfriend, now wife and I were still in high school and headed out about 90 miles for a day out in the middle of nowhere on spring break. Was running down the highway, suddenly heard a bang and rattle sound. Pull over and find the original double pulley on the 1973 F engine waterpump had fatigue cracked and broke off near the base where it bolts to the pump flange. Those early pulleys were like two cups nestled together and spot welded in the bottom, the outer "cup" had broke off all the way around at the base. I suspect I must have overtightened alternator belt? Or just years of use. Dad came out and got us, we took pulley home and tried to weld it back together, but it turned out so wonky we decided not to use it and just tow the truck home. If it happened today I would have just tried laying the belt on the other groove and limp home.
Another time with same future wife I had adjusted the timing on the single points Mallory distributor just before a camping trip. Still can't believe our parents let us go camping alone. I distinctly remember slipping with flat head screw driver upon tightening the points. Didn't see anything amiss, but about halfway up the mountain she starts missing. I tuned it by ear several times and messed with points, filed on them some, but I had bent the arm and within 30 miles it had wore into the stationary point making a crooked pit. We limped it home but just barely. Last few miles was sputter and miss uphill and glide as far as we could on the downhill and flats. Put in a Unilite back then, fixed that crappy Mallory point problem.
One other time I had the impellor come loose inside the water pump of my FJ60. I had just put the pump on about 500 miles before, it was a NAPA rebuild, figured it would be fine. Drove that one about 50 miles back toward home, pegged out hot the whole way, but I figured she still had water in the system. Had to be towed home a ways on that one because we ran out of hills to coast down. Truck still runs today, guess it didn't hurt it.
There are others, two with the FJ60, but luckily they were basically right at the house, both instances helping kids get unstuck on the rural road we live on. In one case I was pulling a trailblazer uphill through about 3 feet of drifted snow. I was getting him up the hill and just got him free when steam starts coming out from under the hood. The Toyota block heater had broke an ear off the "T" clamp and blew. Another time I was redlined yanking a car up the road embankment on really slick spring snow, just as I get the kid up on the county road the engine stops. I had broke the AC belt and it proceeded to wrap around the crank pulley and stall the engine. That was fun to dig/cut out.
