misterp Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 ... we had fired it up and it ran ok, then it would not shut off and the turbo kept spooling up and it eventially blew the turbo and the motor with a whole shit load of smoke, wasnt a knuckle head thing just kind of cool. That brought back a fond memory; when I lived in CA we used to have an annual Redline Party. Friends and mutual acquaintainces would bring together as many old derilict engines as we could and mount them to a flatbed trailer (10 to 15 was the norm). We would hook-up gas and battery and start them, then pin the throttles wide open. We had a betting pool on which engines would blow first, last, mode of failure, etc. The last party we had a 350 SBC, a V8 out of an International Scout, a Jeep 6-cyl, 2 318 Mopars, a 383 and 413 Mopar, a 289 Ford POS, a 350 Pontiac, a 4-cyl from a Plymouth Colt, and that's from what I can remember. The SBC had a QJet on it, and went first (less than 10-mins) and the Scout motor went 6+ hours WOT and we finally shut it off We figured that it did not have enough carb to kill itself. That day was a blast. Mr. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zippy Posted August 25, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Another story of genius moments. I did breaks on a Suburban and went on a test drive just to get that famous knocking noise whenever I applied the breaks. I got back in just to have the customer standing in my stall. I calmly turned the wheels, threaded the caliper bolts in and tightened them up. I told him I was just checking the torque spec on them. From there everything was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artval Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 okay, here we go. 16 years old, got my first car, 1986 300zxt. I decided that i was going to do all the work my self. i had my handy manual and a few tools. I installed some new power steering hoses and it seemed that everything had gone well. I filled the power steering container with break fluid and drove the car for a few days until i noticed that my hoses and rack were leaking... bad... So, i learned to pay attention to what i poured from then on... still 16. Changed the brakes on my 300zx. did not pump the brakes to get pressure back in the system to be able to stop. Moved the car forward. Crashed into my parents garage because i could not stop. I still have the car, going on 12 years. I learned fast how not to do things. oh, and it also caught on fire ... but that was not my fault, it was recalled a few months after that. lesson learned, carry a fire extinguisher. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ItsJac Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 (edited) When I was 17 I worked at jiffylube. Well I just did a tranny filter and pan gasket on a old ass bronco. Everything went fine untill the test drive. Everything drove good, so I drove the truck back into the shop to recheck the fluid and for leaks. Put the truck in park and poped the hood. Well while I was check the level, the truck decided to jump into reverse... So I jumped and tryed to get into it to put it into park... Well somehow the truck door and a saftey pole in the shop decided to catch my arm inbetween... Well finally got the truck stop didnt notice the blood running down my arm at that time...Well after the fact I found out that I Just a mild sprain and a CHUNK of skin missing on my wrist... All I remember was seeing white flesh and his purple looking thing(LIKE A VEIN I GUESS) Moral of the story is, set the parking brake It might help... Edited August 25, 2006 by ItsJac (see edit history) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misterp Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 ...Well somehow the truck door and a saftey pole in the shp decided to catch my arm inbetween...Sheesus my whole arm just cringed reading that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krambo Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 Cool thread. I'll add one (I have many) I was up for inspection on my 91 Mustang which was nicely modified (347 cid headders, H pipe and FM mufflers etc). I needed to swap out the H pipe for my catalitic pipes so I can pass smog at my scheduled inspection @ 3PM. Jacked it up and struggled with the H pipe (the TQ from the motor twisted the pipes just enough to make it a PAIN) for 2 hours. Once I got it off, I went inside and made lunch. I came out to install the cat pipe which went pretty smooth (took about 45 minutes). Took the Stang off the stands and got ready for the inspection appointment. Came back out started it up and pulled out of the driveway, thinking "Damn, this is still a loud exhaust even with the catalitic converters!" Thinking something isn't right, I pulled over and looked under the car. I reinstalled the H pipe instead of the catalitic pipe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tawss04 Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 I've had my share of WTF was I thinking moments. Like assembling a trans and looking on the bench just to see the 2-4 band just sitting there. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I feel ya zippy, I've had my share. When i worked at the dealer, I had a 00 Chevy Malibu I had to do replace a couple of noisy lifters. Of course it was a rush job I got the whole job done got in the to start it and just happen to look thru the windsheild between the hood (it was open) and the wipers and noticed the plastic lifter retainers retainers sitting on the bench and the customer was on the way to pick the car up. The job calls for about 5hours in the book, I can do it in less than 3. My buddy looks at me and says you work on the drivers side and I'll work on the pass side. We had it apart and back together in 45min Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drako Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 great thread, I was changing the oil on the SS for the first time. Easy job 15 minutes cause you know I already made plans....WRONG. First mistake was I did not grease the oil filter for some reason... second mistake was I dropped a few drops of oil on the headers.... And so this is how it went. After "finishing" I turned on the truck and then started to watch in horror spattering oil from under the truck "damn it I didnt grease it" tunred off the truck Slid under her and got covered in oil, started to take off the filter....whoops...got more oil on me...switched the pan under it greased it put it back...cursing to hell because all the tools were slippery as hell because of oil, Tried to slide out but Oil is EVERYWHERE, flip on my back...mistake....more oil and then one of the damn local cats decides to play bite my toes. I jump hit my head on the frame lift my arm to curse the cat...my arm becomes one with the already heated catalytic converter....goddamn cat.... Anyways put oil back in....and turn on the truck....truck starts to smoke. I freak, run into the house slip on more oil....curse louder.... Well I finally get back in the house and on the computer to ask for help on the truck that looks like its on fire from the forum. I am told that I dropped oil on the headers.... THATS RIGHT! Oil burns away....take a shower which does not really get all the oil off. Then parents and friends get home and ask how my 15 minute oil change went... "it went great, got a lot of stuff done" 'hey you got a nasty burn on your arm, and a bruise on your head' "Oh that....yeah I...fell....on.....yeah...." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
backinblack Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 I've had a few, forgot to put oil in once and forgot to tighten lugs once. Kinda long but worth it My favorite dumb story had to be from the dealership though, we had a new salesman, real dumbass in his early 30's. I was changing out showroom cars one day and the one he was moving had a dead battery. So he comes trotting over to tell me, I told him to grab the jump box and start it. So he goes and gets the box gets the hood up and just kinda stands there. I realize pretty quick that he has no idea how to jump a car. I ask him what he's doing and he admits that he doesn't know how to do it. So I tell him to take everything metal out of his pockets and match the colors on the cables to the battery. He asks why and I tell him that the electricty will arc and could fry your nuts if you have metal in your pockets. One of the other guys standing around agrees with me and makes up some story about it happening to his buddy. Well he bought it hook line and sinker, this went on for about two months, the whole dealership was in on it. Somehow we all managed to remeber to take everything out of our pockets if he was around. I even pretended to get shocked one day. Well finally I watch him out front with a customer when a car wouldn't start, he goes out and starts taking everything out of his pockets. I walk outside to listen, the customer looks at him kinda funny and starts laughing, he sees me trying not to laugh and asks what he's doing. The salesmen tells him about electricity blowing off your balls and the customer loses it. I couldn't hold it in anymore and started laughing my ass off. Needless to say he was pissed, he went storming into the GM's office and the GM started laughing at him too. He quit later that day, after he quit the GM walks up and says I can't believe you guys still had that going and starts laughing...Poor guy I almost feel bad about it, almost.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
04silveradoclone07ss Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 im still young but have many bad experience with doing things. one of the most recent was probably a remote start, when i was told to remove a remote start and put in a remote start alarm combo! well of course i didnt hear the alarm part and put in a new same exact unit. the wholw time i was doing it i was saying wow these wires are just like the last ones. then when the customer comes pick it up he tells me about the alarm. i almost freaked out when he said alarm so needless to say he cam eback the next day to pick it up....was i pissed!!!! and also i remeber a tune up on my 88 jimmy pu. (first one ever) i do all the plugs and wires. start it up and its shaken like a mofo!!! call my uncle says i must have crossed threaded a plug and not to run it becuase compression could make it blow. so i listen for it and hear a clicking noise. so i take out all the plugs except the ones at the front of the engine since i said those were the easyist, i couldnt mess those. well after a long ass time come to find out i didnt have the wire on enough on the front plugs and it was arcing to the engine.. aslo the bigest pita was a o2 change on a jetta were i used the torches to get it out and melted the threads in the cat....needless to say i spent a while tapping the cat out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03CHEV SS Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 First story: First day at the Dealer ship working as a Line Tech and first job is to put intake gasket on a county cop car. No big deal drain,remove,clean everything install new gaskets putting all back together top off the fluids warm the car up road test all done. The county Sheriff come for the car that afternoon. Get a call from them the next day that it blowed the bottom radiator hose off. Well could fiqure out what was going on it had built up pressure and blowed it off. Drain the coolant and service manager says take off the water neck and remove thermostat I did. Problem was I put the intake gasket block off plates on the wrong end in the front instead of the back. Lesson learned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03CHEV SS Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 When I built my 408sbc for my Nova a few years ago I was preping the block by tapping all the holes. I had just got done cleaning the head bolt threads and went to the oil holes above the cam bearing and not thinking tapped the holes pretty deep and to this day have a small leak from them because they wouldn't seat properly. Sad part is this wasn't my first motor I built. I had it apart a few time to try and fix but the leak always come back. I have oil restrictors in 2 of the ports and 1 of them you cant go in to deep because the dist. will not come out if you need to get it out. I've tried different restrictors,pipe tape, and even J-B weld around the holes. Still a little leaks and I HATE leaks. It p*sses my off every time I think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03CHEV SS Posted March 10, 2007 Report Share Posted March 10, 2007 One more story: This didn't happen to my but to my friend in my shop. We were built demo cars and he had a buick car and the tranny was bad so he was changing it. The old trans was a universal case and he got another trans from salvage yard to put in it. Got the trans up in the car and got a couple bolt in the trans bolted up the torgue converter with 2 bolts and went to finish the other bell-housing and discover that the trans had a different bolt arrangment. He MAD rips out the trans leaving the torque conv. bolt up. 2 bolt. Fires the car up one foot on the ground one on the gas wide open. All at once I heard this load spinning hissing sound and I look out the shop door and the torque conv. is on the concrete spinning a million mph and not moving. It starts to move and just misses his foot by 6". Finally after about 5 mins. it seamed we stopped the torque conv. from spinning. After all said and done and nobody hurt it was funnier than hell. Oh he didn't make the demo derby either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desertss Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 i had a old vw bug that i made into a hunting buggy. a friend and i rebuilt the engine, and since we had the engine out decided to freshen the transaxle. we took it apart, new bearings seals etc, reinstalled it, installed the engine. when we cranked it up and went to test drive i found it had 4 reverses and 1 foward gear. come to find out, when we reassembled the transaxle, we were in the bus section of the manual not the bug. we pulled the engine and transaxle, reversed the chunks, put it back together in less than 3 hrs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2006_superado Posted March 12, 2007 Report Share Posted March 12, 2007 and then one of the damn local cats decides to play bite my toes. I jump hit my head on the frame lift my arm to curse the cat...my arm becomes one with the already heated catalytic converter....goddamn cat.... LMAO! this part got me good! i've got a few not that funny though... first was when i was 16 i had a 75 maverick with a 302, one day it overheated because it had a small leak and i forgot to add water, so i pull over to a station because i can tell it's overheated even though the temp gauge went dead???... i go ahead and remove the radiator cap... and then BOOM! the cap flys up about 30ft!.. my arm gets hit with a burst of superheated steam!.. that lasted about 30-40 seconds, guessing thats why the temp gauge didn't read anything? all the water had boiled into steam and left the system bone dry!. my forearm was scolded badly.. now one of the first things i do to any car i own (if applicable) is add a pressure release cap second one i remember is when i was 17, i bought a nice 67 mustang with a 289/4-spd for $700 you go find one for under $7000 now!.. (lol this was only 10 years ago) anyway it ran great but after 5-10 miles it would die out.. and wouldn't start again for an hour or two, so i change the alternator, and no good. so my dad tells me it might have a compression problem, so being new to cars and figuring my dad must be right i decide to swap out the engine. i find a 69 mustang with a 351w 4bbl 290hp motor complete for $400 so i buy it have the 351w rebuilt with an RV cam, rebuilt or replaced everything on it. put the 289 in the 69 and still got my $400 back.. i then have the 351 installed in the mustang and it has the same problem!!!.. after asking a few people they tell me change the "voltage regulator" well problem solved, with a big "THANKS" to my dad.. but thats not the end of the story, now i'm completly broke i've put every dollar i had into it, and my "NEW" engine is shakeing and idleing rough... i cant figure it out for 2 days i get aggrevated and put it in the classifieds... the day the paper came out i decide to go "get on it" before the guy comes with the cash... so i go and get on it hard for about 5-10 minutes... and wouldn't you know when i pull up to my house i realize something?... it's idleing realy nice and it stoped shakeing!... whoops, i forgot to break in the CAM!.. well ten minutes later the guy came and offered me $1500 more then i had in it, so it was sold.. and the sad part is it was pretty fast too oh well you live and learn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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