I had an instructor in college, he had an advanced degree in physics and pioneered cooling of nuclear reactors in submarines. So he shows up to class one winter morning holding a handkerchief to the side of his face. His car over heated and he opened the radiator cap. The side of his face and one ear looked absolutely parboiled and already blistering. This was in February, he was out for the rest of the semester.
About 9 years ago. I was pulling a starter off a sbc. Lost grip of the starter and being underneath it tried to dodge it. Instead of getting hit by the starter. I got myself a nice piece of gm steel to the face Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Way back when I was a kid. I had a broken rear end in my model A. The replacement didn't have a spring, so without knowing what I was doing I decided to remove the spring from the broken rear end. I used a large drift punch to drive the spring shackle out of one end without clamping or otherwise releasing the spring tension. Shackle came out. Spring snapped back. Instant broken thumb. Next day my racing buddy came over with a genuine Ford spring removal tool.
Back in High School I was changing the clutch in my Barracuda. Had the heavy cast iron New Process 4 speed balanced on a flimsy cheap little floor jack as I pulled it out of the bell. Sure enough it wobbled off and landed on the driveway with my hand underneath, breaking a couple fingers and smashing the rest. Had a jerk reaction from the pain as I tried to pull my hand out and kicked the car, breaking a couple toes on my foot. Sure was fun trying to finish the job the next day all beat up , luckily my buddy came over to help, I couldn't get the tranny back on the jack one handed.
Put a titanium drill bit through my chin and jaw at about 12,000 rpm once. Drilling something, but for some reason, now all I can remember is drilling me..... That was fun. No blood until it was time to clean out. Even funner. Still have a pinkie finger size dot in the chin, that won't grow hair for the life of me. Looks like a small pox hole when attempting the scruff look....so of course, clean shaven it is!!
Had to stop reading after page two...........couldn't stop laughing, wincing, grabbing my nuts/chest/fingers/face/feet/etc. Kid is looking at me funny, so I will have to come back. Ouch ha ha shit damn and hell, has to fit somewhere in here.
I don't have any good stories to tell. I've never even got stitches from working on my cars because when you have neosporin and electrical tape, you do net need stitches. my favorite injured while working on your car story was the guy here who jacked his car up, put the stands under the rear axle, then unbolted the axle from the leaf springs. he didn't know what made the car fall.
Hmmm, Where do I start!? Oh here is one, Jacked up the 49 ford to put in some lowering Blocks. un skrewed the U-bolt nuts, while the Jack still under the center section. Of course at some point the axle whent up, and body Down. As curious as I'm, i had my head under there. Lower fender part hit my head. Felt like a Conehead, and ran in to look in the Mirror. Luckily still had a round head.. Lots of hours at the IR after this, mostly dings in the head, and countless eye scraping Last insident, just 3 weeks ago, could be called "idiot of the year".....As we where to start up my friends Gasser for the first time, BBC With two Carter on a tunnelram, the engine would not respond to the throttle. Running funny, and me JUST HAD TO LOOK IN THE CARB, to see if it flooded.....KABOOOOM!!;( Lost alot of hair, no eyebrows left, first degree burns on both eyes...IR again;( This time I had the video cam going...Would not dare post it anywhere...;/ /K ......................................................... Taildragger&fenderless
Maybe not the worst but, i had a strange "injury" once. Back about 1991 gm recalled all full size pickup trucks from start of production 1988 to EOP 1991 for ball joints. I must have changed about 1000 of them. We would heat the rivets orange and cut them of with a zip gun. Once one bounced off the control arm and again off of my cheek. I thought that was lucky it didn't even burn me as I felt no pain. The next morning I had a round red spot on my face where it hit me but still no pain.
After my stomach turning over the paramedic on the job posts Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
My worst injury while working on cars was about 7 years ago. I had finished removing the engine and transmission from the 42 Chevy I am building for my daughter, and fell and shattered my right knee cap, and dislocated my right shoulder. I think I tripped over an air hose, but it all happened so fast I am not really sure. Anyway I spent the next 3 or 4 days in the hospital, the knee had to be operated on, had lots of physical therepy after that. I never want to go through that ever again
Okay about ten years ago I am working a dent from under a hood , I am holdih hood open and swinging hammer towards me and bam rite in the fore head says to my self while the bird chirping is still ringing in my ears man be more carefull not two more swings and I am on the floor with two guys lookin all wide eyed sayin are you okay ....knocked myself rite the #%%=÷out... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Very good comic relief here how can I laff so hard at such painfull accidents,the same way yall did....... Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
and then there was this... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/just-a-suggestion.813527/ Honestly, compared to a lot of guys, I've gotten off easy...
Hahaha. Years ago, I was watching two buddies trying to start a fresh 440 in a Coronet R/T, one of whom had a full moustache and goatee.. They are spinning it over, and twisting the distributor all over hells half acre like a couple of hillbillies, I can HEAR it woofing into the carb, and I'm telling them "its in 180, go back, wind it around to #1 tdc on compression, static time it and do it properly, you are wasting your time." They are both telling me "no way is it 180, we know what we're doing, bla, bla, bla" so I just shut up stand back and watch. So finally, it shoots a BIG-ASSED crow, and sets all Ricks facial hair on fire. So after they put Ricks face out, I just say, nice and quiet, "told you it was in 180"... too bad that was pre-Youtube/cellphone cameras...
Damned it's a wonder most of you guys can see the monitor and type. As for me I've never ever gotten hurt while working on cars. never----never....! But I do know arc welders make pretty bright light and sparklies, cut off wheels cut things other than metal, drills will go thru skin, flesh and bone much easier than metal or wood. Car stuff gets hot and antifreeze may be a coolant but it ain't always cool! There's probably more but after breathing paint fumes, fibreglas, and other toxic waste can't remember. Oh yea, I've been told ya don't stick a finger between a jack stand and a frame when lowering the car. Even with a soft rag on the jack stand to protect the nice shiny paint on the frame!
My son is a scribe in the ER. He see's and smells what the Docs see and smell, oh the stories he tells us. Along with a few pictures. My worst injury was to my ego. As a teen, I had a 50 chevy truck. It needed a clutch. First time doing a clutch on a vehicle with an enclosed drive line. Truck sitting on the ground with all 4 wheels on. Decided that I needed to move the whole rear end back to removed the drive line. Next thing I knew, the truck was sitting on my hand. Empty bed, so I was able to get my legs up and push the bed up. My best friend showed just then to help me. I athink he just about pissed his pants laughing. Brake fluid in the eyes reminded me. At work, we use a hydraulic fluid in the planes. It is an ester based fluid called skydrol. If you get that in your eyes, it will put you on your knees and make you cry like a little girl, instantly. Water makes it worse., that is why I keep a bottle of castor oil in my tool box. You don't want to let it run down your arms to your pits, that is sensitive skin. Thoroughly clean your hands before going to the bathroom, wiping will not do. Or it will be a whole new meaning to the word burning sensation. Mark
Been hurt a few times but can't top the stories here. I can see myself being greeted at the pearly gates with "we never got one in that way before," and being known for all eternity as "the one who tried to..."
Steel sliver in eye from grinding and a broken thumb when a station wagon tailgate spring crushed it when I couldn't get it out the way in time. Had a worse injury in the kitchen when the gas oven went out; when I opened the door I reignited it not thinking about the residual gas. Well it ignited and singed my eyebrows.
Just yesterday I nearly lost my foot when the 4 1/2" angle grinder I was using to shorten the split Willys bumpers I was putting on my A100 van got hung up in the cut, the cutting blade shattered and the grinder flew to the floor and cut a huge gash all the way through my shoe. Only a slight cut on my foot. Remembering all the times I did stuff like this in sandals. Bumpers look great, though. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I was an industrial first aid guy in a sawmill when I was young. I've fished sawdust covered digits out of the conveyer before... Fun and games... And lacquer thinner in the eyes will take the macho outta you in about 2 seconds flat, trust me on that.
Many decades ago I had co-worker who was a very proficient amateur auto mechanic who agreed to tune-up my sisters OT "72 Ford Maverick. The pain and suffering that man went through just to remove the spark plugs was incredible. He bloodied every knuckle on every hand in the process, yelling and screaming the whole time. Ford did not allow a reasonable distance between the plugs and the wheel well to insert tools for removing the plugs. I came away from the experience believing the Maverick was a disposable car, never intended to last very long at all.
Always cut a piece of metal that is larger that the finished piece, by a fair amount, when using an English wheel. I am missing a big chunk of my thumb, from where the edge of a soon-to-be oil bag took it off, against the anvil.
Any time you get hurt working on a hot rod, look up, put your hands together, and thank the Lord it's your hot rod and not a Chevy G-van. Not that I have hurt myself much working on them, but after three broken engine bolts in key places, I just watched Craigslist for a better one and bought that. It's the opposite of most vehicles. Working on the rear of the motor is no big deal - but anything involving the front of the engine or the front 4 cylinders makes a proctological exam look almost.. almost.. fun. And when bolts start breaking.... yes, when is the doctor available?
The 3 inch header collector flange that the collector gasket seals to on the H-pipe on my daily driver rotated and fell about a foot and bonked me in the grape, those flanges are sharp, some disinfectant and some butterflying the split on my noggin with tape and I was back to work. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I was building a roll cage and was touching up a fish-mouth on a grinding wheel for a better fit. We used to save those worn out hard grinding wheels for this task. Well, I was working with a short piece of tubing and I slipped, got my middle finger with a v-groove down to the bone. Man, pain and a geyser of blood. I had that wrapped up with gauze and tape for about 2 weeks. Every time I bent, it, oozing blood...
This is not exactly wrenching but one of the most gruesome stories I've heard pertaining to shop equipment that most of us use. I was swapping out my welding gas tank at a local gas supplier. It's about 4 or 5 ft tall and 7" in diameter. I was getting the new tank, when I picked it up by the protective cap and was just going to muscle it over to and into the pickup. A guy on the dock stopped me and said, "Never pick up one of those tanks by the cap unless you checked it and made sure it was screwed all the way on! My boss picked one up like that one day and the top was loosely on. When it came off, he hit himself in the mouth and lost 4 teeth!" Got my attention. I don't even want to imagine how hard that blow would be.
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