My Dad told me that experienced people make less mistakes, but experience is often gained by making mistakes. This worried me at the time, him being an M.D., but I got the point. I thought that it might be a good idea to learn from other peoples mistakes, as well. I'd like to get a thread going here for people to chime in with lessons learned. Remember, the title is wrenching, not wenching. So, the idea is to let others know about working on cars. Some stuff about safety would welcome, too. Maybe we can prevent disasters like the one I am about to describe: Here are a pair of Quadra Jet Carbs. The one on the left has a screw in the center of the base plate. The one on the right has no screw in the center. Beware if you are running an open plenum, usually an after-market, manifold. The car I purchased was running one with a Holley to Q-Jet adapter. When the Q-Jet center screw vibrated loose, it sounded like a jack hammer on high under the hood. No problem pulling over to side of the freeway because the people behind could not see for the smoke. There is not a lot to salvage when a screw hammers into a piston, expanding it enough to seize and break the block. Anyway, there's lesson number one of, I hope, many more.
that sux..but I have known some to loctite on those screws..others brad the screw threads to prevet them from backing out....
Make sure you check your fluids...I was so excited about the first engine I put together by myself that I never put oil in it...and melted it down 5 min after getting it running!!! LOL
Never drill a peice of metal while sitting cross legged on the concrete with the work peice in your lap.... yup, I got my sign....
Don't weld on metal that has a flammable coating on the other side. You know it is nervous work when the car is on jackstands and the fire extinguisher empties without putting out the fire. I made several trips to the sink with my big ass cup till I got the fire out.
I think my biggest is... "Be Patient". Every stupid mistake I've ever made was because I was impatient, and couldn't be bothered to stop and think/get the right tool/clean up the shop.
When changing tires, always make sure the lug nuts are torqued properly before heading down the road.....
I learn from other's mistakes, it cost them hundreds or thousands and I get it for free. The air cleaner nut always goes in my pocket, it cost a buddy a nice running small block MOPAR.
I once worked in a garage and knew a "professional" mechanic with a habit of takin phonecalls while he worked. That habit ended when he inadvertantly sent a customer down the road after a brakejob MINUS one of the front drums..... PAY ATTENTION folks.
Was setting the trans fluid presure on My AOD. The plastic line hit the exaust header & instant fire in the garage. Turned the car off, took off my shirt to snuff it out, wife takes off running, Shirt idea didn't work so grabbed the air hose & that put it out. Next would have been the fire extinguser. Could hardly find my way out of the garage because of the smoke, neighbors were coming over. Now I have a braided steel line on that presure guage.
Double check that you tightened the fuel line. Or triple check. Lug nuts....yeah, make sure they're tight, double check. And when you get a car aligned, first thing you need to do is double check that the alignment guy tightened all the bolts, such as control arm shaft mounting nuts and tie rod end clamps. Check the oil level in the rearend on the car you finally got on the road...even if you're in your 20s and have good memory, you can forget that one. Fortunately I'm old enough that I can't remember many of my hard lessons, although most of them are ingrained in my work habits by now
It took buying a few bolts before I realized that bagging and tagging or having organized bins to place all the small parts after I take them off, but now its a good habit so I don't lose anything. Take pictures of everything down to the smallest parts prior to taking it apart, so you have a visual image of what it should look like when you put it back together. If you are doing an earlier Ford independent front suspension, measure the distance from the bushings flange to the control arm so you don't press them too far. Once they are pressed in too far you have to press them out and get knew ones. If you change the prop shaft angle more than 6º you could damage a lot of things that cost big money. If you don't know what prop shaft angle is, look here: http://www.vibratesoftware.com/html_help/2011/Diagnosis/Propshaft/Propshaft_Angles.htm Mock up your headers in the first 30 days to fit the engine and the car if the engine is larger than the original. If they don't fit you can send them back and maybe get the right fit before you have to pay full price for another set.
Thanks for the laughs and a grim memory or 12...! Uh, don't wash parts with gas and then immediately start grinding.. still don't grow hair on the back of my right hand So excited about new exhaust on the truck, went for a drive to listen to the sweetness of the 'packs and lost a wheel, took out the side of the bed and bent the new pipe.. lugnuts! 6 months later, same truck with new 4:11 posi installed.... yep. Quick trip around the block ended in a phonecall to the wife to bring a jack and some lugnuts. My fragile ego can't bear to share anymore right now...
ALWAYS look at what you have done, and THINK before you start putting things back together. What did you forget?
Test drove a car after a fresh paintjob, totally forgot to install the hood latch. Need I say more? Windshield was spared, but the hinges dug into the cowl some, plus one new pair of undies. The best lessons I've learned are to be patient, use or get the right tools to use, don't work while too tired, don't work too fast. Oh, and wenching while you're wrenching will leave you wretching. In other words, don't jabber while you're working or you'll be sick at the results. The last time I took a cell phone call while working I ended up with eight stitches on my nose.
Thankfully not mine but was fun to watch when installing nitros switch mount it dont just hold it in your hand .When my buddy took his car (with said happy gas)for a quick spin to see how huch more fun he had at the tyres he inadverntly activated the gas mid corner and around and around and around he went full noise full gas into a fence wedged between said fence and a large pole luckily no one was hurt(except his pryde) and relitevely minor damage to car.The best part was it happened across the road from our local hangout(7/11)he still cops shit about it and it happened about 20 yrs ago. Lesson lernt
Be sure the car is not in gear when you use a screwdriver to jump the solenoid. This is especially important if you're standing in front of the car. Ask me how I know this.
I have a lot of folks at work that groan about safety, expecially regulatory stuff. I always like to remind them that the OSHA regs are just a big book of other peoples mistakes... if we can't learn from these mistakes then we are condemed to repeat them. As stupid or as "common sense" as some of those rules may seem... if a rule or regulation exists this means that someone was either hurt or killed for it to be there. With that said... I don't really like OSHA from the standpoint that they are writing a single rule trying to cover everyone which doesn't always work in my opinon. People need to take ownership of their own situations. I agree with a previous poster... thinking back... most mistakes I ever made were due to my impaitence or lack of thinking. Since my job is "safety" I spend the majority of it just trying to get people to stop and think before they do something... that's 95% of the battle. Heck... look at my sig... that's there just to remind me to stop and think.
Wow! I went cruisin' for a couple days and I see all these great posts when I get back. Life is good!
Whenever you think to yourself "this is going to break" or "I am going to get hurt" STOP!! It took me years of breaking things and hurting myself before I finally learned that the voice in my head was wisdom and I was ignoring it. If you just stop and sit back you can always figure out a different, better, safer way to accomplish whatever task you're trying to complete.
When using ether to start a stubborn engine, if it does not start within a few seconds, put the ether can down and back away. And remember, it could have a hole in a piston and be flooded also. Result? Oil pan on ground, cyl head trying to exit block and grass on fire under the vehicle. AND singed eyebrows. And no it was not me and yes it was a flathead six and beer was involved.
One from a car show this weekend.... Scrub Line People! Your transmission drain plug should never be the lowest point on your already lowered car.
if you are pulling fuel lines above your head, go ahead and put some ear plugs in, its not only your eyes you need to protect...it also helps to discharge the line if possible
The Jalopy Journal
