Hot Rods The stupidest thing I did in the garage.

I used to have an Olds 442 that leaked oil, bad rear main seal. I pulled into the driveway one day with low oil. I knew I had to add oil before I drove it again. But I decided to drive my other car for a while. About a week later, I got in it to go somewhere, forgetting about the low oil. It was winter and I was gunning it to warm it up faster. After a few blips of the accelerator the engine seized up. Oh well, the old gal needed a rebuild anyway. Had to have the crank turned, the bearing welded itself to it. Called myself some very appropriate names that day..

 

my neighbour came over with a front brake calliper mount with one of the sliding pins stuck in it.. he wanted me to help him take it out. So we clamped the pin in the vise and I had the torch on where the pin was to put some heat to it. My neighbour was moving the caliper mount back and forth to work it out at the same time. Suddenly the darn think came out like a bullet and hit my neighbour right in the middle of the forehead. BOOM!!!!!! ended up at the hospital with 11 stiches. quite the scare... we laughed at it later.

 

Yep

 

My best friend as a little kid did the very same thing to his fathers freshly painted 32 three window more than 50 years ago.Amazing thing......his fathers still alive,and still owns the three window.

 

And the kid's still alive!

 

Working after hours for cash "dealer prepping" new Mopars for the dealership. Well mopars were shipped with the optional chrome strips that went around the wheel openings in the trunk and we had to drill the holes and put the chrome trim on.
Holes all drilled and squatting down beside the wheel opening installing the tiny screws, that hold the trim on the body, with a phillips screwdriver. A couple are at the top of the wheel opening and you had to hold the screwdriver pointing straight up toward the ceiling and press real hard on the bottom of the screwdriver to hold it in place ........................... screwdriver popped out of the screw ............ and the next thing I remember was laying on my back with blood running in my eyes and a SCREWDRIVER STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF MY FOREHEAD.

Wasn't too bad until I yanked the screwdriver out then the blood started really running. A quick trip to the ER for xray but the perfect Cross + in the middle of my forehead couldn't be stitched.

This was when Charlie Manson was on trial and carved a Swastika in his forehead so until I left for the USMC I was always called Chuck or Manson by my ever so kind co-workers.

 

Changed from standard distributor to mag on my Model A. Forgot that oilpressure sender was removed, also to be changed out...... Did not connect a kill switch yet on the mag. Got in to the car just to click starter to move the engine..... of course it started on first click, sending a massive oilshower right up the ceiling and down, in panic it took awhile before i could ground the magneto with a screwdriver. Took me a full day to sanitize me , the car+my Charger and the entire garage

 

I was in the shop at work and my uncle and I were changing rear rotors on a one ton truck. On this truck, you needed to pull the axle out. Being smart, I placed a drain pan under the axle to catch any gear lube dripping out. Of course the mounting brackets for the brake pads were fused to the bolts so out came the torch. A rag catches a spark and lights up. I throw the rag out of the way and as fate would have it, the rag goes into drain pan. Now, the drain pan is on fire. Luckily it was snowing outside. Open the shop door to kick the pan outside into the snow. At this point, my boss walks into the shop. I kick the drain pan, I miss, and my foot goes into the flaming drain pan. Now I have a flaming right foot and leg. Drag the pan outside, bury my leg in the snow, and out goes the fire. Kick a little snow into the drain pan and all is well. Come back in and my boss is just shaking his head and leaves. To this day, I have no idea what my boss actually wanted. My uncle is sitting on a chair shaking his head expressing his disappointment.

 

These two had me laughing out loud.

 

After reading all these posts, you guys have no idea how glad I am to know I'm not the only one that does stuff like this.

 

Many years ago. Cleaning the carb on a running engine. Grabbed the can of carb cleaner and it was empty so I grabbed a can of Brake clean. Very nearly killed myself from the fumes from the Chlorine gas smoke coming out the exhaust. I couldn't breathe at all for at least a minute even after running out the door into the fresh air. That's the closest I ever came to cashing in while working on a car.

 

I was working on a carb of a running engine, set the breather on the radiator/ core support. Went to grab the breather to put it back on the carb and as my fingers went under the breather, I found the fan blade! I can't be the only one who has done this.....

 

Do not look at this thread : https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/dont-try-to-manipulate-hemis-by-yourself.989819/

or this post : https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum...le-while-working-on-it.1121355/#post-12730301

 

I just did it only a little over a month ago! Removing the rear spring on my 32 coupe. Unbolted the U-bolts and then set up the spring spreader to remove the shackles. Forgetting I already removed the nuts from the U-bolts. As it all came falling out it broke my finger. Dumb ass!

 

Not necessarily the stupidest, but the most recent.
I was cleaning my driveway with the snowthrower. All the sudden it started running rough. I figured it sucked up a chunk of grit out of the gas tank and stuck in the carb. So I got it into the shop and took the carb off, tore it down, and soaked it overnight.
The next day I pull the carb parts out of the cleaner. I go to blow the ports and passages out with a rubber tip air nozzle. I forgot that the needle and seat on these small carbs, that the seats are just pressed in. All I hear is POP!....Bing....Bing.....Bing. Well, there goes the seat! Sigh.
I didn’t even bother to look for a small brass seat as the floor in my 24x28’ shop is nowhere near clean. I just walked inside and ordered a new carb for $20. Cleaning snow with a shovel gets old fast when you’re my age.

 

About 50 years ago building my first rod (a T Bucket ) the pitman arm hung straight down and looked real crappy so I put it straight up and it looked alot better. Well that's the day learned about steering. So i thought to myself any DUMB ASS can drive it like that, All you have to is turn left if you wana go right. Well that's the I learned about coordination. That's also the day I bought a new garage door. Wasn't funny at the time but I get good laugh out of it when I think about it now.

 

Picked up a single sided razor blade to cut some gasket material. Proceeded to cut the gasket but had the razor blade facing the wrong way!
Cut the tip of my finger wide open and I yelled at the razor blade like it was it's fault.. Duh!

 

Several through the years, but the ones that hurt I tend to remember. 1966 building a T Bucket, had purchased a 283/powerglide/driveshaft.rear end from a 57 chevy at my local speed shop (junkyard) I was chiseling the rear leaf spring brackets off, BFH and chisel, I was holding rear end still with left leg/foot, housing up on jack stands and swinging away, got first one off , on second one I was getting tired, should have stopped but was just about done, well............... miss hit chisel and smacked myself in my left ankle big time, trip to ER minor surgery, ankle pain for years, some still when cold. All my life I have learned, on occasion the hard way. Another one we all learn, Pay Attention ! where is that wrench/ratchet going if bolt breaks, slips off. I worked in a shop all my life, still have all my fingers, both eyes and best advice I got when young apprentice Tool & Die Maker. Stop, Think, You need all them fingers, they all have a purpose, this from RJ Tack, crabby old journeyman, great mentor, him missing a few digits.

 

In our own shop - as a teenager used a concrete block to support the rear axle while doing a pineapple can repair on the exhaust of my 65 plymouth. I had the foresight to throw the rear wheel which I also had off, under the car. It had me trapped pretty good, I had to get my brother to jack up the car to get out. Once watched my buddy use a pipe, tightened in the vice, styrofoam cup and acetylene from the torch to put a tennis ball out the window and through the plywood side of a forage wagon out in the yard- that made quite an impression. Still learning everyday, still have all my digits.

 

This thread got me thinking/remembering some adventures of being a shop owner for 36 years. When you hire young men wanting to come into the trade, you have to watch them closely as a percentage don't have an ounce of common sense, though I hired experienced journeyman that were just as bad, none of this type of employee lasted in my shop, I believe it's true, You Can't Fix Stupid. One young man sawed his thumb off using the bandsaw, another drilled a hole through his hand using a drill press, we repaired dies, sometimes difficult to get old bolts out, had an impact air tool for this. an adult journeyman decides to use a pipe for leverage pulling toward himself, I see, I yell, Stop, too late, bolt broke, pipe hits him in head, blood all over, he recovered fine, he left my shop in a few months, as the years went by I got better at hiring and firing, Experience, can't buy it, it's learned/earned in Everything

 

I discovered that it’s way easier to line up a c4 if you forget the torque converter on the bench, but you get a hell of an atf leak!


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I've done that enough times to almost not consider it stupid anymore! Or put the fitting on, and make a flare, then bend it to shape and realize the fitting is behind the bend! Crap!

 

In 1975, a friend was helping my buddy put his 65 Mustang drag car back together, and since he was unemployed at the time, was working on it while the owner was at work. The 289 was back together, so he's thinking I'll drop it in! But first, a little heathen devil weed... So gets the engine up in the air with the chain fall on the A-frame, rolls the car ahead, ties up the headers - time for a little break for a little more smoky inspiration... Starts lowering it in, just not fitting right, headers are off, wtf.. Stands back and gives it the evil eye, then- he realizes he's looking at the flywheel

 

And both fittings the same way...

 

In the late 60's my former roommate opened a gas station in Johnstown PA. When I visited him a few months later he told me in the first 6 months he had hired 21 kids and fired 13 of them.

 

Fan blade caught the end of the little finger and sliced through the next longways. Six hours of surgery and they had pins through both fingers longways with about half an inch sticking out on both. Those damned pins will run into stuff and make you cry.

 

I’ve NEVER done dumb stuff in my shop.

 

Just about need a thread of what to do to avoid blowing yourself up haha. For me, always always wear a glove on your left hand if you're right handed. Why? That's the hand you hold things with while using power tools. Thankfully have all my fingers but have had plenty of cuts burns and scrapes on that poor left hand.

 

Over my life time I have had some dandys. Blew up a battery in my face once, set a tractor on fire while I was welding on it. Started a tractor with the bleed plug out of the transmission and pumped 12 gallons of hyd oil on the floor, the list goes on. Top on my list, because it happened just a month ago is most painful to talk about. Notice on the picture below the branding irons hanging on the wall and the electrical outlet just above and to the left of them. below all that stuff is my 56 f100 project truck. I tapped into that outlet for a LED wall pack I was installing outside the shop. While pulling the wire though the wall I managed to knock the largest branding iron off the wall. It proceeded to land on the hood of the truck which was in the bed for safe keeping. Resulting in a nice dent that I am going to have to deal with. I am most embarrased about that one.
B

 

I've pulled some stunts over the years but the absolute stupidest thing I have probably done was in the mid 70's in Texas when I worked in a Ryder truck rental shop. I was changing the oil in a Semi and had started pumping the oil in it with the pump system and about that time they hollered at me to make a parts run. When I got back there was oil all over the floor and way too many quarts in the crank case. I shut the pump off, used way too much oil dry to soak up the oil and drained who knows how many gallons of fresh oil out of the engine until I got it to the right level. Crazy thing was that no one ever said anything about it.

A couple of years earlier I found out that you do not just jerk on an air hose on a reel and let go and let the hose roll up after the hose end hit a windshield and I bought a windshield for a customer where I was working before.