always visible check to see rubber gasket came "off" with used oil filter (sorry mom circa 1988) - other wise known as double gasket
It's always a good idea, when doing a brake job, to put the brake drum on BEFORE putting the wheel & tire back on. Otherwise, you'll have an extra brake drum when you're finished. Don't ask me how I know this.
A lot good reminders.. I dont think I saw disconect battery when working on the car.. I was putting in brake lines when my wrench hit a terminal. Sparks, melted brake line and brake fluid is flamable! The divit in the wrench reminds me every time I use it.
When you go to get a ignition coil (long round coil) for your car, see if it says "for use with external resistor", to save your self another trip
Also its always a good idea to hook up your fuel line to your carb before turning the car on. Who knew 6.5 PSI pushed that much fuel out in a couple seconds
Tell tire store manager your car has left hand threads on the drivers' side... Tell tire "technician" your car has left hand threads on the drivers' side... Watch tire chimp bust off two studs from your left front wheel with a confused look on his face, while looking at his impact gun.
When bleeding brakes, remember to keep an eye on the master cylinder fluid level and top it up before you pump nice clean air down the line. My excuse is I was distracted by my idiot father telling me there was suddenly no resistance in the pedal after I started the bleeding procedure. I was underneath checking everything until I figured out he had started pumping the clutch. Do not use stupid assistants.
Ouch...sounds like a Mopar. I could never figure out why they used those. Just a headache waiting to happen...
Don't carefully bend and flare your new brakelines and then try to put the fittings on. Won't work... Don't slide both fittings on a new brakeline and then flare the ends and bend it into the correct shape. Two fittings on one end of the brakeline is not useful... Don't put your timinglight into the fanblades to far of a running engine. Makes an annoying distracting noise.
I was going to post this. yes, don't forget the other battery cable. or sometimes its fatigued and rusted and doesn't work.
This is great. It gave me a good chuckle, but it's so true. You will waste a lot of time with uneducated help.
Don't let stupid assistant....toss you the charged capasitor...Also, don't accidently use transmission fluid as brake fluid....cover the carb when working on car so assistant does not drop screw down carb and you have to pull engine....Do you know that if you lay the dipstick down and sand gets on your rag or your...dipstick..that you will be doing a ring and bearing job??
Do not loan out tools. Do not send your wife to the parts store. Do not let your wife send you to the sewing store.
While working in a ford garage,one of the know it all techs tried to rebuild a carb with out taking it of the engin.after dropping a check ball down the carb,he got another ball and finish the job.hard to belive that little ball bearing destroyed the motor,when the jerk took the car for a test drive.only good part of this, it was his owen 64 xl500 ford.
don't be lazy, change your own oil. the morons at the quickie lube will strip your oil pan threads and put in the wrong oil. you can bleed your brakes by yourself easily by attaching a tube to the nipple on the bleed screw and hanging it in a jar of brake fluid. keep pumping the brakes until no more bubbles come out. always double check the new oil filter gasket (screw on type) to be certain it's correct before installing. when jacking up a vehicle, have backup jacks to your backup jacks. park on a hill just in case your starter quits. if your car has no drip molding, and the top of the car is wet, don't roll down the window until you have made at least one turn. if you have an old bumper jack, block your wheels before changing a tire. when driving, leave room for error!
Chock the wheels BEFORE pulling the driveshaft. Amazing how fast you can move when the truck starts rolling.
Square and level is relative. If you don't pay attention, you could be measuring against something that you "think" is symmetrical only to find out it isn't after you cut it. I've got great practice cutting something several times and still be too short.
Maybe OT, but NEVER start a car project in an uncompleted garage/shop! Hammers will fall on the body. Paint will splatter on the car. Drywall dust will get into every opening (including the engine). Ladders will fall against the sheet metal. You will have to move everything in the garage at least twenty times. And... you will lose many small parts you stashed to keep the dust off of them. I'm living proof of these truths.
"??? Please rephrase as I am missing the message." IF you dont put on the lug nuts and forget you didnt put on the lug nuts and return to the vehicle still forgetting you didnt put on the lug nuts you MAY back up the vehicle,turn the steering wheel and have a wheel fall off. That work for ya?
been fighting starter problems on the 265 powered shoebox, had the starter rebuilt, in and out three times back to rebuild shop tested fine, new solinoid and armature. Checked all the power and grounds.......................all it was was a low battery!
i often see cars that look like they were just finished with the tail lights, brake lights and signal lights wired up wrong, must be that last min thing before taking the car on its first run.
Check both ends of your plug wires... My Uncle and I were attempting to restart a 460 after a rebuild, after a retarding the timing considerably we finally got it to start. I've never heard an engine run worse, after a few hours of head scraching we noticed that the left bank plug wires weren't attached to the plugs not our smartest moment.... but we learned that a V8 will run on 4 cyl
Did exactly this 30 years ago! torqued one side and got distracted and forgot the other side was only finger tight. took off down a gravel road only to have a back wheel pass me in the ditch! had to walk out into the field to get my tire and then walk back and find my nuts D) in the gravel. learnt something that day. .
"pump the brakes after a break job" You know this one seems to be a mental block for me....just recently I did the brakes on me wifies kid hauler...as i was bolting the tires on I specifically told myself...."Self, you need to pump the brakes this time so you dont go blastin outta the garage with no brakes." What did I immediatly go do? hop in the truck, fire it up, throw it in reverse and shot outta the garage. Luckly I got the brakes pumped up prior to parking in my neighbors front yard (I have a fairly long drive) even luckyer there wasnt anything behind me... thats the 5th time I've done that in a few years...
The Jalopy Journal
