What are te nastiest conditions you've ever wrenched in?

Worked for a Cat dealer in the '70s. worked outside puttin Scrapers together with a windchill of 52 below

 

I bought a '59 Merc in East L.A. [Watts] fifteen years ago, it had set in a guys backyard for quite a few years. Something smelled really bad, as I was trying to winch it from its resting place. Seemed every teenager in the neighborhood came by either to watch, or make 'Crazy Honkie' comments. The smell got worse, and I realized there was a dead German Shepherd beneath the car. I had already paid the old guy for the car, so I continued loading it.

I was glad to be out of there when I was done.

---John

 

Atlantic City Nj...Feb auto flea market in the 90s. Colder'n a witches tit in a bass bra Snowing like hell, gale force winds. I had to trudge 4 blocks to Pep Boys for a starter motor and back. Then lay on my back in the public parking lot and change it. It was a 54 Willys P/U on a shortened Suburban 3/4 ton 4X4 chassis so no jack was necessary. The attendant let me warm up for a few minutes in his booth. I only made it half way home before I got a room in Camden. What a miserable night that was. It was snowing so hard that I could not see the road when I threw in the towel. Drove the rest of the way home in bright sunny skies the next morning.

 

Watts is no where near East L.A.

 

My dad said he had to put air in his tires...and it was uphill both ways.

 

I had to put air in my tires while my ex-girlfriend screamed at me.

 

In the mid 1980s I went to a concert in Los Angeles and broke down in the worst possible area on the way home. I was trying to fix my car (coil came loose and broke a wire) while a group of crackheads were attempting to steal my tools. My girlfriend was locked in the car terrified and I literally had to work with one hand while swinging a tire iron to keep them away with the other! No cell phones back then and cops didn't bother patrolling that area anyway. It was straight out of a movie.

 

Thanks for the correction! I must be getting two different trips confused.

---John

 

Sounds like someone I know.... Coming dear!
Gotta go...

 

Started out as freezing rain, then turned to snow. Laying under the vehicle my body melted what I thought was solid ground & my back fell into a tire rut full of water & ice slush under the snow. Leaving me soaked to the bone & freezing. Decided it didn't need to be finished right then, so I came back the next day.

 

Had to change the alternator in my van on a 110+ degree day outside of Sedona Az. with nary and inch of shade in sight while my wife waited across the street in a air conditioned Mexican restaurant drinking Margaritas sandwiched between two dudes.

 

The worst had to be lying under my S10 cutting the exhaust off with just a hacksaw blade (no handle) when it began to snow. It had failed MD inspection so it had to done that weekend.

 

What Frigate? Rast or chock and chains?

 

When I was a kid in high shool a friend's Dad bought him a '69 BBC/4 speed camaro. That car was the Shnit.

I asked my Dad for help & he said "buy whatever you can afford" - Thankx Pops.

I found a '68 ford torino SCJ 428/4 speed bench seat car. The engine had expired but was still in the engine bay. I bought the car for $250.00 & drug it home.

I found a replacement FE (390) and replaced it in the street out front of our house (cause my pops said the driveway was his not mine). It was winter in Mass. Got to love it. I had a sears floor jack that I would drag out of the basement each afternoon after school to get it finished.

Yes I drove that car to school. It would fry the back tires right off the rims even with the dosile 390.

I still remember how cold my wrenches felt & have the scars from when I'd hit some part of the engine doing the install. I also remember pulling the tranny out a few times by laying on the cold ground & pulling the trans onto my stomach then rolling it over on to the ground.

Those were the days .... that I hope I won't have to endure ever again!

 

Indoors in a heated bodyshop, had to change front bumper and lower valance on a car that came in, slide under the front of the car and see big chunks of bloody hair, had to m ove some of around to get to all the bolts, fucking disgusting, figure it was a coon or cat or something cause it was gray hair. change out the parts stay away from the mess, power wash the underside, done. Couple hours later a cop stops by and wants to finish the investigation on the car that ran over some guy, drug him over a mile jammed under the car. I almost puked

 

Not as bad as some of you guys have had it but here's my story:

I had a 68 Ford pick up with a straight 6 in it. I was driving from Memphis to Little Rock in a the rain. My engine starts missing and loosing power. There was so much room under the hood with that straight 6 and no electronics or emissions stuff, that I was able to climb into the engine bay, put my feet on the ground and partially pull the hood down over me to keep the rain off as I worked.

I found two of the rockers were not getting oil and had worn down to nothing. There was a plate on the side of the engine that could be removed to access the push rods and lifters. I removed them and drove for about another hour to Little Rock on just 4 cylinders.

 

Freak snow storm March 2012 in western Washington. Got called about a HMMWV stuck in a puddle of mud up to the bottom of the door's with a blown transfercase cooler line. No way to get a Wrecker down to it. Held breath dove in found a pocket or air next to the trans and the still warm Exhaust and drive train heated the water a little. Replaced the rubber hose pulled the branch out that tore it filled with tranny fluid and drove it out. Wanted to smack the guy who was out puddle jumping with it. Instead I strpped down to my skivvies and told my Boss I was going home to shower.

 

Worked in a shop that the owner got some crappy guard dogs that he let out into the shop every night. They crapped all over the floor. It is no fun, first thing in the morning sliding under a car that had been on jacks all night and hitting a big pile of dog poop with your head. The whole place smelled like dog poop and wizz. I do not stay there long.

 

Rebuilt a clutch slave cylinder in an SUV on the beach miles from anywhere with minimal tools. Had to improvise. Everyone else there had no mechnical aptitude and too many beers to be of any help.

 

Replacing hyd. hoses on Cat 651 scraper in 105 degree heat and the machine had run for 18 hrs. The oil temp is about 300 degrees.

Lee

 

a couple years ago I bought a 96 F-250 with a powerstroke...the next day I drove it 400 miles to Aberdeen, WA to deliver my old Model A couple at the dock to be shipped to the new owner in Australia. I had broke my wrist, so had a cast on my left hand. Sitting at the dock idling, the air pump pulley bearing exploded also taking out the belt. It was POURING rain. I had to drive my coupe into town and find an air pump, belt, then go somewhere else to have the pulley removed off the old one and installed on the new one. I had to keep a plastic shopping bag over my cast to keep grease from getting all over it. Changed it, and I was soaked!!! But it all worked and in reality only set me back two hours or so.

 

along with garbage trucks
I drove wreckers since 1965 and still have 1

 

Bonneville working on the carb with the wind blowing salt everywhere including my eyes and of course the carb. That stuff is really bad news. Finally gave up until i could move indoors and finished the carb in the trailer. Next morning put it on the car and went 30 mph faster so I must have done something right. Would do it all again in a heart beat. Not even the taste of salt would stop me. Might stop the engine but not me.
Dan

 

In Colo Spgs, 1979, lying under my 64 Impala, at 10 pm, installing snow chains in about 8 inches of snow, after several rounds of Jack and Coke. What was I thinking? A nice police officer was kind enough to help out by shining his spotlight under my car for me. He thought I was just freezing to death.....didn't notice I was drunk as a bicycle.

 

Had to shovel 3 feet deep 18 feet long 4 feet of snow to change a transmission in my daily driver sucked wasn't that bad after I qas under the car in a snow bank actually was kinda warm laying on a blanket

Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app

 

Just a couple weeks ago, it just won't stop snowing here in MN, and my garage floor gets covered with ice.
I was laying down under there doing work on my rear end and my sweatshirt literally froze to the ground I had to peel it up off the ice!

 

This year being stationed in South Korea wrenching on Fighter jets in -5 degree snow this past winter (with lots of wind) and now that its warming up I'm missing the cold, Because these Banana Spiders are everywhere and they are creepy and fast! I miss sunny Arizona...Korea is terrible.



Creepiest Video ever this happens here a lot :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7skCdp5oTIE

 

I grew up in Ohio, wrenching on stuff in the winter just to keep it running for work. But that doesn't compare to my adopted home. Wyoming. On drilling rigs. I have seen it snow every month of the year here. We pulled a rig out of the yard this past couple weeks, 65 semi loads worth, and got like 2 feet of snow. Twice. And no shutting down for inclement weather gents. Hell no! Get that rig together! All in all though, I wouldn't trade my job for another. It's all good on payday

 

I'm a Florida boy and my son too,always,but there was a time my son an I had to put a new axle under a trailer up in new england on thanksgiving weekend,it was snowing 28* and yes we we're frezing our butts off

 

Worked out of this old abandoned railroad shop for 10 years no heat or running water and the floor was saturated with grease had to spread lime on the floor to keep your clothes a little cleaner.