Worst wrenching experience

[fredintoon]

Fred that is some serious redneck engineering!
John

Hi John,
that's when the need to ride trumps decades of engineering training and experience.
What IS a great idea is putting a triprail on the front edge of a workbench to stop things rolling off it.
Shoulda done it sooner.

[trbig]

Worst wrenching experience for me? Using my time, tools, spare parts, and fuel to help someone get their bike going, only to have them turn around and sell the bike.

[Phoenix Rider]

I think the worst sinking feeling I have ever had with my XS was when I was removing the exhaust that had been on there forever. It went from being tight to, oh there it goes, to the bolt snapping off in the head. Then to make matters worse was me drilling out the bolt and having the easy out snap off inside. Out of all the things I have had happen, that had to be the worst.

Wayne

[Yard Dogg]

That's cause for an azz woopin. My most memorable moment was this time in high school when I built a Volkswagen Rabbit. I was working a crappy part time job and had moved in with my dad which was 25 miles away from school so I was pressed for time to finish my motor during spring break. I rebuilt the entire engine in a few days. I installed a Porsche 944 head, a huge pinto carb and performance cam. The mistake was made wen received pistons which were supposed to be pressed pin, except they didn't press, just slid in and out. Being in a hurry, my dad got the bright idea to cut grooves into the pins so we could use circlips. We got the motor together an it ran for about 2 weeks. This MF would do 60 miles an hour in 2nd gear and I as eating up Camaro Berlinettas, Hondas, and everything I could. One morning I was late for school so I ate up the freeway at 120 miles an hour. It was a 4 speed so it was probably turning 8 - 9K RPM. All of a sudden the cab filled up with smoke and I smoked out all 4 lanes on the freeway. That thing blew sky high when the piston keeper came out and shredded the block. It was awesome, of course I was upset.

[Rasputin]

I decided one night to let my oil drain on a Ford 289 in a 66 Fairlane while I went in and had supper. The motor had less than 100 miles on it and I had spent about 2700 bucks on all the pretty parts. This was a lot of years ago, basically when the first roller cams came out.
My buddy came over and I said I would be done in a few minutes and to hang tough till I finished supper and I would add the oil and we would start it up.
Dumbass went out and poured 4 quarts of oil in and decided to start it up while I was still eating.
You have no idea of how fast you can run until something like this happens!!!
All the oil he added was drained into the drain pan under the motor as the oil plug was sitting on the fender well the whole time. I was one unhappy dude.
Still makes me sick thinking about that brand new motor with all the money I spent only lasting 2000 miles.

[barrelguy]

Third time smart

alternator change, Ford Escape.

Tightening a fan belt on girlfriend's Volvo:

1st Use ratchet handle to provide tension. Slips. Smash end of finger on bolt.
Much colourful language.

2nd Try again. Smash same end of finger on same bolt. Much more colourful
language, accompanied with much jumping around.

3rd Go to garage to get appropriate pry bar. Much quieter.

[BA80]

........being it's a Yamaha motor would be the good part.....

Escape has a Mazda engine.

[motoman]

alternator change, Ford Escape.

........being it's a Yamaha motor would be the good part.....

[skids]

Stupid autocorrect function. You know what I meant...

[skids]

LoHo! Eighty-tighty lefty-loosey. 8-)

[ViperRon]

None of the above apply to me but after having my company van serviced in a Ford dealership I had to take off in a snow storm. In the middle of nowhere low on gas no phone I had a flat. One by one all the studs snapped off trying to take the wheel off because they had been over torqued . That last snap put a sense of fear in me.

[skids]

It is hanging on my garage wall like a trophy tuna fish!

[Yard Dogg]

Those blown up gas tanks can make a real nice café headlight fairing and rear fender.

[jwhughes3]

Fred that is some serious redneck engineering!

John

[fredintoon]

Years ago I was working on a 650 Triumph engine and the flywheel & crankshaft assembly rolled off the workbench and landed on the concrete floor.
Crack!
The sound of a new moon shaped chunk breaking off the rim of the central cast iron flywheel.
Ground the rough edges off the break, drilled a hole at 180º to the damage to retain a semblance of balance and reassembled the bike. Didn't vibrate any worse afterwards either.
Ever since then my workbench has a 3/4" square hardwood rail woodscrewed to it's front edge.