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Posted by: r_towle Jun 20 2016, 02:56 PM

OT! So move it if you feel the need.

I laugh more now when thinking of the crazy stuff I did when I was young and broke just to get a car home or repaired.

One night, heading up to go skiing with a buddy, by beetle accel cable broke.
It was super cold, dark and we were in a section of NH that has about ten exits of nothing....so remote.

Thankfully there was a gas station about 2-3 miles ahead.
I put on my winter ski clothes, goggles and all.
I sat sideways on the rear bumper with my hand hugging the upright fan and I drove the carburetor while yelling when to shift etc...

What could go wrong......??

How about you guys?
I have a few more stupid stories that make me wonder why I am still here at all.

Posted by: 2mAn Jun 20 2016, 03:25 PM

My old Jetta Diesel coupe. Ignition switch died, so I hotwired the car to start the fuel pump, car fired to life and I started driving. The keys to the ignition were in my pocket and as I went around a turn the steering locked and stopped turning. Ive never moved so fast in my life.

Same Diesel Coupe. I forgot to torque the wheels down and I had the wrong lugs on the car so they only threaded into the hub maybe 10mm-15mm max. Drove about 80 miles on the freeway and as I exited I heard a weird sound, then made my right turn onto the street and BOOM wheel falls off and I see it rolling past me. I had to chase that thing down. Made a trip to home depot racing and got for bolts of a different pitch and not tapered (no idea where the old lugs were) and used those to temporarily hold the wheel onto the hub. I destroyed that hub, among other things, but I got it to the shop where it got all the correct parts installed.

A common problem on these MK1 watercooled VWs was that when you upgrade the clutch the clutch cable mount breaks and mine did too. I used this old skateboard wheel as a "temp" solution that stayed on the car until I sold it and Im sure its still there

http://smg.photobucket.com/user/2manvr6/media/my%20coupe/P2110027.jpg.html

Im sure there are more, but those were the first ones that came to mind

Said vehicle...
http://smg.photobucket.com/user/2manvr6/media/my%20coupe/small_side.jpg.html

Posted by: cuddyk Jun 20 2016, 09:54 PM

I lived in the Virgin Islands for a while in the 80s before the Internet and FedEx made getting parts easy. I had a Toyota tercel and the hilly roads tore through brake pads down to the rotors. The local dealership was out of replacement pads for at least two weeks, but I still needed to get around...so the 21 year old me decided it was fine to drive the car using the hand brake. With those ridiculously steep roads, it's amazing I'm still alive.

Also...

On the way to my high school prom, the gas pedal on my 1977 Fiat X 1/9 dropped to the floor and wouldn't spring back. The linkage blew apart on the Hutchinson river parkway...with no shoulder to safely do anything. In my tuxedo I macguyvered a spare nut and bolt to secure the cable wearing all black with cars driving at 50 mph around me. Good times.

Posted by: Olympic 1.7 Jun 21 2016, 06:49 AM

going up a big hill, I floored it to get around a pokey driver and after getting by left off the gas only to find it was stuck to the floor. throttle cable had busted. luckily it was early in the morning, I worked nights then, so no traffic. Knowing there was a VW dealer about a mile ahead over the hill I tried to calculate how long to hold on before shutting it down. coasted into the dealership, kind of like landing a glider, you have one shot. didn't have to push at all. then left a note on it and walked five miles to my parents house,

I had pulled off the air cleaner to check things out after I got to the dealership and was pissed that they charged me extra to reconnect the vacuum lines.

Posted by: Olympic 1.7 Jun 21 2016, 07:00 AM

I was having the dreaded fuel pump vapor lock, my pump was in the original location then, and it quit. reached under with a soft drink and ice I purchased and poured it on the fuel pump. got it running again. just trying to get it home, couple miles later it quit again. I noticed a soft drink vending machine across the street. bought one and shook it up real good walking back to the car. aimed it at the fuel pump and popped the top squirting soda all over the fuel pump. that cooled it enough to get me the last couple miles home.

after that I moved the fuel pump to the front and had no more problems with it.



living with ancient Harleys you learn a lot about roadside repairs. if this were a motorcycle forum I could fill pages with stories of getting home on a wing and a prayer.

Posted by: DBCooper Jun 21 2016, 07:02 AM

QUOTE(r_towle @ Jun 20 2016, 01:56 PM)

Posted by: sb914 Jun 21 2016, 07:46 AM

QUOTE(r_towle @ Jun 20 2016, 01:56 PM)

Posted by: altitude411 Jun 21 2016, 07:56 AM

Not really a "get it home story" but... !990 or so just after moving back to Montana from Hawaii. Last day of the hunting season and my "buddy" didn't show up with his 4x4. I was pissed and wasn't going to miss last day of elk hunting so I fired up the six and proceeded to find a suitable canyon I could access with about a foot of fresh snow. After trying a couple of places that I couldn't get to I ended up around Reynolds Pass at a spot called Mile creek. Drove as far as possible towards the foot of the mountain and stuck the six in the snow. Knowing another hunter would surely show up I climbed the mountain and hunted most of the day. Returning to the car stuck in the snow I was amazed that no one had shown up to help... so I applied a little hand throttle and put the six into gear. Tires spinning in the snow I got out and started to push the car from the rear bumper. A little pushing and the car "hooked" up and started across the field towards the highway that was a few hundred yards away. I had been climbing in the snow all day and was pretty exhausted. I barely had enough in the reserve to sprint to the drivers door and get the car back under proper control.
I sat in the drivers seat for a minute laughing and realizing how fuching ridicules it all must look to anyone that may be witnessing this stupidity (God?)
Youth...

Posted by: Darren C Jun 21 2016, 08:21 AM

QUOTE(r_towle @ Jun 20 2016, 09:56 PM)

Posted by: flyer86d Jun 21 2016, 08:43 AM

About six years ago I was working late at the shop and left for home at about 9:30 PM. I had sold my daily driver and had just started to drive a 1982 280 CE that I had taken on trade and was working the bugs out of it. The car had almost 300K on it but it looked good and ran strong. Halfway home on my 40 mile commute, it quit. When I cycled the ignition key, I did not hear the fuel pump or the fuel pump relay click. Fortunately, I had my jumper box, and a couple of long test leads with alligator clip ends in the trunk. The fuel pump is located under the car behind the rear axle on the right hand side. I crawled underneath and tried to power the pump from the jumper box and it ran. So then I ran one test lead thru the drain grommet at the bottom of the rear fender and attached it to the positive terminal on the pump, used the other to ground the negative side, placed the jumper box in the trunk. I connected it up and drove home the remaining 20 miles. I drove it back to work the following morning the same way and fixed it by replacing the power supply wire to the relay.

It gets pretty dark and lonely here in the valley in central Vermont after 9PM so I was glad it worked out.

Charlie

Posted by: Mark Henry Jun 21 2016, 09:33 AM

The shakedown voyage for my freshly restored 1967 bus was a 3700km (2300 mile) trip to PEI and Halifax. Finished putting it back together just 2 days before leaving.

A bunch of minor issues on the way,
I had a rim come loose due to paint in the hole and ruined the lug holes, so I was on the spare.
Top of a carb came loose, lucky it didn't catch fire.
By the time I hit PEI my tie rods were shot, fedex had me complete new rods the next day.
On the start of heading home the shifter rod coupler broke, stuck in 2nd. I asked the wife to search the ditches for some wire, she came back with a paint can handle. it was a total bitch to bend but it did the job.

Leaving the Bay of Fundy, full load, trailer, 65mph, the spare tire totally exploded, lucky that it was on the rear, but still a harry ride.
Had a 125/15 temp spare, had to drive 60 miles to the closest tire shop. They ran out saying they didn't have a tire for the bus, told them to remove the tire from the rim with the bad holes and put it on the blow out rim. The rim was so badly bent we had to take turns with a sledgehammer to it to straighten it out.

Fun trip

Posted by: Amphicar770 Jun 21 2016, 09:43 AM

Had a 1965 T-bird in the mid 1980's. Probably a bad relay but it had a habit of randomly turning off the headlights.

Driving across Route 22 from NJ to PA. My friend Len hanging out the passenger window with a large flashlight.

So close to a Darwin award. Fortunately we are all immortal back in our teens and early twenties!

Posted by: DBCooper Jun 21 2016, 10:40 AM

No wheel, steering with vice grips on the steering shaft. Glad I didn't meet a cop, I'm sure he would have had a very dim view.

Posted by: altitude411 Jun 21 2016, 10:55 AM

Sweeping left hander coming off the Golden Gate Bridge when the driver seat bolts broke free... almost strangled myself with the seat belt. Macgyver wire to get back to the garage

Posted by: ThePaintedMan Jun 21 2016, 11:49 AM

Two years ago was flat towing the 914 to JetsetSurfShop (Shane's) place in Naples, Florida behind my beater 1981 F-100 with super low oil pressure, a slipping transmission and dry-rotted tires. What could go wrong? I made it almost 2 hours out of town and came over a hill when a pothole caused one of the truck's tires to blow, so I was lucky enough to be able to pull into a weigh station several hundred yards ahead of me. I had no spare, but the truck did come with a spare rim in the back. With limited space in the 914 and limited time on a Sunday, I unhooked the 914 and drove it (with no tag) to the nearest WalMart. Had them mount a new tire which was probably worth more than the truck, and I stuffed it back into the 914. Drove back to the truck stop and went to change the tire.... OF COURSE IT WAS THE WRONG LUG PATTERN. Luckily I had no passenger seat in the 914 (race car), so I then stuffed the brand new tire/rim, PLUS the blown out tire/rim in the car and drove back. The guys chuckled at me, and were nice enough to swap them out. Turned a 3 hour drive into a 6 hour drive.

Also drove 4+ hours without a clutch cable on my Mustang in college. It broke as I was leaving to go home for sister's birthday the next day. Luckily my dad taught me to shift without using the clutch when I first started driving. Got it rolling and jammed the car in first, and just timed the lights on the way out of town as well as the 3 small towns along the way until I got all the way home.

FWIW, an appropriately sized socket also comes in handy if you need to reconnect a broken heater hose temporarily.

Posted by: Root_Werks Jun 21 2016, 12:01 PM

1990, had a buddies baja bug we swapped some wheels around on. Took it out to grab some burgers in town. On the freeway he took his foot off the gas when we both saw his front wheel keep going! I remember he stepped on the brakes, the RF corner went down hard, we quickly let off the brakes. We coasted to a stop, tracked down the wheel, noted we forgot to torque both front wheels. Robbed one each from the other wheels, TORQUED and away we went.

Posted by: r_towle Jun 21 2016, 04:06 PM

I once purchased a car for 75 bucks.
Bolted on my plate, not yet in my name.

Made it about 5 miles when the rear axle pulled out of the rear end, and what I see is a wheel rolling by me with an axle sticking out of it as the back of the car drops to the ground, blowing Sparks out the back.....

Plus way too much.

I rolled over to the side of the road, took a look at my situation, pulled the plates and hitch hiked home.

I never will admit to that event, I was never there and it was never technically my car.

Posted by: rdauenhauer Jun 22 2016, 12:17 PM

So this was ...some time ago. Preface: My first "car" was was a 65 Ford F100 pickup. 3 on tree. Big block 352 with a bottom end worn out so being a broke youngster I looked for a cheap replacement eng. & found a sm. blk. 260 out of a Fairlane, dropped it in, oil pan on the X member, chained it down, cheap dual exhaust , it was old ugly & loud but it kept the rain off the ladies, & hauled my bike when necessary

Anyway... come wintertime a couple of my buds & I decide one eve we wanted to go night skiing we piled gear & beer in the bed climb into the cab & away we go. The truck had oversize tires none of which matched and all were bald
As we were climbing Stevens pass its icy as sh*t and I was getting a workout feathering the throttle & working the enormous steer wheel to keep it on road and moving forward. We were maybe .5 way up the pass when I hit a ice patch lost traction & over revved that little V8 which was followed by a loud bang & some very bad noises under hood. We pull over lift the hood to see ..blackness, oil everywhere and HORRIBLE clacking and clanking, as the truck was barely running I grabbed a couple qts of spare oil I had behind the bench seat pour it in & reason with the guys "were .5 way lets go skiing!" we limped it to the pass lot killed the motor downed some beers & went skiing
When we finished we gathered around the truck and in the light of lot lights overhead we could see the carnage ...a large hole in the side of the motor with a rod end poking out.
Considering our plight, we decided to see if it would again start & run, so we canvased the lot begging every driver we encountered for any spare oil they may be carrying. We poured in 3 or 4 qts keyed it and BANG, BOOM, BANG BOOM, 7 cyls fired to live one last time.
It was all down hill so got it home killed it & started looking for the next SB donor mtr.

Posted by: 914_teener Jun 22 2016, 01:45 PM

Here is mine...air cooled.

Got this car back in 72 as the "gas crises" forced me to sell my big block Ford.

Started out as a dual port Type 1 1641 and ended up 2180.

Friend and I started up to Big Bear in January during a big storm to go skiing. Since nothing else mattered except looks and power....( 17 years old is a scary age) we figured that we could make it in my car as it was light enough and handled great in the snow..no chains.

Blithering white out near the top of the mountain and a flat tire on the front during the height of the storm.

I had decided to run a spare...but...NO JACK.

Both of us were able to lift the front end enough to pile some rocks underneath the beam front end of the bug...get the spare on...and hit the powder all be it a little late.

Enjoyed fresh snow all day as nobody else could get up the hill.

Here is the car in 1977.

Posted by: oakdalecurtis Jun 22 2016, 04:55 PM

As a newly elected Councilman in a small rural central California city, I was asked by to bring my '76 teener to drive in the annual city Christmas parade through town. I pulled into the parade line and began slowly idling down the main street route with another Councilman in the passenger seat. We hadn't gone far when a man on the sidewalk approached the side of our little yellow ride and told us we were "leaking water under the car real bad". That's an interesting comment since there is no water onboard a 914 to leak! I opened my door and leaned out to look under the car, only to see gasoline spraying down mid tunnel and rapidly pooling under the car! I quickly told my Council colleague to get out of the car fast! Then I franticly waved to onlookers to create an opening among the sidewalk crowd of people, and drove the still running 914 into a dirt field and shut it off. I left a trail of gasoline on the ground behind the car at least a foot wide as I went toward the field.
After having my 914 towed to my mechanic, as you probably already guessed, the fuel line, under pressure from tank in front to the engine in the rear, decided to split after 30 years, at that opportune moment during the parade. I had the fuel line repaired and all was fine.
I was invited to the city Christmas parade again the following year. When I pulled up in my teener to get in the parade line this time, my Council colleagues were standing nearby on the curb with lighters, flicking them repeatedly and saying they were "ready for me this year!" That's how you know who your friends are in politics!!!! [attachmentid=561084]

Posted by: oakdalecurtis Jun 22 2016, 05:45 PM

Here's another "I can't believe it's true!" (but it is) 914 story. I was traveling out of Modesto on the the main drag, McHenry Boulevard, at about 11 pm on a Saturday night. My 16 year old son was also driving next to my yellow 914 in his new little black Toyota pickup. He was in the curbside lane, and I was in my topless teener in the center lane. As there was no other traffic, we were going side by side at about 60 mph, when a Modesto Police cruiser pulls up to McHenry from a side street on the right, about 200 feet ahead of us. My son braked fast enough to make the right turn next the the officer's cruiser and head away down the side street. Of course I sailed by right in front of the cop in the center lane, unable to do anything. I could see the officer's rooftop lights come on like a Christmas tree in my mirror. I could also see my son traveling away toward home on the side street, waving at me with a satisfied smile on his face. I pulled over under the illumination of the car dealerships on upper McHenry Boulevard. Then I shut off the 2 liter engine of my '76 teener, put my hands on the top the the yellow Momo steering wheel and waited patiently for my inevitable speeding ticket. The officer pulled up behind me, flashing lights ablaze, got out of his car, and slowly walked up beside my knee high 914. I waited for a moment to make eye contact with him, but I could tell out of the corner of my eye that he was eyeballing my street legal go cart with a grin. When we finally actually looked at each other, I'll never forget his EXACT and ONLY nine words: "Just looking for kids Sir, have a nice evening." THAT'S IT! He turned and walked slowly away as I tried to mumble "Thank you officer". He did not ask me for my license, papers, or any questions at all, just that nine word sentence, and then he was gone! When I got home and told my son what had happened, he was pissed, saying the cops would have given HIM a ticket. I said darn straight they would have. A few gray hairs and a cute car can go a long way to ease[attachmentid=561092][attachmentid=561092] the path of life![attachmentid=561092]

Posted by: DBCooper Jun 23 2016, 07:15 AM

City councilman with a 914? And sweet-talkin' cops out of tickets? Total respect. What's odd is that when I was young we avoided Oakdale. One of my long-haired friends at the J-C was hitch-hiking through town when a couple of cowboys sat on him and shaved his head with sheep shears. Then when visiting friends of a girlfriend we went downtown late at night to the only place still selling beer, the H-Bar-B. When we walked in the cowboys all started yelling "HYHAAA!! HYHAAA!!" at us, like when you herd cattle. The long-haired friend put his hand on the knife hanging on his hip, walked right up to the bar, bought a six-pack to go, and we walked out without turning our backs on anyone. Unless you wore a cowboy hat Oakdale was a place you passed through quickly, going to other places.

Funny thing, though. Now I'm back in Modesto after 40 years in other places (the last 25 in Houston, yeah, Stephenville, Cowboy Capitol of the World, right?), and am hearing and seeing nothing but good things about Oakdale. I have some formerly yuppie friends living there and it seems nice now, friendly, even the H-Bar-B. So good job, Mr. 914-owning Councilman, the place has mellowed. Well done.

Posted by: Andyrew Jun 23 2016, 08:24 AM

QUOTE(oakdalecurtis @ Jun 22 2016, 04:45 PM)

Here's another "I can't believe it's true!" (but it is) 914 story. I was traveling out of Modesto on the the main drag, McHenry Boulevard, at about 11 pm on a Saturday night. My 16 year old son was also driving next to my yellow 914 in his new little black Toyota pickup. He was in the curbside lane, and I was in my topless teener in the center lane. As there was no other traffic, we were going side by side at about 60 mph, when a Modesto Police cruiser pulls up to McHenry from a side street on the right, about 200 feet ahead of us. My son braked fast enough to make the right turn next the the officer's cruiser and head away down the side street. Of course I sailed by right in front of the cop in the center lane, unable to do anything. I could see the officer's rooftop lights come on like a Christmas tree in my mirror. I could also see my son traveling away toward home on the side street, waving at me with a satisfied smile on his face. I pulled over under the illumination of the car dealerships on upper McHenry Boulevard. Then I shut off the 2 liter engine of my '76 teener, put my hands on the top the the yellow Momo steering wheel and waited patiently for my inevitable speeding ticket. The officer pulled up behind me, flashing lights ablaze, got out of his car, and slowly walked up beside my knee high 914. I waited for a moment to make eye contact with him, but I could tell out of the corner of my eye that he was eyeballing my street legal go cart with a grin. When we finally actually looked at each other, I'll never forget his EXACT and ONLY nine words: "Just looking for kids Sir, have a nice evening." THAT'S IT! He turned and walked slowly away as I tried to mumble "Thank you officer". He did not ask me for my license, papers, or any questions at all, just that nine word sentence, and then he was gone! When I got home and told my son what had happened, he was pissed, saying the cops would have given HIM a ticket. I said darn straight they would have. A few gray hairs and a cute car can go a long way to ease[attachmentid=561092][attachmentid=561092] the path of life![attachmentid=561092]

Posted by: 2mAn Jun 23 2016, 03:21 PM

didnt think there would be so many 914 owners in Modesto! Im getting married there in 9 days. Bought my Benz on McHenry Blvd from the MB dealership because I was bored while my fiance was at work. I should've been shopping for 914s!

Posted by: DirtyCossack Jun 23 2016, 03:52 PM

While I was working Public Affairs at Ft Sill, OK I used to take VIPs out to the ranges to watch the artillery fire in my 71 Super Beetle (I had off-road suspension components) since it was too much of a pain in the ass to sign out a Humvee or government vehicle. On one occasion the Major I was driving was all about the bug so we took a joy ride on the back trails. Middle of nowhere there's a puff of smoke under the dash; the ignition switch went out. Paper clips, a repurposed toggle switch that powered the radio, some old tape and a Gerber tool mixed with some hillbilly shit my dad taught me and I had a viable fix. Impressed the hell out of that Major.

Posted by: r_towle Jun 24 2016, 12:20 AM

QUOTE(DirtyCossack @ Jun 23 2016, 05:52 PM)

Posted by: bdstone914 Jun 24 2016, 07:02 AM

Back in the 70's I owned a Pinto = POS Ford. Driving from southern Michigan to northern Michigan on a suspended license, cruising on the freeway the car suddenly dies. Found the points broke in two. Michigan state trooper rolls up and offers me a ride to the next town where I got a replacement set. On the ride back he asks if I had a license (did not say a valid one ) so I told him I did. He ran my info and a person of the same name with a different middle initial with the same height, weight, eye and hair color comes back wanted for armed robbery. He starts looking an me really intently. I told him yes I have a suspended license but never did an armed robbery. He says "I don't much like being lied to" and I replied, I did not lie I just did not give you the full truth.
He drops me off at the car and says" I did not see you drive her and I am leaving before you drive away so I have not seen you drive on a suspended license. I suggest you get that license problem fixed. "Yes sir.

Had a good time skiing the rest of the weekend,

Posted by: DirtyCossack Jun 24 2016, 11:32 AM

QUOTE(r_towle @ Jun 24 2016, 01:20 AM)

QUOTE(DirtyCossack @ Jun 23 2016, 05:52 PM)

While I was working Public Affairs at Ft Sill, OK I used to take VIPs out to the ranges to watch the artillery fire in my 71 Super Beetle (I had off-road suspension components) since it was too much of a pain in the ass to sign out a Humvee or government vehicle. On one occasion the Major I was driving was all about the bug so we took a joy ride on the back trails. Middle of nowhere there's a puff of smoke under the dash; the ignition switch went out. Paper clips, a repurposed toggle switch that powered the radio, some old tape and a Gerber tool mixed with some hillbilly shit my dad taught me and I had a viable fix. Impressed the hell out of that Major.

Gerber tool and hillbilly shit?

Posted by: r_towle Jun 24 2016, 09:06 PM