Stupid Things done while working on a 914., C'mon..... Fess Up! Options

[Andyrew]

We did that one Mike.. lol

asside from bruising myself and some minor cuts.. I was coming in for a break, got a glass and was putting ice in the cup, pushed it a little too hard with my left hand on the dispenser on our fridge, broke the glass, glass cut my thumb to the bone, full thumb wide.. 6 hours later, I saw the doctor.. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/dry.gif)

7 or 8 stitches, I cant remember. (counting the stitch scars on my my hand, looks like 8) Funny thing was, It was right on the joint, I could bend my thumb and see my bone (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/icon8.gif)

Im not a blood person.

[alpha434]

I dunno. But one of the local guys didn't say anything when I hopped under his car with a sawzall and started cutting crap out from under it.

Who did the stupid there?

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/screwy.gif)

[Gary#]

(IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif)
It all started with a broken plastic trunk roller... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/rolleyes.gif)
And a PP search for replacements -
"Update your rear trunks plastic rollers, with our metal rollers and never worry about them wearing out again." Cool (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/cool.gif) simple enough.
Or so I thought. Came apart easy. But putting it back together
was a biotch (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/icon8.gif) I never would have guessed that installing the torsion bar required that much force.
Anyway, I made a tool of of a piece of s/s tubing
and it was working pretty well. I got one side done. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)
When I was doin' the other side I was using all of my strength to
move the torsion bar - the tool slipped - & it hit my thumb so hard
my thumb split open with a nasty gash & then it started to bleed
and bleed. I wrapped a towel around my thumb & finished installing the
metal roller. Never again!!! No wonder they sell "trunk shocks" (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif)
Whoz UP Next - (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smash.gif)

[ClayPerrine]

QUOTE (sk8kat1 @ Mar 23 2006, 12:29 PM)

I too have a sweat pants story car on jackstands ( of course ) I had the rear wheel off welding in the stiffening kit with my legs out in front of me and under the car .. well the sparks from the welder casaded down on to my lap ... through the sweat pants .... well lets just say grilled hootus (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif) ..... only once boys , only once (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

Did exactly the same thing while welding in front sway bar mounts for my wife's (at the time girlfriend's) 914. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif)

Boy.. do those burns take a LONG time to heal. Got lots of sympathy from her though. After all, it was for HER car. (And I have NEVER let her forget it!)

[toon1]

while working on my 914 I alway's thought of how stupid I was to buy the car. But now that it is running i think it wasn't that stupid

[Carl]

Where's that chopstick story when you need it?

[sk8kat1]

.... I plan on doing more work on the teener this weekend lets see what I can come up with after the fact.... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

[John]

One time I had one up on jackstands (nearly a stripped shell), and was attempting to remove an axle shaft from a rear stub axle by pulling on it instead of just removing the whole stub axle (which is what I do now). Anyway, I ended up pulling the tub off of the jackstands with a crash.

Luckily nothing was hurt (especially me), but it was kind of awkward explaining what that loud crash was as I was putting the car back up on the jackstands a few minutes later.....

It's funny how people seem to show up right after performing an act of pure genius.

[alpha434]

So when I was first learning to weld, I had a bad tendency onf setting the welding rod on my leg while I regripped it. I did it once and burned a hole through my crotch. Didn't hit anything. I said "WHOA! Better not do THAT again." Then about half an hour later, I did it again anyway. Burned a hole through my pants and 1/16 inch into my leg. About a quarter inch away from my um... utility tool.

" I jumped up. Clenched my fists. And said WHOA! Better not do that again. And passed out"

[jsteele22]

QUOTE (effutuo101 @ Mar 23 2006, 10:58 AM)

LOL! Nothing that dramatic. When I was moving into a place in Sacramento, I had a fuel injector that was stuck on. I stalled the car and restarted it. I blew a 8 foot flame out the back end. My friend (sitting in the u haul) swears that he thought the car was going to blow! It didn't help that it was 2 in the morning and the guy who lives across the street was CHP watching us move in. Chris

Wow, that suggests a new feature to add to MegaSquirt. Next time some A-hole follows a little too close ....


So anyway, I was doing some work on the steering column and I'm in "the position" : shoulders on the floor, back smashed onto drivers seat, feet stickin' up sorrority-style. The front end is on jack stands, and the car is in gear. Then I realise that the ignition is in the "ON" position. Hey, that doesn't seem very safe. So I reach up and turn the key counter-clockwise. When you're looking at the key from behind, that is not what you want to do. Lets just say I'm glad the engine didn't start up...

[Mike D.]

1) Leamon and I once used a shop vac to suck 10 yr. old gas from the tank of a 73 911. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/blowup.gif) While in the middle of this another friend arrives and yells out "What the F is going on in here!" The whole garage was filled with fumes, and we were probably a little high from it. I guess at that point we were one spark away from a double funural. Not to mention the fact that a shop vac motor probably makes a fair amount of static electricity by it self. I think the fact that the gas in the tank was so old saved us from a Darwin award. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/beer.gif)

2) done the spring thing, too - Boing! whoa!

3) First time I had the engine out and back in. Had rasied the car off the jack stands using two stock jacks. well they don't go high enough so I put cinder blocks under the jacks. While lowering the drivers side the bar jack on the pass. side slides down the post and the vibration caused the block to crack apart and the car basically fell to the ground. no big deal right the wheels were on. WRONG, because I had removed the jack stand but hadn't moved it completely out of the way. On the way down the rocker pannel glances the top putting it in just the right place cram itself into the bottom edge of the rear quarter between the door and wheel well. NICE! Big fat dent right in the crease... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/headbang.gif)

[Dr Evil]

Eagerness and inexperience = FUN! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif)

I was all excited to start my first ever top end refresh on an engine that I purchased. I cranked it and it seemed to want to catch, but it would not start. Checked fuel, checked spart, timing, etc. All good. Tried it again with my frined standing behind the car adn he said that he smelled gas. One more time and.....Whoosh a flaming rag, that I obviously forgot to remove from the HE, shot across my yard at amazing speed (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/smilie_pokal.gif)

To add to this (and futher prove the above statement) I noticed that the oil was draining slowly into the engine when I was filling it. "Must be really sealed up well", i thought in my ignorance. I later found the other rag that I forgot to remove from the oil fill (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/dry.gif)

[Rob K]

I had my totally stripped car (tub) balanced on cinder blocks (4 high) and was sliding my small trailer under it so I could haul it to the paint stipper (media blast the entire car). I had the trailer under the car with the weight now shifted onto the trailer. I began removing the cinder blocks and the because too much weight was on the rear of the trailer, it pivoted backwards on the trailer wheels, lifting the trailer tounge way in the air. It didn't stop until the rear of the 914 crashed into the concrete floor. All it did was bend in the rear sheetmetal where the rear valence mount, and I was able to bend it back out, no problem.

What a dumb ass. Trying to do things without a helper can really get yourself ito trouble.

Rob

[914forme]

My best bone head!

Finished working on a 914 for a customer. Took it out for a shack down run. Driving along with the customer in the passenger seat, we are making a good amount of speed, go around a corner and I hear something rolling from one side of the car to the other. Sound like it was in the cockpit, and had just rolled under my feet, I look down to see what so did the customer. I look up to find my self off roadin' in a 914-6 GT clone plowing through a ditch in farm country Ohio. Doah!!!!

Luckily I only had to redo one rocker panel and rear flare. BTW, the article was in the front trunk, he had a tach in a box of spare parts up front that jumped out and slammed to one side.

BTW, drove it out of the ditch and we keep going, pride a little hurt, but nobody hurt physically.

[Carl]

I haven't had many events with the 914 but there've been a couple with 911's like leaving a paper towel in the engine compartment. The fan sucks those things up and lays them on the engine. Where IS that smoke coming from?

And then there's the typical brain-dead power tool screw-ups like not using the kick-back pawls on the radial arm saw. A chuck of wood flies across the garage and WHAM! Puts a 1" dent in a 2x4 stud. whoops. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/blink.gif)

[iamchappy]

I have three dumb things to share, while I was making a flange for the turbocharger I was using my grinder on the 1/4 steel when I noticed the sparks had started my crotch on fire. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/ohmy.gif)
I was removing my hydraulic trunk lid struts without supporting the lid so it fell on my head. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/wacko.gif)
I cracked my windshield last week while screwing around with the roll cage. (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/mad.gif)

[olav]

This lawn supervisor was out on a sprinkler maintenence job and he started working on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom 7" gangly wrench. Just then, this little apprentice leaned over and said, "You can't work on a Findlay sprinkler head with a Langstrom 7" wrench." Well this infuriated the supervisor, so he went and got Volume 14 of the Kinsley manual, and he reads to him and says, "The Langstrom 7" wrench can be used with the Findlay sprocket." Just then, the little apprentice leaned over and says, "It says sprocket not socket!"

[VaccaRabite]

I descided to restore mine, instead of just loving it how it was till it was gone.

Zach

[Elliot_Cannon]

Had been working on the car for some time. A hot summer day, so I went into the kitchen to get a cold one. Came back out in the garage, walked over to the work bench, sat down my drink and out of the corner of my eye saw what appeared to be a little black car rolling down my driveway. Dropped my drink, ran after the car and just managed to grab the P brake just before the car hit the opposite curb. As Bugs would say "what a maroon"! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/laugh.gif)

Cheers, Elliot

[Joe Ricard]

Back in the early days of 914 ownership.
Having a problem with an intermittent miss. We cleaned the carbs drained the bowls and ended up spilling some gas. got everything back together and cranked it up. never realized one of the plug wires was disconnected. BANG!!!! WTF was that? Welcome to the EXTERNAL combustion engine.

I had to go sit down for awhile till my ears stopped ringing.