Was out driving my 69' VW single cab w/ $72 deluxe engine rebuild today and thinking..."I can't believe it even runs" ..
I read all the posts about how meticulous and perfect and
painstakingly anal (justafiably so!) and expensive some of the engine rebuilds get for cars we REALLY care about and REALLY want do do something special.
Allright then, out of the closet. . you've cut some corners! I know it! Whats the worst thing you've done building / repairing an engine (or car) and had it be either successful or a complete failure.
C'mon. I need to know how I rate.
I'll start:
Built an engine for a 63' VW Ragtop I had- filed the bearings (thrust) to fit the case, honed the cylinders w/ sandpaper, couldn't find a whole set of rings for free so used half new/half used rings, and *gulp * ready for this?
The wristpin bushings were a bit loose so I stuck a couple of the rods in a vice and ovaled them (w/ a 8lb mallot) til the pins fit tight.
That was 9 years ago, the car is still local and RUNNING GREAT!! (yes, same engine I've verified it!)

Okay now you go!
Robert O[/CODE]

Tried a couple things on motor cycle engines but they didn't work. Oh ya, Iwas only 16 at the time.
I seen too many $500 engine rebuilds blow up to consider wasting my money on short cuts, but hey good for you if you can make them work.

Well the worst thing I have ever done was this one time I was at a hotel party in Vegas, so this stripper and her friend start getting frisky with me, so I took them into the bathroom and then the stripper started to O.D. on crack. Well I couldn't have that so I took out my knife and . . . . Oh wait, worst thing I have ever done to my CAR, oh oh oh. Nevermind about that first part then. Um well yeah, this one time I couldn't afford Castrol GT Oil, so I bought Chevron oil. I felt so bad about it though that I got up and broke into Kragen and stole a box of Castrol oil. Then I changed my babies oil at 3am. Then the cops came so I took out my knife and . . . . well I guess that is really relevant to this thread, so in short . . . I put in cheap oil.


-Chris (I think I am soooo funny)

Look that is her on the left





















No, not really.
-Chris

I don't have the tools for compressing piston rings, so I used a piece of wood to get my #4 cylinder together. It runs fine. It'll be fine until the beast goes in there.

The worst thing I have ever done is about 15,000 miles on one load of oil (in the Spitfire). At the end I was chasing a Lotus Elite up the M5 to Birmingham (UK) at about 100 with a 4 speed box and no overdrive. The 1500 Spitfire engine was stroked from 1300, and is quite a long throw engine, so 5000 revs is hard work for it. On the way home the big end bearings gave up, and I had to be towed the last 10 miles.

Haven't really done anything too barbaric really.

Worst thing. At the moment, the worst that comes to mind is my '69 Beetle. I bought this particular Beetle with a locked engine for $50. I took the engine out and proceeded to remove the heads. The brass dump tube for the accellerator pump had fallen down the intake (no big surprise here). It was laying in the bottom of the cylinder and wedged itself between the piston and cylinder. I pulled it out of the top of the piston with a pair of vice grips and used a wood file to file the groves back down on the piston so it would fit in the cylinder again. I then dug out a used cylinder from a stack we had laying arround the garage. Put the thing back together with used gaskets and drove the wheels off of it. The engine never smoked. It was running fine when I pulled for an 1835cc Type 1 engine that I had built. Still got the car and the original engine. The thrust is shot but it otherwise runs fine.

Rick

I used plumbers putty around the spark plug wires where they enter the distributor cap in my '68 Sprite to try to keep the car running when it would rain in Cleveland. Didn't work, nothing could keep that car running in the rain, talk about a fair weather friend.

I used rubber shark to (temporarily) fill the hole in the passenger-side A pillar on my '65 Bug.

When in college I and two friends drove a 65 Impala, to drop off, and a Datsun 2000 roadster to the Oregon coast. We also had a few Annie Gren Spring or was it Boones Farm on the way, so when we got to the coast we were feeling pretty good.
We got into town Lincoln City and the Datsun roadster started cutting out, and then quit.
Jim forgot to secure the battery, so it tipped over and landed on the dist cap cracking it into two pieces and broke the rotor.
Not an easy thing to locate at 3:00am in an Oregon coastal town, or at any hour.
We cruised the main street in the Impala and happened upon a small motel on the main street, and parked right in front was... a Datsun 2000 roadster.
I won't tell you the rest, I think you can figure it out from here. Yes, we did drive the Datsun back to Portland that early morning long ago.
CCLINDATSUN2000

ROFLMAO!

I once used German rivets, instead of OEM, and that "paint for bald guys" in a rubbed out place on my carpet.



M

"One time.... at band camp..."

cool. ...there are OTHER felons here!
Well, I got the cam that's currently in the VW truck I drive around from a mexican guy who didnt speak english, saw him at the local parts place- he saw I was buying a gasket set, said "Ieh Hab BW parts- caimshabt?" then made a "glub glub" like big cam engine sounds, y'know?
I gave him a $20 for it went home and dug around in the dirt for my best 8 lifters.
I got the engine 1/2 together before realizing the gear was bolted on wrong. The one time I HAD to tear it back down- I thought for a bit, but couldn't figure out how to time it with the gear like that... there MUST be a way!
Kicks ass w/ 36 dellortos- Jake's gonna tell me I shoulda had the cam dynamically balanced.
More please.. .
R O

had a hole burned through the center of the piston on my dirt bike.
couldn't afford a new piston, so i used a flat, roundheaded bolt and a big washer from the underside and double nutted it tight.

ran great for another 3 month or so!

finally went to the bike shop and bought a new piston, took the cylinder apart right there at the shop and showed the owner.
(big time german dirt bike guru).

you should have seen the look on his face.
priceless ...

Andy

I used paper towels to keep the intake ports free of debris while I had the manifolds off, then forgot to remove them when I put the carb ass'y back on. It turned over fine but wouldn't start. I was stumped until 4 partially burned paper towels came out the tailpipe, and the engine started right up.

Those last two gave me a good chuckle. Stupidist thing...driving a 1960 empi sportster with no brakes (except ebrake), a non functioning wiring harness (only idiot lites and ignition worked). Did this for...I mean, I still do this to this day, and sometimes even drive it to Indiana for swap meets, ~45mi away. Can you say ticket trap?

Also, took on of the local cops for a ride. He didn't comment on the lack of brakes at the time... But he sat down in the driver's seat, and when he went to get back up, he got stuck, more exactly his ass got wedged between the steering wheel and handle bar (that holds you in) and also got stuck on his gun. I think we all died laughing....

Charles Navarro
LN Engineering
http://www.LNengineering.com
Aircooled Precision Performance

Let's do all of this to one car, on TV.

we could be filthy rich, I'll produce it.



M

Oh man, where would I start...

I've left the oil slinger out on a type 1 rebuild, had to tear it back down to put it in.

Forgot to torque my front wheels on my bug. Doh!

Backed a freshly painted bug into another car.

Just last week I bought a $40 Snap-on M12 twelve-point driver and lost it. Hunted it for two days then found it in my toolbox in the screwdriver drawer, right where I put it. Must of been in a rush and threw it in the first open drawer.

I have so many goofs that you could write a book about it.

no car thread... back to the strippers!

at my bachelor party, i had "bush" beer , a "bush" shot and after that it becomes a blur but i woke up with mustard in my underwear....