In highschool I got my hands on a 71 Lemans with the Pontiac 350. I scored a set of used headers for $15 and couldn't wait to get them on. I started one day after school and stayed at it until midnight. I had trouble with the oil filter adapter housing.
My dad came downstairs and told me to knock it off for the night. I fired up the old pontiac open headers and cruised it around the side of the house shutting it down half way to coast it to the parking spot (since it was so loud). I parked it and slid the column shift in PARK. I got out of the car and walked about 15 feet away when I heard KABOOOOM! I thought a tree limb had fallen on the car. I ran to the car (in the dark)...but there was no car! I ran DOWN THE HILL in the backyard finally finding the car wedged against the nose of my dad's 64 Jeep. Yep....when I installed the headers I had to bend the shift rod from the column and I didn't verify it would actually go all the way back to park.
I ended up ripping the nose off the pontiac and smashing the jeep. If the jeep had been 3' further back the Lemans would have gone over a culvert into a 12' drop creek!
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The snow drift jump....
Same jeep riding with my g/f in a Kmart parking lot after hours. There had been a snow storm and all the snow was plowed into large piles in the parking lot. I had visions of these white fluffy snow drifts that I could punch through with the jeep sending flurries all around like some kind of postcard image. Against my g/f's protest, I pointed the jeep at the largest pile I could find and nailed it. (this is before seatbelt laws in Michigan). We hit the pile and within a split moment I found myself being pushed into the floor (as the jeep went airborn on the rock hard ice pile). My g/f got pushed into the floor too. As the jeep peeked in the air we both went up and hit the headliner, then came back to the seat and floor. We both bit our toungs, bruised our heads, knees, and had some scrapes. As I came to the jeep was just doing slow circles in the lot.
About a month later my dad was complaining the shocks were blown out on the jeep and had me help him swap them on a saturday afternoon. Low and behold, no only were the shocks blown, but the landing was severe enough to allow the front diff to make contact with the oil pan. My dad couldn't figure out how in the world such a thing would have happened......
I had a '67 Camaro when I was in college, and had the engine rebuilt. After getting the motor re-installed, I was excited to fire it up and test drive it. Well, I had the hood partially open, but still latched, and as I cruised down the street the hood flew open... I'm really glad it was a quiet neighborhood street and no other traffic was around! It really sucked though because the hood never fit right after that, and it used to fit perfect.
I worked my way through college as a mechanic at the local exxon station, Best job I ever had, All the cute girls in school would bring me their cars to fix... One day a girl brought her car in with white smoke pouring from the exhaust, Pulled the plugs later and noticed the trail of antifreeze coming from the cylinder head, blown head gasket. The next day she comes to inspect and get the estimate, she wants proof of the anti freeze. At this time none is visable, so I tell her to watch the side of the motor while I bump it over and she'll see the green liquid come out. Well.... Over night, the cylinder must have filled with anti freeze, and when I bumped the key, shot her straight in the face! Talk about a bad hair day! She wasn't very happy with me for that.
Second is the Dumb A@#$ award. One hot summer, we took my S10 4wd blazer with a TBI 383 out on the beach to cruise around and drink some beverages. After a full day in the sun (and draining the cooler) we decided to leave before the tide traps us out. Almost past the Tidal bridge, the truck just stops dead. No fuel from the injectors, so I pull the fuel line off to check for fuel pressure and it has some. During this process some fuel spills into the throttle body and the truck sputters to life for a few seconds. So, stuck on the beach with the ocean getting closer and the cooler getting lower, I decide that I will sit under the hood and squirt fuel into the throttle body just to get us off the beach before the Atlantic claims my ride. This actually works for about 500 yards! Till the engine backfired! and an inferno ensues! good thing the cooler still had enough water and Ice to put the fire out. Luckily I wasn't hurt (too bad) and the truck was far enough away to be safe for the night. The culprit, Blown fuse....
Brian Hobaugh SCCA National Tour June 2014
First Hemi 'Cuda Convertible Ever Built
Short clips: Goodguys Pleasanton autocross and pit videos
that was the look on my face while I read the story,
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