Stupid things us car guys have done

[Vegas69]

My dad had a 87 Jeep Comanche I believe with a manual transmission. Those little trucks would rip around pretty good with the 4.0 straight six. My poor dad agreed to let me take it out on the town for the evening. As you can imagine, the burn outs and high rpm clutch drops started not far from the house. I was having a ball until I heard a distinct TINK. Hmmmm, what was that. I took off in 1st gear and about every 10 yards the truck would hop.

I get home. "Dad, I was driving along and the truck started making a funny noise and hopping." He said, "Ah bull**** or something to that degree." He jumped in and I watched as he took off up the road. Sure enough, he made it about 10 yards before the rear tire HOPPED. He came back and I figured I had it coming. To my surprise, the old man said the rear end was getting loose anyway and he wasn't surprised. HA I got away with one! I believe I broke the spider gears.

My grandma has a 1976 Oldsmobile 88 I believe. It was a big old boat with a 455. It would just float down the road and drink about a gallon of gas per mile. I borrowed it one night for a hot date! This baby had a back seat any young buck coveted. Big and plush! Well, that night I took my date out to a county park out in the Iowa country. I convinced her to hop in the backseat to get a little more comfortable. We were hot and heavy and I look up and to my surprise, here comes the park ranger. He knocked on the window, "The park closes at 10 PM." Without hesitation I said, "Well then, I still have 10 minutes." He said, "You're right, be out of here by 10!" I wasn't the only grandson to borrow Grandma's car over the years.

[572Camaro]

With great risk, I must share..,
Think early 1970’s..,
I was 14, Pinto owner was too young to drive.
I took out my dad’s Massey diesel tractor, hooked up the disc and harrow, and made a full go kart track on a full eight acres.
I was sporting a five horse Briggs and Stratton go cart with a magnesium butterfly wheel. Total go cart budget was $100. It smoked really bad because I installed the oil ring upside down. But it ran like hell because of gears.
So anyway, I am hot lapping the cart on a plowed field track, and out of nowhere comes this brown 4-speed Pinto.
We are now racing in a dirt field!
It took the Pinto only two laps to catch up when I broke a rear axle.
Pinto slammed the brakes.
I ducked.
I literally saw the underside of one brown Pinto.

[zz430droptop67rs]

One of the first places I actually got paid to turn wrenches was a import shop. (about 1973) I was supposed to replace the timing belt for regular maintenance on an Alpha Romeo. It was a SOHC motor. I said to myself this is a piece of cake, as the front cover was easy.

I bumped it over until the crank timing mark was right on. I proceed to loosen the tensioner and remove the belt. Only then I did notice the cam mark was 180 out. No problem I thought, I'll just take my 1/2 breaker bar the turn the cam so it lined up. Well, it bent every valve. My boss had explain to the customer why it came in running fine and now it was hammered. Ended up eating the whole thing, parts and labor.

In the mid 1990's. I was a line tech at a Cadillac dealer. They use a vacuum diaphram on the the E-brake pedal so it will release when it gets put into gear. It's a very common failure when they go bad.

The young lot girl that brings cars into the shop came in a said she couldn't get the car to move. There is manual release lever up under the dash for just that reason. I went out to the lot and saw the car in question. I noticed it was running. She just put it into drive and came to get help. Didn't bother to put it back in park. I got under the dash and pulled the lever. That's when the car took off with me running along side trying to hit the brakes. The scraped knee was better than the alternative...it was heading broadside right for the service manager's car on a downhill slope.

She felt so bad she brought me in 2 cases Corona.

[CarlC]

Originally Posted by 572Camaro

At the age of 17, I took my girlfriend to the high school prom in my 1968 Camaro.......

Me too. Finished putting new front seat covers on that afternoon.

Second car was a 1971 el Camino that my dad made some kind of trade for. Every engine part was some kind of awful aftermarket POS that was installed by a gorilla. It had the nasty green interior with the horrid smell that came with many not well taken care of GM cars from that era. In 11th grade driving from school to work and home was 11 miles, and it used a quart of oil. While driving my mom somewhere one day the engine wiring harness caught on fire. I'm an ignorant teenager, but the only thought that came to mind was yank the battery cable. Fortunately it was loose enough that it came off and the fire stopped. I spent the next month going to Pick A Part and taking home enough parts to turn the entire engine compartment back to stock. I learned a lot on that car.

Todd, I too had similar run-in's with the Park Rangers, but the el Camino had a different "back seat." It was especially nice when backed up to a San Fernando Valley overlook point on a summer night. Worked great for the Winnetka Drive In Theater too.

Gretchen R, and my future girlfriend Lynette N were in Alice L's blue 1965 Mustang. My buddy Phil and I were in the Camaro when it was still a 327/2bbl/PG monster. Coming back from lunch we lined up at a stop light and let 'em rip. Oh how embarrassing to not only have the Mustang pull away, but then I lock up the crappy drum brakes, spin the car, and end up pointed the wrong way in the next intersection.

Took a girl to the beach in the Camaro for a nice day and picnic. On the way back the engine starts running pretty badly, like really bad. My friend Chris and I had just put a cam in the car, but being now the ripe ages of 17 and my dad hating changing a car from stock, there was a significant mound of ignorance working against me and the resultant valve spring binding issue. The pushrods on two cylinders broke, but I managed to remove them and drive the car home (using the same set of Craftsman tools that I bought new and still use today.) Had to leave the car for a few weeks before I had enough money to work on it, but inside the car now smelled like something died. Summer picnic leftovers left in the trunk went really rank. Mmmmm, two-week old fried chicken......

Like many, our parents may have had some kind of discussion about drinking and driving. Mine basically said "Don't do it or else!" There was one defining time when I should not have been behind the wheel. It was really dumb. Later, I thought back about why I did it and what I should have done. When my two boys came of driving age, I told them something that I wish my parents had said in a calm and rational way:

If you get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence and get caught and/or hurt someone, there will be a very high price to pay. Not just from me, but for what you will go through legally, financially, and perhaps morally, especially if you hurt or kill others.
If you are ever in a situation where you even think you or others you're with should not drive, just call.
It does not matter where you are, what time it is, or the circumstances. Just call.
I will come and take you, and your friends, to where you need to go with no judgements or questions asked. It will be like it never happened.
Just call.

[fleetus macmullitz]

I’ll keep this short and unsweet. Bought used Honda Civic in late 70’s to save gas. Sewing machine motor seizes up on way home...lol

[BMR Sales]

Originally Posted by BMR Sales

I think the Statute of Limits still applies so I will take the 5th!

OK, one I can tell. On a Date using my parents Station Wagon. Driving Cindy home she started getting "Frisky", I got distracted and took out a Row of Mail Boxes. Broke every window on the passenger side and I was lucky I didn't get any damage to my "Unit"

[Vegas69]

Originally Posted by CarlC

Me too. Finished putting new front seat covers on that afternoon.

Second car was a 1971 el Camino that my dad made some kind of trade for. Every engine part was some kind of awful aftermarket POS that was installed by a gorilla. It had the nasty green interior with the horrid smell that came with many not well taken care of GM cars from that era. In 11th grade driving from school to work and home was 11 miles, and it used a quart of oil. While driving my mom somewhere one day the engine wiring harness caught on fire. I'm an ignorant teenager, but the only thought that came to mind was yank the battery cable. Fortunately it was loose enough that it came off and the fire stopped. I spent the next month going to Pick A Part and taking home enough parts to turn the entire engine compartment back to stock. I learned a lot on that car.

Todd, I too had similar run-in's with the Park Rangers, but the el Camino had a different "back seat." It was especially nice when backed up to a San Fernando Valley overlook point on a summer night. Worked great for the Winnetka Drive In Theater too.

Gretchen R, and my future girlfriend Lynette N were in Alice L's blue 1965 Mustang. My buddy Phil and I were in the Camaro when it was still a 327/2bbl/PG monster. Coming back from lunch we lined up at a stop light and let 'em rip. Oh how embarrassing to not only have the Mustang pull away, but then I lock up the crappy drum brakes, spin the car, and end up pointed the wrong way in the next intersection.

Took a girl to the beach in the Camaro for a nice day and picnic. On the way back the engine starts running pretty badly, like really bad. My friend Chris and I had just put a cam in the car, but being now the ripe ages of 17 and my dad hating changing a car from stock, there was a significant mound of ignorance working against me and the resultant valve spring binding issue. The pushrods on two cylinders broke, but I managed to remove them and drive the car home (using the same set of Craftsman tools that I bought new and still use today.) Had to leave the car for a few weeks before I had enough money to work on it, but inside the car now smelled like something died. Summer picnic leftovers left in the trunk went really rank. Mmmmm, two-week old fried chicken......

Like many, our parents may have had some kind of discussion about drinking and driving. Mine basically said "Don't do it or else!" There was one defining time when I should not have been behind the wheel. It was really dumb. Later, I thought back about why I did it and what I should have done. When my two boys came of driving age, I told them something that I wish my parents had said in a calm and rational way:

If you get behind the wheel of a car while under the influence and get caught and/or hurt someone, there will be a very high price to pay. Not just from me, but for what you will go through legally, financially, and perhaps morally, especially if you hurt or kill others.
If you are ever in a situation where you even think you or others you're with should not drive, just call.
It does not matter where you are, what time it is, or the circumstances. Just call.
I will come and take you, and your friends, to where you need to go with no judgements or questions asked. It will be like it never happened.
Just call.

Have they called? ha

[ADY]

Originally Posted by anguilla1980

You don't have to lie to hang hahaha

Understand calling BS on this, but did it on a long downhill straight and definitely was 'floaty' after the bump as 90's Acura Legend's weren't exactly built for speed.