Never Tighten Oil Pan Bolts With The Flywheel Cover Off!!!!

When I was a kid there was the Worlds Greatest Mechanic living up the road from me. At least that what's he said he was. But anyway, he taught me a couple of things that I still remember:

Rule #1: Respect your engine and it's associated spinning things.
Rule #2: A loose bolt will still be loose when you walk around and shut the engine off. It can wait.
Rule #3: Exhaust pipes are hot. Really hot.
Rule #4: The radiator cap says "don't open hot" for a reason.
Rule #5: When starting the engine make sure all tools are away from the engine. See rules #1 and #2 for further clarification.

He'd repeat at least one of these rules each time we were working on a car. Then he'd show me his mangled hands, one of which had two fingers that were much shorter than they were originally.