S*** damn it!!

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K.O. SWINGER

K.O. SWINGER

Meeting in the alley since 1976
Joined
Nov 18, 2010
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So hey, we all like to talk about our successes but what about that time it just all goes wrong you twerk it just a little to much your measurements aren't quite perfect, or it takes three times longer than you suspected or maybe you broke the very last part on the planet LOL. Let it out maybe you'll feel better.
 
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Been there. done that! I can't tell you how many tools & parts have sailed across my work area because "I" screwed something up.
 
Right there with you Demonracer...and got the t-shirt too.
There's been too many broken carburetor mounting studs and bolts that required drilling out or an easyout.
But the crowning glory was years ago when I broke the block in my '60 340 Swinger while trying to break loose the crank dampener bolt to do a cam change. The hardest part was then having to explain to my wife why I needed a new engine block.
 
ocdart said:
Right there with you Demonracer...and got the t-shirt too.
There's been too many broken carburetor mounting studs and bolts that required drilling out or an easyout.
But the crowning glory was years ago when I broke the block in my '60 340 Swinger while trying to break loose the crank dampener bolt to do a cam change. The hardest part was then having to explain to my wife why I needed a new engine block.
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Yeah that sucks!
 
Well I could go on for a while but I'll start out with my latest, last night in preparation of installing my new bees stripe on the back of my freshly painted 340 swinger I strategically and carefully put all of my points of reference down lined up everything carefully and prepared to apply the first stripe on the driver's side I was going relatively good then as a squeegee began then A crease right down the center, dry spot I guess I could not get it out are you kidding me? :mad:$90 down the drain now I'm trying to pull a decal off of a fresh paint job geez, I got it without damaging the paint.
 
How about jumping into a project without knowing how much of a pain it was gonna be?

Bought a 65 valiant with a /6 with the simple intent of getting it running, rolling and stopping for my son to drive around. I completely failed to understand the extent of the floor damage and the differences that make the early A's a challenge. Thought the /6 was "fixable", tried, even replaced the head. Locked up a bunch of valves. Pretty sure I messed up the rocker shaft install. Regroup, buy a 5.9, a 904, then realize headers are WAY expensive... ugh... go with 273 manifolds. Fast forward, two years later and we're almost to the point of it running, rolling and stopping.... and it's cost me more than the car did to begin with. We both joke around and ***** about it, and at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade it for anything. he's gone from not knowing how to change a tire, to welding the floor in and being able to drop the engine/trans/k-frame in a few hours alone. As much as i wish we'd bought a different car, the experience has been priceless and I doubt he'll sell the car, ever. I hope he keeps it and some day has the time to do it all "right" and continues to enjoy it.
 
Sublime one said:
Bent and flared brake line this weekend and yep. Nut is still on bench, I did not slide it on before putting my flare tool to work.
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Oh yeah I get it! Back a long time ago when I was first getting into this I just got done bolting my high rise intake manifold all up which on a small block Mopar sometimes can be an end wrench show on the inside bolts I stepped back to it look upon the aluminum beauty and notice the two China Wall gaskets sitting on the bench.
 
Speaking of intakes, an very young acquaintance called about sealing up the intake on his 318. He already had the intake off & was worried about gasket scrapings in the ports & in the lifter galley. I told him to put rags in the ports & heavy aluminum foil In the galley, tucking it under the heads. Later that evening he called again & said now it ran horrible & at times wouldn't run at all. Saturday morning I go over & we pull the intake. Lo & behold, rag fragments in the ports, aluminum foil in the galley. I looked at him, shook my head & said "It's time for you to go to work while being supervised". LMAO
 
Sublime one said:
Bent and flared brake line this weekend and yep. Nut is still on bench, I did not slide it on before putting my flare tool to work.
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Back in Time said:
Been there more than once. You would think I would learn.
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I've done that also...

Haha.jpg
 
I put together an amazing 70 Challenger 440 six pack clone .Plum Crazy Purple full rotisserie nut and bolt rebuild. First car cruise completely done. I stop at a red light and notice smoke coming up along side the car?? I open the door and look under and its transmission fluid leaking all over the brand new TTI exhaust and under carriage!!! I pull off the road and call a buddy with a trailer to come rescue me.
It looked like a simple front pump seal had failed in the B&M transmission. So I pull the car in the garage and spent a week after work tearing it apart and cleaning and detailing the under carriage including the exhaust which had stained from the fluid burning on it. I had it completely done on Friday night ready for the weekend cruises.

I fire the car up and begin to fill the transmission with fluid and it starts leaking immediately. I'm like "WTF?" but I'm also highly pissed off and proceed to get in the car and I rev the engine pretty hard AND PUT THE FAN RIGHT INTO THE BRAND NEW RADIATOR!!!! Now I have to pull the tranny again and the radiator!!!! I had to close the garage and walk away before something else bad happened!!!!!

Turns out after having the transmission looked at and torn apart the problem was actually the weld on the stub shaft of the torque convertor!!! Brand new B&M torque convertor which ran out of warranty in the box waiting for the car to be finished. I was a lot more hot headed when I was younger and have learned to be patient and think before doing something stupid but man has my patience been put to the test at times!!!
 
I can easily be my own worst enemy lol..... The pinnacle of self destruction for me (lol) was not properly cleaning an intake I Bead blasted for my Buick grand national. Working a ton of OT, limited time to get things done, and needing to get the motor back in the car and running. Yep, beads got in the motor and the rest was history. Beat myself up pretty good over that one lol. The only sunshine in that deal was I found a low mileage totalled GN chassis with the complete motor and was a good piece....

Live and learn,
JW
 
Hooked my open trailer up to my dually, put in the wire connector and get ready to load the car for the races. The car goes up the ramps and gets the front wheels on the bed, when..... the back of the trailer falls to the ground, the front tips up into the sky. Yep, set the trailer on the ball, cranked up the trailer jack, and forgot to latch and lock the trailer on the ball.
Worse, i got stupid, and took my foot off the brake, to let the car roll back. Oops. When i took my foot off the brake, the trailer slides out from under the front tires, and t-bones
the tailgate.
Well, at least I'll never be stupid enough to do THAT again! Right.......? (Wanna bet?)
 
K.O. SWINGER said:
Well I could go on for a while but I'll start out with my latest, last night in preparation of installing my new bees stripe on the back of my freshly painted 340 swinger I strategically and carefully put all of my points of reference down lined up everything carefully and prepared to apply the first stripe on the driver's side I was going relatively good then as a squeegee began then A crease right down the center, dry spot I guess I could not get it out are you kidding me? :mad:$90 down the drain now I'm trying to pull a decal off of a fresh paint job geez, I got it without damaging the paint.
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I was afraid of doing the exact same thing on my Dart
I wound up absolutely soaking the stripe and the car put it on slid it into place and used a hair dryer
 
Fresh 360 roller motor to go into my '66 wagon- it's a cruiser, so the wife wants to keep power steering (oh, boy...). So after trying every conceivable manifold (didn't want headers in this one) on the driver's side- magnum, 340 hipo, 360 A, etc. to no avail, I decide that the 273 logs are the only ones that will work. But those ports! Out comes the die grinder and the burrs, and I hog it out as much as I dare. Bolt it on, looks good... start tightening up the bolts and hear a "tink". Pull it back off, and the (now much thinner because of grinding) manifold is cracked! Huh? Why? Closer inspection reveals that the 308 heads don't clear the manifold's curved "down leg" because of the extended mating surface below the #7 port. Well, a little judicious grinding at the bottom edge of the pad should take care of that. Grind, test fit, grind, test fit... wait, what's that? A hole?? Put smoke to it, and sure enough, smoke comes out the t-stat. **@#!! Water jacket!
So, in a matter of an hour, I trashed an exhaust manifold that I spent hours and hours porting, a freshly rebuilt 308 head, my ego and my wallet.
 
Oh yes, I've been down this road a time or three. Way back in the day I became the owner of a 67 Dart GT for peanuts. It had a bad timing chain, so I pulled the engine and replaced it. Unfortunately, at that time in my young live I had zero automotive skills, no FSM, no help, and no clue. The car goes back together and I'm stunned when it runs OK. I drive it from LA to Tucson and back, getting within 50 miles of home when I hear this (first soft then real loud) hammering from under the hood. I'm trying to limp the car up the offramp to see what's going on when it gives up the ghost about half way up. Thank goodness I work for a towing company so one of my buddies comes to get me. When home it appears the #5 rod is supposed to stay inside the block, but this one was making its bid for freedom.

Further research reveals that when I put the engine back in the car, I forgot one tiny wire that I couldn't figure out where it went. So who's to worry? It's just a wire, how important could it be? Hey, Mr. Genius. maybe re-connecting the wire to the oil pressure sending unit might let you know AHEAD OF TIME that you have an oil leak, and no pressure, and you just welded your rotating assembly to the block. Duh... :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead:
 
Bolting the passenger header on my freshly built 360, tightening down the nut on the back stud when the famous "tink". Wasn't even at recommended torque yet so I guess the shop dropped the head and cracked the stud. Drilled a center hole and started the easy out. Tink. S**t! Bought a carbide bit, drilled out the easy out and retapped the hole. Now I've got and antifreeze leak. Stud comes out, red loctite and finally the problem is solved.
 
Many years ago I had to swap out the blown engine in my old truck. I already had the new motor hanging on the chain falls in the shop ready to go.

Now in the dead of a Canadian winter I had to get the old truck which was frozen in the muck out behind the shed and moved into the garage. Well that damn truck was good and stuck! It took both my old chev plow truck 4x4 with chains on all 4 wheels and the neighbors tractor to drag it through the field to the garage. All 4 wheels were stuck and the damn thing just dragged! Finally when it was close I unhooked and used the plow truck to push it down the slight incline that lead into my shop. It was still not rolling but I figured I could use the come along to pull it the rest of the way in later, after I got a coffee from the house.

I walk over and just as I open the house door I hear a loud CREAK! I turn just in time to see the damn truck rolling happily on its own right into the open garage and watch the tail of the new motor/tranny going through the windshield!

I just turned around and went in for that coffee.
 
msaund69 said:
Many years ago I had to swap out the blown engine in my old truck. I already had the new motor hanging on the chain falls in the shop ready to go.

Now in the dead of a Canadian winter I had to get the old truck which was frozen in the muck out behind the shed and moved into the garage. Well that damn truck was good and stuck! It took both my old chev plow truck 4x4 with chains on all 4 wheels and the neighbors tractor to drag it through the field to the garage. All 4 wheels were stuck and the damn thing just dragged! Finally when it was close I unhooked and used the plow truck to push it down the slight incline that lead into my shop. It was still not rolling but I figured I could use the come along to pull it the rest of the way in later, after I got a coffee from the house.

I walk over and just as I open the house door I hear a loud CREAK! I turn just in time to see the damn truck rolling happily on its own right into the open garage and watch the tail of the new motor/tranny going through the windshield!

I just turned around and went in for that coffee.
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So it's going to be one of those days:mad:
 
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