Stupid Human Tricks (Long Story Shortened)

[hotrodmtodd]

So a guy in MD needed some TH400 column shift linkage out of my Special Camper...... So I sent it to him because I am in the process of swapping to a SM465. Needed to move the truck, so I fired it up, tested the parking brake, worked fine, crawled under, clicked the tranny into R..... Noticed the rocker panel moving over my head, jumped up to hop inside, smashed into the OPEN door.... ran around the door, hopped in and tried unsuccessfully to use the un-hooked-up clutch pedal for a brake pedal (in the dark)..... by this time, I'm headed downhill..... finally found the ACTUAL brake pedal, stomped on it, locked up the wheels..... by THIS time, I'm in MUD........unintentionally used my '97 S-10 for a guardrail (only thing between me and a long plunge to the horse farm below).....did I mention that I had JUST dropped the tailgate to be able to fit under the camper (reason for the move)......used the S-10 for a chock while I crawled BACK under and clicked into D (family was watching TV, didn't hear the crash OR the screams for assistance), tried to pull away from the S-10 (remember that MUD?) smoked the tires to the point where you could not see ANY of my 2800 sq ft log house AT ALL, finally got traction pulled back up on the flat and started all over again. (this time I listened for the E-brake to click!) Lost a tail-light lense and created some minor body work on the '71 RR bed panel. Flattened the bumper on the S-10 a little (oh well) Escaped with my life, a bruised ego, and 2 miraculously unscathed tailgates. Yes, I already know I'm a moron......

[TNChevyMan]

Under a moving truck huh? It could have been worse; at least you’re not dead. Unfortunately I can say I've also trusted the parking brake a few times as well.

[shifty]

I trusted it too...and my truck pinned my girlfriend's arm between one of my deck supports and the door.

She didn't like that so much

[Robert1970C20rstbukt]

At least you didn't get run over! Hey there's a bunch of knots tied in the parking brake cable on my truck to make it work, and I'll admit it's a lot cheaper than paying 350 bucks to replace the two worn out rear brake drums for that HO52 rear...........

[_Dick_]

Is this goin to be a movie also ???

glad your not hurt

[stllookn]

I have done some equally questionable things...like disabling the neutral start switch and starting the engine from under the hood (yes it was in gear!). Leaving a truck in gear while trouble shooting a clogged tranny filter...eventually they push enough fluid past the screen to move! I am alive to laugh about these misfortunes but I have three associates that are not! I am much more careful now. The last guy got trapped under a '57 body on a rotisserie when it rotated unexpectedly!

Now I try not to work alone and try not to do stupid human tricks! It helps to bring these up from time because we can't possibly live long enough to make all the mistakes ourselves!

[LUV2XCLR8]

This is the reason I have the "E-BRAKE DELETE" option on my rig

[hotrodmtodd]

I must have installed my BRAIN DELETE option that night. I think I get so used to doing stuff myself, that I almost feel TOO comfortable doing it, because I ALWAYS make sure to try and do even the shaky things safely. I think I got SO fixated on getting that thing under the camper before the rain came, that I didn't notice that the E-brake wasn't clicking on the little safety cogs when I pushed it to the floor, knowing full well that I had noticed it a while back, and didn't elevate it higher on my to-fix list. In the flying world, we call that task fixation, you get so caught up in wondering why the landing gear light is on, even though you can see it's down, that you forget about just flying the airplane, and run out of gas, or worse yet, smack into the side of a mountain. I am LIVING proof that the Big Man looks out for you. Thanks for sharing my story with me, Mike

[truckdude239]

wow the good lord was watching for u.

[Palf70Step]

I stand on the 5th amendment...................many times.

Glad you are OK.

[70rs/ss]

I had a similar "accident", well I use that word but I intentionally did what got me in trouble. I was under my 70 Camaro and was jacking with something under the car and bumped something (auto trans linkage I found out later) anyways I though nothing of it until the car fell off of the jackstands and landed on my chest. I have a 52" chest and there isn't that much room under the low sitting Camaro, needless to say a trip to the emergency and 6 seperated ribs (not broken just pulled out of the sternum) later. I still do stupid ish that will probably catch up to me again, but glad to hear you are alive to tell the story, as am I!

[hotrodmtodd]

Bill: Us PA guys think we're invincible sometimes I guess, huh?
70rs: That sounds a LOT more painful than my bruised ego, glad you are around to tell the story.

[muddyole 69]

both of you guys are lucky indeed lost a friend to the same thing as 70 under his moms car to do a quickie repair no jackstand seal in the jack let go he left behind a wife and 3 little 2- 5 yrs old kids makes you think glad you fellas are still ok later Mike

[86swb]

Glad to also hear you came out OK. I got up one morning back in '72 and went outside to where I had a '56 Chevy we were working on. Being young and "stupid", I jumped into the car and decided to leave some black marks on our driveway. A friend and I had installed a hot little 327 under the hood so could not wait to spen the tires. I did alright. Put the muncie four speed into revirse, popped the clutch and man did I smoke the tires. Then I hit the brake and nothing. I had no brakes. Like a fool, I open the door and tried to stop the car by draging my foot on the ground. (can you believe that?) I had my '66 Chevelle in the drive way behind me a ways and that and the window air conditiner is what stopped me. I took the window air off the house and tore up the front bumper, grill on the '66. I had forgot we took off the power brake booster the day before. Needless to say, my wife was not too happy about that. I think I woke up with some dead brain cells that morning. Well that was one of my many stupie attacks. I had the rear bumper off of the '56 at the time so you I do not have to tell you how the back of the car looked. but man did it ever leave those "stupid" black marks. (wife was not happy about that eather) But we now have been married for a little over 41 years. I made the mistake of telling my friends about trying to stop by dragging my foot and for the longest time they called me ?HOT FOOT"