How you got burned, or what expensive mistakes you've made

[ronh72c10]

I was inspired by a recent thread (TH400 Tailshaft differences? ) to start this topic in hopes that it might go into the faq to help people avoid common (or uncommon mistakes) you've made putting vehicles together, parts differences, etc.

Here's what I learned today. TH400 trannys come with at least two different kinds of tailshafts, the slip yoke kind and the bolt on kind. The bolt on kind of tailshaft will accept a slip on yoke but the yoke won't go all the way into the tranny because the splines aren't cut as deep. Thus messing up your driveshaft length and maybe leaving you without enough of the splines engaged when the suspension is at full droop.

Bring it on, some thoughts of things that might have burned others, short and long water pump related accessories, carb differences, headers...

[chickenwing]

Biggest thing comes to mind is just throwin good money away after bad. Sometimes you gotta take a step back and realize it's just cheaper in the long run to buy a new part.

Current example: Been trying to fix my windshield washer pump. Bought a rebuild kit for like $6-$7 bucks. Pump worked but leaked. Went junkyardin to find another ($4) and another ($4). Still have no working pump and I could bought a new one for $29 at Chevyland. Time saved and gas spent, ya know?

[rodstored-72]

yes, i follow that same sentiment..i am currently rebuilding my front suspension on my 72 1/2 ton. i thought about buying the a-arms & such from lmc. then like a knucklehead i double guessed my self & thought aawww i can find a-arm in junkyard, powdercoat, & just buy the shafts from lmc. well after 2 wks looking on the boards for some good a-arms (w/o luck) i finally found a junkyard that had them, but it was 1 hr. away. lesson: the arms were $45 each, powdercoat about $60 (give or take) plus the shafts. i should've just bought the lmc stuff & been done with it in a week or so. ohhwell i guess for my first time of doing anything like this you just chalk it up as a lesson & move on!! i also didn't count the day i spent knockin' everything off the arms to get them clean to take to the coater..
hope this might help or give some a few good laughs!!
rodstored-72

[Robert1970C20rstbukt]

LOL, same thing here. I've went through 6 different washer pumps, all used. The original worked, then the next time I tried it, nothing. Then I got 5 from the J-yard, none of 'em worked. I got 'em for free(no I didn't steal 'em), so I basically just wasted time. 30 bucks for a new one doesn't sound too bad though.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Dad bought an 83 firebird with a "rebuilt" chevy 350 in it. Guy swore by it (you know the story, RUNS GREAT!). The car was crap. We bought it for a parts car for another 'bird. I figured I'd slap that "rebuilt" motor in my 67. All of the wiring was either cut out or ripped out, the engine was minus a carb and all the "front" accessories. Goin on the guys word I pulled the motor and put it in my truck with a 700R4 trans. Took off the pan and valve covers, top end looked a little dirty for a rebuild, but everything looked good. Bought all the extra parts and fired it up. It ran awesome. Had a mild cam in it. Idled perfect. No engine noise at all. Shut her down and finished all the little things. Fired it back up, sounded great, took it down the road, didn't even get it up to 50mph when the bottom end blew out. Started knockin like a SOB. Saved up enough cash a year later to put in a crate motor. We pulled the pan and there was bearings and journals everywhere and one hell of a seized up crankshaft. Still have no idea to this day what exactly caused it. We did not have an oil pressure gage (it does now) but I think the oil pump was the culprit. I am also guilty of buying cheaper/inferior parts or "just what I need at the time" parts which ended up costing more because they broke several more times or the "other parts" wore out around it.

[Sillyoldman]

I bought a couple used OEM outer grilles. Then I decided they were not good enough. I did'nt want to spend the chunk of change for a new one.

[StingRay]

I bought a partially restored truck that looked really good in primer. It's amazing what can be hidden under primer, bondo and undercoating. I figure I got a bout a third of what I spent in actual usable parts.

[jamis]

Originally Posted by StingRay

I bought a partially restored truck that looked really good in primer. It's amazing what can be hidden under primer, bondo and undercoating. I figure I got a bout a third of what I spent in actual usable parts.

we must have shopped at the same store

[72MARIO]

Bought a totally rotten truck and built a show truck out of it. $20,000 and still going.

[old Rusty C10]

Originally Posted by ronh72c10

I was inspired by a recent thread (TH400 Tailshaft differences? ) to start this topic in hopes that it might go into the faq to help people avoid common (or uncommon mistakes) you've made putting vehicles together, parts differences, etc.

Here's what I learned today. TH400 trannys come with at least two different kinds of tailshafts, the slip yoke kind and the bolt on kind. The bolt on kind of tailshaft will accept a slip on yoke but the yoke won't go all the way into the tranny because the splines aren't cut as deep. Thus messing up your driveshaft length and maybe leaving you without enough of the splines engaged when the suspension is at full droop.

Bring it on, some thoughts of things that might have burned others, short and long water pump related accessories, carb differences, headers...

In addition there are electric and gear driven speedos on these transmissions and if you try to just put he gear in the electric speedo it wont work. theonly way is to swap out the shafts inside the transmission to convert one ot the other and you cant swap tailshafts either if you have a short and need long without disassmbling the whole trans to swap the shafts

[LUV2XCLR8]

See the link in my sig "THE GARAGE QUEEN" enough said

[Russell]

The thing that burned me the worst was when I went to guy and buy a divorced 205 t-case for my truck. I had no idea what exactly I was buying, so I posted a wanted ad on a forum in hopes that someone had one. I wound up with a really expensive S-10 transfercase that was "missing it's input". The guy told me that he'd ship me the input knuckle, driveshafts etc, and led me on for a good 3 months, telling me he was outta town then me seeing him IN town etc until he finally said that he did not have a divorced 205, nor was he having any intentions making good on it and giving me the correct case.

Dirty peice of crap then blocked me in all ways, and took off. However, I know his IP, so I hunt him down online, and get him banned from all sorts of forums where he tries to sell his hot goods. He cost me a few hundred -- By now I have cost him thousands. He has called me to threaten me several times, I simply tell him to gimme the D-205, or my money and he'll never hear from me again, then hang up.

If he comes up here, I will not hesitate to put him in the hospital.

[ronh72c10]

Sigh, same here, the first 72 I bought I was able to salvage the tranny and engine, not much else.

Originally Posted by jamis

we must have shopped at the same store

[Eddie H.]

The most expensive lessons I've had were buying various used parts at swap meets and taking the seller at his word, without carefully inspecting them. Maybe I'm just stupid because since I always try to be truthful in all my dealings, I just expect other people to be honest as well.

[wanted]

I bought a Ford once!

[GMC AMI]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Bought all the extra parts and fired it up. It ran awesome. Had a mild cam in it. Idled perfect. No engine noise at all. Shut her down and finished all the little things. Fired it back up, sounded great, took it down the road, didn't even get it up to 50mph when the bottom end blew out. Started knockin like a SOB.

A lesson in the school of HARD KNOCKS, When ever I try to use a used engine I first pull the pan and do a bearing clearance check! I also went to that School.

[68C15]

I said to a girl friend "do you want to move in together?"
it all has went down hill from there. we now have a house I dont like, and a dog which does nothing more than crap & pee in the yard.

[Lemield]

Originally Posted by 68C15

I said to a girl friend "do you want to move in together?"
it all has went down hill from there. we now have a house I dont like, and a dog which does nothing more than crap & pee in the yard.

Been there....done that.

[sweet n rare67]

I bought my M21 off of evil bay and by the time the shipping company had dropped it a couple of times the crappy crate it was in had managed to hold up just enough that the tailshaft housing had a 3" chunk busted clean out around one of the linkage bolt holes....fortunately didnt cost me too much to fix it. Even though I was in the process of movin from iowa and UPS wouldnt deal with my case......other than that....I paid $800 for a truck that was beat...really beat....it is a black hole....and if i didnt enjoy it so much it would probably really suck.

['68OrangeSunshine]

I spent about $500 -- including the junkyard power steering gear, pump and hoses (out of a '69 C/1500 panel truck) -- to put power steering in "old White Fang" my '67 K/10 Sub. PO had somehow 'appalachian-engineered' a 454 BBC into it, and it would haul. Turns were more problematic, since it was nose heavy. I knew nothing about PS, and especially didn't know that '67 was more like the '65 model year than the later models, what with the power- assisted slave cylinders and stuff. (This was all in the dark ages before this board.) With a lot of hacking and spacing we made it fit. Unfortunately, it wouldn't turn worth a damn. I had to make an illegal left hand U-turn from the middle lane if I wanted to land in the far lane on the opposite side. Or make 3 rights. Steering geometry was way off. Also the hydraulics having nowhere purposeful to go, started to work the driver's side spring perches loose with combined force and leaky hydraulic fluid, as well as break a few 1/2" grade-8 bolts. After replacing about the 3rd, 1/2" bolt, I decided to go back to manual steering. Well, that didn't go too well either -- since we'd cut the original drag link and spliced it short, so I had to buy a new one. I also patched the crack in the manual Saginaw gear box case w/JB Weld. That rig never did steer right after that. I covered the steering wheel w/ 1/2" I.D. foam pipe insulation ["donkey d!ck"] so I could slap that 16.5" wheel around in Armstrong mode w/o bruising my palms. And it only cost me another
$300 to make the change from PS to manual.

[71cadc10]

Recently paid good money $800 for a rebuilt short block 509 Caddy motor.
Drove 6 hours to get it. Looked it over real good, was rebuild no question. Bottom end looked good. ARP studs installed in the mains.

Get home disassemble the bottom to check clearances for sure, main bearings are all crap. Motor has only 1000 miles or less on it. Did some reading on ARP's site - when installing main studs you must align hone the mains afterwards. Called the guy up to ask if this was done, uhhh can't remember.
So off to the machine shop after total disassembly, another set of bearings, lots of time --- $800 short block became $1100 pretty quick.

Lesson: I had never really thought of it before, but the ARP studs get torqued to a higher value than main cap bolts do -- therefore you must install the studs, torque down and have the mains align honed because the extra torque distorts them differently.