The most creative road-side repairs I've ever done...

[gruveb]

I took my ugly 69 C10 out for some drifting on dirt roads yesterday. I've got the new 383 dialed in pretty good and it was time for some fun after months of wrenching.

Anyhow, I broke down and was able to find and use "stuff" to get the truck running again and make it back home. Here's how it went.

This is a good sign or such desires...basically 50 miles of dirt road:


I made it up the mountain, no problems, engine never got over 195*.

Coming down the mountain was no problem, brakes and steering worked great. Once down, suddenly, I had no throttle. The pin that connects the lever to the cable rattled out. Also missing, was the air cleaner nut and the throttle return spring!

I had some emergency tools and a leatherman.

I had no zip ties, no bailing wire. Luckily, sticking out of the road was a solid 8 gauge copper ground wire.



I used that for repair number one.


I was trying to figure out how to attach the air cleaner, thinking of wrapping some more wire around the bolt. The old nut was a fancy bow tie, and the bolt was a little short for the K&N filter. I walked around, looking for it, drinking my mountain dew, when it struck me that I could cut a hole in the lid with my knife and use that to get the air filter back on.





As for the throttle return spring, I had no cure. So when I picked up a stranded camper and drove him up to his SUV (a mountainous narrow road) with a dead battery, it was a bit touchy.

Beating on the old truck was a lot of fun.



I love my hood ornament!

Last pic, of my ugly old truck, which is definitely not meant to be fussed over.


I stopped at Autozone on the way back and picked up a new wing nut and spring, but I left the copper wire in place of the pin. It's a good memory.

[michael bustamante]

love whats left of that old adobe wall entrance there.

here in my part of town, we call that kind of fix "chicano ingenuity"

[djeCST]

With a little ingenuity you made it through and had some fun in the bargain - I call that a good day.

[Grumpy old man]

Deer hunting back in the early 70's about 10 miles up an old logging road from my Dad's hunting camp in northern Maine using his '68 k10 4x4 put my breakfast on the intake and drove in. Well after a warm breakfast samich I was off for the day ,came back later that evening just as it was getting dark and it was bitter cold . Well I jumped in the truck and fired it up and it ran for about 10 seconds and quit and wouldn't restart . I was lucky because we kept a coleman white gas lantern and an old wool blanket in the truck just for these dilemmas ,I was hungry and cold and decided to find whatever it was that kept it from firing .Well after a few minutes I realized I had no spark so I opened the dist and the rotor was broken in a bunch of pieces I dug thru the glove box and there was nothing I started digging under the seat and found a rubber band and a paper clip ! Using those and what I could salvage from the rotor I got it rigged enough to barely keep it running I made it back to the camp about 4 hours later all the while the truck was popping and pizzing all the way out , The Old man was getting ready to come look for me and said he heard the truck from a couple miles away ! Bang BOOM Bang

[gruveb]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Deer hunting back in the early 70's about 10 miles up an old logging road from my Dad's hunting camp in northern Maine using his '68 k10 4x4 put my breakfast on the intake and drove in. Well after a warm breakfast samich I was off for the day ,came back later that evening just as it was getting dark and it was bitter cold . Well I jumped in the truck and fired it up and it ran for about 10 seconds and quit and wouldn't restart . I was lucky because we kept a coleman white gas lantern and an old wool blanket in the truck just for these dilemmas ,I was hungry and cold and decided to find whatever it was that kept it from firing .Well after a few minutes I realized I had no spark so I opened the dist and the rotor was broken in a bunch of pieces I dug thru the glove box and there was nothing I started digging under the seat and found a rubber band and a paper clip ! Using those and what I could salvage from the rotor I got it rigged enough to barely keep it running I made it back to the camp about 4 hours later all the while the truck was popping and pizzing all the way out , The Old man was getting ready to come look for me and said he heard the truck from a couple miles away ! Bang BOOM Bang

I'm surprised it worked! That's crazy. My fixes were for easy things, not something as important as spark!

[Grumpy old man]

I've used my belt to hold up the side pipe exhaust on a '64 fuelie Corvette when the mount broke while on vacation once ! it worked so good I forgot about it for 2 years ...

That's back when they called me Saggy pants old man !

[tommys72]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

I've used my belt to hold up the side pipe exhaust on a '64 fuelie Corvette when the mount broke while on vacation once ! it worked so good I forgot about it for 2 years ...

That's back when they called me Saggy pants old man !

Hahaha

[In The Ten Ring]

I haven't had many breakdowns, mainly flat tires (I keep the spare pumped up) but once I overheated. I didn't have enough water but the roadside assistance guy came by and filled me up.

My dad ran over a retread tire and ripped the muffler off of our 1975 Pontiac Bonneville. The muffler was gone and the exhaust pipe was dragging at the forward part, being pushed down the road. Dad crawled under the car and tied it up with some wire I found sticking out of more retreaded tire debris along the road.