Story Time! What was your embarrassing moment?

[Sevens]

A few days ago I bought a nice split bench 60/40 for my truck. They are great looking seats and I can't wait to get them installed.

Day before yesterday I pulled my bench seat out and "mocked up" the new seats to test fit them and see what all I was going to have to do to make them work.

Fast forward to yesterday... I was headed out to meet a guy that wants to buy my extra hood. He was at work so I told him I would go to him since it was close. So I hop in my truck and take off down the road! Almost exactly a mile from my house my truck stalls out on me and I coast off the side of the road. I tried cranking it with no luck. I've been having issues with my fuel gauge selectively working so my first thought is "I'm out of gas".

I walk down the street to the nearest gas station and buy a 2 gallon can and some gas and walk back to my truck; pour it in and it still won't start!!! My truck was sitting at an angle so I thought maybe it just wasn't reaching the sending unit...I walk back over, buy another two gallons of gas...and still no luck!!



By this time I have called a good friend who is now on his way to rescue me; and my neighbor saw me and stopped to check on me. I called my wife who got a good laugh (she hates my truck)...and sat on the side of a high traffic road for about an hour.

As I was getting back in my truck again to sit and wait...I glanced down at the floor and I see the fuel tank selector switch turned to the right..

I only have one tank.

I flipped the valve back to the left; fired up my truck...called off the cavalry and went on with my day.

I guess when I was moving the seat in and out I somehow flipped the switch to the non-existent tank...

Man I sure felt like an idiot.

Anyway; that's my embarrassing story!!

What's yours?

[The Rocknrod]

It happens.
The first time I rewired a truck complete, I purchased a Alternator with a built in regulator. Wired it all up with the voltage regulator as part of the system.
Street Rodder Magazine photographer wanted to shoot my vehicle just about the time it went dead. Yep

[LVPhotos]

I had electric switch for 2 tanks on 81 that stranded me in middle of desert. Showed full tank but never switched over. I ended up pulling the switch and swapping terminals to get to right tank

[vince1]

Edit: When I was thirteen my dad gives me a 51 Thames P/U that he had parked in the bush. I take it apart, put in new rings and pull it around the yard with the back wheels sliding and spinning in opposite directions. Turns out I had put the bearing caps on backwards. After rectifying that and finally changing a cracked rotor it came back to life and some of us kids had a lot of fun in that vehicle.

[AcampoDave]

A long time ago when I built my first engine ever.....It was a 350 that I put in my '61. I did the usual hop up bolt ons and I put a fancy oil pan and pick up tube assembly along with a magnetic drain plug. One day, when changing the oil, I found a small wire attached to the magnet, like a piece of a paper clip. "Huh, that's weird, oh well still runs great, fuggetabout it right?" ....Wrong!
Many moons later and a long way from home, I floored it on a freeway ramp showing off for a buddy and the whole motor just shut down. After a big ol' hassle getting the truck home, I finally pulled the distributor to find the gear all stripped out. Unfortunately, that wire on my drain plug that day was part of a broken hydraulic lifter retaining clip and the other part finally got sucked into my oil pump. (Holes were too big on the fancy aftermarket pickup screen). That of course instantly stopped the pump causing the distributor and cam gears to get all munched up too.

[PGSigns]

When I was just starting to date my wife we went out on a date in my 64. Got about 1/2 way to the pizza joint and the truck shut off. Sounded like it ran out of fuel. I told her no way I had a foot of fuel. As she looks at me like I'm crazy I pull the wooden dowel out from behind the seat and use it to check the fuel level. Sure enough a foot. After a lot of discussion about it is not out of gas, up with the hood and no fuel in the filter. Damn looks like its out of fuel. She said I told you it ran out of gas! So a fuel pump left me on the side of the road and she married me anyway. I still have the stick and still tell her a foot when she ask about fuel. Been married 34 years this year and still driving an old truck everyday.
Jimmy

[Railroader]

Pulled the engine from my truck with the hoist. Got in the engine stand. It was as I thought, too long for the stand to hold it. So, I propped it up with a 4x4 until I could move the hoist in place to support from the front. Well, the 4x4 slipped and over went the engine. What would have been more embarrassing was had I not gotten out of the way and the blame thing fell on me. Pictures of aftermath and the "shop guard's" reaction to the whole mess!!

[Sevens]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

... that wire on my drain plug that day was part of a broken hydraulic lifter retaining clip and the other part finally got sucked into my oil pump. (Holes were too big on the fancy aftermarket pickup screen). That of course instantly stopped the pump causing the distributor and cam gears to get all munched up too.

It's crazy to think something so small can cause so much damage! I've heard some other horror stories about using fancy aftermarket parts...but hey...if they are chrome; they add horsepower!!

Originally Posted by PGSigns

... I still have the stick and still tell her a foot when she ask about fuel. Been married 34 years this year and still driving an old truck everyday.
Jimmy

I love a story with a happy ending!

Originally Posted by Railroader

... Pictures of aftermath and the "shop guard's" reaction to the whole mess!!



Attachment 2006380

Glad you're ok! Looks like the pup was just trying to get a better "upright" view of the engine

Thanks for sharing everyone!

Anyone else?

[Clyde65]

I had an old 81 c10 steering column in my truck, I had been having sporadic issues with no start/no crank.
I went to my doctors appointment and when I went to the truck, it wouldn’t start or crank, I looked and looked to figure out what the heck it was but failed. So I called a local wrecker company and I waited for a long long time!
When he gets there, he needs to put the truck in neutral to push it out of the parking space, he jumps in the truck and moves the key in the column ( that didn’t work) then saw the key on the dash and he turned that, truck started right up! It was that dang key in the column, must have gotten bumped when I got out. 3 hours and a head hung low....
Posted via Mobile Device

[Sevens]

Originally Posted by Clyde65

... 3 hours and a head hung low....
Posted via Mobile Device

I know that feeling! When I flipped the tank switch and hit the key... :facepalm:

[spacedebris]

When I was 15, I was saving money to get my first car (at 16). I had saved about $500 (this was mid 80's). Well I had my eye on a 76 Datsun PU but they wanted $800 for it and I was not going to be able to earn enough before someone else grabbed it. Well my parents did not have the money to help so I asked Grandpa if he would loan me enough to get it. Well he looks at me and says that he thinks I'm too young to be getting a car. Deflated I try one last argument that I get good grades, I dont get into trouble and I've earned a little credit for being very responsible for a teenager. He thinks on this for a little while and then agrees that I do deserve a chance. So he says he will give me a chance but only one. If I'm going to take on the responsibility of a car, I need to know how to do everyday maintenance on it. I say no problem, I know how to do most of the basics already. So he says ok, he will write out a list of things to do and if you can do them (and correctly) he will loan me the money. I will admit I was a bit cocky and said I would have no problem passing his test. After all I'd been helping dad work on the cars for years. So he sat down and wrote out a list.

1. Change a tire. No problem. I whipped that out in nothing flat.
2. Change the oil. Again completed that without so much as a hiccup.
3. Change the oil filter, air filter, and fuel filter. Now I admit I had a little trouble finding the fuel filter on his truck, but once I did, I changed it lickity split.
4. Change the spark plugs. This is what got me. I looked and looked and looked but I couldnt even find the damn things.



Finally after about 3 hours I gave up and admitted defeat. He came up to me and said there is no shame in admitting that you dont know how to do something and that if I wanted he would help me learn more about vehicles and maybe when I was closer to actually getting my license we could talk again about getting a truck.

Finally I agreed. I then said. "Well lets start right now. Show me where those damn spark plugs are." He looked at me with about the biggest grin I ever saw on his face when he said "I'm sorry but that was a trick question. My truck is a Diesel and it does not have spark plugs." I guess my shocked expression was more than he could stand because he started laughing so hard he couldnt catch is breath and it brought the rest of the family out of the house to see what was going on. Only to have everyone else join in the laughter. To this day, everytime I get together with family someone will bring that up and they laugh all over again.

[Sevens]

Originally Posted by spacedebris

...He looked at me with about the biggest grin I ever saw on his face when he said "I'm sorry but that was a trick question. My truck is a Diesel and it does not have spark plugs." I guess my shocked expression was more than he could stand because he started laughing so hard he couldnt catch is breath and it brought the rest of the family out of the house to see what was going on. Only to have everyone else join in the laughter. To this day, everytime I get together with family someone will bring that up and they laugh all over again.

What a great story! Sounds like your grandpa is pretty wise and has a great sense of humor...

[spacedebris]

Oh, he was and did. He passed about 12 years ago and we still miss him. But I got even. I had a puzzle that was one of those "women will get this instantly but men wont" type things. I pulled it on the family at Christmas about 3 years after this happened. Of course all the women got it and most of the guys figured it out after a while but I made everyone promise not to tell anyone the solution. I made him guess for a year before I finally told him the solution. It was so absurdly easy that after he saw the trick he groaned, rolled his eyes and wouldnt speak to me for the rest of the day.




The trick does not work on the computer, you have to write it out on paper. You draw a

I and an X on the paper (the number 9 in roman numerals) and then you tell everyone to make a 6 out of it with only 1 line.

Typically women will see letters before anything else but men typically see Roman numerals first. So the women will write an S on the front (one line) and now it says SIX but men still see the roman numerals and will scratch their heads trying to figure out how to make the roman numeral 6 with only one line.

[Sevens]

I'm sorry for your loss. My apologies for assuming. I understand what it's like to miss grandpa...

The IX; that's a pretty good one!

I just tried it...and my wife got it immediately. I feel like she had already seen it before and was playing me.

[vince1]

That sure is a pretty tractor up there. Maybe it put a hex on the engine hoping for more room for more implements.

[LVPhotos]

Put a new Alternator on the Cummins and this happened....and its only 4 months old.

[LostMy65]

Some of my multiple stupid moments are here in a similar thread:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...ck#post7550765

[rustyrodknocker]

I can't post all mine without dragging internet to a near halt in this hemisphere but I'll share a story.

When my step father was dating my mother he figured he would really impress her and all the movie patrons waiting in line at the theater with an awesome burnout.
He hammered it and dumped the clutch on his el camino. He smoked them around the corner onto the main street where he proceeded to shove 4 cars up onto the sidewalk.

The folks waiting to get into the show may not have been impressed.

But 9 months later I got a little brother.

And I've always had a soft spot for an el camino.

[Sevens]

Originally Posted by rustyrodknocker

I can't post all mine without dragging internet to a near halt in this hemisphere but I'll share a story.

When my step father was dating my mother he figured he would really impress her and all the movie patrons waiting in line at the theater with an awesome burnout.
He hammered it and dumped the clutch on his el camino. He smoked them around the corner onto the main street where he proceeded to shove 4 cars up onto the sidewalk.

The folks waiting to get into the show may not have been impressed.

But 9 months later I got a little brother.

And I've always had a soft spot for an el camino.

Sounds more like a "Mustang" story than a Chevy... lol

Sounds like it worked out well in the end though!