Ever done something completely stupid while working on your truck?

[mygmctruck]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Yea, I backed my '66 Toronado out of an enclosed trailer when it wasn't attached to the tow vehicle, it was on a hill. My stupid assumption was that electric trailer brakes lock up like air brakes when not attached to a power source...they don't. So I back up a few inches, the nose of the trailer goes up in the air and I panic hit the gas, Toronado dies, no tires on the ramp yet, and of course in an enclosed trailer you can't get out, and I go for a half mile blind ride down the street in a 26' trailer doing a wheelie. Lucky for me someone parked a car half way down the hill and provided a nice landing spot.

That stupid enough for ya? Oh and to make it somewhat relevant the tow vehicle that wasn't there was a Suburban.

This is the best one yet ! Isn't it great that we all have such good company when it comes to this stuff.

[Lemield]

Originally Posted by mygmctruck

Here's another one , I pulled up in front of a friends house on a hill. The truck is pointed down hill. It's stick and I have it in neutral and the engine running. I jump out of the truck and walk up to his porch and he's asking me where my truck is going ? I look at him like what are you talking about , he says look behind you , sure enough the truck is headed down the hill at some what of an angle , it finally stops after running over kids toys and a couple of bushes and finally stops at a tree that refused to move. The worst thing was the truck belonged to my boss !

Like many of us I could go on and on about this stuff. Made a lot of idiot moves in my life.

Same type of deal....just bought a new house and had just completed moving in. Brought an old VW over to park in the garage. Pull into the garage, shut it off and run in the house. I hear a large CRASH noise. Run out to garage and find my VW in the neighbors yard...it had crashed through their fence and broken a fence post.....luckilly, nobody was hurt and the fence was easily fixable. The VW needed a new rear bumper.

[jimmyz3286]

I was working on my 72 Cutlass, I had a cup with gas in it and poured some in the carb. My friend cranked it over and it backfired caught the cup on fire. I instinctively threw the cup of gas. big problem it went down the side of my truck. I jumped in the truck and floored it to put the fire out. Was a good show from what I was told but the wind kept flames from blistering the paint.

[mygmctruck]

I think this should be put in a book or maybe even a special place on this site of stupid moves and how to avoid them

[GASoline71]

While the engine is on an engine stand... never prime an engine without some kind of plug or sending unit attached to the oil pressure sending hole on the back of a Chevy engine. After your drill makes about a half dozen revolutions on the oil pump drive shaft... you WILL coat the ceiling of your garage with 30wt. Not to mention coat your face and get oil up your nose. Not that I would know or anything... 30wt tastes like hell.

I guess that would be bad if you did that while the engine was in the truck too.

Gary

[mgkgmc]

I remember my dad when I was a kid was unloading something out of our old Scout we use to have in our garage on day and he forgot the hatch was still up. For some reason he got in and started to back out of the garage and the hatch caught the garage door and pulled the whole garage door down on top of the Scout. I dont think I had ever seen my dad so pissed in my whole life.

[Dunenutt]

It's a GREAT idea to lift the rear wheels a bit when starting for the first time! This tidbit apply's to automatic equipped vehicles.

Just sayin

[70STOVEBOLT]

A few weeks ago my wife got our Envoy back from the body shop-the rear bumper was replaced due to someone backing into it. We had a rental the day before and I moved the rubber parking block back because the front wheels were farther back on the rental and I didn't want her to hit the steps leading into the house. So I get home from work and the Envoy is outside. I move it into the garage and close the door. Well you can probably guess what happened. The door hit the freshly painted rear bumper on the Envoy and scratched it all up. I was pissed. Next time the rental can stay outside!

[Gene]

[Vintage Windmills]

A few yearks ago I was working on a 4x4. Pulled the front up on some ramps and then jacked the rear off the ground with a floor jack. Pushed on the jack handle to move it out of the way and in doing so, the truck rolled back off the ramps. I was between the rear bumper and the garage door. I was lucky and just suffered a little pain in my sternum for awhile. The garage door did not survive. God gave me a break on that one. Will never jack on a vehicle thats on ramps again.

[jhwkns]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Yea, I backed my '66 Toronado out of an enclosed trailer when it wasn't attached to the tow vehicle, it was on a hill. My stupid assumption was that electric trailer brakes lock up like air brakes when not attached to a power source...they don't. So I back up a few inches, the nose of the trailer goes up in the air and I panic hit the gas, Toronado dies, no tires on the ramp yet, and of course in an enclosed trailer you can't get out, and I go for a half mile blind ride down the street in a 26' trailer doing a wheelie. Lucky for me someone parked a car half way down the hill and provided a nice landing spot.

That stupid enough for ya? Oh and to make it somewhat relevant the tow vehicle that wasn't there was a Suburban.

I concede, You win.

[BiggSixx1970]

Good stories, guys. But as I have read, most of this "stupidity" comes from being a tad under the influence. I like you all, have made these ill guided mistakes as well, but as much as I love beer, I prefer a good smoke (from the left hand of course) over drinking..

The last time I had to adjust the seat cover on my bench, I was pretty gassed and put the bottom cover with the pocket on the backrest, and the backrest cover on the seat.. and there she stays, lol. been too lazy and its been too cold to do it over again.

On another note.. Dropping a bolt down your intake manifold is quite possibly the quickest way you will ever see me lose my mind lol

[vectorit]

When I was assembling my Suburban, I was offered the use of a forklift to install my engine/trans/transfer case. I was hurried because of this, and after everything was installed we lowered the body onto the chassis. I was patting myself on the back for not having to struggle with the drive train on my back to much, until it came time to connect the clutch linkage I found out that I neglected to instal the clutch fork... Ended up having to spend half the day on my back muscling the engine and trans around, so that I could install the dang clutch fork.

I had a 1977 k10 swb that was the most cursed vehicle I have ever owned.
I built a beautiful 350 engine out of a collection of parts that I had collected over time, so I was thrilled with the low cost of building such a nice engine. After getting everything broken in and tuned just right, my buddy was all fired up to get me out into the mud with it. Well we were having a blast in my truck blasting through the mud, when we saw a low rise hill with a good size pond of water next to it. I gunned that sweet 350 in 4 low throwing rooster tails, hit that little hill and caught air then landed into the pond expecting to make an awesome display of power. Instead the engine sucked in water and hydraulic the engine, and landed dead in the water and had to be towed home. Took the engine apart, only to find that new forged pistons had managed to turn side ways and crack the block. As if that wasn't bad enough, there were multiple snapped connecting rods and other carnage. Basically that nice engine was trashed, and was beyond repair.
That will teach me to never use an open element air cleaner again. (remember those Edlebrock bug eye filters?).

Installed the wiper motor arm upside down, put everything together and installed the wiper arms. Tested my work, only to see the wiper arms slam down on a freshly painted cowl and tear up the paint work.

Pulled the cam out of my engine, and while picking up all the tools around the engine compartment. A 3" 3/8 drive extension slipped through my fingers, and dropped perfectly through a lifter bore and I heard it go kerplunk into the oil pan. (Found an old stereo speaker, tore off the magnet and stuck it to the bottom of the pan). Drove it like that for years...

The best, but not performed by me. I was maybe 8 years old, and hanging out watching my neighbor install a new CB antenna in his new car. He was a nice old man that was always tinkering, so I was always entertained hanging out with him.
Well, it was a new car and I remember his wife barking at him not to ruin the new car. I remember being bored watching him measure, measure, and measure the roof where he wanted this new CB antenna. Picture one of those with antennas like the K30 with the big base, well he drilled a hole in the new roof and then took out a hole saw bit and matched it up to the antenna base. He then hole saw cut a perfect hole, and was all proud showing me the clean work he just did. Then came time to install the antenna, and apparently he matched up the hole saw bit with the base of the antenna because when he put the antenna base on the roof it dropped right through the giant hole. He looked at me and told me to go home, because he didn't want me to see him get chewed out by the wife..

[Gaddy]

I spent 4 hours today installing my new electric Holley fuel pump. I ran the steel lines and everything. I turn the key and all I hear is bubbling in the gas tank. It turns out I installed the pump backwards. I also probably fried the pump while trying to crank it up. Now I will need to mount the pump on the other side of the frame because that's the only way it will fit turned the other way! It wasn't that big of a deal but its my daily driver so the ride mooching is getting ridiculous.
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[jrblanke]

In high school I was working on cleaning some old paint off an oil pan with an angle grinder and a wire cup brush. I was sitting in one of those white stackable plastic chairs, holding the angle grinder in one hand, the oil pan in the other, and the other side of the oil pan between my feet. Somehow I accidently touched the angle grinder wire brush to my baggy gym shorts. Before I even realized what had happened the angle grinder sucked my gym shorts around the brush all the way up to the crotch where it stopped turning due to having so much material sucked around the wheel. I quickly flipped the switch and checked my vital organs that were in that region. I unwound the angle grinder and continued with the task....of course this time I positioned the angle grinder away from any loose clothing.

[alsriv2]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

Yea, I backed my '66 Toronado out of an enclosed trailer when it wasn't attached to the tow vehicle, it was on a hill. My stupid assumption was that electric trailer brakes lock up like air brakes when not attached to a power source...they don't. So I back up a few inches, the nose of the trailer goes up in the air and I panic hit the gas, Toronado dies, no tires on the ramp yet, and of course in an enclosed trailer you can't get out, and I go for a half mile blind ride down the street in a 26' trailer doing a wheelie. Lucky for me someone parked a car half way down the hill and provided a nice landing spot.

That stupid enough for ya? Oh and to make it somewhat relevant the tow vehicle that wasn't there was a Suburban.

I was having a not so good week when I saw this post. I was able to picture the whole thing unfold...if only it had been captured on video...you would have been an instant "youtube" sensation!

Thanks for lightening my day!

[motorcritter]

I, for one, am very glad that none of my 'errors' have been chronicled on video. I'm sure many of us other unfortunates feel the same way.

It's one thing to have to relive the incident in one's mind- but to have thousands (maybe millions!) of strangers gloating over our mistakes, our most embarassing moments- definitely brutal.

That being said, it would still be as funny as hell!
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[CC69Rat]

In my younger days, myself, my dad and my brother lin law were putting an engine / trans into a 69 Camaro I had at the time. Saturday, spring day .. garage door up, beautiful

Dad decides to make himself a fried balogna (called baloney here in the South) and put 3-4 pieces in a pan .. well, about 30min later.. What's that smell?

He opens the door to the house / garage and smoke rolls out into the garage. The house was full of smoke. Smoke detectors started to go off.

He runs in, grabs the pan off the stove and runs into the garage. Dad ! ? what are you doing? Why are you bringing it out here?

He runs to the back deck.. and throws the balogna off the deck. Still smoking. My dog (English Black Lab "Bubba") grabs the smoking balogna and sucks it down like Labs do. .. crazy hot .. dad said he just kinda whimpered and ate the rest.

We laughed like a bunch of school girls.
Memories man .. How the odd things stick with you.


I'm enjoying this thread.

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by alsriv2

I was having a not so good week when I saw this post. I was able to picture the whole thing unfold...if only it had been captured on video...you would have been an instant "youtube" sensation!

Thanks for lightening my day!

If it had been video taped from my perspective it would have just been a static picture of the inside of a really big box. Honestly as it was happening, I had no idea what was happening just felt a sense of movement until I saw the rear view.

In my youth we did all kinds of stupid things while driving and lots of practical jokes on each others cars. I also ended up accidentally starting 3 cars on fire, well 2, one started on fire twice. A couple of useful notes,

1) Always check to make sure the fuel line is connected to the carb

2) If you have one of those quadrajets that has the fuel filter in the carb and the fuel filter is somehow lost, say in a fire, don't think you can drive it without the fuel filter until you get a chance to get to the store to buy one

3) If for some reason you end up with a hole in your oil pan, say from jumping it over a giant pile of ice for example, don't try to braze it while it's still in the car

4) Buy a fire extinguisher

[mygmctruck]

Originally Posted by skorpioskorpio

If it had been video taped from my perspective it would have just been a static picture of the inside of a really big box. Honestly as it was happening, I had no idea what was happening just felt a sense of movement until I saw the rear view.

In my youth we did all kinds of stupid things while driving and lots of practical jokes on each others cars. I also ended up accidentally starting 3 cars on fire, well 2, one started on fire twice. A couple of useful notes,

1) Always check to make sure the fuel line is connected to the carb

2) If you have one of those quadrajets that has the fuel filter in the carb and the fuel filter is somehow lost, say in a fire, don't think you can drive it without the fuel filter until you get a chance to get to the store to buy one

3) If for some reason you end up with a hole in your oil pan, say from jumping it over a giant pile of ice for example, don't try to braze it while it's still in the car

4) Buy a fire extinguisher

I think you should be a comedian , yes really !

[skorpioskorpio]

Originally Posted by mygmctruck

I think you should be a comedian , yes really !

Hmmm, I had teachers all through school that seemed to indicate that was an appropriate career path for me, often suggesting I had already embarked on such a path, although strangely they didn't seem to have much admiration for the profession.