previous owner funny fixes?

[crossy]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Did that result in ground beef?

NOPE- just a shorter cow,.

[Mechanic707]

i bought a running mazda 626 from the wrecking yard 4 $100 that had 2 spark plugs jb welded and she was beyond stripped

[D13]

Originally Posted by crossy

NOPE- just a shorter cow,.

Eventually did eat the cow. Mostly steak but some ground round. And did replace those leggy Holsteins with shorter Angus'.

Truck stayed parked in field for 5 years, friend of my dad's bought it, clutch was frozen, jacked it up, took off in 3rd, kicked off jack, worked ok after that. He totally rebuilt the truck and drove it for 5 more years (until the drug conviction). Was a 250/3speed 12 bolt 6 lug (heavy half). Loved it.

It's replacement (in my sig) had both doors bashed in by a bull who disliked it one day. Never had a problem before or after, but that one day he disliked the color red. It's a 3/4 14bsf but till a 250/3spd. Dad ordered it with no bumper after watching Sis rip up the shifter linkage on the '69 towing horses. She never did learn to let of the throttle when pushing in the clutch. 5000 RPM clutch drop towin 6000# = bad news for mounts and linkages.

[crossy's son]

Originally Posted by crossy

I did 2.5" galvanized conduit (free)for tailpies on my 130MPH, 455 Buick Boatail Riviera. THEY NEVER ROTTED AGAIN.

Galvanzied conduit talipies ?? sounds scruptuous dad!!!

[Storm Chaser]

I've been through alot of cars and trucks, so I've seen a few "modifications."

One truck I had a few years back, the PO bought new partial bedside repair panels and sheet-metal screwed them to the side of the bed. When I went to remove them, they were nicely sealed with silicone... I guess to keep water out. Funny thing is, he used such large repair panels when there was only minimal lip rust. The whole thing was painted (screws and all) close to body color. Also had new floor repair panels screwed over the old ones.

Same truck also had a triple tube roll bar, bed rails, nerf bars and double tube bumpers all made from swing set frames. You could dent those bumpers just by kicking them. Also, the tailgate was held shut by a pair of padlock hasps... and he didn't even buy like-keyed padlocks.

Also had a mid 80's Chevy where someone put a 70's era frontend on it. The ends of the hood were beat upward to clear the wiper arms.

Had a 91 with a pair of 73-87 bucket seats in it. To make up in the difference in height, eight 3" body lift spacers were used (actually didn't look half bad). This same truck also had a wood bedfloor... sorta. Two sheets of plywood laid down, secured by screwing metal strips on top to simulate slats... done on an otherwise rust-free undamaged bed.

A buddy of mine worked with a guy who duct taped all the holes in his bed floor, then cemented the bed floor to make it smooth... followed by a dose of spraycan bedliner. Oh, and the wheelwells were cut from a 55 gallon drum.

Dashes, anyone? My current 76 has a piece of carpet about the size of a shoebox lid glued in where the center speaker perforations used to be. I assume the PO just busted it out to put the Krako speaker in from top. My best friend has a cab where someone glued speaker carpet over the entire dashpad. And I can't forget my old Nova where someone went through the trouble of removing the dash pad, carefully covering the whole thing in 2 inch wide electrical tape, and reinstalling it.

One 4x4 parts truck I bought had 3 inches worth of flat washers stacked up for a body lift... must cost a fortune. Same truck also had blocks up front on the suspension and the steering link was cut in half with flat pieces of steel welded to it to make a drop link. The steering column shaft was also cut and extended with angle iron. I didn't even like driving this one onto the trailer.

Lets see, what else... plexiglass rear window, spray foam, brushed on paint, roofing tar used as undercoating, wire nuts galore, barbed wire wrapped around a cheap radio as an anti-theft device (you have to be desperate for tunes to steal an 8-track deck).

My favorite has to be a Maverick I bought with a 302. I got it cheap and the guy said he just put an exhaust on it... he ran the tailpipe UNDER the rear axle. I only lived about 3 miles away so I decided to chance driving it home. I lost the exhaust right as I met a cop on a side road. Good times.

[Stano]

Saw plastic wire ties (zip ties) connecting trailer safety chains to bumper of pickup. Under body neon lights attached to tierod center link and switch mounted on passenger side windshield post trim panel i guess because battery was on that side and only had wire that came with kit. A radiator mounted in a 65 pickup with bolts through the fins into core support. Quarter panels on a 71 challenger made of barn metal liscense plates beer cans road signs and bondo and pop rivets from the inside of the trunk couldnt tell because it was coated heavily with roofing tar then undercoated and outside was nice looking except where bondo was starting to crack at the edges of the different pieces of metal. Got a ton more thats just what i have seen on customer cars.

[cadpwrd]

Here's a good one...
About 10 years ago I owned a '79 Dodge sno-commander to plow my parking lot. I paid $100 for the whole thing including the plow. It already had most of the "mods" mentioned in this thread. Lisence plate floors, a wood 4x4 laid across the framerails to replace the rotted cab mounts, I could go on.
My major fix to this disaster is as follows:
This thing leaked oil like nobodys business, from everywhere. I couldn't plow my lot without going through at least a quart of oil, so I went and pulled the windsheild wiper lines from the reservoir. I replaced them with a larger hose that I fitted to the valve cover. Then I filled the reservoir with 5wt oil. So now every time the oil light came on when I was plowing snow, I just hit the washer button until it went off. I called it electronic oil injection.
Just so everybody know, I'm older and wiser now, I don't do things like that anymore, I don't drive dodges either. Please don't ban me!!

[killthewabbit]

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Electronic oil injection, huh?

[fast75]

Originally Posted by cadpwrd

here's a good one...
About 10 years ago i owned a '79 dodge sno-commander to plow my parking lot. I paid $100 for the whole thing including the plow. It already had most of the "mods" mentioned in this thread. Lisence plate floors, a wood 4x4 laid across the framerails to replace the rotted cab mounts, i could go on.
My major fix to this disaster is as follows:
This thing leaked oil like nobodys business, from everywhere. I couldn't plow my lot without going through at least a quart of oil, so i went and pulled the windsheild wiper lines from the reservoir. I replaced them with a larger hose that i fitted to the valve cover. Then i filled the reservoir with 5wt oil. So now every time the oil light came on when i was plowing snow, i just hit the washer button until it went off. I called it electronic oil injection.
Just so everybody know, i'm older and wiser now, i don't do things like that anymore, i don't drive dodges either. Please don't ban me!!

sweeeeet...............

[crossy]

Originally Posted by cadpwrd

Here's a good one...
About 10 years ago I owned a '79 Dodge sno-commander to plow my parking lot. I paid $100 for the whole thing including the plow. It already had most of the "mods" mentioned in this thread. Lisence plate floors, a wood 4x4 laid across the framerails to replace the rotted cab mounts, I could go on.
My major fix to this disaster is as follows:
This thing leaked oil like nobodys business, from everywhere. I couldn't plow my lot without going through at least a quart of oil, so I went and pulled the windsheild wiper lines from the reservoir. I replaced them with a larger hose that I fitted to the valve cover. Then I filled the reservoir with 5wt oil. So now every time the oil light came on when I was plowing snow, I just hit the washer button until it went off. I called it electronic oil injection.
Just so everybody know, I'm older and wiser now, I don't do things like that anymore, I don't drive dodges either. Please don't ban me!!

Yeah, there's alot to be said for a vehic you can walk away from in the end and have no great loss. Shame we can't do it with half the late model junk that has been bestowed upon us by the manufacturers.
I had a Corvair that used/leaked that much oil and so I used strained waste oil from a local shop. Ralph Nader was wrong('Unsafe at any speed' for those too young to remember). I used to hold that thing on the floor everytime i took it out(about 95MPH) around curves.It wasn't so bad with the oil smoke coming through the defrosters, but when I smelled REAL smoke i knew it was time to bail. I quickly pulled the plates off and watched the big smoke ring in the sky(from afar). I had walked about 3 miles when i heard the Fire station siren go off. never saw her again.LOL

[teamroper!]

My first '72 had a screwdriver drove through the rain gutter to keep the passenger door closed because the latch was busted.

[Dezdon]

I saw this custom Dodge van at dealers lot in the 1970's that had rows of sheet metal screw's poking through the side doors exterior to hold on the wood paneling on the inside of the custom interior.
I also stopped to ask a nieghbor the other day about his new/used snowplow truck. Its a rusted 80's F*rd. He said the back brakes had a leak so he cut the line and jamed a screw in the brake line so he could snow plow with it.

[billnorman]

I was once so poor in the service in Texas I wired the high beam to the low beam on one headlight because the base had a car inspection and i was so poor i couldnt afford to replace a burned out headlight. They checked hi and low beams and passed it. One day i was working on my old Chev and found a pair of vice-grips that I had left holding the fender on months ago. I had put them on in Maryland and driven to Texas they were still there. Poverty makes do strange things. I used 23 quarts of oil driving from Maryland to Texas. When I stopped for a stop sign, I'd have to wait for the smoke to clear so I could see if it was safe to pull out. I had my good engine in the back but not enough time to change it before I had to be in Abilene ( God's home town) Texas.

[chrismoore701]

Back in the 80's my dad and I welded up some swingset pipes for an exhaust for his '79 chevy. And I must say I have done that to more than one car. hey it works. the problem is listening to the kid down the street that no longer has a swing to play on. Just kidding, but the pipes worked. One other thing on my dads '82 chevy van the windshield washer pump went out. He placed a plastic bottle with fluid in it upside down by the windshield. he would just squeez the bottle to clean the window. what ever works

[slash crashley]

...is it wrong that i'm harvesting tips from this thread?

after reading about the electric fan swap on here. i got myself one from a 3.8l bonneville. i swapped it at work and was pressed for time. i have a battery cut-off switch on my battery so i just wired it on constant as a temporary measure. it's been that way for over 10 mos.

btw, where's a good place to wire it to ignition, other than the fuse box?

i had a cracked bumper mounted parking light and no cash or desire to replace it so i "fabbed" up some blacked out covers outta the black bug deflector that what is in the bed of the truck when i bought it.

i used a jig saw and a concrete curb to round 'em off smooth. another temp fix that just stuck. funny thing is, i've got more than one compliment on them.

PO fixes: my battery tie down box is a broiler pan with a rubber bungey. my upgrade will be the side shelf off my old bbq.

my coolant over flow bottle is a milk jug. my upgrade will be a heineken mini keg. my dash was duct tape and cardboard before i got a dash cap from LMC.

i agree with the above poster, sometimes you just make do with what you got. it's about priorities i suppose.

great thread btw.

[BusinessProfessor]

I just took apart my dash in an 83 GMC to redo. The strangest thing that I found was this--- There was one long screw to hold in the dash instruments. When I finally got it all out, I noticed that the PO drilled into the head of one short screw and screwed another screw into it to get the correct length!!! Now, that is frugal!!!

[monique111]

I recenlt bought a 76 K-20. I've noticed he's used either zip ties or hose clamps to hold everything under the hood. After further investigation of the truck, I have to buy a tap n dye set...Seems he used vice grips on almost every bolt and nut even on the bleeders. What a nut.

[powerdriver 1958]

Bought a 1 ton a while back for 450 bucks started and run fine but the gauges didn't work and it was all over the road.After I dove 51 miles to the house I started checking things out.Found a piece of vac line used to plug off the spot for an oil sending unit and then the P.O. had replaced the lower control arms with some from a 1/2 ton...............Was upset until the middle boy said "Hey,for 450 bucks you haven't anything to complain about"

[81BLAZE]

Originally Posted by billnorman

I was once so poor in the service in Texas I wired the high beam to the low beam on one headlight because the base had a car inspection and i was so poor i couldnt afford to replace a burned out headlight. They checked hi and low beams and passed it. One day i was working on my old Chev and found a pair of vice-grips that I had left holding the fender on months ago. I had put them on in Maryland and driven to Texas they were still there. Poverty makes do strange things. I used 23 quarts of oil driving from Maryland to Texas. When I stopped for a stop sign, I'd have to wait for the smoke to clear so I could see if it was safe to pull out. I had my good engine in the back but not enough time to change it before I had to be in Abilene ( God's home town) Texas.

WOW. I have taken the same trip from Aberdeen, Maryland to good old Dyess AFB. Those back roads in VA and Ten are nothing to mess around with. When where you stationed out there?

[gchemist]

It was a start!

[Rogue_Sentinel]

some one left this for me to redo. all the hoses have been cap off whit blots.



http://s530.photobucket.com/albums/d...bs/chevy/redo/

[billnorman]

Dyess Airplane Patch 1964-1966. Ended up with a 56 chev 2 door that I shoveled a 58 Pontiac 370c.i. into. It was a dog, had a truck 12 inch flywheel assy, and a 3 spd with OD for a box.

[Outlaw_71]

I'm still finding them seeing as how my i bought my truck pretty recently. i have to admit whoever built this truck did a good job but the po messed some stuff up. These aren't necessarily funny fixes but they are unusual. The alternator and volt regulator were bad so the po just cut the harness and didn't even cap any of the wires even though they were hot. I drove the truck unknowingly until the battery died. And I brought it home over an hour away from kentucky too. Apparently they lost the wing nut on the air cleaner so they just used a rusty old nut. I found a wing nut in the glove box....also i dont remember exactly what it was but i found a paper clip being used for something on the carb. The other day the battery fell out of the tray and my side post got cracked. It was before i had fixed my charging system so i had to use something to hold the cable to the top post. After about an hour of looking around i found a some kind of metal clip from a trailer hitch or something and i used it to hold the broken side mount to the top post. I also used a stick to keep the battery from sliding back out sandwhiched between the tray and my hood. Drove it that way all the way to NAPA and bought heavy duty top post mounts and a nicer hold down.

Oh yeah and they used wire ties to hold the inner grille in. They are still there.

[eggofire]

Been a while since a post. But I have a few.

Eating outside a local resturant one night and saw a F#@! Probe with a Treated Lumber 4x4 front bumper (don't want those bumpers to fail ya know), a street sign fender siliconed and rivited in, and a mason jar headlight. (Yes they can be used for more than just beer)

Late 60's Single Axle Chevy grain truck:
Screwdriver for a door latch button, bald tires on inside duels, chicken wire front grille, bungie chords holding in the headlights, vise-grip window crank, and BIG Vise-Grip steering lever, that's right, no steering wheel, just a Big Vise-Grip. And the owner was actually upset when the D.O.T. Officer impounded the vehicle.

Sometimes it's better to not know what is being driven out there for our own state of mind.

[willett]

one time i jumpstarted my '82 chevy Nomad with a peice of speaker wire.

on the same van the only way we could close the sliding door was to get up to speed and slam on the brakes!

i jacked the van up once my ramming a f*rd f-150 into the rear end with some cleverly placed boards