Little Victories that got you through....

You're right.

 

I watched a buddy use electrical tape to build a bushing in situ on a Subaru Forester trailing arm because the arm hardware was seized, and heating it up to break it free would be a bitch since it was so close to the fuel tank. It lasted for years.

 

I read the banned members memorial like a newspaper, and the 3rd gen sub exclusively.


Everything else is coupons.

 

Damn, so many good stories - how to compete! The ratchet strap to hold an alternator tight into position when the adjustment bolt went AWOL would be my favored cobble job in the field..

 

Haha I do also read the banned member section.

 

Making sure your names not on it?

 

It’s good to stay up on current events.


“RoyOrbisonlover69, banned for being smitty, again”

This tells you that RoyOrbisonlover69 was faking about being single and vegan, and that smitty is still alive.

 

Ran the Rubicon back in the 80s when I was 16 in my 66’ Bronco. Bent the main tie rod into n upside down “v”. Vince, a Toyota mechanic in our club had me pound it off, then we put it between two trees, hooked a tug’em strap to it and pulled on it with a Landchrusher. Straighten it by eye, put it on, finished the run, took it to an alignment shop and it was dead on!

Thanks Vince!

 

I think that counts. Pretty scary, but you made it home.

 

I was driving a 1980 Malibu Wagon in the early 1990s and all of a sudden black smoke pours out of the back. I pull over and opened the air cleaner. The electric choke on the rochester 2bbl was closed (engine was plenty warmed up). I found a coat hanger and using my Leatherman multitool, made a little clamp that would hold the choke open until I could get home and repair. Worked fine.

 

When I was a kid my uncle had a piece of junk Chevy Nomad he used as a hunting wagon. His daughter and I went hunting with him one day when a blizzard hit. We were trying to get down off the mountain but his wipers didn't work and we were flying blind on a dangerously narrow trail. He remembered he had a ball of twine in the glovebox so he tied it on the wipers. My cousin and I pulled it back and forth all the way down to camp. Fun times.

 

I had an MSD 6A spark box go bad on my 1986 Monte Carlo SS while I was driving down the road. Luckily I had the original parts in my tool box in the event I needed to restore the distributor back to original. I rebuilt the distributor on the side of I-20 with big trucks blowing past, but I got it together and drove home.

 

Early 2000s I worked for an offroad / performance shop in New Jersey. Myself and one other employee were sent to a truck/car show for keystone automotive at Nassau Coliseum in New york. We were givin Arb's Jeep Wrangler Tj to show. Well on the way there the serp belt began to squeak. Once inside the Coliseum we inspected the noise and found the alternator bracket was starting to crack. When we fired it up to leave it snapped off all but one mounting point. I was able to use zip ties to hold the bracket in place. But the belt back on and drove it over 100 miles home.

 

I had a buddy in college who had a 70s era, baby blue Mustang II with a badly leaking rear main seal. He needed to make the 400 mile drive home so his dad could help fix it. His solution was to fasten an aluminum roasting pan under the leak with baling wire, and stop every ~hundred miles to pour the oil back into the engine. He made it.

 

Some asshole sold me a built Honda k20r with a blown head gasket . The shops wanted 1,500 with labor to fix it and couldn’t guarantee it wouldn’t happen again. My pockets were broke from buying the car and I had no money left over. Ended up taking apart the engine and installing a new 3 layer head gasket and removed the middle layer to add a tad of compression ( old tuner trick). After a week of reading manuals and forums online I was able to get teeth lined up on the intake and exhaust cam and chain tensioner etc. that weekend I took it to the track and ran a 10.80 on street tires. Car was all motor stroked to a 2.4 liter and was making roughly 330 whp on 105 octane. Lasted the summer and sold it to someone I didn’t know . Not sure if it’s stll running or not

 

I've done this one before.

 

'72 pinto with a 1600 in it. Head cracked between 2&3 exhausts (stupid siamese exhaust valves). Well I was broke but needed the car running in the morning so I pulled the head and JB welded the crack, sanded it flat and put a new head gasket on her. Drove it for a year like that until it got totaled.

 

Guys accelerator cable broke. Took pants belt off, rigged it to the carb, with window open and hood propped a tad to let belt move gave it gas by pulling on the belt from arm out window. Got us home.

 

Lulz. That's a guuder one!

 

Good job!