Worst Non-Wheeling Repair

[homchz]

I searched to see if this topic was already here but did not find it.

Yesterday my 62 decided to spring an exhaust leak on me at the worst possible time.

My 80 blew a rear brake line and I have not been able to get it to my work to fix it , and we were due for about 8-10 inches of snow (which we did get).

After I finally got home I figured I needed to do something. So, on with the cold weather gear, and armed with a pair of needle nose vise grips and a peice of cardboard so my ass did not get wet. I headed out to see what I could do to jerry rig up some brakes.

Low and behold after about a 1/2 and hour of laying in a snow banking two changes of gloves and some dumb luck. I was able to swap out the rear line and get enough pressure brake to stop the truck so I can get it to work to change the front lines the LSPV and bleed the system tomorrow.

It reminded me of all the cold crappy New Engand winter fixes I use to have to perform in my youth, however I am not 19 anymore. I am sure mine is not the worst story. Anyone else got any crappy Non Wheeling Repairs (we have all had to change things while out wheeling that just sucked I am sure) to share, on this miserably cold winter New England day?

 

[cary]

Not as bad, but I remember waiting until it wasn't raining in Oregon to change the water pump in my Wife's car because it was going out. No garage, so had to do it outdoors. Finally, we got a clear day in January, it was 25f out. Nothing like working with cold wet hands.

 

[C6H12O6]

You can wait a long time for it to stop raining in Oregon. x2 on the suck of cold, wet hands.

 

[Monkeyboy]

Driving my old '69 FJ40 ( a friend with me in his '77) across Washington state the thermostat went out in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere. We tried to get it to a city by driving for 5 minutes then stopping for 30 minutes to let the red exhaust manifold cool back to black then again..and agian..and again before we finally gave up. we left it in a field about 30 minutes out of Pasco. We drove my buddys FJ40 back to Pullman and the next day we drove back to repair it. I was so happy to see it was still there when we returned! His dad met us there with a bunch of tools and radiator fluid and water. We changed it out and drove it back. In retrospect it was probably pretty rough on the engine, but it never had any problems in the years I owned it after that. No knocks, no pings, no smoke, great compression, great little "F" er...get it...it was and "F" engine.....Ha ha?

 

[cruiserdan]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/8239-na-ty-oil-leak.html



I rest my case...............

 

[Cattledog]

Not as bad, but I remember waiting until it wasn't raining in Oregon to change the water pump in my Wife's car because it was going out. No garage, so had to do it outdoors. Finally, we got a clear day in January, it was 25f out. Nothing like working with cold wet hands.

Most of my repairs during college were during the NH winter outdoors. 25 would be a warm day. Have plenty of scars from those days. What I hated most was the fact I would cut or smash my hands and it was not until you warm up did it bleed and hurt. Lots of scars from a crappy dodge diplomat and chevette. Still hate those cars.

Homchz, If you get in a bind shoot me a PM. I am local to you.

 

[p8nt]

https://forum.ih8mud.com/80-series-tech/8239-na-ty-oil-leak.html



I rest my case...............

yuck... This was before my time on the board so i had not seen the write up. What a punch in the gut that was.

 

[homchz]

Homchz, If you get in a bind shoot me a PM. I am local to you.

Thanks, I appreciate that. I think i will be good. I have to limp to work tomorrow. Change a few things then bleed. It will stink to take the time off but working in a full machine shop has it's advantages.

yuck... This was before my time on the board so i had not seen the write up. What a punch in the gut that was.

Wow, that was a bad one. Makes my snowy brake line look like a windshield washer fillup.

 

[mudking82]

Most of my repairs during college were during the NH winter outdoors. 25 would be a warm day. Have plenty of scars from those days. What I hated most was the fact I would cut or smash my hands and it was not until you warm up did it bleed and hurt.

Pretty much the same as me, as I grew up in Maine. One day I had to change my water pump on my 3.0 Dodge Dynasty as it was leaking really bad, and couldn't be driven. Long, big, sucky job, and it was the end of January. Started about 4pm when it was about 20 outside. By the time I wrapped it up at about 9pm it was -30 outside. I scraped my knuckles a bunch of times, but they never bled.....until later when they warmed up. At least I was in the garage, although it was not heated. Stuck a space heater in there to try to warm up, and about killed myself! Didn't have any ventilation, and the fumes just built up until I was having trouble breathing and I couldn't stop coughing. Fun times!

 

[Lka1988]

Replaced my alternator twice in a year.

First one was a crappy aftermarket unit, second one was done right with an OEM unit.

Yeah, yeah, I know there are worse out there. My 80 loves me.

 

[Rookie2]

When I did my front axle rebuild, it was scheduled to rain out side so I needed to do it in the garage. I've got a two car garage, so no biggy right...? Well, instead of one big double door, my garage has two single doors. So I had to pull it in on one side and cut it back and forth a couple of times to get it centered. Oh..., and I had to move the garbage can. Kind of a pain, but I figure you just gotta take that stuff in stride.

 

[homchz]

When I did my front axle rebuild, it was scheduled to rain out side so I needed to do it in the garage. I've got a two car garage, so no biggy right...? Well, instead of one big double door, my garage has two single doors. So I had to pull it in on one side and cut it back and forth a couple of times to get it centered. Oh..., and I had to move the garbage can. Kind of a pain, but I figure you just gotta take that stuff in stride.

That's funny stuff right there

 

[Lka1988]

When I did my front axle rebuild, it was scheduled to rain out side so I needed to do it in the garage. I've got a two car garage, so no biggy right...? Well, instead of one big double door, my garage has two single doors. So I had to pull it in on one side and cut it back and forth a couple of times to get it centered. Oh..., and I had to move the garbage can. Kind of a pain, but I figure you just gotta take that stuff in stride.

Why didn't you just pull in sideways?

 

[KLF]

I helped my son do a rear spring swap and a tranny swap on his 4Runner in the POURING rain 2 years ago. THAT SUCKED.

Hey homchz, give me a shout next time you need a hand, I drive right thru Lee every day. I work in Durham, and I carry a TON of tools in my truck with me all the time.

 

[knorrena]

On my fj40 I rebuilt the steering pivot point on the front frame horn on the drivers side. On reassembly I put the box end of the wrench in the channel and held it there while I tightened the bolts with my ratchet. On the last bolt, which was the furthest one inside the channeled part of the frame, I torqued up the bolt and tossed the ratchet into the garage before I tried to remove the box end wrench. I could not get the wrench off the nut and the wrench had pinned my hand inside the frame. I was not in any pain, but my ratchet was too far away to reach it. I sat there for nearly 5 hours till my roommate came home to pass me my ratchet. Took a long time to live that down.

Karl

 

[Devil's Slide Doug]

replaced the power steering hard line in a fj62 in a town about 20 miles away from home when it blew. Messy, did it parked on the street in a blue collar neighborhood. Seemed easier than disconnecting the belt and muscling the beast home to my own driveway to work on it.

 

[womacje]

On my fj40 I rebuilt the steering pivot point on the front frame horn on the drivers side. On reassembly I put the box end of the wrench in the channel and held it there while I tightened the bolts with my ratchet. On the last bolt, which was the furthest one inside the channeled part of the frame, I torqued up the bolt and tossed the ratchet into the garage before I tried to remove the box end wrench. I could not get the wrench off the nut and the wrench had pinned my hand inside the frame. I was not in any pain, but my ratchet was too far away to reach it. I sat there for nearly 5 hours till my roommate came home to pass me my ratchet. Took a long time to live that down.

Karl

Thanks for the laugh, I could barely continue reading as my laptop bounced around I was laughing so hard. Sorry to hear about that unfortunate situation.

For some reason I know I will do that some day! Call it a premonition.

 

[Rookie2]

Why didn't you just pull in sideways?

Uhh..., it was kind of joke, but thanks anyways there Cap'n Problem Solver.

 

[NeverFinis]

I managed to drive 200 miles on a failed water pump when it lost its seal towing a 6000lb trailer by plugging the weep holes, and replugging them, and replugging them....

It took me 12 hours to drive that 200 miles....