Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

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GrandpaFord
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Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by GrandpaFord » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:14 pm

Last Sunday I wanted to give the kid across the street a chance to drive my 1915 Touring car. He likes mechanical engineering and just got his driver's license. So I started up the car and after about 30 seconds it quit. I tried to re start the car but it would not even kick. So I told Evan to go home and I would come get him when I figured out what was wrong.

I started with the ignition system. I tested the spark at all the plugs, OK. Not flooded. So I figured it must be in the carburetor. So I pulled the carburetor off and took it apart to find that the fuel shut off valve was turned off. I installed a valve at the carburetor inlet so I would not have to climb under the car every time I parked in the garage. There are 4 possible positions for the handle on the valve and only one allows fuel to flow into the carburetor. I had turned it the wrong way.

So after putting the carburetor back together and cleaning up a little, I went and got Evan for his driving lesson.

I felt like such an idiot. I had even written the word ON at the right position for the lever.

I have done worse, but I won't go into that right now.


Mindless Automaton
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Mindless Automaton » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:28 pm

Yes i have, i make them every day.

When i try to impress a girl i sometimes forget to turn the fuel on...


Dallas Landers
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Dallas Landers » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:35 pm

NO!!!
Well there was that time the wife and I stopped on the Harley to eat with some friends. After we came out and all the bikes roared to life and everyone inside was watching all these loud Harley in the parking lot. We all nailed it and we were off. The fishtails on mine are quite loud if I try. Well I was in the rear and just as I left the lot with pipes talking ,it sputtered and died just out on the road. I forgot to turn the fuel on!

And then there was the time, well you get the idea. Oh ya I have done lots of them.


alb
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by alb » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:40 pm

I did the same thing and also put on in the right postilion . I had more one person waiting. :oops:


Rich Bingham
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Rich Bingham » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:44 pm

Gosh no !! All my mistakes are carefully planned. :roll:
"Get a horse !"

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Ruxstel24
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Tue Jan 29, 2019 7:59 pm

Ok, I'll admit it...1988, I got married !! :shock:
I've now been with the current version for more than double the time of the first. :D

And yes, I have heard "turn the gas on stupid" more than once... :oops:

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D.Yoder
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by D.Yoder » Tue Jan 29, 2019 8:17 pm

chimny sweep.jpg
chimny sweep.jpg (6.01 KiB) Viewed 17313 times
YES I did not take the chimney cap off in nice weather.


Tiger Tim
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Tiger Tim » Tue Jan 29, 2019 8:50 pm

Last summer I was leaving the T’s first car show. My car has electric start but it also has a crank and, well, you know. So I get the thing going in front of a sizeable crowd, hop in, get settled and on my way only to have it sputter and die about fifteen feet later. Jump out red-faced, turn the gas on, a couple more cranks then get on my way home...

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Michael Peternell
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Michael Peternell » Tue Jan 29, 2019 9:07 pm

The standard answer for old tractor guys when figured out was " I like to build a little oil pressure first"!

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Marv K
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Marv K » Tue Jan 29, 2019 9:23 pm

FYI - "I NEVER make mistakes! (Thought I did ONCE, but I was wrong....")
"Let's Figgur it owt!" Just fix it (right), and make it work.....
Aah-OO-Gah! (and), "Happy T-ing!"


Norman Kling
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Norman Kling » Tue Jan 29, 2019 9:37 pm

I have done that, but as soon as it stops, I realize what caused it.

About 65 years ago when I was a teen, I had a Model A. The gas valve on it was under the dash at the bottom of the fuel tank. I was driving along with a "friend" who purposely kicked that valve while we were moving and the engine quit running. I had the distributor apart and almost took the carburetor apart when I tried to turn off the fuel and found it already off. Teen pranks! Of course, he was laughing his head off! :lol:
Norm

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varmint
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by varmint » Tue Jan 29, 2019 10:56 pm

Last week I was welding a bracket to the home made anvil with the setting on high. I thought for some reason that the welder would auto turn off when it got too hot. It took me two days to :oops: cool off and buy another one from HF, upgraded while I was at it.
Vern (Vieux Carre)

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Steve Jelf
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:06 pm

IMG_2849 copy 2.JPG
The inevitable often happens.
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring

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Marv K
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Marv K » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:19 pm

-Steve-
We have no right to laugh at anyone else, until we can laugh at ourselves!
Can you at least blame that on a different driver??
"Let's Figgur it owt!" Just fix it (right), and make it work.....
Aah-OO-Gah! (and), "Happy T-ing!"

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Steve Jelf
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Steve Jelf » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:34 pm

Unfortunately, no. I was the only one there. "I'm not going very far. Surely the parking brake will be enough." :)
The inevitable often happens.
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring

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Duey_C
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Duey_C » Tue Jan 29, 2019 11:57 pm

Hahaha! This is why I like this forum so much! :) Keeping it real!
No disrespect ever intended. Neil, dare I say/ask perhaps the only mistake you made was NOT having Evan at your side whilst checking things out and finding a trivial mistake? :)
Since I lost my mind mind, I feel more liberated

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Jugster
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Jugster » Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:54 am

Nobody ever made as stupid a mistake as did I. When the retro-fitted starter on my '15 Touring stopped working, I decided to dismount it and have it rebuilt by an electric shop. Unfortunately, as the car had not been designed to accommodate a starter, access to it for servicing was severely limited by the firewall mounting bracket which was blocking the last upper, inboard mounting bolt. The only way to get at it would be to lift the front of the body off the chassis several inches.

Well, to do that, one must first disconnect the radiator support rod from the radiator by screwing it back into the firewall, but that can't be done without first dismounting the coil box. Then, of course, the steering column must be dismounted from the chassis. The firewall brackets which fasten the firewall to the chassis must be disconnected, but you can't do that without first pulling the hood clips and disconnecting the aft ends of the hood shelves. Then, of course, the front body mounting bolts have to be removed and the rear ones, loosened. And then, the front of the body must be lifted off the frame. Huge job. Huge, huge job.

And my stupid mistake? Turns out there was nothing wrong with the starter. I had a dead battery.

Oh, by the way, this job was involved enough that I created a pdf file with photos of step-by-step instructions on how it is done and the worthwhile-to-know tricks I had to invent to do things which, at first, seemed impossibly daunting (but if you know the tricks, they're easy). If you'd like a copy of this file, e-mail me at jugflyer@aol.com and I'll be happy to send that to you.


Erik Barrett
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Erik Barrett » Wed Jan 30, 2019 2:02 am

Who could possibly answer this question no?


Mindless Automaton
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Mindless Automaton » Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:14 am

Erik Barrett wrote:
Wed Jan 30, 2019 2:02 am
Who could possibly answer this question no?
You would be surprised how many people on the internet would say "No" and then go on a 5 page rant against everyone else who'd admitted they'd made a mistake.


George Andreasen
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by George Andreasen » Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:25 am

Well, the last really stupid mistake I made was back in 1966 with my first car, a 1962 Plymouth. I had a group of friends over...all car "experts" like me....on a Saturday to help me change the oil, which was dutifully drained and the new filter installed. We were in the process of pouring fresh 30 wt. back in when someone said......"Hey!" A pool of oil was quickly spreading from under the car.......the drain plug! I quickly screwed the plug back in, but brother let me tell you, two quarts of oil makes one heck of a puddle on a garage floor.

The most embarrassing part was cleaning the mess up while explaining it to my father............

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Jim_PTC_GA
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Jim_PTC_GA » Wed Jan 30, 2019 7:48 am

I had a kill switch in my old truck to prevent theft. I kept forgetting which way was on and which was off. After 5 years of constantly forgetting I finally removed the switch. Cranks every time now.
Just give me time to Rust and I'll be good as new. :) Wabi-Sabi

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Barth_Tool_Co
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Barth_Tool_Co » Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:59 am

Started my Farmall F-20 in gear with the crank once by accident.... almost ran me over, then ran into the house hitting the power line under the meter causing a shower of sparks and some surprise for my wife and neighbor who were inside on the other side of that very wall. Oops! Had to have the line replaced from the meter to the breaker box after that one.
... and my number is Beechwood 4-5789
1926 Touring - "Corrina"


otrcman
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by otrcman » Wed Jan 30, 2019 10:41 am

We need to clarify the question a little:

Have you ever made a stupid mistake ,,,,,,,,,

... in your life ?

... on your T ?

... in the past year ?

... in the past week ?

... today ?


The answer would be:

... yes

... yes

... yes

... yes

... Give me a break. I just got out of bed.


pre15dale
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by pre15dale » Wed Jan 30, 2019 11:43 am

Several years ago I was hanging around in the parking lot of the hotel after coming in from the days tour. One of the guys with a Pope Hartford was trying to start his car , what ever he tried, no go even resorted to giving it a pull with modern iron, No go. Finally I went over and said I don't want to sound like a smart ass but is the gas by chance turned off? Sure enough turn on the gas and started right up.

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Rich Eagle
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Rich Eagle » Wed Jan 30, 2019 12:31 pm

How much time have you got?
I enjoyed chuckling at the two fellows who were talking about the times they forgot to put the tops down before loading the cars in their trailers.
A few years later I didn't get the garage door up high enough and the Touring top broke the door up pretty badly. It tore the buckle holes out of the straps and put a little tear in the bow fabric. The door suffered the most damage. I make lots of little mistakes all the time. It's part of the process and progress.
Rich
When did I do that?

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Ruxstel24
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Wed Jan 30, 2019 1:49 pm

Rich, my dad did the same thing, but it was the high spot in the middle of the top !!
Fortunately he did his own upholstery :)

We had 2 63 T-Birds when I was a kid. Both in need of restoration.
I took the "better" one back in the field one day and was whipping donuts, when I realized I didn't put any water in the radiator !!!
She was a smoker after that !! :oops:
I ended up swapping engines later and drove the car for several years, till I crashed it and nearly ended up a memory at 21 years old. :?

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paulmikeska
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by paulmikeska » Wed Jan 30, 2019 4:40 pm

Well...I rebuilt a rear end on a T that I was restoring with all new parts including ring and pinion gears. It was many years later when the car was finished. I took it for its first drive without realizing that I had never added oil to the rear end. Dumb and costly!


Marty Bufalini
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Marty Bufalini » Wed Jan 30, 2019 6:20 pm

Yes. I bought a Model T!!! :D

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Rich Eagle
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Rich Eagle » Wed Jan 30, 2019 8:49 pm

I had carefully assembled the engine and installed it into the car only to find one of the front crankshaft seal halves sitting on the bench. [!O(
When did I do that?

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Charlie B in N.J.
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Charlie B in N.J. » Thu Jan 31, 2019 8:02 am

Truthfully, every mistake I've ever made has been stupid one way or another.
Forget everything you thought you knew.


rickg
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by rickg » Thu Jan 31, 2019 5:59 pm

Never :lol: , Here hold my beer!


Bmettli
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Bmettli » Thu Jan 31, 2019 9:32 pm

3 years ago and went to change the old split rim on my touring with a freshly painted rim and new tire. Took it off the car, wheeled it downstairs and started cranking away with the spreader. I forgot to let the air out of the tires and that thing exploded when the rim let go. It blew up with enough force it blew the overhead flourescent lights out.

Luckily I still have my face and one less change of shorts.


signsup
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by signsup » Thu Jan 31, 2019 10:31 pm

My first restoration project was a WWII jeep. Rushed into it prior to doing research and removed wheels to start disassembly. Two wheels came off difficult, but came off. Two didn't come off at all and after breaking brakerbars and lug wrenches, ended up snapping off lug studs. When I called the vendor to order 10 new studs, his question was, "eft handed threads or right handed threads"?
By my silence he knew what I had done. Wheels on the drivers side were reverse threads. Before my time technology.

Lesson learned. Pick up manual before wrench.
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?

A bunch of old cars
Sometimes they run.
Sometimes, they don't.

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Duey_C
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Duey_C » Thu Jan 31, 2019 11:45 pm

The biggest stupid mistake I made was trading the 67 Coupe deVille off on a rusted out 74 Firebird.
Looked just like Jim Rockford's Pumpjack. :oops:
T's? Still thinking. How can one go wrong with these tough little buggers? I ain't found it yet. Yet. Still thinking.
:)
Since I lost my mind mind, I feel more liberated

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Steve Jelf
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Steve Jelf » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:00 am

Wheels on the drivers side were reverse threads.
Dodge?
The inevitable often happens.
1915 Runabout
1923 Touring

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VowellArt
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by VowellArt » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:30 am

Took my car out to let my mother see the car, she hadn't seen it since it was partially assembled and in primer. So, I drove my car over to let her see it and of course the first thing she says is "can I go for a ride"? I took her for a ride around the area in the car she never thought I'd finish. When we got back to where she was visiting, I naturally turned off the gas, hung out a bit, talked and then said our goodbyes. My wife and I get back into the car and I stomp on the starter and grind away and nothing...the car doesn't start. Long story short...er. I forgot to turn on the gas again and kept stepping on the starter until there was no more juice to turn the starter over. Good thing I had Hagerty Roadside Assistance (because nobody there had a 6 volt battery). I called and they sent a car with a booster to jump start my car.

We got home without incident, but thinking back on it, it was a really dumb thing, something I never even thought to check was the valve at the carburetor...stupid, a really really stupid mistake. :oops:
Fun never quits!

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RustyFords
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by RustyFords » Fri Feb 01, 2019 8:17 am

I built a 50's style Model T hotrod about 20 years ago (no actual Model T parts used) and had it to the point that it was running and would move under its own power, but not complete.

My parents were visiting and they both wanted to see it and hear it run in the garage. I hadn't installed the neutral safety switch yet and when I started it...it was in Drive. It lurched forward, hit my mom's leg with the front tire, then smashed into my work bench, partially destroying it.

I got it turned off and took my mom to the ER where they determined she had a good bruise but no broken bones. I was so disgusted with myself that I shut the garage and the project down for several months and then sold the car because all it reminded of was my mom crying.

I'll never, ever, ever get an automatic transmission car to that point without a functioning neutral safety switch (and all other pertinent safety features). It was first-rate stupid. Shameful really. It could've been worse, but still.
1924 Touring


MWalker
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by MWalker » Fri Feb 01, 2019 10:38 am

Have I ever made a stupid mistake? Never! (Unless you count that time when I was adjusting the #4 rod through a 3-dip pan and stuffed 4 shop rags inn the crankcase in case I dropped a cotter pin.........)

I discovered my mistake while on a test drive and the mag quit working. I used long tweezers and hemostats to pick bits of pulp out of the tranny through the inspection plate for a couple of hours; finally had to pull the hogshead to get the last of it. :cry:

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Ruxstel24
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Fri Feb 01, 2019 11:31 am

Mike, that reminds me of one...
My ex's cousin was working at a dealership I was at and replaced the head gasket on some sort of Mitsubishi. He put blue shop rags (the paper ones with strings inside), in the cylinders to soak up any coolant. He was pretty green. Got it all back together and hit the key...clunk !!
He was picking rags out through the spark plug holes, I think he finally pulled the head back off. :(
For a couple weeks after, there were rags in the tailpipe of several cars he worked on, mysteriously !!! :P :lol:


Norman Kling
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Norman Kling » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:16 pm

Two things I can remember.
1. Changed the oil and forgot to put in the plug. The drain pan had twice as much oil in it and the new oil was ruined.

2. This could have been a life altering event. Wanted to change the location of the ifiller pipe on a gas tank. Cut off the pipe and move to a different location on the tank. I knew the gas fumes in the tank were flamable so filled the tank with water. Couldn't get it hot enough to weld with the water in it so drained the water. Then turned the torch to the tank and it blew up! Who would have thought that a tank which had been completely filled with water and then drained would still have enough fumes to cause an explosion? Fortunately no one was hurt and no property damaged but that tank jumped about a foot!
Norm

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Ruxstel24
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Fri Feb 01, 2019 12:26 pm

Been there done that, Norm !! On a 2 gallon lawn tractor tank...:shock:

I learnt later on with MC tanks. I wash them out with Kerosene first, then a good degreaser.
Let it sit till dry and as long as there's no gas smell, I have been successful and survived several times. :)

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Novice
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The Smell of fresh oil.

Post by Novice » Fri Feb 01, 2019 1:13 pm

While changing the oil at My uncles garage back in the early sixties, I drained out the old oil in My car and replaced the filter before refilling with fresh oil when the smell of fresh oil became very strong.I looked down at the pool of oil flowing out from under the car on the shop floor and realized I had not put the drain plug back in. My Uncle didn't get mad. He just laughed and said You will never make that mistake again and fifty years later, He was right. Some mistakes make a lasting impression.

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RustyFords
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by RustyFords » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:03 pm

Not me but I was in very close proximity when it happened.

My dad's best friend bought a brand new Oldsmobile Diesel around 1984. The second day they had it, his daughter stopped by our house in it and asked if I wanted to go for a ride in their new car. She was pretty...so of course I did.

Our first stop was the gas station. I went in to pay and she pumped the gas. Yep...gasoline. Not diesel.

We didn't get very far before the engine started making very bad noises. Then it stopped running altogether. It was towed to the dealership where they determined the engine was a total loss. She had managed to kill their new car with less than 200 miles on the odometer. For what it's worth, I also managed to get a fairly good chewing out for not noticing that the "helpless" teenage girl was putting gas in their diesel car.

Turns out, the Oldsmobile Diesels were awful cars. They had a new engine installed in the car but it was truly a dreadful automobile and quite impossible to sell as a used car. For a while after that, my dad's favorite joke went as follows... Question: What's the difference between an Oldsmobile Diesel and syphillis? Answer: You can get rid of syphillis.
1924 Touring


Mindless Automaton
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Mindless Automaton » Fri Feb 01, 2019 2:52 pm

Ruxstel24 wrote:
Fri Feb 01, 2019 11:31 am
Mike, that reminds me of one...
My ex's cousin was working at a dealership I was at and replaced the head gasket on some sort of Mitsubishi. He put blue shop rags (the paper ones with strings inside), in the cylinders to soak up any coolant. He was pretty green. Got it all back together and hit the key...clunk !!
He was picking rags out through the spark plug holes, I think he finally pulled the head back off. :(
For a couple weeks after, there were rags in the tailpipe of several cars he worked on, mysteriously !!! :P :lol:
With a T there's enough space in the head that the rags simply go out the exhaust in little pieces.


Bill D
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Bill D » Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:41 pm

Kinda OT: When we lived in Missouri in the middle 40's(46 to be exact) we lived on My Grandads old farm. Dad got this wild idea to plow and plant 7 acres of Sorghum Cane, as some of the neighbors had done. He found an old press and an old pan and he got his Uncle to help build the rock walls for the pan to set on. So I was going to do the plowing (12 years old). Well Dad gave me a short lesson! I started and a short time later I came to a spot and the tractor gave a grunt and stopped dead in its tracts. No problem just put the clutch pedal down and hit the starter and off we would go--- but it did not happen! So I went to the house and got Dad and to the field we went. He got up on the seat and pushed the clutch pedal down -NO GO- OPP's take tractor out of gear and press clutch pedal down and start tractor. The tractor had snagged a large shallow rock. No damage to the tractor or the plow. Lesson learned. The tractor was a Ford something 6,7,8 N, the regular old Blue job just like today. Oh and My Dad cooked several hundred gallons of um um um good sorghum cane syrup, and in my mind I can still taste it;.. Nothing better-well maybe maple syrup!!!!!!!!
Bill d

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ironhorse
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by ironhorse » Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:10 pm

Hummmm? Does that mean when you get invited to a fund raising event for the Florida Theater (Speak easy night) and when you leave with every one watching, you let the motor warm up drive 200 ft and stall (Dang! forgot to turn the fuel on) ? :oops:
Do it right or do it over,your choice. Drive like everyone is out to get you!


Jeff Hood
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Jeff Hood » Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:25 pm

Many years ago I was a Foreman in a busy truck repair shop. The owner hired a new "lube man" who had supposedly worked in the motorpool in the Army. His first job was to do an oil change on a Kenworth with a big Detroit Diesel 8V92. They hold about 10 gallons of oil. I showed him where the oil drums were located, the drain pans, and the fill jugs, and he said he could take it from there and brought the truck into the shop. Suddenly there was a great commotion in the shop and I went out to find everybody scrambling to stop a huge oil flow. He had used a regular automotive drain pan that holds about 8 quarts and the rest of the oil (8 gallons) was spreading across the shop floor! It took a couple of hours to clean that mess up, but he wasn't finished. He didn't know how much oil to put back in the truck. We had some 2-1/2 gallon jugs and I told him to put in 4 jugs of oil. The next oil change was on a panel truck with a 350 gas Chevy motor. He had learned his lesson on the first truck and got one of the BIG drain pans for this one! He had to jack it up and put it on stands just to get the pan under it and then drained the 4 or 5 quarts of oil into it. There was much snickering in the shop but at least there was no clean-up needed this time. Then he came in the office and said "It won't all go in." Yuup, he was trying to put 10 gallons (4 jugs) of oil into a 5 quart engine and it was filled to the top of the valve covers! He was gone by the end of the day.


Raoul von S.
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Raoul von S. » Sun Feb 03, 2019 2:55 pm

My father was pure genius when it came to cars and dealing. The heartwarming story of a boy
going with his Dad to buy a new car was ruined when Dad traded Mom's 66 Mustang fastback (289
4v, 4-speed) for a $#@! Pinto wagon ! But his coupé de gras was trading a nice used car condition
1931 Auburn speedster to a guy for a 30 Model A coupe. Said he couldn't hotrod the Auburn !

I had my own moment of stupid when I turned down a 1958 DeSoto Adventurer convertible (nice,
highly maintained original) for the whopping sum of $3500. My thinking ? I wanted to hold out for
a 57 !

SFB Syndrome is chronic in the United States, and most people don't even know they have it. See
a doctor when symptoms appear.

SFB.jpg
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"Working today, for a seamless tomorrow"

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Rich Eagle
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Rich Eagle » Sun Feb 03, 2019 3:14 pm

I told the story last Summer about my engine noise. About 30 miles on our trip a rattling noise began. The fan was the only thing external, under the hood that rotated. I was puzzled that no problem was there. We continued down the road. The noise would come and go with a few dozen miles between. My imagination helps with many things I do but is not always helpful at diagnosing trouble. I could only imagine a dipper coming off a rod cap and rattling around in the dip from time to time. I thought it might stay there or attach to a magnet but feared it could get into the field coils and stop the magneto from working. I worried about it all the way to Twin Falls and all night at the motel.
The next day was registration and safety inspection. I took the time to pull the inspection pan and search for a missing piece. After some searching with oil up to my elbows and not finding anything a T guy passing by said "Rich, the heat tube to the carburetor is loose". Duh! did I feel stupid or what?
When did I do that?


Kts
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Kts » Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:46 pm

I got my Huckster back in 1976, first T. Got it home, started, and off the trailer, drove it half mile to local general store I ran. Seemed to run hot, so I figured might be low on oil. Couldn’t find the dipstick. Two old Coots sitting outside the store said nothing. Found the filler, added a quart. Didn’t see any oil, so in went another. And another, After the fourth, I figured it must be good, so fired it up. Amazing how much oil came out between cylinders 2 & 3. One of the old Coots took pity on me and explained about the petcocks on the Transmission. Grrrrr!


Tmodelt
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Tmodelt » Wed Feb 06, 2019 7:55 pm

The very worst mistake that I have made is non T related. I corrected not one but two instructors while in nuke school. I was right in both cases but still labeled as a "boat rocker". I did apologize to one of the instructors out of respect.


Mindless Automaton
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Mindless Automaton » Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:03 am

Tmodelt wrote:
Wed Feb 06, 2019 7:55 pm
The very worst mistake that I have made is non T related. I corrected not one but two instructors while in nuke school. I was right in both cases but still labeled as a "boat rocker". I did apologize to one of the instructors out of respect.
You should not apologize for being correct.

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NHUSA
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by NHUSA » Thu Feb 07, 2019 8:57 am

The simple answer is YES!

Some of the posts remind me of 3 mistakes I made in selling cars.

One was a very pretty baby blue 1953 Chevy convertible with a blue top.
I got it with a blown motor and put a 327 with a 4-speed transmission in it.
I sold it the first night I took it to town.

Another was 1949 Chevy sedan delivery.
We put a Buick 322 in it, raised it 6 inches all around, and put mag wheels with wide tires on it.
The spare tire well was a great place for ice and --- soda ---
I sold it after a very fun summer on Cape Cod.

Then there was a pristine 1958 Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider Veloci that we had in 1970.
We sold it to get money so I could go back to college.
Just like this one.
1958 alfa.jpg
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My wife and I promised each other that we would get another one when we graduated but kids happened and it never happened.
Although we did get a butterscotch Alfa GTA Jr that would blow the doors off most mussel cars.
Like this one.
Attachments
GT Jr.jpg
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NH - Where I used to live - not the carburetor ! :lol:

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Mark Gregush
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Mark Gregush » Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:21 pm

No such thing as a stupid mistake if it becomes a learning lesson. :lol:
I know the voices aren't real but damn they have some good ideas! :shock:

1925 Cut down pickup
1920 Dodge touring
1948 Ford F2 pickup

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Ruxstel24
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by Ruxstel24 » Thu Feb 07, 2019 12:47 pm

The majority of my stupidest mistakes, involved alcohol and/or a woman (or 2 or 3...) :lol:

So far, I think the stupidest T oops was hitting the brake while trying to downshift the Ruckstell. Yep, found neutral !! :shock:

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FreighTer Jim
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by FreighTer Jim » Thu Feb 07, 2019 2:32 pm

Dually Truck vs. FJ

Winner = Dually Truck ..... :roll:

0BC5425D-9321-4D09-873E-017CD588B0BA.jpeg

ABC2334E-F6BC-4B14-B7A7-009E82A18299.jpeg

FJ
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critterpainter
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by critterpainter » Thu Feb 07, 2019 9:23 pm

Sometimes simple sounding mistakes can take days to fix. In the early 90's I was working on a 1948 Invicta (British car) with a 6 cyl Meadows engine. The Meadows engine resembles a 6 cyl Jaguar but a lot harder to work on. I had to install the head and get it running. Two timing chains, dual overhead cam and all Wentworth bolts. Yep, I put the headgasket on upside down. 1 water hole didn't align and it peed on the floor. That boo-boo took a week to fix.
14 Touring

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infotfordnl
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Re: Have you ever made a stupid mistake?

Post by infotfordnl » Fri Feb 08, 2019 4:30 am

Trying to take out the engine without taking away the front axcle connection, thought the engine was sticked by the wooden blok between the chassis and the engine..... after one hour struggeling I saw the course
Man oh man a starter engeneer in progres...
Nice movie of this Model T: https://youtu.be/jD1QJBZasdY

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