I lay claim to the title for yesterday

I rebuilt my engine a little while ago and noted that I would need to tighten and torque up the crank pulley bolt. Engine & gearbox went into the car as one unit and then delays started until I could sort out engine & gearbox mounts. Prop connected to 'box and diff.

First thing I had to sort out was the thread on the bolt that was slightly bu88ered (managed to find a tap & die for M12 x 1.5 thread) and that was sorted fairly easily. I then went to torque up the bolt and was puzzled as to why the crank kept turning on the bolt - it was in gear and the rear wheels were on the floor.

Took me a while to realise that I hadn't fitted the clutch or the flywheel . In fact I'd been stepping over them for so long they'd become part of the furniture and I didn't see them any more!

Oh how I laughed as I took a UJ out of the prop to get that out, to enable the gearbox to be withdrawn from the engine etc.

Sometimes I wonder if it's safe for me to build anything

lost for words

Actually I can almost top that, almost…

Once I lost drive to the front of my Landy. First thing that popped into my head? Stripped the diff. So lying under the car in a puddle of rain and snow plus it was at night. I pulled out the halfshafts took off the propshaft and after pouring nasty gearbox oil all over the drive dragged out the diff.

Hang on! It’s fine, WTF???

Stumped I put it all back together in a foul mood wondering what on earth it could be. It was only when refitting the last component, the freewheeling hubs that I noticed that a split pin had fallen out cos I hadn’t bothered in the past to bend it properly.

Oh how I laughed…not.

"The bloke who has never made a mistake hasn't done anything"

But I must say thats a good un.
Steve.

Shouldn't laugh really but That's made my day

quote:

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Sometimes I wonder if it's safe for me to build anything

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Had a similar event with a Landrover rebuild...

Put it all back together, engine and box in, all the connections done.

Started first time, after standing for 18 months ! Amazing ! But no drive... Clutch was OK, took slave cylinder out, refitted, no joy... Tried all gears, engaging properly so no problem there...

Still wouldn't move, so must be gearbox problem, and just about to rip the box out when my dad said...

'Transfer box supposed to be in Neutral....'

No comment

Pete

I once won numpty of the day about 15 years ago when finishing building my westfield.
just fitting the nice new sparks plugs to my reconditioned x flow, just back from the engine builder, wheni noticed one of the spark plugs had the little "tit" missing off the end where the lead goes. strange i thought and i hunted around for it but couldnt find it. Never mind i am sure have another in the garage, and yes i found one off an old spark plug and fitted it on.

I quickly discovered where it went when i strarted the car up for the first time and heard a very loud horrible banging noise coming from one of the cylinders. i stripped the head off only to find the "tit" sitting on the top of a very damaged piston

i called the engine guy to order another piston, "sorry mate they were the last of that type in the country", and after two weeks of phone calls i managed to track down a set of new pistons. I had to buy the full set and they were cosworth specials!!! they cost me a fortune.

the moral of this tale...............always tighten your tits

I must say this thread is reassuring after what I just did to my wishbones.

I had them fired in an electric kiln, arguably way too hot for way too long, a load of scale fell off them, now my 2.9mm (nominal 3mm) plates are 2.7mm thick. concerned face.

It would have been funnier if you hadnt had to tighten the pulley bolt. Cue new post 'my starter doesnt see to be engaging!'

Ive done loads. Often at home it doesnt matter as you have loads of time to sort. But at work when you are stripping a gearbox in 2 hour gap between a race, rebuild it, re attach the rear diffuser, rear wing and exhaust which all bolt to the gearbox end plate, then you realise it is still locked in 2 gears! (which you have to do to torque the shafts up) Starts to get a little hectic when the cars are forming up to go out and you still have half a car sitting on stands!

The good thing is you only make these mistakes once! (well you should!)

While we're in confession mode.....

last year when I had the Roadster in the garage I stored my Locost at my sisters house.

Went back and fetched it on the trailer and left it at the bottom of my very steep drive.

Got in and turned the key.

Nothing.

Stuck the battery on charge for a couple of hours.

Got in and turned the key.

Nothing. Again.

By this time I'm panicing about having to leave the car on the road.

So

I rounded up Mrs G all the kids and all the neighbours, and they pushed the car up my very steep drive, grunting and sweating.

Finally got it in the garage, and I was having a potter about.

Sat in the car.

It was then that I remembered that my Locost has something that the Roadster (which I'd been used to driving) didn't......

A STARTER BUTTON

Tentatively I gave it a little prod.

Started straight away.

Yes ladies and gentlemen, I'd bullied a load of people to push my car up a 1 in 3 slope because I had forgotten that I had a starter button.

Doh!!

Cheers

Chris

now that is good chris!

To cut a long but similar confession short, i once had a sierra and the gearbox blew up. It ended up sat in my drive for a bit, and about a week later i decided the handbrake might stick on so i put it in gear and took the brake off. Came home from work to find my wall demolished by it! Very lucky really.

Worst thing is, it took me about a month to realise what had happened - the gbox was broken! It was never going to hold it still in gear.... Id spent weeks blaming the wobble gearlever....

I almost had a similar starter button issue at work t'other day with a racing vx220 turbo.. Just got the ECU back, workshop chap trying to fit it, "does it go yet" "nope" "hmm maybe the earth strap.. how about now" "nope"

Was spotted by someone else before too many hours wasted

I feel left out now, I've never done anything stupid to confess to . (apart from the obvious forgetting to put a rotor arm back in)

I feel left out. I must have done some stupid things, like running myself over once, but I think robinj66 takes the prize.

I could almost accept forgetting the clutch but missing the flywheel is quality.