As the title states, what is the sketchiest thing you’ve done to get a project done or a machine/contraption working again?
Mine was back in high school, I put an old 302 together for a friends 70 Mustang and he was buying the parts, he just didn’t have the skills or space to do it on his own. List: base 2 bolt main block, oil burner/scored cylinders, room to bore and oversize mains, rebuilt top end, brand new forged steel crank that required final machining for balance, stock rods and scored pistons, Edelbrock intake, Holley carb, headers I can’t remember, blah blah blah you get it.
At this point it was on my rotating engine stand disassembled and I’m measuring stuff. Action:
I tell him have the block professionally bored and buy new pistons to have your crank cut and balanced. He said no, just build the damn thing. So I do it, he’s watching as I do the first stage torque on the rod caps, I then rotate the crank, *clack* it stops! I rotate the other way *clack* it stops! I see the piston skirts hitting the counterweight of the uncut crankshaft! I laughed at my friend for his stupidity and thought for sure now he’ll listen.... nope! The daft bastard picks a file up and sets it on the bottom of the engine and I quote, “file them bitches.” So I did it, shamefully held my head down and filed the skirts so they cleared and continued to assemble the engine.
So after assembly and some banter, it’s go time! Engine installed, oiled and fueled. She’s alive! Shaking like crazy, but she runs. We go take the car on a test drive around the block. As I’m riding in the back seat (I lost a bet) on this maiden voyage, friend riding shotgun rolls his window down and all I hear is a *tink, sploding glass* then tires squeel! I look back and holy shit, we just lost the back window and a tailgater had to lock their brakes! My buddy forgot to tape his rear window, that idiot...
Whats your story?
Mine was back in high school, I put an old 302 together for a friends 70 Mustang and he was buying the parts, he just didn’t have the skills or space to do it on his own. List: base 2 bolt main block, oil burner/scored cylinders, room to bore and oversize mains, rebuilt top end, brand new forged steel crank that required final machining for balance, stock rods and scored pistons, Edelbrock intake, Holley carb, headers I can’t remember, blah blah blah you get it.
At this point it was on my rotating engine stand disassembled and I’m measuring stuff. Action:
I tell him have the block professionally bored and buy new pistons to have your crank cut and balanced. He said no, just build the damn thing. So I do it, he’s watching as I do the first stage torque on the rod caps, I then rotate the crank, *clack* it stops! I rotate the other way *clack* it stops! I see the piston skirts hitting the counterweight of the uncut crankshaft! I laughed at my friend for his stupidity and thought for sure now he’ll listen.... nope! The daft bastard picks a file up and sets it on the bottom of the engine and I quote, “file them bitches.” So I did it, shamefully held my head down and filed the skirts so they cleared and continued to assemble the engine.
So after assembly and some banter, it’s go time! Engine installed, oiled and fueled. She’s alive! Shaking like crazy, but she runs. We go take the car on a test drive around the block. As I’m riding in the back seat (I lost a bet) on this maiden voyage, friend riding shotgun rolls his window down and all I hear is a *tink, sploding glass* then tires squeel! I look back and holy shit, we just lost the back window and a tailgater had to lock their brakes! My buddy forgot to tape his rear window, that idiot...
Whats your story?