Composites can be fun to work with.
Have you ever done a "Bubba" mod?
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,012
Likes: 5
From: Granbury, TX
Have you ever done a "Bubba" mod?
I must confess. 
My Eckler’s replacement headlight switch began hissing at me after about 1 year. I was removing it one night to inspect and the vacuum switch portion fell apart in my hand. Since this is my daily driver and it is dark at 7:00 am I was feeling pretty screwed. 
So, I cut a section from a ball point pen and used it to connect the 2 vacuum lines running to the headlight switch. Now the switch under the steering column operates the headlight doors and the headlight switch turns on the headlights, parking lights and instrument lights.
Fixing it correctly is on my “to do” list but until then, if the car is stolen, they can’t drive at night.
My Eckler’s replacement headlight switch began hissing at me after about 1 year. I was removing it one night to inspect and the vacuum switch portion fell apart in my hand. Since this is my daily driver and it is dark at 7:00 am I was feeling pretty screwed. So, I cut a section from a ball point pen and used it to connect the 2 vacuum lines running to the headlight switch. Now the switch under the steering column operates the headlight doors and the headlight switch turns on the headlights, parking lights and instrument lights. Fixing it correctly is on my “to do” list but until then, if the car is stolen, they can’t drive at night.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,143
Likes: 0
From: Leander Texas
The made by me front scoop.
And I stripped the viynal (sp) off the badly damaged dash, glued all the broken pieces back together, then fiberglassed over the whole thing then painted with black wrinkle paint.
I can't remember who posted it before, but I think it went like this.
Any repairs done before you owned your vette are Bubba. Any repairs by you while you own your Vette are considered Mods. Upon sale of your Vette any Mods become by default Bubba
And I stripped the viynal (sp) off the badly damaged dash, glued all the broken pieces back together, then fiberglassed over the whole thing then painted with black wrinkle paint.
I can't remember who posted it before, but I think it went like this.
Any repairs done before you owned your vette are Bubba. Any repairs by you while you own your Vette are considered Mods. Upon sale of your Vette any Mods become by default Bubba
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,012
Likes: 5
From: Granbury, TX
Originally Posted by DR.Jay
How did it turn out?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,143
Likes: 0
From: Leander Texas
The hard plastic under the vinal on my dash was shattered. I believe from the person who was riding in the passenger seat with no seat belt on. It took me about three weekends worth of laying fiberglass, and sanding to get it so all the factory parts would fit,and look correct.
Racer
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 318
Likes: 0
One of the best ones I have ever seen was when I was I High School. My friend had a 67 Pont. Tempest that had a broken throttle linkage that was held together with vise grips. The same car did not have a gear shifter, so he pulled the shift rod through the center console and shifted it by using the linkage. The car looked like a P.O.S, but ran like a ****.
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Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,547
Likes: 12
From: Carbondale Pa.
Yep, on my ' 80 when I broke an inner passenger side u-joint. The bolts holding on the strap were geeked up and broke when I tried to remove it, both of them. I tried, unsuccessfully, to drill the bolts out. Wound up using baling wire twisted very tightly,,,,,,,,,nahhhhh, what I did do was to use u-bolts, so far here it is 12 years later and the u-bolts are still ther,,, and tight, but then again the car hasnt moved a mile under it's own power for 4 years,,,,Peace,, Moosie 
And yes I do feel ashamed for fixing it like that
And yes I do feel ashamed for fixing it like that
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,012
Likes: 5
From: Granbury, TX
Ahh, U joints. Reminds me of the time my '55 threw a drive shaft at the track and lost a cap off of one of the U joints. We took tire weights and slid them in on both sides of the post and tightened them in place of the cap. They fell out every few miles and had to be put back in, but got us home. What a long night!
Team Owner
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 32,519
Likes: 1
From: central America
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
My vacuum advance hose fell off once and got burned on the exhaust manifold. I fixed it with duct tape and it was like that for 6 months. I finally changed it this last spring.
trw
trw
Race Director
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 10,674
Likes: 122
From: Millington Illinois
St. Jude Donor '08-'09
Here is a "bubba" fix. I had a 67 Camaro. I powershifted to second and the dist cap blasted into the firewall, breaking into 6 pieces and ripping the ends off of 4 plug wires. I coasted to the side of the road and opened the hood. I was 5 miles from the nearest town with no tools or parts. I picked up the pieces of the cap and put them together where they went. Then took my sock off and tied it around the cap. Bent the wires over against the outside of the insulating covers and stuck them in the correct holes. Jumped in and it fired right up. Drove it home and replaced cap and wires. I have heard a cracked cap can make your car not start. Don't know if you call this Bubba or McGyver but it got me home!
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jun 2002
Posts: 8,339
Likes: 24
From: I can walk to MA
Not on the vette (at least none I recall or will admit to).
My wife had a Hyundai Excel (first ones made) in late 80s.
The oil sense wire fell off. The design makes the oil light STAY off.
Well, she ran out of oil and one of the rod bearings wore down.
With the engine in the car, I popped off the rod cap and shimmed
the bearing back to spec with a piece of my feeler guage set.
That car ran fine for another year ... until we sold it. Last we heard,
it was still running.
One more Bubba: My 1989 CRX curently has the rear bumper held
on with two pairs of vise grips. The plastic bumper cover is attached
with 2 drywall screws. Top that one !!!
My wife had a Hyundai Excel (first ones made) in late 80s.
The oil sense wire fell off. The design makes the oil light STAY off.
Well, she ran out of oil and one of the rod bearings wore down.
With the engine in the car, I popped off the rod cap and shimmed
the bearing back to spec with a piece of my feeler guage set.
That car ran fine for another year ... until we sold it. Last we heard,
it was still running.
One more Bubba: My 1989 CRX curently has the rear bumper held
on with two pairs of vise grips. The plastic bumper cover is attached
with 2 drywall screws. Top that one !!!
Safety Car
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,547
Likes: 12
From: Carbondale Pa.
Originally Posted by 63mako
Here is a "bubba" fix. I had a 67 Camaro. I powershifted to second and the dist cap blasted into the firewall, breaking into 6 pieces and ripping the ends off of 4 plug wires. I coasted to the side of the road and opened the hood. I was 5 miles from the nearest town with no tools or parts. I picked up the pieces of the cap and put them together where they went. Then took my sock off and tied it around the cap. Bent the wires over against the outside of the insulating covers and stuck them in the correct holes. Jumped in and it fired right up. Drove it home and replaced cap and wires. I have heard a cracked cap can make your car not start. Don't know if you call this Bubba or McGyver but it got me home!
Peace,,, Moosie
Le Mans Master
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 6,317
Likes: 292
From: Ocala FL
I used to road race - Bubba was a necessity
I had a front end I had to reattach once by drilling holes and using Ty-wraps to "stitch" it back on. Some "200 mph" tape and it was good as new.
We used a bunch of hose clamps, aluminum flashing, and safety wire to reattach the header primary tubes after a height-and-distance attempt at Roebling once. I didn't even try to fix them when we got home, just threw them away.
One of the first "Bubbas" racing was on a TR3 with the gas tank trapped in the roll bar. It was full of rust, so we drove the pickup tube in further to stay above the sediment.
We used a bunch of hose clamps, aluminum flashing, and safety wire to reattach the header primary tubes after a height-and-distance attempt at Roebling once. I didn't even try to fix them when we got home, just threw them away.
One of the first "Bubbas" racing was on a TR3 with the gas tank trapped in the roll bar. It was full of rust, so we drove the pickup tube in further to stay above the sediment.
Race Director
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 12,707
Likes: 329
From: Scottsdale Arizona
My best (worst?) Bubba repair ever was on my friend's TR6. His gas tank rotted so badly that it wouldn't hold gas any more. He couldn't find, nor afford a replacement, so we went to Canadian Tire and bought a short, metal gas can. We welded the inlet to the bottom of the fuel filler and put the pickup in a hole, cut with tin snips, sealed with gobs of gasket cement. From the outside, it looked normal, but you could only put about 4 gallons in.
I still feel ashamed when I think about that one.
I still feel ashamed when I think about that one.
Safety Car
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 4,876
Likes: 1
From: Jersey Shore Exit 98
Originally Posted by NHvette
Oh ... forgot ... duct tape (but black duct tape) to cover the ripped armrest on my vette door panel.
The shame will follow me forever.
The shame will follow me forever.
Duct tape will fix almost anything...........