pit-man

Had to share this:
I had the Black Brick down for 6 weeks. My diff went out, making a horrible racket all of a sudden. I waited 3 weeks on a friend to show up and fix it (for money) which never happed, so I had to do it myself.
While I waited on him, I decided to work on my air intake and made an insulated box, since my air comes directly in from the head light area. I stuffed a t-shirt in the tube to keep critters out since the Brick sits outside. Any way, diff just needed some SS shims.... the cast OEM one busted in 3 pieces and wedged between the axle tube and axle...hince, the squalling noise. Put in new calipers, brake line & shoes and made my air box (pic below). Finally went for a test drive. All good, seemed to run fine. Went WOT once for a couple seconds.

Forward to next weekend...I get her out early in the morning for a WOT run. Pegged out the speed-o and let off the gas. Throttle was stuck wide open.., had to kill the ignition to get her stopped. I was like WTF ???? Cable broke ?? I open the hood and checked the TB. It had a terrible crunch feel and I thought the blade axis had broken. Having no tools, I used a penny to get the clamp off to look at the TB. When I pulled the tube off I found my grey T-shrt sucked into the TB. I had forgotten it was in there. I have no clue how it was even getting enough air to run.

123sugey

Wow pretty crazy.
I had a blonde moment last year pouring ATF fluid in my truck motor at a gas station.

Tar Heel

Not dumb at all ... at our house, it's a wonder things like that don't happen more. I recently misplaced a tool and couldn't find it for the life of me. Found it under my wife's hood from when I was changing plugs. Don't know how long it rode in there and who knows the damage it could have caused.

Just being a weekend "mechanic" (HS math teacher by trade) and having to keep up with two daily drivers, the RV, Corvette, and trailer ... we made a plexiglass "bulletin board" for the garage with permanent lines drawn on the back and each vehicle having a couple lines. I write on the front with a dry erase marker such things (remember to remove rag) and then erase things when I'm done.

We're getting old at our house and too many things to keep up to try and remember it all.

pit-man

Wow...I haven't done that YET

I bet everyone has a story they won't tell on themselves...
I like to laugh at myself, I don't care !

JoeyG

Come on pit-man this was a truck not your vette

I made a 11.34@123.6 pass in my truck hurrying through the pit wheel swap and found that I had only 2 lugnuts per each rear wheel in my truck on Drag Week last year

pit-man

Dang, that's another one I haven't done. However I did leave one front wheel loose on my 65 Nova. I felt that the first time I hit the brakes. I took my buddy for a ride in it with the passenger seat not bolted down and threw him in the back. A 513 gear tends to do that,,,lol

123sugey

My first car was a 66 Chevelle with SB & 5:13's. killed lots of big block cars. They are awesome hehe

pit-man

Yeah, first gear lasted what seemed about 10 feet...

I loved the 66 Chevelle. A friend had a 375 hp 396, solid lifter motor. I used to adjust the valves for him all the time. Had a rear plug impossible to reach.

I had a 57 Chevy, 65 Nova, 66 Nova SS, 68 Camaro, 3 Kawasaki 500's, 65 Vette Vert, 71 Camaro, a Sportster and 76/80/85/92/97 and 2003 Vettes.

Had many more cars and trucks that were just every day beaters

C5 Pete

As soon as you mentioned the t shirt in the first sentence, I knew what you did.

Glad you didn't have anything worse happen.

I once failed to properly torque a bolt in the forward upper control arm on the left rear of my 01 Z06...

Some of you know the outcome of that oversight...

ZZOOM06

I think most of us who turn our own wrenches have had what I call a "brain fart" a few times. One time when I had my differential out for a gear swap and get it all back together for a test drive I hear this horrible banging sound coming from the back of the car so I get it back into the shop and put it up on the lift and find I forgot to tighten the top bolts on both rear shocks! It happens to the best of us!

Jimbo

808EB03Z06

I had to take off my alternator to change the drivers side valve cover gasket last week, and in the process forgot to put the belt back on. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why the volts were only reading a little over 11, then tried to turn the wheel when it hit me lol. Never felt so stupid working on a car.

pit-man

I bet people on this site have some funny stories they don't want to talk about..

Fartpipe

Rookie!

pit-man

"I am not a rookie"...I just work like one.

123sugey

Getting Pfadt drag coil overs, GZ vacuum pump, line lock, new RPS clutch and a tune now !!! 9's NA here I come !!!

Anyone else getting ready ?

pit-man

I am all ready.
You will love the vacuum pump if you have any blowby at all. I have the GZ on my Silverado...awesome little pump. Just set the vacuum at 12 or lower as needed. I maxed mine out and it is just right. No blowby and no oil loss.

R6cowboy

These "blond moments" happen to the best of us. I know I've had my fair share. Just a couple months ago a friend and I were out on a 90 mile test drive right after installing a new TDP trans in the C5. As soon as we pull the car back in my shop, I noticed the wrench and wheel lock socket resting on a stool, then realized I had forgotten to torque the lugnuts. Thank God nothing bad happened.

pit-man

I did that too a long time ago. The front wheel on my 66 Nova started to shimmy and I pulled over to find the lugs loose.

Devilish34

I'm surprised I havent done this yet lol

R6cowboy

The dumbest thing I've ever done by a long shot had to be back in the mid '90s to my first car, an '89 Taurus. I was 16 mind you. A group of friends distracted me and I had wondered off for the afternoon in the middle of an oil change. Upon return in the evening I had forgotten that earlier I inserted the oil drain plug and lowered the car but not yet had filled it back up with oil. Took off in the car and not 10 miles later I was on the side of the road scratching my head why the engine had suddenly seized up. Thank God it was a Ford...