Bad MacGyvering ! Questionable Funny Repairs

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

Holy Crap!

Are you serious???? You had a 3???

I have HUNDREDS of TR3 stories!!!!
Had a '60 TR3A... plus other TR's

First one being the look on my mothers face when I brought it home on a trailer... 2nd story is priceless.... The look again....

My brother and I were trying to unfreeze the engine by towing it behind our motorhome (picture a giant 70's thing... ridiculously hideous, with white, yellow and lime green stripes.... ).... And repeatedly dropping the clutch leaving 30 or so 10' skid marks all over the street!!!

Another method was required...

(Pics taken of an album... just before a car show... I'll find/scan more)

Ha! I've got tons more TR3 stories as well.

Someday I'll tell you the one about the trip back to Pittsburgh from Cleveland with a hole in a piston -- stopping at every exit for more motor oil -- and how the engine overheated without me knowing it because the temperature gauge didn't work and I couldn't see the steam for all the oil smoke. The overheated engine seized at 60 mph, and I was sure it was a goner, but -- after I got it cooled down enough to hold water (took an hour or so) -- it started right back up, and I made it to Pittsburgh. The engine in those things was a pre-WWII British Leyland tractor engine design that they pulled off the shelf after the war when the sports car market revived... bullet-proof!

... and then there was the time I ran over my own front bumper and the time it burned up while undergoing the state safety inspection.

Sorry for the thread diversion.

[SaltyMonkey]

Great thread. Love it!

[Steve W]

I had a triple-white 1965 Thunderbird convertible in college in the mid-70's that sucked oil. Sometimes had to be push started, which used to be possible with old automatic transmissions. Had to get to FL from TX for my summer job after finals, so added a couple of cans of STP, put a case of oil and more STP in the backseat and got a buddy to push start me. I added oil & STP at every fill up, never shutting the engine off until it died as I crossed the ICW bridge onto Amelia Island. Used almost the whole case of oil, but never saw a leak or smoke in 1,000 miles. The engine was toast, oil pump shaft had broken. Pulled the valve covers and that STP turned to gelatin on the valve train and in the pan, too. Bought another 390 in a junk yard for $125, swapped engines and drove it for two more years with no problems. Loved that car and still miss it.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

OK...

We sailors are a resourceful lot.... Our passion requires us to repair and refit quite a variety of things... Sometimes bandaging things temporarily just to get by until a proper repair can be done....

I consider my skill set in the MacGyvering field to be far better than most.... I've saved a boat by dewatering it with a jet ski.... Saved another at sea by repairing a fractured 2" rudderstock.... And Turned a V8 motor with a rod thrown out the side of the pan into V6, on the side of the road in the middle of the desert... Continuing 100 miles with a boat in tow....

That being said.... I get a huge laugh at myself when I effect a TRULY AWFUL repair....

_ _ _ _ _ _

Let me set the scene for the next one… 2 days ago there was a weather anomaly, and it was 78 degrees where I live… 3 weeks ago there was snow on the ground…. Sounds like????

I NEEEEEEEEEEED TO TAKE THE TRAILER BOAT FOR A SPIN ON THE LAKE!!!

Besides tossing all of the sails, sheets and crap in the boat.... One of the prep items was airing up the trailer tires (tyres for aussies and brits)… Well Hell if one of the valve stems didn’t split while doing this…. Taking the wheel to the shop meant 2 hrs less on the lake… I wouldn’t have it…. With no further adooooo…. I present…… The Redneck tire stem fix….




Now it’s your turn!

Show us your TRULY AWFUL repairs!!!

I haven't taken a pic of it, but this reminds me of a repair I did about 16 yrs ago. The car in the garage that I never drive started getting a slow leak on one tire/tyre.

I sprayed some soapy water and found that the rubber had separated from the valve stem and it was leaking just outside the threads. I put a couple of small zip ties on it and pumped it back up, and it's been holding air ever since! Normally I'd have a car up on blocks for long term storage, but these tires are probably 25-30 yrs old, so no sense even worrying about flat spots. They're holding air surprisingly well for that long with only 1 tire getting refilled. Tires made since then don't hold air anywhere near that well.


I had an axle nut come off of my Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000 deep in the sand dunes of Glamis, about 12 mi from camp.

I tied a tow rope to the top of the roll cage on the opposite side, and had a buddy drive his car away from my passenger door, effectively lifting the driver's side off the ground. I pushed the destroyed bearing back together, inserted the axle stub through the hub, and barely caught the nut on the chewed up threads. Slowly tightening it up with a crescent wrench, it felt like it was cutting fresh threads. I got it all the way on, and we took a key ring, straightened it out a bit and used it for a cotter pin. This bit of McGyvering got me all the way back to camp under my own power, in time for a New Year's eve feast and plenty of partying!

[JPA Cate]

Hey, guys, and sailorchick,

Great stories. I never did anything so great as you relate. Maybe my best one was when the clutch in our TR3 gobbled the springs on the plate, and I drove it that way, with careful double-clutching about 150 miles home.

One of the things I like about this thread is the "can do" attitude they show, as well as the inventiveness.

Ann

[socaldmax]

Anybody who can keep any English vehicle running is either a master mechanic or a darn good McGyver!

I was with a group of friends in the dunes and we stopped for a few drinks. Then I noticed a friend's buggy had the entire front upper shock mount ripped off! It was a VW beam front end with a KYB shock. I told him we could just duct tape it into place and drive back. He was adamant that the shock supported 1/2 the weight of the front of the car. I pointed out that the shock was no longer attached, and the car was sitting at normal ride height. Not only that, but his other shock tower was almost ripped clean through. He was sweating it, hoping someone would tow him back to camp, or tow a trailer out to haul it back.

I bet him $20 that I could duct tape his shock towers back together and he could drive it back normally. I asked for duct tape, and about 5 rolls of it came flying in from all directions. LOL I wrapped it up nice and tight, and we took off. When we got back to camp he was shaking his head, but he gave me my $20!



When I was in the Navy, damage control was a common training topic. A Machinist Mate chief whom I respected a lot was giving the lecture, and I asked him what single repair material he'd prefer to have in any scenario. He said the worst thing to have was a leak, especially in piping. He was a big fan of thin rubber sheet and waxed twine. He claimed to have repaired a leaking pipe by putting the rubber sheet over the leak, and gradually wrapping the twine over the rubber, eventually stopping the leak entirely. He claimed that the pipe repair held up to 400 psi for quite a while before they returned to port.

[Ukeluthier]

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Hey, guys, and sailorchick,

Great stories. I never did anything so great as you relate. Maybe my best one was when the clutch in our TR3 gobbled the springs on the plate, and I drove it that way, with careful double-clutching about 150 miles home.

One of the things I like about this thread is the "can do" attitude they show, as well as the inventiveness.

Ann

Wow!... three TR3s in one thread.

This reminded me of a really bad case of MacGyvering that one of the previous 10 owners (yes, 10... it had a "K" title, which in PA meant I was the 11th owner) of my TR had done. Luckily I discovered it before it killed me.

The car had always had a bit of slop in the steering, and it was progressively getting worse. One night I was making a very sharp turn to the right, and the steering wheel locked up on me completely. With some jockeying between forward and reverse, I was able to finally free it up and drove home very carefully.

I disassembled the steering linkage the next day and discovered the problem. One of those 10 previous owners had replaced the link pin in the end of one of the idler arms with a mild steel bolt that was worn over halfway through! The original pin was hardened steel pressed into a rubber bushing, and he likely couldn't (or didn't bother to) find the proper replacement part in rural PA. To MacGyver the fit into the larger hole for the bushing, he just threaded a couple of hex nuts onto the bolt and filed off the corners until it fit.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Suijin

I really want to hear the jet ski story

Suijin...

More quick thinking than engineering really... 25 yrs ago... Colorado river above Parker dam... There was a 25ish open bow that got swamped... Bow riding higher, transom inches above the water, another boat supporting the stern idling towards shore... Slipped the ski over the stern, zoom zoom... squirt squirt..... Down to knee high in a couple minutes.... couldn't do any lower cause of the intake/angle...

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Ukeluthier

Ha! I've got tons more TR3 stories as well.

Someday I'll tell you the one about the trip back to Pittsburgh from Cleveland with a hole in a piston -- stopping at every exit for more motor oil -- and how the engine overheated without me knowing it because the temperature gauge didn't work and I couldn't see the steam for all the oil smoke. The overheated engine seized at 60 mph, and I was sure it was a goner, but -- after I got it cooled down enough to hold water (took an hour or so) -- it started right back up, and I made it to Pittsburgh. The engine in those things was a pre-WWII British Leyland tractor engine design that they pulled off the shelf after the war when the sports car market revived... bullet-proof!

... and then there was the time I ran over my own front bumper and the time it burned up while undergoing the state safety inspection.

Sorry for the thread diversion.

Diversion granted.... OP will post thread rules in singular post below!

Those engines were remarkably tough... You could take em apart and put them back together 1000 times... Loved the wet liner construction!
The only "serious defect" were the cranks... GIANT mains... like 2.5" IIRC... GIANT mass... the fillet on the rear main was too sharp, and they snapped often... I have the tail end of the my broken one, currently used as a 5 lb desk ornament....

Does a hood flying off beat a bumper run over??? I don't recall my TR poker hand hierarchy ???

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Great thread. Love it!

We were crazy kids no???

Originally Posted by Steve W

I had a triple-white 1965 Thunderbird convertible in college in the mid-70's that sucked oil. Sometimes had to be push started, which used to be possible with old automatic transmissions. Had to get to FL from TX for my summer job after finals, so added a couple of cans of STP, put a case of oil and more STP in the backseat and got a buddy to push start me. I added oil & STP at every fill up, never shutting the engine off until it died as I crossed the ICW bridge onto Amelia Island. Used almost the whole case of oil, but never saw a leak or smoke in 1,000 miles. The engine was toast, oil pump shaft had broken. Pulled the valve covers and that STP turned to gelatin on the valve train and in the pan, too. Bought another 390 in a junk yard for $125, swapped engines and drove it for two more years with no problems. Loved that car and still miss it.

Sounds eerily similar to a ski trip in a VW GTI... excessive blowby, crankcase spewing oil.... Failed to keep up with oil loss... Boom in Ceder City UT.... rebuilt the motor in the tow guys yard trading space/tools for helping him for a few days...

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

I haven't taken a pic of it, but this reminds me of a repair I did about 16 yrs ago. The car in the garage that I never drive started getting a slow leak on one tire/tyre.

I sprayed some soapy water and found that the rubber had separated from the valve stem and it was leaking just outside the threads. I put a couple of small zip ties on it and pumped it back up, and it's been holding air ever since! Normally I'd have a car up on blocks for long term storage, but these tires are probably 25-30 yrs old, so no sense even worrying about flat spots. They're holding air surprisingly well for that long with only 1 tire getting refilled. Tires made since then don't hold air anywhere near that well.

Remarkable how some things hold up unexpectedly... If they did go flat... My Gramps woulda said... "They're only flat on one side though!"


I had an axle nut come off of my Arctic Cat Wildcat 1000 deep in the sand dunes of Glamis, about 12 mi from camp.

I tied a tow rope to the top of the roll cage on the opposite side, and had a buddy drive his car away from my passenger door, effectively lifting the driver's side off the ground. I pushed the destroyed bearing back together, inserted the axle stub through the hub, and barely caught the nut on the chewed up threads. Slowly tightening it up with a crescent wrench, it felt like it was cutting fresh threads. I got it all the way on, and we took a key ring, straightened it out a bit and used it for a cotter pin. This bit of McGyvering got me all the way back to camp under my own power, in time for a New Year's eve feast and plenty of partying!

Glamis and Whitewater were my stompin' grounds! What a sweaty sandy nasty way to have fun huh??? I think we all would be cringing if we had a sound clip of all that sand grinding in the bearings rolling home!

I once peeled 2 tires coming off a dune sideways there... used the old "lift-gas-seat-flame-boom" to re-bead and inflate !

Originally Posted by Ann T. Cate

Hey, guys, and sailorchick,

Great stories. I never did anything so great as you relate. Maybe my best one was when the clutch in our TR3 gobbled the springs on the plate, and I drove it that way, with careful double-clutching about 150 miles home.

One of the things I like about this thread is the "can do" attitude they show, as well as the inventiveness.

Ann

Oh man!!! The TR3 stories are coming out of the woodwork!
(sadly it indicates how old we are)

Ann... Any girl that can shift a crashbox in a TR without a clutch is ACES in my book!!!!!!! I always wondered how Jim got so smart.... Now I know...

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

Anybody who can keep any English vehicle running is either a master mechanic or a darn good McGyver!

I was with a group of friends in the dunes and we stopped for a few drinks. Then I noticed a friend's buggy had the entire front upper shock mount ripped off! It was a VW beam front end with a KYB shock. I told him we could just duct tape it into place and drive back. He was adamant that the shock supported 1/2 the weight of the front of the car. I pointed out that the shock was no longer attached, and the car was sitting at normal ride height. Not only that, but his other shock tower was almost ripped clean through. He was sweating it, hoping someone would tow him back to camp, or tow a trailer out to haul it back.

I bet him $20 that I could duct tape his shock towers back together and he could drive it back normally. I asked for duct tape, and about 5 rolls of it came flying in from all directions. LOL I wrapped it up nice and tight, and we took off. When we got back to camp he was shaking his head, but he gave me my $20!



When I was in the Navy, damage control was a common training topic. A Machinist Mate chief whom I respected a lot was giving the lecture, and I asked him what single repair material he'd prefer to have in any scenario. He said the worst thing to have was a leak, especially in piping. He was a big fan of thin rubber sheet and waxed twine. He claimed to have repaired a leaking pipe by putting the rubber sheet over the leak, and gradually wrapping the twine over the rubber, eventually stopping the leak entirely. He claimed that the pipe repair held up to 400 psi for quite a while before they returned to port.

The torsion tube suspension in the VW's was pure genius.... Simple, robust, easy to repair, no exposed springs... Of course it has it's performance limitations...

I keep a sheet of silicone gasket material in my spares.... If you haven't heard of it... silicone tape is widely available now... Awesome stuff!

Originally Posted by Ukeluthier

Wow!... three TR3s in one thread.

This reminded me of a really bad case of MacGyvering that one of the previous 10 owners (yes, 10... it had a "K" title, which in PA meant I was the 11th owner) of my TR had done. Luckily I discovered it before it killed me.

The car had always had a bit of slop in the steering, and it was progressively getting worse. One night I was making a very sharp turn to the right, and the steering wheel locked up on me completely. With some jockeying between forward and reverse, I was able to finally free it up and drove home very carefully.

I disassembled the steering linkage the next day and discovered the problem. One of those 10 previous owners had replaced the link pin in the end of one of the idler arms with a mild steel bolt that was worn over halfway through! The original pin was hardened steel pressed into a rubber bushing, and he likely couldn't (or didn't bother to) find the proper replacement part in rural PA. To MacGyver the fit into the larger hole for the bushing, he just threaded a couple of hex nuts onto the bolt and filed off the corners until it fit.

No kiddin' on the TR stuff huh??? I think it's GREAT! That steering gear box was sloppy enough without a link pin problem... PLUS... The giant steering wheel made it feel that much more loose!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

I've used 1/8" nylon cord with great success for a belt.... Panty hose sounds like a "must have" for a spares kit!!!

Maaaaaan.... I woulda been freaked out with the hose clamp pole coupler!

Fun thread, great stories!

Our redneck dude version of this when broken down far out on logging roads one time was two pairs of leather boot laces, tightly lashed and then pissed on. Got us home!

[DefinitelyMe]

Ha ha! I am a great advocate of the 'lift-gas-seat-flame-BOOM' method! :-) Brilliant stories. Keep them coming!

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by minaret

Fun thread, great stories!

Our redneck dude version of this when broken down far out on logging roads one time was two pairs of leather boot laces, tightly lashed and then pissed on. Got us home!

I've heard of the leather tightening/wee-water combo, but haven't used it in a practical application due to memory loss... Thanks for slapping that brain cell back in line !

Of course this should be COMPLETELY obvious to me as years ago a pair of Sperry's subjected to the quick dry attempt in the LP oven were deemed 2 sizes smaller after the procedure....

[Saltyhog]

Originally Posted by minaret

Fun thread, great stories!

Our redneck dude version of this when broken down far out on logging roads one time was two pairs of leather boot laces, tightly lashed and then pissed on. Got us home!

Order of operations is important here.