MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

[dieselgeek]

A former coworker and friend of mine had called me a few weekends ago with a question about his EFI computer - he wanted to know if disconnecting the battery would cause the EMS to lose it's brain (which is a good question!). Dave is a crafty guy, great mechanic / troubleshooter, etc. I explained to him there's no harm to the EMS, and asked him what was up - he was in some parts store in the middle of *nowhere* california desert on the way to buttonwillow, for a track day event, in a nice 2nd gen camaro with a dying alternator. No trailer or support vehicle :D

armed with nothing but the wrong alternator, and a NAPA 15mm endwrench, his "fix" not only got him to buttonwillow, it survived a Track Day and a trip home as well.




car:



story here:
http://www.powerflowracing.com/forum...p?TOPIC_ID=624


I always love these stories, whose got em??

[shaun callaway]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

thought i recognized the motor pic.

[72_Ventura]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

Hell, I'd keep it. Looks pretty cool. Definitely a one-of-a-kind.

[A/Fuel]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

broke a leaf spring on a trailer along kluane lake on the alcan hwy. i stacked a couple of 2x4's between the axel and the frame, and drove as slow as i could to tok. i sat there and drank beer while i watched the guy rig a camper spring up.

[Mike The Photo Guy]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

I was on I-75 headed south pulling a trailer full of go-karts in the middle of the night when I see the headlights fading and the shitty Trans-Van rolls to a stop. No extra alternator and all the stores are closed. I found my battery charger in the trailer. I fired up the generator in the Trans Van and plugged in the battery charger. I ran the clamps from the battery charger out the vent window and under the back of the hood to the battery. The wires just made it. I duct taped the cables to the body and drove the other 550 miles trouble free. When I pulled into the racetrack the guy at the gate asked about the recharging system. He wanted to get my name so they could have a real good look at my go-kart before they gave me a tech sticker.
Mike TPG

[Two Lane Blacktop]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

Hell, I'd keep it.

Looks pretty cool.

Looks better, & definitely much stronger than the stocker!!

[bb70duster]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

used a washer bottle and pump one time when a fuel pump took a dump... had to hit the washer button every couple seconds, but made it back... we were in Barstow at a off road race in the middle of the desert at 120 degrees out...

[JeffMcKC]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

ON Drag Week this year I went over a huge bump in the road and my rear brake line was cut in two, I found out at the next stop sign as I went right threw it, stopped pulled the fuel pressure line off blocked the fuel rail with a cap intalled the line in the rear of the car got some brake fluid from a farmer down the road and off we went.

[Eric68]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

Drag Week '05 last day at Martin and my fuel pump relay shorted out after driving in the rain. Needed to make a clean pass to seal the deal. I was out of spare relays (used my spare for the fan in Missouri) so I just ran two wires from the fuel pump through the back seat and into the drivers area. I just sat on the wires and when I needed the pump to run I just reached down and twisted them together.

[1967novaman]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

Scott i think that you MUST have had me in mind when you started this one!!!!!! The best was on the third day of Drag Week 2005 when the ground wire on the fuel solenoid of my nitrous system ( Professionally fixed later the next day by Scott..thanks again!!) broke... in turn this melted 7 of the pistons.. I thought my dream of winning drag week was over.... even if i had won the first 3 tracks!! Then we found some pistons met some guys (now good friends) that was willing to stay and help "try" to fix it. All was going pretty well until it came time to file fit the rings.. The one thing that was missed in the "many things for Paul to get at the parts store") Then my brother Troy (who built it the first time) went to the trailer and pulled out the 4 1/2 angle grinder and started grinding on the rings!!! The rest is HISTORY!!! Won the first ever Drag Week!!!!

[thevic24]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

i had a flat faced van (ford e-100) and the gas peddle rod rusted away so i pulled the shroud off and took off the air cleaner and worked the throttle by hand for about 70 miles or so down i-75.

[shaun callaway]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

vic

thats crazy.

[TheSilverBuick]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

i had a flat faced van (ford e-100) and the gas peddle rod rusted away so i pulled the shroud off and took off the air cleaner and worked the throttle by hand for about 70 miles or so down i-75.

A guy at work broke the throttle cable on his late 80's 5.0 Mustang on the way to work one day. He rigged up a string to operate it by hand....We figured just to get him home, but he drove it about a week before he replaced the cable. To make it worse it was a 5-speed :o

[71SC/360]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

I love the charger generator story but I have to laugh when I read about other peoples fixes because I've always been able to avoid the quick fix. I think the worst thing I've had to do is back my car home about 10 miles from a car show because all forward gears went in the tranny.
I must have a 4 leaf clover stuck up my azz because I have never had to rig anything. My last big problem came when I drove my 70 AMX back from a Western NY to Kenosha, WI trip. I drove it out there 3 days after I finished building the engine. Everything was fine on the trip out but the new alternator took a dump in Cleveland, on the trip back. Funny thing was I bought a new alt, that I didn't need (or didn't think I needed), at the swap meet the day before I was returning just because it was $5. When the bearings in the alt let go I just pulled over, pulled the new alt out of the trunk and swapped them out. I was back on the road in 20 mins. Seems like all of my road trip problems turn out like that....

[thevic24]

Re: MacGyver Fixes - post 'em up

mine was a "3 on the tree" which made it more interesting and having the motor(302 w/650dp)right next to me made for a noisy ride down the hwy at 75mph. trust me, i fixed it the next afternoon 8)