I’ve been working on the dually, who we’ve “lovingly” started referring to as the Big Dumb Bitch, and it has been giving us fits. After trying to be nice to it by changing out the rigged up fuel system, replacing all the typical tuneup parts, and cleaning up some hideous wiring, this stupid thing runs worse than ever. Of course I’m using “runs” loosely as after replacing all the computerized parts that could have been screwed up it won’t even start. All we wanted to do was baseline the thing in stock form before making changes and now we’ve resorted to outfitting it like a stock carbureted truck instead of a TBI equipped pig that it was. But even with a dead simple HEI distributor and rebuilt Q-Jet, there is something wrong. There shouldn’t be anything wrong, and I’m pulling my hair out trying to figure out what is wrong, but none the less it is beating me at the moment.
We’ve all had circumstances like this, where we’re working on a project and just can’t seem to make it work. Luckily it isn’t the norm, but every once in a while you come across some part of a project that just makes you want to scream. It could be a brake job gone wrong, a distributor that won’t go in right, an electronics or wiring project gone wrong, or something as simple as an oil change that just seems to fight you tooth and nail.
We’ve all got one that just makes us want to throw in the towel, and question why it is that we keep wanting to build, race, or cruise cars.
So what is yours? What is the most frustrating repair or modification that you have ever faced on a car or truck?
After performing gymnastics and straddling the top frame rail of my bike in my mate’s garage I took ten minutes and a variety of tools to loosen the final nut holding the engine in. As I needed the bike to start work the following morning frustration took hold, the wrench slipped off the nut and I nearly knocked myself out on the frame. Cue much cursing, a little blood and a garage full of laughing bikers all drunk on the beer I’d refused so I could rebuild my engine!
After trying to “save” money building my own exhaust, I have 3 welders(mi, tig, stick) a gas torch set, a pipe bender and much frustration. I would completely rebuild a transmission, rewrire a complete car or truck or change a broken rear spark plug on a Ford 5.4 rather than touch another exhaust. Leaks, burn thru on welds, broken studs be dammed. I will pay the exhaust experts from now on!
Lying in a 17 degree, snowy driveway, soaking wet, while changing a fuel pump on a Chevy small block & not having a ‘longer’ bolt or any other way to stop the fuel pump push rod from dropping so I could slide the pump into place. It sounds (& is) simple enough to do but I’d given $500 for a ‘longer’ bolt…….
I work at BluePrint Engines and install dozens of chevy fuel pumps a day. A big dallop of grease or vaseline will hold the push rod up in the hole.
There is a threaded hole in the front of the engine that you can run a piece of all thread into hold the pump rod.
Anything that takes a metric wrench. And the 14 different “pitches” of threading their bolts have.Sorry to the rest of the world. We here in the States,use inches.And I’m old.
I was working in Iraq and needed a metric bolt for the door on a MaxxPro. I made the comment to the young specialist who was working with me that we needed a communist bolt. She thought about it for a few minutes then asked, “What’s a communist bolt?” I eplained there is no communist country that doesn’t use the metric system so metric bolts are communist bolts. She said, “Oh.” but the frightening part was then she asked, “What’s wrong with communism?” What do or don’t they teach these kids these days?
Currently, a certain Ford FE engine. Rebuilding for the 3rd time. Bought a running 428 just to get out of this crap only to find it has four rod bearings knocked out of it, crank destroyed from water in oil. Now have three FE’s and dozens of parts filling my garage. Want it all gone.
Any repairs done inside the door of any of my cars. It’s like trying to build an erector set inside a sharp steel can. I usually get cut at least twice.
A late 90’s Blazer (in 2010) with an intermittent die/restart 15 minutes later problem. After some sensor and ignition component replacements, I focused on fuel delivery and to my frustration could find no one in Roswell, NM. who could determine the fuel pressure. I shoulda done it myself, but the pos had already cost me more than I’d intended and I probably would have managed to set it and/or the driveway on fire, so I ended up trading it and some cash for a hail damaged Olds Intrigue that I actually drove for months and was able to resell for enough money to get back to Indy on. Still lost mucho dinero on a deal that started out as a blowed out muffler on a beater 5 speed S-10. Shoulda went with the muffler replacement.
alternator on my 2005 focus … Ford engineers suspended the damn thing in mid air and built the car around it
Trying to repair tthe rotted door post on my 86 mustang , removed fenders , doors , it’s made of 3 layers of stamped sheet metal , very time consuming and no performance gains .
Trying to trip the combination valve so it was centered and I could get rear brakes again on my Monte Carlo. What a frickin mess. Pain in the ass.
probably replacing the heater core in the ex’s taurus wagon—pretty much the whole dash has to be removed—took a whole labor day weekend
Three times in three years replacing the fuel pump in my ’92 35 foot Southwind RV – by myself and parked in a friend’s gravel parking lot. I’m very, very, VERY upset with ethanol in America’s gasoline – what a numbskull idea. The third time I did this awful job of reaching around into dark places to twirl nuts and drop the enormous and crushingly heavy tank I disturbed an unseen nest of daddy long leg spiders – the very spider my arachnophobic self finds the most horrifying. They boiled out of there in an angry mass onto my chest whilst I did a screaming backstroke on gravel and ran around swatting at myself like a man possessed. “Nuke it from space” was the solution. I sold that horrible white elephant shortly after and still suffer ptsd …
Crank bolt on a balancer for a turbo V6 Buick. If you don\’t torque correctly it will run just fine 15 to 20 mins. then will shut off. You tow it back to shop and it starts just fine. drive another 15 to 20 mins shuts off again. The torque for the balancer bolt is extremely high (219 ft-lbs). I torqued it like any V8 chevy. when it got warm it wold move just enough for the crank sensor to quit reading.Boom would shut off. It Just happened to friend of mine and he told me what was wrong.He found it when his balancer came off. Lesson learned, check all torque specs.
Repairing exhaust manifold (1) on DeTomaso Longchamp. Three hours off and three back on…
Anything on a 1973 GMC Astro, the Pacer of semi\’s!! Blower motor? Passenger seat and half the floor comes out! Wiper motor? Yup! Cut a hole in the front of the cab to get to it! Or…absolutely everything else! Take \”easy to fix\” and turn it inside out! Everything was where it wasn\’t supposed to be! But… you got to enjoy that sweet sounding 318 Detroit for hour, after hour, after hour….
It is stupid that Gm equipped some of their cars trucks and SUVs side post battery terminals
Replacing a power brake booster on a 69 Vette. Upside down with my feet out the T-tops, several u-joints and extensions with a deep well socket to reach the 4 mounting studs. Never again.
Door Hinge Pins on my \’79 Trans Am. Holy crap, those are heavy doors.