As a follow up to the top 10 dumb things done to a mustang, I realized that there can also be a list made up for stupid things done while working on a mustang.
AND while there are certainly at least 10 things I've done that could be considered dumb here here is my top 1 (of 2)
I've already described the recent fiasco where I backed the current car out of the garage w/o brakes, and almost ran it off the slab and into our pool..(see the thread Diaster!! well almost) and while this was really stupid....I like this one for the most lacking of all intellect....
1991...Hadn't done any major work on a car for about 8 years, (courtesy of the US ARMY) and I working on my fairmont. I was so poor back then I had to borrow my machine shops' extra chain hoist to lift the brand new 351 into the futuras' engine bay.
I had this raggedy little one car garage that was barely wide enough to get the doors open when the car was inside. Now that I had a chain hoist, I had to come up w/ a "beam" to span the garage walls to attach the chain hoist to.
After pricing 4 x 6 x 10 boards (and deciding that I couldn't afford them) I found a friend that had a 4 x 6 x 10 "beam" he had laying around that he said he'd give me. Problem was,...It was made of cedar. Didn't matter, I had what I needed, so I strapped it to the passenger side of my DD pontiac sunbird and off I go.
For those of you that know, I don't have to tell you, for those that don't... cedar isn't the most "rigid" wood I could have used.
I get it finagled in the garage, spanning the two walls, sitting on top of the top plate on each opposing wall at 8'. I push the car out, bolt the 351 to my C-4, hook the chain hoist to the combination, and start hoisting away... however the more I tried to raise it, the more the beam flexed downward. ( this obviously wasn't going to work, I need to shorten the span)
Undeterred, I go into the basement, and come out w/ (2) 2 x 4 x 8's for bracing... I stand them up spaced just far enough to get the car between them, and wedge them between the beam and floor.
I start trying to lift the combo again..........IT RAISES,....SUCCESS!!!
I get the combination in the air, but now there is a new problem.. If I let go of the chain...the engine comes down.......fast! Again, no problem. Once I get the car back underneath I'll be sure to keep the chain in-hand to avoid any rapid descent "issues".
I run a bolt through the "up" chain and the "down" chain to lock it in place, push the car back underneath, and begin slowly lowering the engine in place.
As a footnote, I have placed the PITA to install 1"3/4 Headman Huslers in the bay, this is the first time I've spent over 300.00 for a set of headers, so I'm very leary of hurting my brand new exhaust.
Anyway, down I go w/ the combination.....It starts to get close, and the car starts to lower as the weight of the engine settles.
Unfortunately, as the weight settles onto the car, the beam begins to "relax" as the weight comes off of it, and one of the 2 x 4's that I wedged between the weighted beam is no longer wedged. It starts to fall in my direction on a direct collision w/ some part of my head/face.
(now for the slow motion part)
The 2 x 4 just didn't casually fall over,..It kind of "squirted" out much like a spring does from a front end that wasn't secured properly.
I'm thinking I need to reach out and catch that 2x4 so it won't hit me, but at the same time do not want to let go of the stupid chain hoist because the engine is still several inches away from sitting where its supposed to be.
As a testament to how much your mind can process in a matter of a second or two that makes it seem like a minute, I remember actually choosing to let it hit me, alternately thinking that I'd be pissed if the engine hurts my new headers if I let go of the chain.
So it whacks me. Squarely in the face. I actually watched it come.
It hits me so hard, I see stars and.......let go of the chain!
(Time returns to normal.) or as it has become now known as mikelight savings time
I now needed to put my hands on my forehead where the red welt was rising.
The engine now is free to continue downward (which it does) and manages to "pinch" a tube of my prized headers anyway, wedging it between the k member and some sharp corner on the engine.
I have another equally stupid story, But I'll spare you guys, this was long enough.
AND while there are certainly at least 10 things I've done that could be considered dumb here here is my top 1 (of 2)
I've already described the recent fiasco where I backed the current car out of the garage w/o brakes, and almost ran it off the slab and into our pool..(see the thread Diaster!! well almost) and while this was really stupid....I like this one for the most lacking of all intellect....
1991...Hadn't done any major work on a car for about 8 years, (courtesy of the US ARMY) and I working on my fairmont. I was so poor back then I had to borrow my machine shops' extra chain hoist to lift the brand new 351 into the futuras' engine bay.
I had this raggedy little one car garage that was barely wide enough to get the doors open when the car was inside. Now that I had a chain hoist, I had to come up w/ a "beam" to span the garage walls to attach the chain hoist to.
After pricing 4 x 6 x 10 boards (and deciding that I couldn't afford them) I found a friend that had a 4 x 6 x 10 "beam" he had laying around that he said he'd give me. Problem was,...It was made of cedar. Didn't matter, I had what I needed, so I strapped it to the passenger side of my DD pontiac sunbird and off I go.
For those of you that know, I don't have to tell you, for those that don't... cedar isn't the most "rigid" wood I could have used.
I get it finagled in the garage, spanning the two walls, sitting on top of the top plate on each opposing wall at 8'. I push the car out, bolt the 351 to my C-4, hook the chain hoist to the combination, and start hoisting away... however the more I tried to raise it, the more the beam flexed downward. ( this obviously wasn't going to work, I need to shorten the span)
Undeterred, I go into the basement, and come out w/ (2) 2 x 4 x 8's for bracing... I stand them up spaced just far enough to get the car between them, and wedge them between the beam and floor.
I start trying to lift the combo again..........IT RAISES,....SUCCESS!!!
I get the combination in the air, but now there is a new problem.. If I let go of the chain...the engine comes down.......fast! Again, no problem. Once I get the car back underneath I'll be sure to keep the chain in-hand to avoid any rapid descent "issues".
I run a bolt through the "up" chain and the "down" chain to lock it in place, push the car back underneath, and begin slowly lowering the engine in place.
As a footnote, I have placed the PITA to install 1"3/4 Headman Huslers in the bay, this is the first time I've spent over 300.00 for a set of headers, so I'm very leary of hurting my brand new exhaust.
Anyway, down I go w/ the combination.....It starts to get close, and the car starts to lower as the weight of the engine settles.
Unfortunately, as the weight settles onto the car, the beam begins to "relax" as the weight comes off of it, and one of the 2 x 4's that I wedged between the weighted beam is no longer wedged. It starts to fall in my direction on a direct collision w/ some part of my head/face.
(now for the slow motion part)
The 2 x 4 just didn't casually fall over,..It kind of "squirted" out much like a spring does from a front end that wasn't secured properly.
I'm thinking I need to reach out and catch that 2x4 so it won't hit me, but at the same time do not want to let go of the stupid chain hoist because the engine is still several inches away from sitting where its supposed to be.
As a testament to how much your mind can process in a matter of a second or two that makes it seem like a minute, I remember actually choosing to let it hit me, alternately thinking that I'd be pissed if the engine hurts my new headers if I let go of the chain.
So it whacks me. Squarely in the face. I actually watched it come.
It hits me so hard, I see stars and.......let go of the chain!
(Time returns to normal.) or as it has become now known as mikelight savings time
I now needed to put my hands on my forehead where the red welt was rising.
The engine now is free to continue downward (which it does) and manages to "pinch" a tube of my prized headers anyway, wedging it between the k member and some sharp corner on the engine.
I have another equally stupid story, But I'll spare you guys, this was long enough.
. Scared the crap out of us.
. I finished what I was doing and hit the remote for the door then started walking to the house when I remembered the car was still halfway out the door! I ran back and stood under the door and held it up until the safety kicked in and reversed it. Phew! Close one!
