Top car DIY tip
Discussion
When hitting bumper irons with a big lump hammer don't have your head in the path of the rebound . Said bumper iron will act as a spring and said lump hammer will travel faster and further on the rebound than the intial movement and you will be like a rabbit in the headlights with about the same impact . You might also be accused of having a nap on the workshop floor afterwards.
bassett said:
The one man ramp method
Don't assume you can push a car off a ramp whilst pushing outside against the B pillar, yank the hand brake up and stop the car in time before it hits the garage wall and door.
Turns out I'm not Usain Bolt, my immaculate Golf GTI would never be immaculate again and my parents weren't best pleased that the garage door no longer closed.
I laughed as a friend did something similar (ish) Honest it really was a friend.Don't assume you can push a car off a ramp whilst pushing outside against the B pillar, yank the hand brake up and stop the car in time before it hits the garage wall and door.
Turns out I'm not Usain Bolt, my immaculate Golf GTI would never be immaculate again and my parents weren't best pleased that the garage door no longer closed.
Edited by bassett on Monday 16th April 21:39
He had a misfire on his Senator 3.0 when driving home.
Drove onto his driveway (slight slope up towards his garage door)
Pulled the bonnet release
Got out
Opened the bonnet
Had a look and a listen - still seemed to be missing a bit every so often
And then gave the throttle a good tweak cos reving the tits of an engine is well know to clear a missfire
Did I mention it was an auto?
Or that he had left it in drive when he got out to open the bonnet
The deep freeze on one side and a fairly substantial tool cabinet on the other side saved him as the car took him through the garage door and into the garage and he ended up with the garage door folded round him and the car wedged against the freezer and tool cabinet........
I think he was bloody lucky.....
Another one,
When fitting new brakes, ensure that the caliper carrier bracket bolts are tight. Failure to do so may lead to one falling, out, leading to a big thud as it rattled past the floor, and a horrendous grinding when the brakes are applied. This is said bracket machining the wheel. Fortunately, a spare wheel bolt can be used to hold it in from the saint of a man your mate just bought a car from. The limp back 10 miles was done with gears and Handbrake to slow the car.
When fitting new brakes, ensure that the caliper carrier bracket bolts are tight. Failure to do so may lead to one falling, out, leading to a big thud as it rattled past the floor, and a horrendous grinding when the brakes are applied. This is said bracket machining the wheel. Fortunately, a spare wheel bolt can be used to hold it in from the saint of a man your mate just bought a car from. The limp back 10 miles was done with gears and Handbrake to slow the car.
When dealing with metal work under a kitcar, it is best to wear protective eye wear.
This can prevent metal shards falling into your eyes, meaning a trip to A&E to get them partially removed.
Then a later trip to an opticians to get the eye skin that has now grown over the metal shards trimmed away so the metal can be fully removed from your eye.
Apparently...
Also, see removing locking wheel nut before driving off, making sure wheel nuts are fully tightened before driving off.
Making sure that the oil filter is being loosened and not tightened..
Also also, when your lowered car hits a section of the road thats had the top layer of tarmac removed, and then cuts out.
Check it hasn't knocked the fuel cut off button before getting recovered home and then trying it on the drive.
This can prevent metal shards falling into your eyes, meaning a trip to A&E to get them partially removed.
Then a later trip to an opticians to get the eye skin that has now grown over the metal shards trimmed away so the metal can be fully removed from your eye.
Apparently...
Also, see removing locking wheel nut before driving off, making sure wheel nuts are fully tightened before driving off.
Making sure that the oil filter is being loosened and not tightened..
Also also, when your lowered car hits a section of the road thats had the top layer of tarmac removed, and then cuts out.
Check it hasn't knocked the fuel cut off button before getting recovered home and then trying it on the drive.
Zooks said:
Not a car tip but when connecting 10 lorry batteries up in series definitely don't use an uninsulated spanner and Definitely don't drop it.
Also on trucks dont touch the side guard with said spanner, the shock you get isn't very nice and neither is the smell as the spanner starts to try to weld itself between the guard and the battery terminalDo not, under any circunstances decide its a good idea to put copper grease on the front calliper bolts of a Lotus Elan M100.
you shall find out over time that one of them manages to slip out of the calliper and fall on the floor, next time you break, make sure your going VERY slowly, cus the second bolt wont survive the strain.
it was a lucky day the second bolt sheared off as i was slowing down to exit to the workplace car park, with a nearside calipper dragging on the wheel.
the positive side of it.
since you used copper grease, the sheared bolt will be easy to remove using a centre punch + hammer.
you shall find out over time that one of them manages to slip out of the calliper and fall on the floor, next time you break, make sure your going VERY slowly, cus the second bolt wont survive the strain.
it was a lucky day the second bolt sheared off as i was slowing down to exit to the workplace car park, with a nearside calipper dragging on the wheel.
the positive side of it.
since you used copper grease, the sheared bolt will be easy to remove using a centre punch + hammer.
When you’re having trouble removing the rear exhaust box on your rusty old French heap despite having undone the U bolt clamp and all other fixings, do not tie it to a lamppost and drive down the road in an attempt to “shock” it off. You may well rip the whole exhaust system off right up to where it connects to the manifold.
And in reference to a previous top tip, running water through an old petrol tank prior to welding may well not be enough to remove residual vapour trapped in the rust/scale inside the tank. You might end up deaf for days, with no windows in your garage, and having to buy a new tank to replace the now balloon shaped one resulting from your DIY.
And in reference to a previous top tip, running water through an old petrol tank prior to welding may well not be enough to remove residual vapour trapped in the rust/scale inside the tank. You might end up deaf for days, with no windows in your garage, and having to buy a new tank to replace the now balloon shaped one resulting from your DIY.
A.J.M said:
Also, see removing locking wheel nut before driving off,
Pretty sure I must have left my locking key on one of the wheels a few weeks back after replacing the brakes. I discovered this a week later after turning up to National to have four new tyres fitted... OTOH this proved what I'd always suspected; locking wheel nuts/bolts are pretty useless things. I drove home and had them all off within a half hour using a selection of cold chisels and punches, though to be fair they did completely resist the locking wheelnut removal socket I bought on the way home.
After changing the wheel on one of those really weird, inevitably French, cars that store the spare in a cradle under the rear floor, do make sure said cradle is back in the proper position before swiftly reversing up the driveway to test out the newly fitted wheel. That scraping noise you think you can hear will be replaced by a sensation not unlike going over a kerb, as the rear end goes up and back down, followed by an "Oh f*ck!" as you realise what you've just done.
It might be possible to straighten the cradle enough to make it reconnect to its bracket, but only after you've contemplated many ways for it total removal. And called yourself a tw@t for not putting it back in the first place.
Remember also that the best way to get the cradle to face the rear of the car, not the front as it is by now doing, is to jack the rear of the car high enough to allow it to swing back. Do not try to reverse what you've just done by, er doing the reverse and driving forwards. That really messes with the cradle's dimensions, and scratches your Mum's driveway.
It might be possible to straighten the cradle enough to make it reconnect to its bracket, but only after you've contemplated many ways for it total removal. And called yourself a tw@t for not putting it back in the first place.
Remember also that the best way to get the cradle to face the rear of the car, not the front as it is by now doing, is to jack the rear of the car high enough to allow it to swing back. Do not try to reverse what you've just done by, er doing the reverse and driving forwards. That really messes with the cradle's dimensions, and scratches your Mum's driveway.
Oh god, I have loads of these.
The metal cover looked loose over my exhaust manifold on my old 106. The engine was still running but I grabbed it anyway. My fingers actually stuck to it.
Also, recently I drive my Chimaera from South Wales to Lyme Regis and back without the oil cap on having filled it before I left. No mess or anything, but blimey that was close!
The metal cover looked loose over my exhaust manifold on my old 106. The engine was still running but I grabbed it anyway. My fingers actually stuck to it.
Also, recently I drive my Chimaera from South Wales to Lyme Regis and back without the oil cap on having filled it before I left. No mess or anything, but blimey that was close!
When tightening the bolts that attach the trumpet base to the inlet manifold on TVR Chimaera, be sure to use the cheapest loose fitting hex socket you have to hand and be sure not to cover the trumpets whilst completing the job. Otherwise you may miss out on hours of fun trying to guess which of the 8 inlets the socket dropped into and then fishing it out.
After installing new coil packs, leave something plastic under the bonnet, strategically placed so that it will drop on the the exhaust manifold when you test drive the car. This will repllicate the sense panic you get from a engine fire in a fibreglass car with out causing too much damage.
After installing new coil packs, leave something plastic under the bonnet, strategically placed so that it will drop on the the exhaust manifold when you test drive the car. This will repllicate the sense panic you get from a engine fire in a fibreglass car with out causing too much damage.
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