DOES & DON'TS

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

ALL of us have done questionable & successful things. I've done some DUZZIES! Sometimes I share them, as they "might" help some of you in your Model A endeavors.
Example: First time I installed Chrysler Ball Joints, I pressed them OUT & IN, before I discovered that those smooth rings were REALLY threads, I "thought" they were just RINGS, for an interference fit!!! WHAT do I do NOW?? Three spot welds & a POOF of FLAT BLACK, easy!
Did a brake job on a 240-Z, eased out & down the driveway, feeling out the brakes, ZOOMED down the street & CLUNK-CLUNK-CLUNK, Hastily got the cars' LUG wrench & tightened the L/R nuts!! (DUMMY!)
WHUT have you-all DONE?
Bill W.

[Mitch]

When i was starting out in the auto field back in 79 the cars had carburetors. I put front disc brakes on a car and never pumped up the pedal to expand the pads to the rotors. Pumped the throttle a couple times to set the choke on fast idle and started it. Dropped it in D and went right through the garage wall...at the same place the gasket from an oil filter stayed on the block.. it didnt start leaking till the guy got on the highway and blew the motor...
i never got fired just had to pay for the repairs on both cars.
The school of hard Knox

[MikeK]

Pulled the juice-box side chain-drive tranny from a '75 Caddy front wheel drive Eldorado. Completely disassembled it, rebuilt it with a GM kit. Reinstalled. About 999 hours labor. Cleaning up the workbench, I had a tiny spring, about the size of one from a ball point pen sitting there. The car ran fine. Owner came back an hour later. NO REVERSE. OK, don't panic I said to myself- no need to pull it, just drop the trans pan, filter, and valve body, it must go in there somewhere. NOPE. 999 hours later I found the error of GM's re-engineering of the turbo hydromatic to make it work bass-akwards for front wheel drive. Spring goes in FIRST, then re-assemble converter shaft and sun gears.

[Mitch]

being an automatic trans man myself i can appreciate that

[Mitch]

This is somebody else's screw up... I special ordered this 2015 denali diesel 3500hd.. when it finally came in it fell off the lift when they were prepping it for delivery. Needless to say they ordered me another one... When I picked up the second one, I saw the repaired truck in the back lot.. I was easily able to tell it was fixed. they are never the same after a hit, I don't care who fixes it....

[Chuck Sea/Tac]

I'm not an auto mechanic, however I've played around. When I was maybe 20, i had a 66 t bird convertible that lost the transmission. I bought a used one, with the converter and changed it. Started it up, it moved foreword, it moved reverse. Cleaned up, jumped in, nothin. Did this three times.( not the brightest kid on the block evidently). Finally started looking real close at everything and realized this plate was on backwards, which pushed the two prongs of the converter too far into the tranny, and would burn out the pump within a couple of minutes. Don't even get me started on how many times I'd get the top working,then it would be down, and it would start to rain. Guess what? Top wouldn't go up, so I'd have to crack a hydraulic connection and lift it by brute force. I actual swore I would never own a ford again. And didn't until twenty some years later, with kids, I bought a new Aerostar. Guess what the local engine rebuild shop told us was the worst engine, as mine went out in 112,000 miles? Yup a 4.O ford V6. Well I stil drive a ford, but it's a good one. 1931 model A Tudor. I love that ford.
ps. I had an awesome $40 51 ford convertible that was one of my favorite cars I ever owned.

[Tom Wesenberg]

I had the same problem as Chuck on the first automatic I worked on.
The converter wasn't fully engaged into the pump, and it burned up the pump.
Learned real quick the feel of a fully engaged converter and pump.

[Mitch]

One thing to look for to ensure the torque converter is splined all the way in. when the trans is bolted flush to the block there should be a gap between the flexplate and the converter bolt pads. the converter should be free, usually a 1/4" approx gap if it is jammed tight beware.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Franks' buddy overhauled a transaxle in a VW-Bus, using a PASSENGER car manual, YEP, 4 speeds, in REVERSE!
I replaced the Cluster Gear in a VW, had an AWFUL WHINE, Parts Man forgot to sell me the MATCHING Input Shaft, "they" had re-designed something on the angle of the TEETH! +*@^[email protected]%+&$
Bill Profane

[MikeK]

When I was in my 20's I had a '73 Pontiac Gran Prix with a 429 V8. GM put nylon tooth timing sprockets on them. One day bruuuuup! No more teeth. I bought new parts, pulled the engine front end apart and fixed it. Filled it up with water just to test it. All good, no leaks. It was about 9pm. I figured I would drain it and put 50/50 antifreeze in the next morning, after it had cooled down. That night was supposed to be in the 40's but dropped to an unexpected 9 degrees F. The radiator froze, popped both tanks, and the aluminum engine front timing cover with integral water pump froze and cracked. And, of course, that filled the crankcase with water. Surprisingly no block or head freeze damage. Just wallet damage.

[Mitch]

i believe in 73 they either had the 400 -2bbl or the 455 -- 4bbl

did the broken teeth go into the oil pan and clog the screen?

[CarlG]

429 is a Ford engine. I put one in my '71 F100. Nice engine.

[MikeK]

Mitch, I guess it was the 455. It had the lousy performance Rochester 4bbl with the 2 1/4" vacuum secondaries. I was initially advised not to worry about the broken nylon teeth in the pan. Too big to cause a pump screen blockage. Pieces came out with oil drains after I fixed the freeze damage but I never dropped the pan. Ran OK for another 50K. Then I made another mistake. Chevy Vega.:

[tbirdtbird]

I have heard of those small nylon bits making their way to the oil pump and locking it.....it only takes one......you know what happens next

[Tom Wesenberg]

I knew a mechanic in the 80's who used a wire wheel to clean the intake surface on a Ford V8. One of the wires went into the oil pan and locked up the oil pump.

[Roadster Rich]

When I was in high school, everyone considered me the go-to mechanic. A friend brought me his Volvo sports car with a transmission problem. We pulled it out and found one gear with teeth broken off. He bought the replacement gears and I disassembled. My first time on a standard transmission rebuild so I thought I was quite smart and laid out a clean sheet of rolled paper on the work bench and laid each shaft down with all the shims, gears and parts in the order they go back on the shaft. When I reassembled there were three washers I just could not make fit on the shafts. Put it together anyway and crossed my fingers. As long as he owned the car it worked fine and he thought I was a genius. Never told him about my mistakes.

[Mitch]

DO,
with todays smart phones, take lots of pictures for future reference..

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

When I was in high school, everyone considered me the go-to mechanic. A friend brought me his Volvo sports car with a transmission problem. We pulled it out and found one gear with teeth broken off. He bought the replacement gears and I disassembled. My first time on a standard transmission rebuild so I thought I was quite smart and laid out a clean sheet of rolled paper on the work bench and laid each shaft down with all the shims, gears and parts in the order they go back on the shaft. When I reassembled there were three washers I just could not make fit on the shafts. Put it together anyway and crossed my fingers. As long as he owned the car it worked fine and he thought I was a genius. Never told him about my mistakes.

The "MARK OF A TRUE CRAFTSMAN" is the ability to COVER up your MISTAKES, undetected!!!
Bill Craftsman

[Tom Wesenberg]

When I was in high school, everyone considered me the go-to mechanic. A friend brought me his Volvo sports car with a transmission problem. We pulled it out and found one gear with teeth broken off. He bought the replacement gears and I disassembled. My first time on a standard transmission rebuild so I thought I was quite smart and laid out a clean sheet of rolled paper on the work bench and laid each shaft down with all the shims, gears and parts in the order they go back on the shaft. When I reassembled there were three washers I just could not make fit on the shafts. Put it together anyway and crossed my fingers. As long as he owned the car it worked fine and he thought I was a genius. Never told him about my mistakes.

Hopefully it wasn't a classmate playing a dirty trick on you.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

While working at Lutz Ford, in Palo Alto, Ca in '59, a mechanic hoisted the HUGE intake off a 352 Interceptor & left it hanging on the chain hoist.
He proceeded to replace a broken piston. Scraped the manifold & put it on, FIRED it & NOISES galore!!! (There was a piece of the broken piston, "HIDING" in the MANIFOLD) +*@%#%^+*%$
Bill Iheardit