Stupid things you've done

[airschooled]

[vwwestyman]

Thought about starting a "silly injury" thread but this works well enough.

I was washing my newly-acquired Westerner the other day. Doing the roof (and realized it was the first time I had ever attempted to was a bus roof!), I stood on a chair. For the front, the chair was over uneven concrete, and was a bit tippy as I stood on it.

As I went to step down, the whole chair tipped and I fell over the back of it, scraping and bruising my forearm on the way down. All while a couple kids were walking down the sidewalk and undoubtedly laughing at me.
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Dave Cook

President, Wild Westerner Club

1978 Champagne Edition Westy, repowered to '97 Jetta TDI
1973 Wild Westerner
My Thing

[my 74 tangerine westy]

1st-washed the bus with the windows down all of them
2-cut the fuel line instead of a vacuum line
3-forgot about the cluch after the engine was in
4-forgot to hook up the e-brake then parked on a hill out of gear
5- filled her up with diesel
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VW made cars like Walter White makes meth
1974 Westy

[babysnakes]

[JDub113]

Ummm... Had to get to work extra early today. Haven't had much sleep all week. I left the house "ready to go" at 430am. I don't have a long way to go to work. I turned up the stereo I left the damn thing in 3rd gear going 55-60 for probably a half mile or less. F*ck!

I'm a product of another generation. I'm used to a tachometer and engine sound from loud exhaust. I'm pretty pissed at myself, its a good way to ruin the nice engine I have. Anyways, I'm looking into a back lit tachometer. I was very easy on it for the last mile. Hope its ok.
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84 Wolfsburg Edition Westy

[timvw7476]

submitted for your approval, my own act of douchebaggery: so i am driving
along, 1.000 mile since rebuilding a 2.0, the oil pressure light goes on, i coast to the side of the road and decide to use the Idiot manual to solve the problem because it's all about " whatever light on " do this....i change the sender& oil filter and check for pressure and get a puddle under my engine.
Eventually i pull the gauge pod, the P.O. had disconnected everything to pull the dash illumination bulbs, i had rewired it all-with the EGR reminder wire
running to the oil light. Yay.

[airschooled]

[Brionp]

I think I used varnish once instead of activator in some epoxy paint. So it was back to square one. Only worse.
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1971 7 seat Deluxe Station Wagon

[richparker]

[airschooled]

[Wasted youth]

[JDub113]

[airkooledchris]

The tins under the heads need to be mounted BEFORE you install the pushrod tubes.

Maybe i'll get that right on my next teardown/cleanup, because the second time wasn't a charm. At least I got it after the first 3 on the first side, unlike last time when I damn near had them all installed before I remembered.

[scrivyscriv]

Spent two hours tweaking timing and carburetor today to fine tune things... Wrapped up early, engine ran great, and I headed off to work... the engine died on me crossing a road. Pushed it into a parking lot and started swapping in backup parts one at a time, then took the top off the carburetor and saw it had no gas. Then looked at the fuel filter..... No gas.


Filled an empty water bottle up with .25 gallons of gas, put everything back together, and managed to get the the gas station and put 15 gallons in. Today I learned my gas gauge doesn't know where empty is.
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Robert in Memphis
Dünkelgrügen 1967 Java Green bug thread
Engine rebuild thread
If you're ever in the Memphis area, you are welcome to stop by for advice and help.

[Thrasher22]

[jtauxe]

As is my wont, unfortunately, I forgot to put the gas cap back on. I put it up on the rain gutter while pumping gas, and just left it there. I drove around town, and even another 100 miles down the highway before I realized that it was gone. Crap! Off to a FLAPS to pick up a cheap black plastic one. I install it, and walk around the back of the bus to get in, and happen to see the gas cap sitting up in the rain gutter. It had walked around to the other side, and was just sitting there waiting for me.

At least now I have a spare for the next time I do this.
_________________
John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[Tcash]

That sucks. Don't feel bad.
My gas gauge doesn't know where empty is and can't find full.
Have a good day.
Tcash

[FlatfourFrenchy]

Recently I was doing some body work along front end of sliding door middle track which required the removal of the sliding door. After work was finished I reinstalled the sliding door and proudly I gave it a good shove to close it. Well..... I had forgotten to put on the stop back onto the front end of the center track. Door flew off onto floor smashing up rear corner and totally tweaking the lower roller assembly. Yeay dumbass me.
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1971 Tin Top Westy Campmobile 70

[jtauxe]

Another one for the stupid things thread...

I got the 1975 single cab started again, after having pulled the engine back in March. It is now August. I fixed and replaced a lot of systems, and went through some typical debugging, and after a TON of work on this thing, it was so nice to have it finally start and even idle nicely. Ahh - love that sound!

So, just one more thing to work on -- need to adjust the clutch cable since ht clutch and flywheel were on the list of replaced items. I adjust and adjust and tighten and tighten the wing nut, and I'm thinking WTF, this is not feeling right. I keep trying it at the clutch pedal, and eventually, I start getting a weird sound when the thing starts to engage. It is not the whirr of a throwout bearing, it is a scraping sound, with a high frequency in it, as if... no frickin' way! ... As if the throwout bearing forks were scraping directly on the fingers of the pressure plate.

Did I... did I forget... wait a minute. There's the throwout bearing sitting on the bench. Crap. I had left out the throwout bearing since I did not want it exposed to the elements for months, and I guess I figured that SURELY I'd remember to put it back in before putting in the engine. And yet...

So, time for a quick engine pull, get that bearing in there, and get it back together. Maybe THEN it will be back on the road.
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John
"Travelling in a fried-out Kombi, on a hippie trail, head full of zombie..." - Colin Hay and Ron Strykert
http://vw.tauxe.net
1969 Transporter, 1971 Westfalia, 1976, 1977, 1976, 1977, 1971, 1973, 1977 Westfalias,
1979 Champagne Sunroof, 1974 Westfalia Automatic, 1979 Transporter, 1972 Sportsmobile, 1973 Transporter Wild Westerner, 1974 Westfalia parts bus, 1975 Mexican single cab *FOR SALE*, 1978 Irish 4-door double cab RHD

[Brian]

Mistake #1: bought a bay
Mistake #a lot: sold a bay

Other stupid one, plugged a ground wire onto a 30 terminal.
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Wash your hands

'69 Bug
'68 Baja Truck
'71 Bug
'68 Camper

Only losers litter