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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 8:24 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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How about a thread on the stupid things we do sometimes while working on a beetle? I wasn't even drinking when this happened: I was putting the battery back in my car and I connected the left hand (ground) post. Then I was tightening the right hand connection with my right hand when the wedding band on my left hand inadvertently came in contact with the left hand battery post. Didn't realize it had happened until I felt a sharp stinging feeling there. Then I said "HEY! S*@T!!!" and lifted my hand to have a look see as sparks flew. The ring had melted where it touched the post, and was so hot it burned a nice groove under the ring around my finger. I couldn't take the ring off for a couple of minutes and I removed a fair amount of skin in the process. I enjoyed the looks of disgust on the part of my co-workers this morning as they looked at my ring finger. |
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john walker's workshop Samba Member
Joined: September 23, 2002 Posts: 428 Location: east wambango
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:17 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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don't wear rings when you're mechanicing.(you know that already). i've heard of people having the skin pulled off the whole finger when the ring got tangled in something. i did the hot ring trick ONCE, back when i was a beginner. i haven't worn my wedding ring so long, that i don't even know where it is. |
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billyisme Samba Member
Joined: November 28, 2001 Posts: 360 Location: Ventura, CA
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:30 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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In highschool blew a hole in the metal brake line of my parent's old 79 GMC van when I arced the battery to the brake line with a socket driver.
I have also done the 'ol 8-knuckle slam many-a-time while trying to loosen/tighten a tenacious bolt. I swear to never let it happen again EVERY SINGLE time. |
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Trayle D. the real oggfk Samba Fabricator
Joined: March 24, 2002 Posts: 1511 Location: Phoenix...... GFK all day every day
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Posted: Fri Jan 10, 2003 10:48 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Saw a guy at school once get his necklace stuck in the pulley of a car he was trouble shooting. Thank god it broke or he would have been eating fan, or maybe I should say the fan would have been eating him. Im in the same boat as you jwworkshop, I havent seen my wedding ring in so long I dont know where it is either. But better to lose the ring than a finger. |
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crukab Samba Chef
Joined: December 13, 2002 Posts: 6116 Location: Vermont
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 7:23 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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I had a 72 convert. Bug that was working on , I think I was working the flex tube that comes off the heater box or something, the right rear wheel was jacked up with a small floor jack,well I had a big screwdriver
in my had and must have touched the starter connections, because the next thing I know the bug is jearking backwards ( left it in reverse! )it backed off the jack, across my chest (OUCH!)I rolled out from under it before the front wheels got me, it stopped ten feet out of the garage.No injurys to me, but the wife was a little freaked. I now use the big ass 3 ton floor jack............ |
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Trayle D. the real oggfk Samba Fabricator
Joined: March 24, 2002 Posts: 1511 Location: Phoenix...... GFK all day every day
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 8:26 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Damn bro your lucky you arent dead. Use Jack stands at all time. And block the wheels or leave it in neutral with the E-brake on. Thats some scary shit. |
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wgargan Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2002 Posts: 871 Location: Dreaming of the Rockies
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 12:32 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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thats why everybody says disconect the battery while working on you car. |
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keifernet Samba Search & Rescue
Joined: May 11, 2002 Posts: 19395 Location: Samba Center for Behavioral Science
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 12:40 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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That's why this thread is titled "Stupid work practices" nobody does! LOL!
I used a screw driver once to short out a sticky starter on a Baja... good thing it was on the lawn in my front yard... It was for sale and some dumbass ( hey who you calling a dumbass... DUMBASS!) musta left it in gear after sitting in it and checking it out. ( I know I always leave em in neutral)
well it jumped and that big ol 31 X 10.5 ran up on my skinny ass and thanks God it diddn't fire off and actually start! I thought it broke my ribs but they were just bruised for a few weeks...
Next!........ |
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angela Southern Dumbell
Joined: January 11, 2003 Posts: 110
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 5:08 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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one time i had my engine out to fix a clutch problem(found out later the clutch tube just came unwelded!)anyway, i have dual carbs, so they had to come off to get the engine out. so, we find out what we thought was f%#ked up was fine, and put the engine back in.tried to start it for a while. then we finally realized that the rags were still in the intakes! i thought he took them out, he thought i did. i'm a real dumbass sometimes......but i'm not afraid to admit it! |
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gt1953 Samba Member
Joined: May 08, 2002 Posts: 13846 Location: White Mountains Arizona
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 6:13 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Jacks stands for sure, battery off line you bet, correct tool for the job always helps. forgetting how something goes back together so I now video tape as I dissassemble. (must be gettin old) |
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j.pickens Samba Member
Joined: December 03, 2002 Posts: 9789 Location: Exit 7, New Jersey
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 8:05 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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angie...LOL, that is classic. |
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keifernet Samba Search & Rescue
Joined: May 11, 2002 Posts: 19395 Location: Samba Center for Behavioral Science
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 10:11 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Oh Angie ! LOL! your not the only one!`Once my Mentor built a 1776 motor with a another "apprentice" buddy for his ride
and when they went to start it, it took FOREVER to catch and fire off and when it did the parper towels in the heads covering theintake ports were still under the Weber's and manifolds it looked like a snowstorm when the damn thing finally fired
up and blew all the shit out the glasspack! |
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ChrisM181 Samba Member
Joined: February 13, 2002 Posts: 181
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Posted: Sat Jan 11, 2003 11:13 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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The biggest mistake I ever made did not involve a VW but it was quite scary! I work part time as a tech on the days I do not have class. So I worked on Mon-Wed-Fri, on Monday I did the brakes on a 98 Mercury Grand Marquis. I left it in the air on the hoist because there was more work that needed to be done on it the next day and I was going to be at school that day. Unfortunatly I neglected to lower the car to pump up the brakes.
I came to work on Wed. and was told to move the Grand Marquis, so I hopped in and slammed it in reverse and nailed the gas peddle,assuming that someone must have pumped up the brakes, as I hit the brake pedel to slow down I realized that there were NO BRAKES!!! I cranked the sterring wheel all the way to the left to avoid bull dozing the building then I was headed for a 2002 Ford Focus we just pulled out of the paint booth, so I cranked the wheel all the way to the right. Just missed it! I finally got that boat stopped right in the middle of Joy rd. About 10 cars had to slam on their brakes so they did not kill me! The car and I did not even have a scratch!
I now pump up the brakes on every car I pull out of the shop, whether I touched the brakes or not! |
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58Type2 Samba Member
Joined: June 15, 2002 Posts: 636 Location: Hell's Soup Kitchen
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2003 6:10 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Not on a bug but on my SC. Driving down the road about a year ago and the engine started misfiring. Lights all haywire on the dash, the works. I go back to see what is up, engine I did turn off...I think. Don't see anything and then SPARK SPARK!! Come to find out the starter hot wire had broken off the starter. Me not thinking, I pull the cable out before removing it from the hot side of the battery and managed to weld the cable to the right manifold, rip it off and it welded itself somewhere else. This was about the time I realized maybe I should remove it from the battery. Did that, and now it would not reach the starter when I fixed the cable. The guy I bought the SC from just happened to have used another hot wire on the negative terminal on the battery that just barely fit and somehow I got everything fixed and done. Next time, the battery will be disconnected. I do this now since I also welded a wrench to the doghouse while tightening the nut on the alternator a couple months ago.
This now reminds me, I need to replace that cable going to the starter.
Jax |
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[email protected] Samba Member
Joined: October 22, 2002 Posts: 8
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2003 12:00 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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years ago.. when I got my first v.w. i took it in for a set of new tires, and the dude working on it did not tighten down the lugs on one wheel, .. i picked up my car, turned on the radio and took off only to have the wheel fall off about a half mile down the road. not my fault, but still stupid. |
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wgargan Samba Member
Joined: September 21, 2002 Posts: 871 Location: Dreaming of the Rockies
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2003 12:19 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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alright, the same thing happend to me. it was with my first bus, i was so exited that i had finished the engine and i fired up. i went and got new tires and put them on well, being my first ride to work on i didnt noe know how tight, thight was. i used a little ratchet to put the tires on. needless to say i went on driving down the road, totally exited, being the first time to actually drive the bus, and then i here this awfull knocking and shaking, so i stop and sure enough the righht front lugs were comming loose. well no damage occured then. the damge came when i used a five foot breaker to tighten down the lugs. let me say i was 16 and stupid. i cant thing of anything else i have done completly wrong,cause i am still here.
lc |
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Custom_vw Samba Member
Joined: July 20, 2002 Posts: 19
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Posted: Sun Jan 12, 2003 12:56 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Something close to that happened to me this last year. I found an old 63 bug down the street from a friends house. Well when I was able to get a car dolly for it me and me friend went over to get it. It was off the pan so we picked it up and put it up on the pan. Then we had to check all the tires (original) to make sure they were driveable. To make a long story short after we got four blocks down the street it was going fine. When out of the corner of of or eyes we seen this tire fly passed us, we just thought wow someone lost there tire. Just to find out it was us so we pulled into a parking lot. Go get the tire and find out that all the lug nuts for that tire were striped and long gone. I just wish the machanies that I got the car from new about vw, then maybe they could have taken care of the car then to just let it sit for so long (5 years) Oh ya and maybe they could have had the the right parts for it. And not parts for a 1970, 73 oh well it was just good that I had friends that need those parts. |
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Shish K Bob Samba Member
Joined: December 25, 2002 Posts: 132 Location: The OC
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Posted: Mon Jan 13, 2003 6:32 pm Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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I had n00b moment once with a 914 that i had in high school. I picked it from some guy that thought he blew the tranny. all i had was 3rd and 4th. I drove it home some 20 miles away clutch/gassing it all the way Well as i was getting ready to pull the engine and tranny I discovered that the shift linkage allen screw was loose. I don't know if i was more pissed for driving the car home if 3rd gear or happy i didn't have to replace the tranny. |
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oregonian52 Samba Member
Joined: September 11, 2002 Posts: 232 Location: Chula Vista, CA
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2003 8:09 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Was giving the bug a tune up the other night.
Jumped in the car when done and backed it out when all of sudden the radio antenna was bouncing back and forth.
I forgot to raise the garage door all the way up. When I drove the car back in to check how close I was, there was about 1/2" clearance between the car and the garage door. Somebody was watching over me. |
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79SuperVert Samba Member
Joined: May 31, 2002 Posts: 9758 Location: Elizabeth, NJ & La Isla Del Encanto
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Posted: Wed Jan 15, 2003 9:17 am Post subject: Stupid Work Practices |
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Raised the front of my Beetle, put two jacks underneath. Raised the back, put two cement blocks under the jack points, then kept raising the back higher and higher to clear the jacks I wanted to put on the blocks (wanted extra clearance under the back to work). Pump, pump, pump, something tells me look at the front: the front jacks are tilting forward and just about to tip forward, which would have launched the beetle into the wall under a pile of lumber on racks attached to the wall...hoo boy. |
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