memories!..
Yeah--what some folks will do just to get the vehicle operable again!..
My last 2 4x4's have had Prestone containers, instead of the original cracked OEM one!
--I never see a good one in boneyards,they crack every one when they pull a motor,or step on them while climbing around in the engine compartment!..the Prestone jugs work just as well for me!..
I've used threaded rod as U-bolts too!--my friends 68 Scout sheared 2 rear u bolts off after driving it while they were loose!..no auto parts dealers open on sunday--so Home Depot was close enough!..we put 5/8" threaded rod in there ,bent around a tree in my yard to get the "U" shape..he drove it like that for at least 2 years,despite promising he'd "fix it right" when the right U-bolts were available..
I found THREE compression unions on the rear brake line in my 74 K20!--and the scary part is I think I put them there!..must have popped that line during bad storms while plowing,and wanted a quick fix!..(I've never had one fail yet,but I don't like using them on road driven vehicles)..I see tons of cars and trucks with compression fittings on the brake lines at my friends shop..
My 74 K20 also featured many house "wire nuts" making several important connections ,and someone used an ordinary 110V grounded outlet as a trailer wiring socket for it--they even tossed in the orange extention cord that connected the truck and trailer!..how thoughtful!..
One guys 69 Chevelle had a "lift kit" that consisted of a peice of 6x6" lumber and a long carriage bolt clamping it between the rear coil springs and the axle pad where they seat!..needless to say,that,and its air shocks pumped up to 125 psi,and L60-14's sticking 6" out of its rotted fenderwells kept it from passing inspection!..
One car I bought had NO drivers side motor mount pad!--A 70 Chevy Impala with a 350..I found a black painted hunk of 2x4 cut and made to look like the factory rubber things that bolt to the crossmember...it broke when I tried doing a brakestand,and the air cleaner stud poked thru the hood!..the motor also had a "safety chain" looped around its exhaust manifold to the a-frame bolts!..I fixed it right with junkyard parts!--moron spent more time making fake parts than putting real ones in would have!...(but I bought it cheap, and knew the stuff was moused anyway!--it was fun beating on that car!)..
One day an older guy brings a big Ford product,a 90 Mercury Marquis I think it was,in my friends shop--says he thinks he got water in the gas--car was barely running,and stalled repeatedly when you'd try to acceletate it..my friend said "maybe your timing is off,or something,I can "scan" it for codes too,and see if a sensor is bad,etc"..the guy says "no--I'm VERY sure its water in the gas!..
Then his wife gets out of the car,and says to my friend "Do you think HE messed something up??--he's ALWAYS poking around this dam car!--and screws things up more than he fixes it!..she gets back in the car--and the guy says to my friend in a hushed voice "I'll give you a $50 tip, if you dont tell my wife the truth!--I was drilling holes in the trunk floor to empty the pool of water in the spare tire well,and gee--I didn't know the GAS TANK was under there too!"..
OOOPS!..we pulled the tank--found 5 neat 1/4" holes drilled in the top of the tank!--one was a "bull's eye"--right thru the sending unit!
Then there was the guy who used 3/16" FUEL LINE to "repair" his rotted out brake line to get a sticker in his VW!..we saw it right off,and laughed our asses off as we told him to "step hard" on the brakes,and it expanded and contracted like a balloon,instead of sending the pressure to the wheel cylinders!..we asked him how the brakes worked--he said "not bad,but I think they might need bleeding!"..
"Inspection FAILED!..NEXT!"
for me this was so awesome i had to call the wife out to see it .
