Mistakes I made fixing my cars

[ws23rt]

Much of what I read here is about something someone needs to know to help fixing their car.

Also many of us that help with the answers have learned from mistakes we made.

It may be helpful if we fess up and share some of the mistakes we made that taught good lessons. This would give some good heads up for some and be perhaps cleansing for others.

I have made most of the common ones cause I'm an independent do it myself sort.  I paid for that over and over.

There are many things that come to mind but I am reminded of one off hand that came from another post.

I have been working on these late sixties to early seventies mopars for so long that I came to feel like the FSM was in my head (mistake)
When I took my C500 all apart I remembered the advice that I got----Bag and tag----
PHHHff I need no stinking bags and tags--I know these cars.

I spent hundreds of hours over time learning from that mistake.

[A383Wing]

not enough forum space to post all the "car mistakes" I have made in my lifetime....draw yer own conclusions

Bryan

[myk]

Dropping a bolt into the distributor hole of my 440 is one mistake that comes to mind...   Like others here, my list of automotive mistakes is endless...

[Dino]

Not wearing a helmet while working under an open hood, big mistake right there.

[6spd68]

When I took my C500 all apart I remembered the advice that I got----Bag and tag----
PHHHff I need no stinking bags and tags--I know these cars.

I spent hundreds of hours over time learning from that mistake.

Trying to swap a complete dash on my 87 T-bird...  I thought the same thing ...   

Another one that comes to mind "I can still tighten that bolt a little!"    

Or "I can do my own body work!"   (Fortunately a 87 Cutlass Ceira winter-beater)

[Tilar]

Biggest mistakes I've made was getting married 3 times... Sure cuts down on the car money.       I learned a long time ago about the "bag and tag", which was about half way through the first car I restored. 

[Homerr]

I took a few hundred pictures of the Charger I restored 20 years ago.  I somehow didn't take any of the fender tag, broadcast sheet, or VIN.  Also, take even more pics!

Bag and tag is good, but don't write on tape with a pen that fades!

Tape tags that fall off easily, and with faded pen, on the wiring harness under the dash are useless.

I'd get to know the car more than a couple of weeks before ripping it all apart.

[twodko]

What Myk said and the religion of " bag 'n tag". My biggest two........being too cheap to buy DynaMat and not immediately pulling and reseating my freshly resto'd heater box plenum seal so it actually seals!

Twodko.....you dumb ass!

[ws23rt]

On another post I was recalling when I was removing a 727 trans.  I had done it before but this time the car was lower.
I had the trans on my chest and my knee under the tail shaft which tipped it up in the back.
Lots of trans fluid was in my face. I had to wiggle out from under it and raise the car some more to get it out

[Hemidog]

Yeah, bag & tag and taking lots of before pictures comes to mind.

Oh, and as always. "Oh, I'll just fix this one thing, and reassemble it. Then I will do the rest later" That ALWAYS works out!   

[ramairthree]

Plenty, but here is the funniest.

JC Whitney used to sell a front spoiler for a 69 GTO.
They never had them from the factory.

I have not seen one to get since the 80s.

I bought a plastic 70 GTO and would finger tighten two screws on my 69 (it does not fit right, it is too wide, etc.) and I would mark out a little shaping to be done to make it fit right, then take it off and do it little by little.  You can always take off more, but harder to put more back on.

I had to do something for the wife and kids and got interrupted one time.

The next Sunday morning I took it out for a spin-
completely forgetting the spoiler.

Yep,
a big scrape and plasticky cracking sound and it was bits of black plastic in the rearview mirror disappearing at 75 mph.

[Fred]

My mistake was turning a charger into a hemi car. It cost a fortune. I could have just bought a matching nos. hemi charger in the first place.   
Live and learn.

[Mopar Nut]

My mistake was turning a charger into a hemi car. It cost a fortune. I could have just bought a matching nos. hemi charger in the first place.   
Live and learn.

What's the fun of buying one already done, no headaches or sleepless nights, right?

[Fred]

My mistake was turning a charger into a hemi car. It cost a fortune. I could have just bought a matching nos. hemi charger in the first place.  
Live and learn.

What's the fun of buying one already done, no headaches or sleepless nights, right?

I still would have had to do it up (rip it to pieces and put it back together again) as I couldn't settle for less than perfect but it would have been an original.

[twodko]

My mistake was turning a charger into a hemi car. It cost a fortune. I could have just bought a matching nos. hemi charger in the first place.  
Live and learn.

What's the fun of buying one already done, no headaches or sleepless nights, right?

I still would have had to do it up (rip it to pieces and put it back together again) as I couldn't settle for less than perfect but it would have been an original.

I have the very same "it's got to be perfect" OCD Fred. More times than I care to remember I've gotten up at night to correct something I didn't do the right what he first time.

[ODZKing]

I have the very same "it's got to be perfect" OCD Fred. More times than I care to remember I've gotten up at night to correct something I didn't do the right what he first time.

Been there too.  One thing I did with my first Charger was because I was in a hurry to drive it.  I didn't fix things the first time and all of them came back to bite me in the ass. Floor pans (oh I can patch them).  Yep, all the carpet out and redo. Same with frame patching.  Should have done it right the first time, not that there was much but what was there was was difficult to get at afterward.
As the SOS Band said in the 70's, Take Your Time, Do It Right!

[Fred]

My mistake was turning a charger into a hemi car. It cost a fortune. I could have just bought a matching nos. hemi charger in the first place.  
Live and learn.

What's the fun of buying one already done, no headaches or sleepless nights, right?

I still would have had to do it up (rip it to pieces and put it back together again) as I couldn't settle for less than perfect but it would have been an original.

I have the very same "it's got to be perfect" OCD Fred. More times than I care to remember I've gotten up at night to correct something I didn't do the right what he first time.

And all the other nights I just lay there wondering if there's any possibility it could be done better.  

[Fred]

I have the very same "it's got to be perfect" OCD Fred. More times than I care to remember I've gotten up at night to correct something I didn't do the right what he first time.

Been there too.  One thing I did with my first Charger was because I was in a hurry to drive it.  I didn't fix things the first time and all of them came back to bite me in the ass. Floor pans (oh I can patch them).  Yep, all the carpet out and redo. Same with frame patching.  Should have done it right the first time, not that there was much but what was there was was difficult to get at afterward.
As the SOS Band said in the 70's, Take Your Time, Do It Right!

That's exactly right. The best time to do it right, is the first time.  

[cudaken]

Really can only think of two. Not counting forgetting to hook up something first on the throttle kick down.

First one or should I say the latest one happen a few months ago. Had not touched my 68 Road Runner 8 years. Decide to get her running again. Changed the oil and got confused. Laying on my back, backwards with a way to big box end wrench!  First drain plug I stripped in 40 years!

Second one was about 25 years ago. I was doing a late night thrash on detailing the 68 Road Runner engine getting ready for Monster Mopar Weekend. Pretty much stripped the long block down to nothing. All the lines where braided stainless steel.



Around 12:00 AM I hooked the battery back up and wiring harness started smoking!  Seems the braided stainless steel fuel line touched the back of the alternator and it went poof! 

Luckily I had the old ratty harness that I took off the 69 Charger. It looked like death but worked. Made the show but did not get to bed till 3:30 AM.

Cuda Ken   

[ws23rt]

I spent my last pocket money once to buy oil for a needed oil change.  As I was pouring the fifth quart in I saw the pool on the ground at my feet.
Left the drain plug out

[Fred]

I spent my last pocket money once to buy oil for a needed oil change.  As I was pouring the fifth quart in I saw the pool on the ground at my feet.
Left the drain plug out

[JB400]

I spent my last pocket money once to buy oil for a needed oil change.  As I was pouring the fifth quart in I saw the pool on the ground at my feet.
Left the drain plug out

Could have been worse, you could have added the new oil without draining the old

[ws23rt]

My son is a regional manager for a lube oil change company and told me about one of their stores that sent out a high end BMW with no oil in it.
Very costly

[Fred]

My son is a regional manager for a lube oil change company and told me about one of their stores that sent out a high end BMW with no oil in it.
Very costly

Oh dear!

[Mopar Nut]

My son is a regional manager for a lube oil change company and told me about one of their stores that sent out a high end BMW with no oil in it.
Very costly