The worst thing thats happend to you while working on a hot rod or car at home!

[brad sweet]

Ok i was thinking about a car that i got in a trade years ago.Saab 900 turbo(1987) had been sitting around for a couple years and had a bad fuel pump, along with a congealed mess that was the pump pickup tube. cleaned the gas tank replaced pump and pick up tube, fired up but sputtered and quit. found return line plugged. with fuel line replaced got excited and stared it up in the garage and damn near burnt the house down. i forgot to tighten it!!! two fire extinguishers later found the problem along with all injector lines melted.....scrap!

 

[41mag]

I had a car catch fire while working on it once. Power steering fluid leak right on top of converter below the fire wall. Grabbed the fire extinguisher, pulled the pin, squeeze handle and NOTHING !! Talking about a cluster puck.!! I started dancing around grabbing anything I could....towel....water in a cup...nothing would help much !! Just about that time my brother come strolling into the garage with a full quart of Gatorade from the fridge, success!!
That type of stuff will get your adrenaline up!

 

[brad sweet]

65 mustang just got done with build,500 hp 347 Shelby this and that boss brake upgrade and bump stop tie-rods w hiem joints, driving on test run and felt a little wobble and wam tire into the frame rail forgot cotter pin on tie-rod end coasted to the side of the road tire screaching and the smell of oh **** in the air on a Sunday parts store hadnt opened yet walked home carried a jack and fixed on the side of the road.

 

[Hayata]

I was replacing the clutch in a Fiat X1/9 in my parent's garage way back in the day. Got it replaced, got the transaxle back up into the car (you had to jack the car up and lower the unit out of the bottom).

Stepped on the clutch, fired 'er up and released the clutch pedal and nothing.

I had installed the pressure plate in backwards.

The whole process went a lot faster the second time.

 

[kelleyga36]

Got my left hand caught in the flex fan on a mustang.

 

[Junior_357]

Changing out the front springs on my 1979 Cutlass I had back when I was a teenager. I had the compressor locked down on the spring...started to lower the lower A-arm with a floor jack. Suddenly...the compressor breaks and the spring goes bouncing around under the car. I've never walked 10 feet on my ass in under 1 second before that or since...but I sure did that day!

 

[Leatherhead]

Lowered the front end of a VW beetle. Didnt put the lug nuts back on one of the front wheels.

Made it about 40 ft past the mail box when it fell off and the axle dug into the asphalt.

 

[sr-2]

When I first got the scout running it was in front of the garage. Had no brakes. So I jacked up the rear to see if the tranny work. Put it in gear and the thing jump off the jack stand and headed through the garage and stopped couple inches from the living room wall. Always check the gear range and if the hubs are locked was the lesson learned that day.

 

[user 71]

I think the worse thing that happened was that you bought a Saab.

 

[BHJ]

Received the wrong clutch, pressure plate, and throwout bearing from NAPA and installed it TWICE. GRRRR. After pulling the motor a 3rd time I time went to the Clutch Exchange on Old Covington Hwy and the guy there knew exactly what I had in my hand from across the room (said looks like you need a clutch for a Jeep or a Ford) and gave me the right part the first time.