That is a total bummer Bob! Did it ruin the crank?

Not trying to be a dope but I'm sure that you know the definition of "experience" is "the ability to immediately recognize a mistake the next time you make it".

That's certainly applied in spades to my Mustang efforts.  

Last edited by John Ha (2/22/2021 1:35 PM)

TKOPerformance wrote:

Show me the person who's never made a mistake and I'll show you someone who'd never learned anything. 

Or maybe never DID anything...
 

Bullet Bob wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

Show me the person who's never made a mistake and I'll show you someone who'd never learned anything. 

Or maybe never DID anything...
 

Hey, I like that!
 

Then there was the time I trashed my T5 in short order. I wanted to swap the 8 tooth speedo drive gear for a 6 tooth one. My bud came over and we dropped the tranny, pulled the rear housing, installed the gear, put the rear housing back on and stuffed the tranny back in the car. Time for the test drive.
Out the garage, bang gears down the street, hit Hwy 285 south and head to the turnaround point. All was well and I swapped seats with my bud so he could drive back. Success in the making.
Now it's dinner time and that's when it hit me. F*#@k, we forgot to fill the tranny with fluid. Ten simple miles without a full case of fluid trashed the bearings. 
Moral of the story: Don't drink beer and work on cars.

IF  you really like the 'busy' sound from an engine.........get a gear drive and pretend you have a blower! 
Might be safer than Rhoads lifters (not the first horror story I have "heard" about 'em)
6sal6

6sally6 wrote:

RV6 wrote:

Then there was the time I trashed my T5 in short order. I wanted to swap the 8 tooth speedo drive gear for a 6 tooth one. My bud came over and we dropped the tranny, pulled the rear housing, installed the gear, put the rear housing back on and stuffed the tranny back in the car. Time for the test drive.
Out the garage, bang gears down the street, hit Hwy 285 south and head to the turnaround point. All was well and I swapped seats with my bud so he could drive back. Success in the making.
Now it's dinner time and that's when it hit me. F*#@k, we forgot to fill the tranny with fluid. Ten simple miles without a full case of fluid trashed the bearings. 
Moral of the story: Don't drink beer and work on cars.

 Ahhhhhhhhhhh MAN!!!  What a crummy ending to a story......
6sal6

Crummy ending? Drinking beer was the end of the story.

We were on the road from LA to 'Vegas back in '78.  Going on our annual trip to visit Ed Winfield...only model T's and A's with Winfield equipment allowed.  Running north on I-15 in the Speedster at about 65.  The engine had a little vibration that started that morning  but was only real noticeable close to three thousand... we're talking a Model "B" with a Riley Four Port head. 
Anyway, it didn't seem to be getting any worse so why worry, right?   About 20 miles south of Vegas, completely without warning, it chucked the No. 3 rod cap.  Needless to say it went downhill from there.  I'm glad I had seat belts in that car 'cause Jean would have gone over the side.  Kong jumped on the CB and says, "hey Evans, you're leaving parts in the road back here."  No kidding!.
The only things that weren't ruined were the head and carbs (thank God, those were pretty rare even back then), side plate over the valve box, water pump, and water inlet, and flywheel.  Block, crank rods, pistons, pan, cam, lifters were all junk.
Those old engines had provisions for cotter pins on the rod bolts.  Seems I must have missed one on the No. 3 rod. 

You just can't check this stuff too much. 
 

Last edited by Bullet Bob (2/22/2021 8:51 PM)

6sally6 wrote:

IF  you really like the 'busy' sound from an engine.........get a gear drive and pretend you have a blower! 
Might be safer than Rhoads lifters (not the first horror story I have "heard" about 'em)
6sal6

 
My largest failure is patience.

I DIDN’T DO IT FOR THE SOUND

josh-kebob wrote:

Back in the day, I owned a 1983 Cutlass Supreme. I knew it had a tired engine so I acquired a Jasper long block and went to work. Got it dropped in, topped off the fluids, etc and it fired right up and ran great......but not for long.
In fact, I think it lasted a couple weeks until it spun a bearing, or two, or all.  Dropped the pan and discovered the two bolts holding the oil pick-up tube weren't doing their job....can you say, less than finger tight. All my fault...

Now, I double check the torque on every bolt during an engine rebuild.  Taught me an expensive lesson, one I prefer not to repeat...

This right here is why I rebuild engines with a buddy. Someone to check me and double check...

If it wasn't for 1or 2or 3 and or whatever beers . I would hardly get enough ambition to go out to the garage in the afternoon anymore.
Just yesterday I knew I found my missing 5/8 socket while holding a Keystone and looking at a round up punch in the hood about where the air cleaner is....

Bullet Bob wrote:

We were on the road from LA to 'Vegas back in '78.  Going on our annual trip to visit Ed Winfield...only model T's and A's with Winfield equipment allowed.  Running north on I-15 in the Speedster at about 65.  The engine had a little vibration that started that morning  but was only real noticeable close to three thousand... we're talking a Model "B" with a Riley Four Port head. 
Anyway, it didn't seem to be getting any worse so why worry, right?   About 20 miles south of Vegas, completely without warning, it chucked the No. 3 rod cap.  Needless to say it went downhill from there.  I'm glad I had seat belts in that car 'cause Jean would have gone over the side.  Kong jumped on the CB and says, "hey Evans, you're leaving parts in the road back here."  No kidding!.
The only things that weren't ruined were the head and carbs (thank God, those were pretty rare even back then), side plate over the valve box, water pump, and water inlet, and flywheel.  Block, crank rods, pistons, pan, cam, lifters were all junk.
Those old engines had provisions for cotter pins on the rod bolts.  Seems I must have missed one on the No. 3 rod. 

You just can't check this stuff too much. 
 

Excellent story, We are driving the Model T's from Orange County to Death Valley and back. I am building two T engines and transmissions, one specifically for touring as I have replaced the number one and two rods in the engine presently in the car and number three and four are making some noise. Not surprising considering the engine still has the original cast pistons with quarter inch rings. I know at least one guy that is using nylocks on the rod bolts and has racked up several thousand miles on them with no issues. I may do the same as I have a 3 dip pan and installing cotter pins on the fourth rod bolts can be challenging. Thanks for sharing your story.

Last edited by boss347convertible (2/23/2021 11:22 AM)