How something easy becomes a mpia

[vilant]

Thought you guys might find my ineptitude a little funny. So I'm a construction worker, could build you a house top to bottom w/ all the fixin's. But my automotive skills are limited to changing oil, filters, fuses, and other easy projects. So I bought a used wiper motor from a yard, and decided to install it on Sat.. Easy right? So I get the old shot motor out, no sweat. Get the first screw started on the new one, good. Start the second and PING:censored: I drop it down into the motor somewhere. Spend the next hour w/ flashlight, mirror, and magnet trying to find it and fish it out. Finally get it out (now my back is starting to ache from leaning over so much). And it's also 90+ in my garage and I'm soaked. Try it again being careful not to drop the screw and CLANG, are you :censored: kidding me? Dropped the socket wrench down into the engine.... and it disappears. Now I'm efn furious.Spend another hour trying pull it out because it wedged itself down in there and refused to come out:mad:. So I finally got it out and the rest went smooth, only took 3+ hours. Spent more time fishing out things then I did installing. Anyway, I'm looking to hang a punching bag in my garage for future endeavors, know of any good ones;)

[VetteMed]

Been there, done that -- don't feel too bad!!

[PhillipsLT5]

forget the punching bag, install A/C unit instead

[DaveK]

That seems to happen with everything I touch these days! :cheers:

[XfireZ51]

Get a telescoping magnet.

[tccrab]

The first time I did a plenum pull I dropped a plenum bolt down that little gap behind the engine and it rolled back about 4 inches down the bell housing.
If memory serves me, it took about 3 hours of crawling all over the top of the engine with a flashlight and the magnet tool.
I never actually saw the blasted thing, it just magically came back with the magnet after an eternity of fishing it around in the dark recesses.

Feeling your pain....

'Crabs

[Blue Flame Restorations]

If you only knew..........What happens in the garage, stays in the garage........

[C4Fanatic]

My wife dreads every time I go to the garage...much cussing is sure to follow...

[captcorvette]

Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Seen the movie, and read the book. None of which helped me to not drop stuff. Sometime in my late '50's I noticed that my dexterity wasn't what it used to be and neither was my sense of touch. Mental note! Be careful as you will be prone to drop stuff! Didn't help.

So now if I have a job that should take an hour I allow 3. If it is one of my favourite jobs like plumbing or spark chasing then I allow 4 or more. Most of the time is spent barking out profanities at myself but that doesn't help anyone within earshot. OK so most folks think I am a bit crazy but if the foo sh_ts then I am guilty.

Glad to know that I am in good company. :handshak:

By the bye did I ever tell you guys that I hate plumbing and spark chasing? Oh yeah guess I might have mentioned it in the past.

[ScottZ95ZR1]

Just had my plenum off and purchased Marc's DVD prior to doing so - best $50 I've ever spent on the car.

Studied the DVD a few times and knew my fat butt wasn't sitting up on the plenum like Marc does when it came time to remove the MAP sensor bracket.

And Marc says "be very careful with the fasteners - if you drop them back here you'll likely never retrieve them, and they are no longer available from GM".

One of mine was original and the other was stainless, so I knew someone like me had been there before. But I had been forewarned!

His words were going through my mind as I was starting the first screw (the original one), while putting the bracket back in place. I was being very, very careful.... and you know what I did.

And it was not to be found!

[GOLDCYLON]

my fat butt wasn't sitting up on the plenum like Marc does when it came time to remove the MAP sensor bracket.

Yeah I said wow thats a way however not me me as well for the same reason lol

[scottfab]

Been there. Done that. Got the T-shirt. Seen the movie, and read the book. None of which helped me to not drop stuff. Sometime in my late '50's I noticed that my dexterity wasn't what it used to be and neither was my sense of touch. Mental note! Be careful as you will be prone to drop stuff! Didn't help.
(snip)


Ain't it the truth about "sense of touch".
I now grab things and apply a little more force than my muscle memory thinks I need. Helps to an extent.

In my 30s I had a 73 454bb. After rebuilding the engine I dealt with an annoying rattle in the exhaust the would come and go.
Then one day while under there I used a BIG rubber hammer to pound on the exhaust right after the manifold. That found it.
I pulled the exhaust right at the doughnut and bingo......
there was a 7/16in wrench. !!!
MORAL OF THE STORY....
It's not the ones you drop and know it that's a POS.
It's the ones you drop and don't know it !!!

[mike100]

I used to be in the trade and even with experience, you will lose some stuff from time to time. I replaced my map sensor bracket screws with conventional 10mm bolt heads after I lost one of those. I found the one I lost about a week later on my garage floor.
Another time, more recently, I lost one of the small nuts for the throttle cable cover. I didn't even try to find it. I know it fell out on the street somewhere- I need to try to find another one- or maybe a similar pair with the same thread.

[XfireZ51]

I wish I had $5 for each time I said, "Oh this will take just a few minutes" and 3 hours later....

[Paul Workman]

Putting my air ratchet on one of the 10mm bolts on the water pump to remove it...and have the back of the wrench (the place where the key is to change direction) slam up tight against that box frame piece that runs across there...turned a simple 2-hour water pump change out into a 6 hour ordeal!!!

As a kid, I was replacing pistons in my 327 SBC. I was using a metal pan to keep all the bolts together. But, un-beknownst to me, my practical joker dad put a big 7/16 x 5" bolt in the pan with the rest of my bolts. When I get all done (I think) assembling the bottom of the motor, here's this big bolt left over...WTH!!

Dad still gets a chuckle out of it, every time it comes up.

[vilant]

Putting my air ratchet on one of the 10mm bolts on the water pump to remove it...and have the back of the wrench (the place where the key is to change direction) slam up tight against that box frame piece that runs across there...turned a simple 2-hour water pump change out into a 6 hour ordeal!!!

As a kid, I was replacing pistons in my 327 SBC. I was using a metal pan to keep all the bolts together. But, un-beknownst to me, my practical joker dad put a big 7/16 x 5" bolt in the pan with the rest of my bolts. When I get all done (I think) assembling the bottom of the motor, here's this big bolt left over...WTH!!

Dad still gets a chuckle out of it, every time it comes up.
Lol, that's a pretty good one. I'll have to remember that for when my son gets older;)

[Mystic ZR-1]

Today that would be child abuse...

[tomtom72]

Okay, I'm sure glad I'm not the only one that has the dropseys or the ability to turn a seemingly easy job into a monumental job! :sign10:

[QB93Z]

I try to remember to stuff a shop rag between the engine and the firewall when I am removing the Map sensor (or other bolts near bottomless voids). When the rag is there I rarely drop the bolt. Forget the rag and I will drop it for sure.

Jim

[A26B]

In reading these posts, I thought "How cool is this? We all love working on our ZR-1's and even enjoy sharing our snafu's with each other!"

In the last few(quite a few in fact) years, that I'm working more by touch & memory on some of these "close" jobs. my near vision ain't what it used to be & my fingers should have come with some lube zerks.

I laughed at Paul's jammed air wrench..... but only because I did the same thing. It's a real problem when you can't reach the rachet reverse. It is one of those never forgotten lessons though.

BTW: I do have those little MAP bolts & throttle cover nuts & throttle cable screws, etc.

[scottfab]

......................As a kid, I was replacing pistons in my 327 SBC. I was using a metal pan to keep all the bolts together. But, un-beknownst to me, my practical joker dad put a big 7/16 x 5" bolt in the pan with the rest of my bolts. When I get all done (I think) assembling the bottom of the motor, here's this big bolt left over...WTH!!

Dad still gets a chuckle out of it, every time it comes up.

oooh, I have to remember that one :dancing

[scottfab]

..............................

I laughed at Paul's jammed air wrench..... but only because I did the same thing. It's a real problem when you can't reach the rachet reverse. It is one of those never forgotten lessons though.
................

NEVER DO THIS !!!!!!!!!!
Believe it or not there is one worse. I ran into this working on a friends toyota. I have a set of craftsman wrenches. These have a box end on one side and an open end on the other. The box end is one of those with NO lever but has an integrated ratchet. The direction of ratcheting is determined by flipping the box end over.

You can guess the rest. Yup I backed out a bolt head just far enough where I could not get the box end out. The only thing that saved having to cut the bolt head off was that I had only backed it out too far by 1/4 turn. I was able to get the bolt back in enough to get the wrench out, just barely.

[vilant]

I try to remember to stuff a shop rag between the engine and the firewall when I am removing the Map sensor (or other bolts near bottomless voids). When the rag is there I rarely drop the bolt. Forget the rag and I will drop it for sure.

Jim
That's a great tip. I'll have to remember that next time I work on it. Which will be soon, cause I just received a new oil pressure switch and headlight bushings. Wish me luck, lol.

[DaveK]

Ahh the embarrassment of visiting the WAZOO and having them find HOW MANY tools tucked away in various places... I really had no idea that they were even missing! :o

[mike100]

...set of craftsman wrenches. These have a box end on one side and an open end on the other. The box end is one of those with NO lever but has an integrated ratchet. The direction of ratcheting is determined by flipping the box end over.



I don't even own a set of those. They don't last long enough anyhow.

[scottfab]

I don't even own a set of those. They don't last long enough anyhow.

They've done ok for me. One is acting a big funny.
Time to take it back for a free replacement. May
have something to do with using a pipe extension on it :p

[Paul Workman]

I try to remember to stuff a shop rag between the engine and the firewall when I am removing the Map sensor (or other bolts near bottomless voids). When the rag is there I rarely drop the bolt. Forget the rag and I will drop it for sure.

Jim

This made me laugh... I dropped a 1/4" drive ratchet down there once. I looked for hours, trying to find it, but it was like it evaporated - jacked up the car and everything trying to find it, to no avail. Never did find it, in fact!

Yep...Shop rag "fer sher" going forward! :)

P.

[mike100]

When I used to work in the trade, I collecting more than a couple of tools from customers cars. I might have donated a couple of mine too.

I recall once one guy brought back a whole rail of sockets I left on the tray of the front clip on one truck. They stayed in place with the hood closed and I was lucky the guy brought them back because they were worth more than $200 in today's money.