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The Stupidest Thing I've Done While Working on My 107...So Far

7K views 52 replies 33 participants last post by  db51 
#1 ·
Since I'm always game for a little humbling, I'll kick it off. Yesterday I finished setting my timing which required rotating the engine around to TDC with a ratchet. I pulled and reset the distributor, timing was great, closed it up and went for a drive. Came home 20 minutes later to check the state of everything under the hood and saw the ratchet and 27mm socket sitting half in the balancer pulley and half on the fan shroud. Since I removed the visco fan it didn't interfere with anything. Luckily the socket disengaged, obviously when I started it to check the timing.

I didn't tell my wife...

Matt.
 
#4 ·
I thought I made a mistake once but after further review I was mistaken. If you own both a diesel and a gas MB please grab the right fuel handle for the particular vehicle you are filling up.
 
#15 ·
This...



combined with this...

Its documented here somewhere in a thread about home-made HT lifts. I still have not repaired the damage done from dropping the HT on my car (slight dent in the tonneau and accompanying scratches). call it thrift, poverty, whatever... Some things are better bought than made, in this case. The damage done will prolly cost as much to repair as the hoist would have cost to begin with, plus there is the cost of the hoist after the fact, so, double-cost!


...led me to find this. Now I don't have to go and find the Homer pic all over again! :)

I don't have a garage and therefore, no garage door. Also, there's no place for a hardtop hoist.

Earlier this year, on a gorgeous day with no one around to assist, I tried to take the top off, alone. I used a 2 by 4 under the back side across the boot cover to hold it off the car. Maybe I shouldn't have used one of the 2 by's that was still encrusted with dried concrete from my parking pad installation last year.

Fine little scratches on both sides of the boot cover now give me accusing looks whenever I drop the soft top.

STOOPID Idiot!

 
#11 ·
I have done my fair share of dumb things on my 72 SL:

- Removed injectors and hadn't blocked holes in manifold. Dropped a small injector clamp bolt and somehow it disappeared. Looked everywhere but couldn't find it. Then light came on - It had fallen clean through an injector hole. Almost had a conniption. I found it using a mini LED light, I could just see a piece of the thread. Bought the smallest magnetic pickup and out it came! Phew.

- Once after tuning car including new wires, cap etc, I decided to tidy up the wires by running them through plastic looms. Looked great. Next day I went to drive car and it was backfiring, blowing smoke etc. I tried resetting the timing thinking I might have disturbed it. Finally I limped car over to a local Indy. He laughed at me. I had put the wires on passenger side on in reverse order :(

Probably could come up with more. Hopefully we can learn from our own and others mistakes!
 
#13 ·
Its documented here somewhere in a thread about home-made HT lifts. I still have not repaired the damage done from dropping the HT on my car (slight dent in the tonneau and accompanying scratches). call it thrift, poverty, whatever... Some things are better bought than made, in this case. The damage done will prolly cost as much to repair as the hoist would have cost to begin with, plus there is the cost of the hoist after the fact, so, double-cost!
 
#14 ·
Changed the thermostat for the first time, boy was it stuck in the housing, went and had a few drinks then decided to check the proper running of the car. Missed the rag which got caught in the pulley and broke the alternator belt and beat the crap out of the power steering belt.

Tried adjusting the valves using online specs, valve clatter was epic and I had to bring the car to the mechanic to get fixed.

Used fuel injector cleaner and had something clog in the fuel distributor inlet. I'm not using fuel system cleaner any more.
 
#16 ·
I had the driver side front fender from the parts car resprayed and fitted, and installed a refurbished headlight. Took the SLC for a drive without having refit the front bumper. I parked in the exact same spot that I always park in, but this time pulled too far forward and bumped into a tree in front of the parking spot. No damage to the grill, but the hood crumpled slightly.

But my crowning achievement was after checking fluids in the W123 I took it for a spin. When I got home I saw smoke coming from under the hood. Turns out I forgot to replace the oil filler cap. Spent that night cleaning oil out of the engine bay. Who needs sleep anyway?
 
#17 ·
Washed off the 79 and was going to take it for a spirited spin to dry it so I leaned in touched the key to warm it up and it started instantly, in reverse, and ran into the volvo. Bent lower valance, skuff on the volvo and me looking around to see if there were any witnesses.
 
#22 ·
When changing the trans fluid on my 560SL, I stripped the threads on the Torque Converter! The exhaust crossover makes it very hard to position the bolt (at least when laying on the floor)! I had the car towed and ended up having a rebuilt torque converter installed!
 
#23 ·
I had forgotten about this one. I posted it before, but this is the place for it!


I had car (the SL) up on jack stands doing a couple of jobs and noticed some breaks in the undercoating. Peeled it back and found some rust patches. Nothing serious, but it needed attention. Decided to coat with POR-15 before overcoating with new rubber undercoating.

Had just finished one side and was moving around front to get at other side. Caught my foot on trouble light cable and spilled the container of black POR all over the right front fender. There was paint EVERYWHERE! It ran over the front down into lights and onto valance below. Not to mention all over garage floor!
What a mess!

Luckily, found a rag quickly and got rid of some of the paint. Then used up a roll of paper towels soaked with Varsol. Had to remove the light surround and clean it and the lights up.

We were going out for dinner,so I had to get it done , then wash up. Somewhere along the way, I had taken my gloves off, so now cleaning my hands was the next problem! POR does not come off! I had to try and keep my hands hidden during dinner!

Just hope I got all the paint off the car. It looked OK, but might be different in daylight!

I didn't like the black & gold two tone much.
Next morning, I found that POR had also splashed onto the hood of my E320. It had hardened, but luckily that car was well waxed and I was able to get the POR off without damaging the paint.
 
#25 ·
Driving to Brooklyn from Greenwich, CT on the VanWick Exp. I went over a small rise in the road and when I came down something grabbed the crossover pipe and ripped the down tubes right off of the exhaust manifolds, OMG. driving through Brooklyn with no mufflers was to say the least, loud. I was able to find someone that had a set in Texas and I replaced them. New everything from there back to the muffler, what a bump........
 
#31 ·
My biggest mistake so far has been using SeaFoam in a full tank of fuel at $4.07/gal. The car coughed and ran terrible, to the point that I had to take nearly all the fuel out of the tank. Ran a tank full of Techtron and solved the problem, but cost me about $50 in gas!!!
SeaFoam is great in the crankcase, but do NOT use it in your fuel!!
 
#32 · (Edited)
MBGraham, that was an accident handled quickly and coupled with a little luck, not stupid at all. Sounds like the garage floor may have the only lasting effects! :)

Have not had my 107 long enough to do anything stupid but I am sure it is coming... :D

Years of fooling with cars has taught me you can never be too prepared for any task and that prep time will pay off 100% of the time. If I can be forgiven for not doing this with a 107 my stupid story involves my younger years as a Chevy fan. Removed a sparkplug in my Camaro (in driveway) while engine was still pretty hot. Of course holding the plug by the porcelin part is not too bad, but the plug shifted in my bare hand, burning it, so I was surprised/in a little pain/angry all at once, and of course launched the plug... It immediately shattered the rear window of the Chevelle in the garage in front of me, also mine... :(

Absolute dumbest move though, was carrying a greasy SBC block (no heads but still really heavy, ackward and not soft at all) in sneakers and shorts from a truck to the back of the garage, and almost dropping it. Today I think of potential lost toes, back injury, etc. but no such thoughts when young and stupid..
 
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