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Funniest thing you found working on your car

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When I had my newly acquired Healey transported from the west coast to the east coast I discovered telltale signs that there was a stowaway in the car, of the rodent variety. Fortunately, I managed to catch the critter before it munched on anything of value.
 
When I cleaned out the floor of my BN6 before the restoration could start, on top of the rust and rubbish pile I found a beautiful little pin from a metal workers association. I was clearly not the owners, considering the condition of the floor boards . . . .
 
Previous owner did not mention it so I guess he did not even know about it, he was not the original owner so only God knows who put it there in the first place. It has a spare ignition key inside.

TbFbC99.jpg
 
When I bought my frogeye I found a rusting spanner and molegrips on top of the inner wing. Guess the previous owner didn't lift the bonnet very often

I've just started dismantling my 100/4 to give it the full resto I've been promising it for 15 years. The gap between the wing and doorpost was filled with Blu-Tac, smoothed very 'professionally', and painted over.
 
Sometimes, when using a socket to tighten or loosen a fastener; the socket comes detached from the handle, and remains attached to the fastener. I once purchased a '72 Capri with a bad engine; and found, under the valve cover, a socket still stuck to the tappet. I wonder how many miles that socket was stuck there, going up and down. I suspect that it may have had a negative effect on the whole valve train; and perhaps led to the engine problems.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Also - in the crevices of my Dad's AH 100 (under the hood, between engine compartment and fender) - probably 15-20 different bolts, washers, and other miscellaneous hardware - some dropped in by my Dad over the past 30 years; and some pre-dating him entirely.
 
We this might be a bit off the British car thing but in the late 1970's, while in college I had a 1970 Camaro Rally Sport, Split Bumper for a few years. It always seem to have a rattle somewhere on the passenger side but I could never find it. After a few years of this rattle, I had gone to the beach with a girl friend and we had an argument driving home so when I dropped her off, with a few choice words she slammed the car's door hard knocking the window off it tracks. Never being afraid to jump right in, I got home and took off the door panel and inside found an old paper coffee cup, printed with a big blue GM logo. Had it in my tool box for a few years and age got the better of it after a while but it did make me wonder about quality control on the line at GM.
 
I used my extended magnet to retrieve a PO's socket from the dark hole in my BN7 that Randy describes earlier. I think all of those are worth probing. Yes, I was looking for art of the connection for the choke wire that had dribbled out of sight. No, I didn't find that. I found an old transit token from Gary, Ind., under the carpet of my since sold '62 Jaguar Mark 2 that was originally titled to an owner on Lakeshore Avenue in Gary. Also an open ended wrench in the shifter area on my 1500 Super Porsche 356 after a clutch replacement. That was done at the VW store operated by Chuck Dietrich, a pretty well know racer from Sandusky, Ohio, circa 1959.
 
RDKeysor said:
I used my extended magnet to retrieve a PO's socket from the dark hole in my BN7 that Randy describes earlier..
Click to expand...

I've dropped some sockets into the "black hole" as well. Using the extended magnet to reach them isn't at all easy as the magnet wants to stick to the sides of the hole rather than go directly to the bottom where the sockets hide.
 
HealeyRick said:
I've dropped some sockets into the "black hole" as well. Using the extended magnet to reach them isn't at all easy as the magnet wants to stick to the sides of the hole rather than go directly to the bottom where the sockets hide.
Click to expand...

Dittos. A friend was trying to help with some roadside repair of my BN2, and I had to intervene before he dropped so many items into the Black Hole that we'd still be stranded to this day. The magnet-on-a-stick routine to recover them has so far turned up empty every time.
 
I found tools from the previous owner in that hole and lost a few there myself. I plugged it with a removable piece of dense foam. I also found ad hide a key after I had the car for 5 years. Mint set of originals.
TH
 
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