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Previous Owner Stupidity

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DougF

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Just curious, any good stories of stupid things previous owners have done to their cars.
We've all seen them. Tinster could write a novel. I was looking at a TR3 many years ago. The shop had rebuilt and installed a short block. One weekend, the owner decided to take the car somewhere to have the engine compartment sandblasted. The car sat in the shop parking lot with the mechanic refusing to do any more work on it. Somebody had also welded the front valance to the fenders, making an engine pull VERY difficult.
I once got a TR6 parts car that was bandaged together with aluminum banding. Some one had spent excessive amounts of time carving wood to the shape of the rear fender tips, and quite frankly did a very nice job, but he must have run out of energy, money or time. There was nothing left to the car.
My first TR6 came with a long list of problems. Somebody replaced the rubber donut on the steering column and didn't reconnect the ground wire. Instead, they bolted a strap of aluminum from a peddle cluster mounting bolt and wrapped it around the column. I knew it wasn't right. But it worked...sometimes. Like the day I got it inspected, it worked. Twenty minutes later while waiting at a drive through line, it didn't. A boat was backing up and the prop was coming right for the hood. Not a problem to most, but reverse didn't work because of another stupid fix to the clutch.
It's supposed to rain here today, so I may need some good reading material.
 
Hi Doug;

I`m writing from the Poconos of PA:

I really had only one Bad Exp. A few yrs ago I bought a "Restored Alfa-Romeo Guillia Spider" on ebay from Florida: The Car looked and Sounded Great in the Desc: Rec`d. car & would`nt start in the Enclosed Carrier: Put New Battery on it & No Go! Hand Pushing the Car from the Carrier to My Garage seemed quite impossible as the Rear Wheels were Dragging! What a Drag!

Well; The long story of it is this: I got My Alfa Friend to check it out & sort of got the Car Rolling: Put it back on ebay & sold it for what I bought it for: Had the car 3wks and Never even drove this "Restored Example"!

What I should have done originally; Was contacted My Alfa Friend as he really knows these cars well & got his opinion: Life and Learn: No more Alfas!

Have a Nice 4th of July;

Regards, Russ

PS: Very Overcast now/Their saying Sun but I doubt It:
 
toysrrus said:
Hi Doug;

I`m writing from the Poconos of PA:

PS: Very Overcast now/Their saying Sun but I doubt It:
Click to expand...

It already rained in the Valley today Russ...glad I got the TR3B out yesterday.

Are you still going out driving or celebrating in other ways.

Happy 4th to all in the USA.
 
Funny you started this post, I just posted on the Volvo 1800 forum about this same subject. I'm currently restoring a 1964 Volvo P1800 and have spent hundreds of extra hours correcting or redoing the P.O. creativity. I must admit, most of the old repairs looked pretty good, but over time destroyed most of the body and frame.
First, I found old news paper and tissue paper inside the rocker panels and parts of the unibody frame rails. The paper may have acted as filler to hold the bondo in place, but it also attracted and retained water. The rails and rockers rusted out where the paper and tissue were located. I have to replace both rockers and parts of the unibody.
Second, I found chicken wire surrounding both wheelwells. The wire also had started to rust causing additional damage to the body. Anyways, What I thought was going to be a simple repaint has turned into a major restoration.
You must always be prepared for the P.O.s surprises.
 
Grade-5 bolts in grade-8 apps.

ALL-THREAD(!) replacing broken Jag 4.2 head stud.

All light circuit wiring cut and twist-spliced TWO inches from Lucar connectors to remove lights for paint repairs.

Bondo over fiberglass body damage.

Wire coat-hangers as PERMANENT exhaust hangers.

NC fasteners tortured into NF holes.

SAE fasteners tortured into METRIC holes.

Fenders held in place with "safety wire".

roll-pins left out of dizzy cams: Ferarri boxer engine. (yet it had actually been running for months like that).

Oil drained from transaxle and 7 MORE quarts added to engine. (quickie lube place, so mebbe doesn't count as DPO)

Numerous drain plug bodges. JB weld was the worst.

90W gear oil in LBC trannies.

Valve shims wallowed out on grinding wheels.

Coarse thread bolts substituting for clevis pins.

Humongus horn buttons augered into otherwise fine dashboards.

and much, much more.
 
Engine head glued on with Silicon rubber and NO head gasket! It actually RAN (I drove it home this way!) Not surprisingly, the engine block showed the signs of excessive heating since the coolant passages were filled with the crud. It was VERY difficult getting the head off /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wall.gif
 
toysrrus said:
What I should have done originally; Was contacted My Alfa Friend as he really knows these cars well & got his opinion: Life and Learn: No more Alfas!
Click to expand...
Wow. He does know Alfas well !

/bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/jester.gif
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] Wire coat-hangers as PERMANENT exhaust hangers[/QUOTE]

Hey...I thought this was OEM back in my school days!!!
 
Many, many years ago, I passed on buying a Triumph Mayflower that had been completely rewired; every single wire was white.

Had a TR3A where the RF fender was brazed in about 10 spots to the front apron. It was hard to see originally, since the car had received the all-too-typical "Bondo over the body seams" (although it was only on that corner)! But then the car was so cheap, I wasn't bothered by that little repair.

I've done countless electrical repairs consisting of no more than undoing miles of tape, wire and goodness-knows-what-else, replacing original wires and connectors in original locations, substituting (gasp) a proper fuse for the sheet metal screw in the fuse holder, and driving merrily away. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

Just in time (several years ago), I'd decided to R&R the rear radius rods on my Herald, which some previous owner had installed upside down! There's a bend in them, and it doesn't matter a whole lot which way they go, but it's definitely better for clearance and other reasons to install them correctly oriented. Upon removal, I discovered one improper replacement holding bolt that had rusted to about 50% of its original diameter. That was replaced with a correct bolt.

There's certainly much more, but I've tried to repress some of those memories.... /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif
 
Since I'm the original owner, anything that I do that is stupid provides a new adventure for me. I try to avoid such situations, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit to at least one or two "not too smart" incidents.
 
Please don't overlook the wiring repairs done with brown home extension cords. How about the TVR all black wiring with little tiny colored ID bands on each end of the wire- allegedly. Body panels cleverly created out of coffee cans and cigarette tins, and then held in place with a weeks output from the bondo factory. Cars being regularly driven with the seats not attached to the floor. Aftermarket wheels with close-but-no-cigar stud spacing crammed over the studs and secured with random nuts and washers. How about an Etype with the bottom of the monocoque cut away for a driveshaft removal project.I had a V12 Etype 2+2 towed in recently that had wire wheels, and had been towed backwards by a wheel lift tow truck. Both front knockoffs came unscrewed, and it lost both front tires. No real body damage, but both lower ball joints ground off. I mean flat on the bottom, no bolt heads remaining at all. Then the tow truck genius jacked the car up by the subframe, cracking /damageing both lower frame tubes. Nice. I will probably remember more later, but the Doc hit all the usual nails on the head already.
Happy 4th ya'all!!
 
Oh, I almost forgot.

I decided to have Gunst T/O bearing installed with a B&B Clutch package.

Twice.

Then removed for good.

First time, Gunst fault.

Second time, mine for being stupid (translated as it was originally my idea, so I must make it work!).

Third time, because of second time.
 
Well, I could certainly write on book on
the shortcuts PDO Pedro had his "mechanic"\perform
on my almost 100% completely restore, showroom
condition TR6.

The most troublesome, $$costly and time consuming
(ie 5 months up on jacks and flying in Dan Masters
son for a week) was Pedro having removed all
the OEM color coded wires and replacing them with all
black K-mart wires and miles of stereo speaker wires
under the dash.

I did a complete car rewire with Dan Master Power Bloc
wire harness.

Dr covered many of my other other items. And more items
are sure to show up with future beakdowns in store for me.


d
 
A few years ago, I looked at a TR6 with the idea of fixing and turning. The car appeared to be pretty nice. Unfortunately, a previous owner had gusseted areas in the frame, particularly around the trailing arms to "strengthen" things. I couldn't tell if the rust underneath the gussets was a before or after, or maybe a lot of both.
This person had begun rewiring the car. He wanted everything to be fused since a friend of his had an engine fire once. He was doing a good job to that point, if that's what you want, but he lost me when he said that the dashboard was the only thing needing finished, "but that should be easy".
This one is a little off the subject, but years ago I called on a Midget(MG that is) and was told that the car had no rust. This was a true statement since for rust to exist, there must be metal.
I went with a friend to look at a Healey 3000. The car wouldn't run. We were left alone to inspect it and immediately I found that the coil wire had a butt connector in line. When I touched it, the wires fell apart. Don't know if that is why it wouldn't start as we never tried. My friend bought the car and when he dropped the pan, found it was full of sand. He must have been friends with the previously mentioned TR3 owner.
 
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] He must have been friends with the previously mentioned TR3 owner.[/QUOTE]

So, DPO Pedro has relatives in PA....interesting, very interesting.

A quasi international sales force, so to speak.
 
Brosky said:
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:] He must have been friends with the previously mentioned TR3 owner.
Click to expand...

So, DPO Pedro has relatives in PA....interesting, very interesting.

A quasi international sales force, so to speak. [/QUOTE]

No DPO Pedro has a genuine certified chain of dpo "restored" LBC's I bough my herald from his "brother"

Since I bought my herald, Rebuilt engine, trans, suspension and brakes, (all in crappy condition) and the paint has started to flake off.

engine: head glued on with silicon rubber

rear suspension: worn trunnions "repaired" by wrapping them with old newspaper and forcing into position. (sort of explains why the rear went clunk.

Diff made horrible noises (at least no bananas! were in there!)

Part of the convertible roof frame was welded in place! (made it real difficult to fold)

And now, the paint job with looked pretty good has started to flake off.... at least in the dry middle east, there is very little rust. (the floor pans need some repairs but that will be very doable with epoxy/fiberglass.
 
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