Don't you just hate when that happens

[kwhizz]

For the last couple of day's I have been changeing the Engine and transmission in the 66 Chevelle Convert.....everything went smooth with the Engine,....I swapped out the powerglide for a 700R4.......pretty basic swap......ordered a Shiftworks conversion kit and installed everything inside the car and the only thing left to do was to hook up the shifter cable to the transmission shift arm......Fill it with fluid and start for the first time....got the car on the Lift and mounted the Cable Bracket to the trans......Simple......just hook the cable to the arm and "Done".........Put a wrench on the Detent Arm on the trans to install the new arm..........






Darn.......................


Ken

[njsteve]

Ouch! that hurts. I think we all have those stories...

I remember installing 440 Six Pack motor back in a Cuda. The last thing I had to do was reinstall the distributor and fire her up. I placed the small 1/2 box end wrench near the open distributor hole in the block so it would be nearby as I placed the distributor in the engine. I had a bad feeling as I approached the engine with distributor in hand. I still swear to this day that I never touched the car or the wrench but I saw it just jump into the open distributor hole in the block and I heard clink, clank, clunk as it found its way all the way down into the oil pan! Of course there's that second or two that you think, hmmm, maybe I could just leave it there and nothing will happen. Yeah right. I had to pull the engine back out to remove the pan so I could get my arm in there and pull that wrench out...and then throw it about 200 yards into a field.

[kwhizz]

When I was racing the 66 Nova.....I sprayed it a little too much and took out a Piston (Hypereutectic) and it took the rest of the engine with it.......I had a new Engine built with the "Good" stuff in it......after installing eveything.....just like you ..."ALL" I had left to do was put in the Distributor.........I put it in but couldn't get it to seat on the Intake........turns out the Engine builder didn't put in the right Oil Pump to Distributor drive shaft........the Nova set-up had a shorter shaft and the longer one wouldn't let it seat..........I can laugh about it now....LOL........Like you I was 5 minutes from starting it up.........Needless to say, it had to come apart.......The Engine guy said.........Oh Yeah!!.....That's right....I put the wrong one in........Sorry!!.....and walked away.....Lesson Learned......

Ken

[Mr70]

Geez,after reading this,I now feel lucky the hangers turned out as nice as they did...






Teasin

[Xplantdad]

Wow....those stories really kinda suck

I do like the part where Steve threw the wrench about 200 yards...That was me in my "early days"...LOL

[ORIGLS6]

[ QUOTE ]
I do like the part where Steve threw the wrench about 200 yards...That was me in my "early days"...LOL

[/ QUOTE ]

Yep, me too. I can hardly wing one 100 yards now!



[ QUOTE ]
Darn.......................

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, I'll bet that's EXACTLY what you said!

[njsteve]

[ QUOTE ]
Wow....those stories really kinda suck

I do like the part where Steve threw the wrench about 200 yards...That was me in my "early days"...LOL

[/ QUOTE ]

The Wrenches Revenge
Oh, the story doesn't end there...Years later my dad was mowing the lawn and found it...it flew about, you guessed it, 200 yards into the side of my new 1995 3/4 ton, 4x4 Diesel Suburban. I still have that truck and every day I see that damn little ding in the side of the door.

I put the nice wrench back in my tool box so it wont be mean to me anymore. (Sounds like a bad Stephen King story, but then again I have enough scary tales in my background to write a book already)

[kwhizz]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Wow....those stories really kinda suck

I do like the part where Steve threw the wrench about 200 yards...That was me in my "early days"...LOL

[/ QUOTE ]

The Wrenches Revenge
Oh, the story doesn't end there...Years later my dad was mowing the lawn and found it...it flew about, you guessed it, 200 yards into the side of my new 1995 3/4 ton, 4x4 Diesel Suburban. I still have that truck and every day I see that damn little ding in the side of the door.

I put the nice wrench back in my tool box so it wont be mean to me anymore. (Sounds like a bad Stephen King story, but then again I have enough scary tales in my background to write a book already)

[/ QUOTE ]




Ken

[Eddie M.]

got a cousin with a temper I remember one time I was helpin him put a stroker back together he raced in sand drags the block was getting brittle from age I guess and everytime we put the heads on we stripped a hole, off with the head and helicoil it and back again only to have another hole strip he got so mad finaly he put the torque wrench in the vise clamped it down and then broke the vise geez I can still see the look in his eyes I still get a laugh out of thinkin about that nite LOL

[77Z28]

njsteve I can relate to your story oh so well. I had a 1974 NOva which had an older small block without electronic distributor, i.e. points. Well that thing would eat points left and right. One day working on distributor with Dad with said points problems we pulled distributor and at some point I bumped the bolt used to retain dist and it fell into hole. Like you after some words relayed to each other and looks of frustration my Dad came up with a plan. We drained oil from car, then Dad connected a scrap peice of PVC pipe he had to our shop vac suction end sealed with tape that fit dist hole and put it in hole and turned it on. After some moving it around we heard a noise and there she was the lost bolt sucked up into vac. I gained a great deal of respect for Dad that day.

When that engine finally gave it up I replaced it with a used motor from an Impala and learned a lesson that you should replace freeze plugs when it is out. Because they are a lot harder doing so with motor in car (4 total over 6 months).

Todd