admit to your stupidity

[LIRS6]

In 2008 I was asked if I would sell my 79 SC Targa ... I said for $13k I would ...he balked (we were both stupid).

[1979-930]

The first brake job I did I torqued the wheel bearings to 110lbs. I figured that would be enough to hold them on
Surprisingly they held up for quite a while. I noticed smoke from the left front and realized on my own how stupid that was.
I was 16 and in 88 there was no internet.

[NickP]

I had a broken seat base bolt in my 73S. The head had sheared off somehow so I figured I’d carefully drill it out, tap the threads and install a new bolt. Easy. All seemed to be going well until my drill pushed the broken stud through the floor and into the center tunnel where the fuel lines reside. Of course that’s what I hit. $800 and a day at the shop and all was good again....lucky that my car was cold and on level ground.

[aj88cab]

Last winter I decided to do a front engine reseal on my '86 944 track rat. While I had stuff out of the way I thought it would be a good time to clean up the engine bay. The AC compressor was long gone but the dryer & hard lines were still there. The dryer was out in few minutes, but the hard lines fished through and around a lot of stuff and were not coming out in one piece without removing stuff that didn't need to be removed.

After pondering the situation I decided I wasn't going to ever reuse these line, they can come out in pieces. I got my trusty bolt cutter and started snipping 8"-12" pieces. I got to the last part that ran along the fire wall. There were a lot of wires around the lines but I carefully pushed them aside and pushed the cutter down in there and snipped. I immediately smelled something "sweet". I thought AC oil doesn't smell like that. Directly below the hard line was where the sensor line for the after-market mechanical water temp gauge had been fished through the firewall...cut clean through and dripping whatever magic fluid they put in those things! You can't repair a cut sensor line like that!

$150 later and a new gauge, it was as good as new...

[Driven97]

I did my first engine drop for a clutch job. Researched, read everything on this site a dozen times, even watched the Wheeler Dealer episode where they do the 911. Made special note of Edd's trick of heating the ring gear to separate it from the old pressure plate. Built a fancy dolly for the motor, bagged and tagged everything. I was prepped.

Put the whole thing back together, turned the key, only heard whirring.

Looked to the side to see the old pressure plate with the ring gear still attached to it.

At least I got to practice dropping the motor again.

[bdisco]

It was a nice sunny early fall day. I left work early to pick up my youngest daughter at grammar school. It was prefect day for a ride in the 911. I rush home, let the dog out, grab the keys to the Porsche, and we're off. I make it out the drive and in front of the neighbor’s house when the throttle pedal goes to the floor and stays there, no power. WTF that’s weird. It was then I remembered I had pulled off air filter to clean it and had stuffed in a rag to keep the mice out. Heart in throat, I shut it down as pushed it into the next driveway. Popped the engine lid and of course no rag in sight. Called a neighbor to pick up my daughter. Ran back home to get my tool kit with visions of bent valves and a top end tear down in my head. The rag had made it past the barn door and got hung up on the throttle flap I could just get my hand down the elbow and reach it with two fingers, worked the cable back and out it came, 'phew'.

Don’t rush and leave yourself a note on the steering wheel, “Hey stupid don’t forget to…”

[Roubik]

Maybe 20 or so years ago bought an absolutely pristine 77 GP white 930 with cork inside for 18k, drove it for a while and sold it for 26k some years later, it was still in its gorgeous condition, so proud of myself for making some money out of that deal, but now I know why I can’t sleep lately. Who knew?????

[MrBonus]

I was installing springs on my old Mustang and didn't use the right spacers on the spring compressor for the rear. I punched a hole clean through the trunk.

[Bob Ashlock]

Where to begin...? Back in the mid 70's I sold my '66 911, still in good condition for $3200. Hey, I didn't lose much... I only paid $3500 for it in '71 when it had 36000 miles on it.

[3rd_gear_Ted]

Roll up to the shop for 1st time to unload car from trailer, end up borrowing forklift from neighboring shop to pick up car when the ramp collapsed on one side. Crunched fiberglass pieces front and rear. Shop owner shares photos all the time and he gives me royalties of some wrench work.

[930cabman]

I do not wish to remember maybe one or two instances of stoopid.

It's nothing short of a miracle the Lord above allows us to live.

5 bucks says at least 95% are male species

thanks for the laughs to all contributors

[996R]

I did not have to take the alternator out with my 996.2 for changing the oilfiller tube...
Ended up with one bolt inside the engine.
Thank G, my buddy has a camera and magnet laying around. Bolt was on first edge inside top of engine.

[Bill Douglas]

I've lost my pile of receipts that go back to when the car was new

[uptheorg]

I was on a 1500 mile rally with four other vintage porsches and I had been following others for the whole time. Suddenly I became the leader -- I jumped in the car and drove the wheels off of it for about fifteen miles of canyon carving. When we pulled over I noticed my e-brake was still engaged!

[rkeele]

Hurrying to finish a trick 912 engine 30 yrs.ago so I could drive it to my friend's wedding and dropped a screw didn't know it bounced right into my weber carb. leaving for the wedding when it siezed ,

same motor I let a shop tighten the flywheel only to have it come lose on test drive ruined the crank and flywheel and left a oil trail to my house

[Dr J]

Here’s one:

Engine was out due to broken head studs. Decided to rebuild. After too long, it was finally all back together. Nice and shiny. However, once the engine warmed up, lots of smoke was coming out of the engine compartment. Upon investigation, I found oil on the top driver side of the engine. Thought something was amiss in the triangle of death. Even replaced the (new) thermostat O ring. Same problem. Finally, I took out the breather cover off and saw that I put the gasket upside down. That allowed enough oil to come out, make its way down to the mufflers that it seemed the engine was on fire. Whew!

After all of the details and care necessary in rebuilding the engine, I got bit by that gasket. I guess if something had to go wrong, I’m happy it was something as innocuous as that!

Two oil related- the classical too much oil after filling with the car cold producing the ensuing smoke screen.

On another occasion I used the big pan with the single hole in the middle but forgot to open the small breather hole. It filled and spilled before I could figure out why the oil wasn’t going down fast enough.

[911tracker85]

On another occasion I used the big pan with the single hole in the middle but forgot to open the small breather hole. It filled and spilled before I could figure out why the oil wasn’t going down fast enough.

ROFL ... I did that too.

I cant really decide which of my multitude of stupid acts to tell.

[proporsche]

i bought 1966 912 with 5 speed trany back in the 1995 for $1000 bucks..sold in 1997 it to get my Carrera, for 5 000...today i would get...rather not know;-) i should have kept it...

Ivan

[Jgordon]

When I was looking for my car, back in 2001, I drove a 67 S. Passed on it as it was a bit tired, a bit aged, and I didn't want to deal with carbs. The guy was asking a negotiable $16k.

[bugstrider]

In this case, my stupidity was purchasing an oil pan warmer/heater..............online

Last year I purchased a KAT’Z oil pan warmer, part number 1153. My thought was to use it on the oil tank of our Cessna 150 to keep the oil warm prior to flights on cold early mornings. I have it hooked into a timer that turns it on around 2:00 AM and warms until 6:00 AM. No biggie so I thought, I even followed the directions in doing so. I’ve been spending some time in our rental hangar getting our plane in annual. Reworked a fiberglass front wheel fairing and such. Last week, I was at the hanger and everything was fine. I pop into the hangar today and just about vomit at the cooked cat smell. I discover that the oil pan heater shorted out, over heated itself and proceeded to melt, then dropped from the oil pan due to the magnets distorting and land on my freshly repaired and painted nose wheel pant. To rub salt into the wound, it landed on my battery tender cord, melted through and shorted that out too.

As pissed as I am at what happened, I thank gawd that there was no residual aviation fuel or drips where this landed and scorched the surrounding area kicking a massive fire. The rentals hangar I am in was built sometime in the 40’s and very dry wood is the frame. Had this thing torched off, it would have taken eight connected hangars with it.

So class, my D.S.M. (Dumb S*** Maneuver) Award was earned by purchasing an oil pan heater from the KAT’Z Company. And to think I was thinking about one for the 911. Phuc-Me running.......









The melted battery tender cord that the warmer landed on. Luckily this is what tripped the breaker in the hangar killing the power.



This is where having luck on my side for once in my life paid off. This area is directly beneath the air box and carburetor.






Even though, I had fresh oil in the tank, I’m not taking any chances and dumping it. Oil is cheap and I’ll poke a camera down into the oil tank to look at the inner wall.

Sincerely,
One lucky Faulker