Share your hour of darkness (wrenching, restoring, driving, cleaning etc)

[Garp]

Tell us about the moment you wished you had a Corolla iso a 911, the moment you stood in the corner of your garage with water filled eyes staring in disbelief at your beloved sports car. The moment you wanted to drive her into the nearest canal and claim the insurance money.

I came close last night when I stripped the threads of my oil tank bolts, after a fierce battle to get the damn thing in. Also scratched the newly painted tank on every possible side. I cannot remember cursing and sweating as much as I did last night.

[Daviboy]

Never there is no substitute and what doesnt kill you only makes you stronger

[techman1]

Easy task, thought I. Oil pressure was pegged, had a bad sending unit.
Bought a replacement, could not get the %%##mn old one off. after much coaxing, the boss on the case snapped off. I guess I put pressure on in a little unsupported way.

Car to the shop, on a flatbed, engine out work done.

All for a little sending unit. Ouch!

[Eric Hahl]

My hour of darkness? I think it's happening right now. Not because I messed anything up (yet) but because my car is almost completely stripped to the chassis and I'm a complete novice.

Yeah, I have some mechanical skills but this is kind of intimidating. I've never torn down a car this far. But, it's fun and I really enjoy the garage time, especially when other Porsche guys come and hang out and help.

[Garp]

Originally Posted by Eric Hahl

My hour of darkness? I think it's happening right now. Not because I messed anything up (yet) but because my car is almost completely stripped to the chassis and I'm a complete novice.

Yeah, I have some mechanical skills but this is kind of intimidating. I've never torn down a car this far. But, it's fun and I really enjoy the garage time, especially when other Porsche guys come and hang out and help.

Going off topic in my own thread but I saw your sig, I'll be in BC next month and my two boys would love to drive those bumpercars/boats. Feel free to pm me with possibilities/locations. Tx

[mca]

Mine was when I sealed up my case and happened to see a intermediate shaft bearing lying next to the sump plate opening.

I heard a rattle when lowering one half onto the other. Thought my wife had kicked a wrench that was on the floor. Turned out that one of the case studs knocked the bearing out of place when putting the two halves together.

I seriously almost died. Layed on the ground and started to hallucinate. Then I quickly recovered, tore it back apart, cleaned up the sealant, reapplied sealant and put it back together. Much faster the second time around

But yeah. I wanted to set myself on fire ... not so much the car.

[Christien]

How many stories do you want?

Seriously, I've been in that situation several times.

First was getting the f#(king roll pin out of 35 year old Bilstein shocks (hah, I typed "pain" instead of "pin" - freudian slip). 4 days of heat, lubricants, penetrants, BFHs, you name it. Finally took it in.

Another was getting the input shaft nut off the transmission. 3 days, 4 helpers, too many beers and bruised knuckles to count.

How about sitting in a left turn lane with no gas and no power - why do problems come in 2s?

Or how about sitting in the driver's chair, taking off my helmet, almost in tears because my back end was kissing a concrete wall?

But it's all forgotten when you hear the siren song of that engine, particularly when the sirens are singing their way around a race track...

[inaminit]

Rodents took up residence in the shroud of my 72E engine- this is how the top of the engine looked. Their urine reacted with the cooling fin metal and formed a kind of cement. Didn't have any idea of this until an acorn fell out. Good thing I didnt start the engine up.

[Classic]

Early car, rust in the normal places PPI by an early Porsche "expert" outer rocker, maybe inner but the jack support looks o.k., what about the longitudinal i ask, no that's solid.

During the restoration a find that the longitudinal is made up of bog, fiberglass and undercoat.

Turns out that the "expert" that i used for the PPI had done some restoration work on the car in the past.

The drain holes had been beaten flat, and the bottom of the A pillar still had the masking tape across the bottom, preventing any water from escaping. They had epoxied the inner rocker rather then welding, and had forgotten to fit the silencer.

I can just see the guy, " what's this big tube for?"

Anyway it's back together now, and it's been done the right way.

[84Carrera911]

Mine is currently occurring as I have been trying to get the Pcar running again for the past 3 weeks in an uncovered driveway in Boone, NC where we have had record rains for the past month. The floorboards look like swimming pools.

See this thread if you think you can help: Car will not idle, frustration builds!

[Eric Hahl]

Originally Posted by Garp

Going off topic in my own thread but I saw your sig, I'll be in BC next month and my two boys would love to drive those bumpercars/boats. Feel free to pm me with possibilities/locations. Tx

I'll send you a PM with address of facilities in BC that have our go-karts and bumpers boat. Hope you have a fun trip!

[Mia911]

every time shes comes home like this............

[nesslar]

...when I first looked under my car after it was trucked to my home....a pool of oil about ten inches in diameter. Then I noticed it was "clean" (just an overfill, but I hadn't yet read about properly filling and checking oil level). Anyway, for me, no "hour of darkness" yet, knock on wood....but just give me time!

[GothingNC]

Going out for a ride with the kids and the engine suddenly quits, smoke pours out the dash vents and upon opening the hood I see a few relays on fire

Replaced the fuse block, relay connectors and some wires and all is well now

[GH85Carrera]

Probably my worst moment was working on my 914. I was doing a clutch job by myself. My 914 was my only mode of transportation. I started on Friday evening after a full day at work and had the car back on the road by Sunday about noon.

The main reason for the clutch job was a leaking RMS. I was trying to get the flywheel off and the last bolt just snapped off clean. I whipped out my standard drill bit and after 30 minutes I had a tiny dent in the bolt. I asked a neighbor to drive me two miles to a tool shop and I bought a titanium bit. That bit was a total waste of time and money. The neighbor was gone and I was standing there looking at a small indentation in the bolt. The tool store is a mile away and closes in 20 minutes. That was my dark moment.

I called an ex-girlfriend that did not hate me and begged her for a ride. We got to the store just before closing and I bought a cobalt tip bit. It is amazing what the proper tool can do. The cobalt bit ate right into the bolt and my easy out removed the rest of the bolt. I got my car back on the road the next day. The trip to the tool store cost me a expensive dinner out, but it had a happy ending.

[Zeke]

Good story there about the 914, but I don't see where you were going to drive it in the drink over your problems.

Try this: I blew 2 race engines in 2 different visits to Willow Springs in a total of 6 laps. Neither failure was due to my mechanical work, just weird ***** that happens. After a year of building the car and the first motor, then a few months to get the 2nd one running, I literally threw the car away when it broke the 2nd time.

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by inaminit

Rodents took up residence in the shroud of my 72E engine- this is how the top of the engine looked. Their urine reacted with the cooling fin metal and formed a kind of cement. Didn't have any idea of this until an acorn fell out. Good thing I didnt start the engine up.

My Goodness, I think you win.

My hour of darkness came about a day after I cashed the check I got for selling my 81 Euro SC. Reality hit home.

[TimT]

Bah!!! that ain't nothing.....




The horrors

[TimT]

And if you think those pics are of darkness and despair....

[HarryD]