brilliant solutions you're proud of

[ckissick]

The stupid mistakes thread is funny, but what about smart things you've done? I'm too embarrassed to relate the story of how I switched the terminals on my battery and fried the alternator, so instead I'll start this thread with a piece of work I felt good about.

When I bought my '70 911E, the front shocks were shot. Easy enough to replace, I thought. But try as I might, I couldn't pull the shocks out of the struts. (yes, I removed the cotter pins) To get them out, I'd need to use torque, like you get from a pulley puller. But the direction of the forces needed were opposite of what a standard puller provides. So I set up an elaborate system of wooden blocks, metal bars, nuts and bolts, etc. Finally, I bolted everything to the top of the shock and the bolts that hold the strut. (I was working from the top, under the hood.) I started torqing. And torqing. And torqing. Then the wheel well started deforming. "Man, this thing is really in there!", I thought. I decided on one more turn or else the deformation would be permanent (plastic, not elastic). The POW! The strut came loose with the sound of a gun shot. The problem had been the rubber stopper at the bottom of the strut that had solidified to a rock. On both shocks.

I went to bed feeling pretty good that night.

Anyone else? For our sake, I hope this thread gets longer than the 'stupid mistakes' thread.

Charlie
Montara, CA
'70 911E
'50 VW

[singpilot]

When I found that I could not financially afford another California Democratic Regime, I moved to Nevada.

Perfect solution, have not looked back since.

I heard during the Grey Davis administration there were 5,000 people a month doing exactly that as well.

EDIT for Porsche content;

I took 2 Porsches and a Mercedes with me.

[n8marx]

Speaking of shocks. I once used a section of an old tire to replace the top shock mount on my old VW GTI. The rubber shock mount had disintegrated so my dad and I replaced it with a section cut out of a radial tire. Worked like a charm. Long enough to drive it to the dealer and trade it in anyway.

[CHILI]

Not sure it's all that brilliant, but when I changed to the Netrix bushings and adjustable springplates, I couldn't get the bushing to go into the tube. Not even with soapy water! Man it was tight. So, I worked it in by covering the end of the springplate with a towel and hitting it with a pipe (to get out past the fender) and a mallet. Barely worked, but then I finally got my so called brilliant idea of buying longer bolts that tread into the 4 springplate cap holes and just threaded them into the car with the springplate and end plate. Once it was far enough into the tube, I switched to the stock bolts. Worked like a charm (4 freakin' times!).

[Decolliber]

Remember the posts a while back about how to stop the oil dipstick from dropping into the tank?

[JC930]

Had my turbo charger rebuilt professionally three times and it didn't work, finally did it my self and It's working great.
jc930

[Supergranule]

one time, i took a shower in my swim shorts. washed myself and my shorts and saved water at the same time! i bet thats something that MacGyver would do!

[Moses]

I resisted the urge to do physical violence to the mechanic who badly damaged my SC during a 3.6 conversion. I continued to resist this urge to do mayhem even after he embezzled my $9,500 check for a euro 993 motor.

I am still very proud of my restraint.

[B D]

Hasn't been orchestrated yet but here goes:

Remove all warning labels off everything, simple population control.

If you don't know to keep your hands away from the saw, too bad!

[JC930]

Had a tool manufactured to remove a broken head stud with the head still on. Worked excellent and saved me many hours and lots of $.
jc930

[widebody911]

[emcon5]

I wouldn't call it brilliant, but necessity being the mother of invention...

I had a persistant throttle-sticking problem in my 85 Toyota 4X4. It would stick at full throttle. Not really a big issue, it wasn't exactly a powerhouse, and usually after a few seconds the vibration of the engine would shake it loose. It came to a head while passing a RV in the hills north of Calistoga, coming back from Clear Lake. Stuck throttle on a windy mountain road is bad news.

I found a hardware store in Calistoga and got a good sized spring (for a screen door), and a pack of zip-ties, and made an auxilury throttle return spring by connecting one end to the throttle linkage, and the other to a convenient hole on the inside of the fender. That was 10 years ago. My mother owns the truck now, and it is still going strong, zip-ties and all.

Tom

[widebody911]

I had the opposite problem - I couldn't get full-throttle. So I cut the stop off of the back of the gas pedal.

[bell]

best solution..........
years ago deep in PA my dodge van dropped the driveshaft.....breaking off the tail piece off of the tranny, sunday afternoon with NO options.
remember from a few years earlierof an old dodge sedan (a late 1950's) that blocked a trail we used to ride on. i unloaded my 250r and tools/chains and headed for it........2 hours later i returned with a tailpice that fit perfectly....leaked a little from the old seal though, but it got me home.
my memory was the savior on that one

porsche content.......well i have one

[Randy Webb]

I used a rock to beat the bejesus out of an automatic tranny "safety" interlock that kept me from starting my rental car in Alaska once.

It's the proper use of precision tools that distinguishes the modern experimental research scientist....

[Early_S_Man]

A few 'fixes' to design problems/oversights I have encountered over the years ...

1. Cracked OEM Hypalon spark plug wires putting on a 'light show' ... replaced wires with bulk AC-Delco SS-550 silicone ignition cable, reused factory ends ... circa 1978.

2. Sump Plate 'Dented' by overtightened nuts & leaking ... fix was to braze OD-sized washers over each stud hole after hammering plate sealing surface flat again ... circa 1979.

3. Headlamp wiring circuit fiasco, unreliable with high-power Bosch H1 headlamp assemblies ... fix was 10 ga. wiring, 4 relays, and circuit breakers direct from battery positive terminal ... circa 1981.

4. Factured spot-welded copper ground strap on point plate for 169-series Bosch 2.4 distributor ... fix was braid from RG-174/U coax soldered to eyelets and run 'long way' around the periphery of distributor body after fastening with existing screws on point plate and distributor body ... circa 1982.

5. Remote starter switch via Yellow #50 solenoid terminal lead on Fuse/Relay/Regulator panel ... circa 1984.

6. Large 1.5" RED standalone Alternator Warning Lamp ... circa 1985!

7. Lack of indicator fuses ... fix was Numbered LED Fuse Alarm Panel for all fuses and circuit breakers ... circa 2002, inspired by Jack Olsen's blown fuse killing engine on Black Beauty! Ultimate upgrade would be digital voice annunciator to alert which fuse/breaker is blown!

[fred cook]

While in high school, my first car was a 1952 Ford 2Dr sedan. I got tired of the flathead V8 and replaced it with a 289 out of a wrecked 65 Mustang. One day while out of town, the throttle cable broke (Chrysler cable hooked to a Ford gas pedal on one end and a 600 CFM Holley on the other end). In order to get home, I unplugged a piece of wire between the headlights, tied one end to the carb linkage, ran the wire thru the firewall and fastened the other end to the door rest. With this done, I could pull on the wire to open the throttle! After some practice, the process smoothed out and the car and I drove home. However, all the way home, everytime I tried to accelerate by pulling on the wire, my right foot would automatically push the throttle pedal to the floor! Old habits die hard.

Fred Cook
'80 911SC coupe

[john walker's workshop]

back in the dark ages, i spun a rod bearing in my 60 vw camper bus, far far from home. i had the foresight to bring all my tools, which at the time filled a small chest that could be muscled into the back of the bus. i had heard some folk tale about someone making a leather bearing in their old chevy 6 cylinder with some degree of success, so i figured, what the hell, and dropped the engine out on a couple of stacked tires, and did my dirty work. had to sacrifice my belt. fired it up and no noise. it actually lasted about 4 hours, enought to get me pretty close to home.

[Zeke]

A bearing made out of a belt...... Macgyver, git back! Who wants to try to top that?

[ubiquity0]

I think John wins