Whats the most difficult auto repair job you have ever done .

[speeder]

The OP about the rusted undercarriage has been giving me PTSD from living in MN. the first 23 years of my life. Changing a set of shocks can be more stressful that rebuilding an engine in SoCal. I thought that I swore off salt cars years ago but I somehow wound up with a 2001 Honda Odyssey in MN when I was there and needed to replace my "cabin car." Long story.

Anyhow, I drove it all the way home to Los Angeles about a year or two ago with a broken front spring...I had no idea and the shops who installed tires on it and did major maintenance in MN did not notice it. It took my tire shop guys in LA to point it out when I went for an alignment or something. It drove great on the road, these are incredible machines. The coil spring was in two pieces. I promptly hit the self serve junkyard I frequent here and bought a set of perfect, zero rust front strut w/ springs off of a similar van. Installed them.

All done, right? No dice. The van has 4-wheel alignment and the rear adjuster bolts on the rear lower arms are welded into place by corrosion. Tried heat, pounding, you name it. Not going to move in this lifetime. So back to the junkyard I went just last week and grabbed a set of perfect lower control arms and special bolts plus rear coil springs just to be safe, (the rear springs are not as rusty as the front were but still have corrosion). Picked up a couple of small ancillary parts from the dealer and I will replace them this week and finally be able to do a 4-wheel alignment on it. It drives ok now because the stuck bolts are in the *probably correct* position from its last full alignment but obviously it's not ok to not be able to adjust them.

I'm sure that someone is wondering why I'm even bothering but I really like the van and don't want to throw it away...I put a ton of $$ into it a few years ago w/ new A/C compressor, tires, timing belt service, etc. Here are the new parts, these components never age in SoCal:

[Superman]

On my back, upside down, trying to figure out, then correct, wiring that somebody has modified.

[speeder]

I've had some that were so unpleasant that I've completely blocked them out of my mind but this one stays with me, probably because I was proud to pull it off. I was traveling from Los Angeles to MN in the summer of 1994 in my very clean 1961 Ford F100 unibody PU truck w/ 292 V-8 and 3-on-the-tree. Just myself and my dog. I like to say that I'm the only person in America who completely missed the OJ Simpson Bronco chase because I was on the road not listening to the radio and of course no smart phones in those days.

I made a stopover in Santa Fe, NM to do some work on a house/ranch that belonged to a Hollywood TV producer, Steven Bochco. He had just got done renting it out to one of the studios for Kevin Costner to use while filming Wyatt Earp. He normally would never have rented out his prized NM home, (being filthy rich himself), but Costner wanted it and they made him, "an offer he could not refuse." None of this has much to do with the auto repair but it's a story.

They had an open checkbook to fix anything that KC scratched or broke in the way of a huge security deposit and they only wanted me to do it, they were private people and did not want anyone else in their beloved cabin. They offered to fly my dog and me out there on their private jet but I was driving to MN anyway and lost out on that.

I was their guest and when I arrived, they breathlessly told me about the OJ chase. They could not believe that I was in the dark on that...literally everyone on earth saw it. I remember that Steven said that absolutely nothing got done in his office that day...everyone was glued to the TV.

Sorry...got sidetracked there reminiscing. Everything went fine on that leg of the trip until my old F100 sprung the mother of all oil leaks...rear main seal completely gave out and just started gushing out oil. Thank god they had a dirt and gravel driveway/roundabout. Remind me to tell you guys some time about the time one of my workers left a small pallet of white oil-based primer on another Hollywood big wheel's slate driveway in Pacific Palisades and someone ran over it. Good times!

Anyhow, I had a toolbox with me and we were pretty far outside of actual Santa Fe, up north in Powaukee(?) I set out to fix the leak. First, I dropped the 3-speed manual transmission and removed the clutch and flywheel. This is where it gets fun...it was a rope seal, not a simple plastic round one that you tap in.

Soooo, I dropped the oil pan and started scratching my head. The bottom half that goes on the pan is easy but how am I going to replace the half that goes above the crankshaft into the block?? I proceeded to loosen all of the main bearings a lot and of course I could not budge the crankshaft one millimeter from the block, all of the pistons and rods were holding it up. Now I was really into this repair balls deep and running out of options, no one else around except a billionaire and his wife who were nice as hell but probably did not have any helpful advice. I never asked.

Well, necessity being the mother of all invention, just like Bill in the jungle a few posts back, a lightbulb went off in my head. I disconnected the coil wire so that the SOB wouldn't start and bumped the starter with all of the main bolts backed off 1/2". Kids, don't try this at home but fk me running...the crank dropped down onto the mains and I was able to get the old rope seal out and snake the new one up into place. I then carefully and gradually tightened to main bolts to draw the crankshaft back up into the block, buttoned everything up and prayed to a god that I only partially believe in that it would be ok.

Reinstalled the flywheel/clutch/trans and drove it the last 1000 miles to MN and all over the midwest that summer with zero problems and zero leaks. I need a nap after just telling this story.

[William930t]

Group effort:

The Mitty at Road Atlanta, fast 240Z car cracked block Saturday out for the rest of the weekend or was it? New engine expressed from Jacksonville shop and our gang installed that night. Ran great, won group next day. Announcer was impressed.

Solo:

951 motor mounts with low stands in cramped garage.

[aschen]

I've never owned or worked on a car with a bunch of rust

Made it to 48 that way, and dont intend to change that

Even our 12yo 150k mile parked outside janky mini van was perfect underneath when we got rid of it

[gsxrken]

Originally Posted by rcooled

Maybe not the most difficult, but surely one of the more frustrating repair jobs I've ever done.

The motor in my old 2.2L 911T was making a cyclical growling noise, and not knowing the motor's full history, I decided to do a full rebuild just to be safe. To save a few bucks, I replaced/rebuilt everything except the intermediate shaft that runs the cams...thought it looked OK. Got it all back together, fired it up, and that damn growling noise was still there!
Sure enough, the noise was coming from a worn drive gear on that shaft...the one thing I didn't replace. Had to drop the motor and take it completely apart again to make it right

Most difficult project has to be any time you need to redo something you just did. Huge mental challenge that really illustrates grit or lack thereof.

[jcwade]

Changing the hoses and pistons for the top on my XKR.

I had to take the entire interior out, but it was worth it.
It took two days, and I had the parts spread out all over my garage.

I saved a bunch of money, learned a lot and had the satisfaction of doing it myself.

I did a lot of other things to the car, but my son, who is a master mechanic, did most of the work and I just pretended to help.

Now I understand the signs in shops.

Hourly rate: $180
If you watch: $250
If you help: $350

[Rusty Heap]

I was a poor high school student.

Cindy told me if I get to her house in 30 minutes I can get laid.

Hope it starts, hop in the car and nothing.......dead battery. Dropped the clutch and compression started it pushing. 1/2 way to pussyland, car died at a stop light. It's 11 pm. 15 minutes and counting. Pushing it into a closed gas station, I see old batteries stacked out back. I grab a sealed AGM one and put it upside down Post to Post onto my Car Battery. Car Starts. I get Laid. Happy Memories. I've also since used Coat Hangers and even 18 gauge lamp zip cord wire to jump start before.........

[herr_oberst]

Denis, good story and well written.

I have some stories, too, but realistically, nothing like some of you are posting.

I do dread having to do a job like a heater core using a replacement part that is a cheap copy of the original - because that's all that is available, even from the dealer.

[1990C4S]

Originally Posted by Rusty Heap

I've also since used Coat Hangers and even 18 gauge lamp zip cord wire to ........................jump start before.........

I was worried until I read 'jump start'.

[smadsen]

In the early '70's I had to field strip the Hewland Mk-8 gearbox in my Formula Ford at Willow Springs in a howling desert dust storm as the sun was setting on a Saturday night. Then, as it got dark it started to rain...mud. The mud/rain turned to snow just about when I finished. I learned snow does not wash mud off of anything covered in gear oil.

Another challenge was setting up an XKE cylinder head without access to a complete 40 tab factory set of properly heat treated valve adjustment tabs in .001" increments.

[A930Rocket]

My friend replacing the evaporator in his Range Rover? What a nightmare!

[wdfifteen]

I’ve had some rough ones. A few weeks after moving here I got talked into (by my wife) putting a starter in our neighbor’s ratty old POS 80s vintage 4 wheel drive Chevy pickup. It leaked so bad oil was literally dripping onto my face while I struggled with the effing starter. I didn’t diagnose the problem, I just installed the starter as requested. Turned out the problem was the battery. What made this so bad I was that wasted a day doing a nasty job I didn’t want to do - that didn’t need to be done.

Putting the windshield in my 65 VW a beotch. Worse experience putting a windshield in ever, due to a poorly made seal. I struggled with it for a week before getting a different seal, then it slipped in like a hand in a glove. Again, the worst part of the job was the waste of time and effort.

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by gsxrken

Most difficult project has to be any time you need to redo something you just did. Huge mental challenge that really illustrates grit or lack thereof.

That’s one of my favorite tricks. Why do it once, when you can do it twice!

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

That’s one of my favorite tricks. Why do it once, when you can do it twice!

At least after the second time you realize the shop time rate may be achievable.

[Captain Ahab Jr]

My car, rolling around underneath with snow on the ground fitting a gearbox

Race car, project managing 18 man days of work in 2.5 days, to get a Gulf McLaren F1 GTR Longtail crash repaired a week and a bit before 1997 Le Mans 24hrs

Not sure, the car either won GT1 class/2nd overall or caught fire 2hrs from the end

Race car again, not a repair but making sure the spare rear wings were safe to use after a failure during Fri. practice on the Honda works F1 car at Honda's home race in Suzuka

Race boat, repairing a crash damaged F1 inshore powerboat cockpit with a 10gal Castrol steel oil drum, silicone, pop-rivets and gorilla tape at 2am while being filmed by a French TV crew during the 1996 24 Heuers Motonautique de Rouen, a 24hr powerboat race in France

[A930Rocket]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

That’s one of my favorite tricks. Why do it once, when you can do it twice!

I rewired my trailer the other day and when I dropped it off at storage, I unhooked it and pulled the truck forward, to install the hitch locks etc. Stupid me forgot to unplug the seven pin connector and I ripped all the wires off the trailer tongue. 😂 Got a new seven pin connector cord and fixed it today. I also secured the seven pin cord with two hose clamps to the safety chains. Self-inflicted wounds suck!

[smadsen]

Originally Posted by ted

With spare parts and tools in the trailer rebuilt the Weismann 5 speed at the track.
Replaced a couple gears and made the morning session next day.
The funniest part was draining the trans oil into the oil recycle drum at the track.
The broken gear teeth sounded like a bag of coins hitting the bottom of the oil recycle drum.

Ouch! Proof you can't make a new gear ratio out of dissimilar gears from two different ratios.

[rpastir]

For me, it was replacing the evaporator in my 996. I no longer own the car, but the memories of that job will haunt me.

[cockerpunk]

i transplanted an entire car, into entire other chassis. everything. all of it. from the interior, to the suspension, the engine, to the gas tank. i stripped it down to the chassis, and then i stripped the other car down to the chassis, and then swapped everything. all of it. sub frames. brake lines. everything. all of it.

i dont know if i would do it again, but im happy i did it.







the white chassis was borderline in terms of safely jacking it up it was so rusty. I had to weld bars under it last year just to change wheels it was such a mess. the blue chassis is more or less rust free.