When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Might be lame compared to most of the pictures / stories on this thread, but is true.
Back in '97, I purchased a low-mile '94 Z28 Vert, great shape, but got such a good deal I had enough left over to buy a winter beater to save the wear and tear on the Z. Picked up a '84 Nissan King-Cab pickup for $800, rusted to beat all hell. The lower fenders on the bed had rusted off (from a distance, you could see light between the frame and bottom of the bed.......I know you've seen them like that) and it was held to the frame w/ one bolt. That was the first thing I repaired, followed by making sure all fluids were OK and no major leaks to get me through the winter. All winter long, it had a severe back fire, so harsh sometimes that it would buck and chirp the tires even in 2nd gear! Following spring I tackled that w/ a full tune-up. Discovered the cause of the back fire, it was the distributor cap that was loose because it was being held on w/ only one screw that wasn't even the correct fastener. I'm lucky I didn't get stranded. Ended up getting 2 useful years out of that truck, one time carrying 2600 lbs of gravel for my g/f's driveway (someone had bolted on "helper springs" that kept it from bottoming out on the rear axle), and multiple loads of hay for her horse. One time had two ~6' x 5' rolls strapped into the bed, another with the help of some plywood sides I built, had bales stacked so high that it created so much aero-drag I couldn't get it to go over 50 MPH. Ended up trading it in for more that twice what I paid for it. Definitely got my $800 worth out of that beater.
Last edited by JohnnyBs68S; Dec 3, 2017 at 04:26 PM.
I have never seen one of these break. It's out of an Eaton 18 speed trans from a big rig. This part came out of a hydro-vac truck that had the vacuum blower lock up during operation. It blew up the transfer case and snapped the input shaft all at the same time. They run these units in 18th gear at 1200 rpm. That's probably around 2000 lbs. ft of torque when it all let go.IMG_0405.JPG
About 1977 I was working in a small, independent shop. Elderly lady came in with a 1961 Ford sedan, 6 cylinder 3 speed. Said her car was running awful, must need another motor or something. I said we should run it up and down the service drive a couple of times, so I could better understand exactly what she needed. I drove it, with no problem, back and forth. And she told me I was driving it wrong. She shows me how she drives it, and it runs like a dog. I'm scratching my head at the change, so ask her to show me how she starts the car to drive it. "Well Ford put this nice purse hanger, right here for me" She had pulled the manual choke out enough for her purse to hang on.
What gear is that and how can it get that damaged that quickly?
1st gear and it’s on the reverse assembly lol
his actual complaint was” just bought this and I don’t know how to drive it and it’s making a horrible sound luckily I am not the tech working on this lol we have to reach 91% before a full replacement can be made and it’s at 87 hahah
Back in about 1990 ... we were at a Friday Night No Prep night ... I had slicks on my Grand National and some high school kid ahead of me tracked water in his freakin' snow tires on the track. Launched the car and it actually hooked well (low 1.60 short time) and then about 100-150 feet out it spun so fast I couldn't catch it. Heard it pop and just figured it was the hoses on the intercooler (they'd pop off on overboost a lot of times). Little did I know ... Sort of peddled it and coasted to the finish line to be met by the firetruck!
When the piston melted, crankcase pressure shot up and it puked oil out of the valve cover breathers. The oil ran down the hot downpipe and where it dripped off under the car it caught fire. People told me it looked like a jet under the car!
VERY fortunately as I bailed out ... a little squirt of water put it out and when I got it home and tore it down I found this piston. There was a scorch mark on the downpipe and it was greasy, but that all cleaned up with some steel wool. Didn't even mark the underhood paint! Ended up rebuilding the engine using a new block since that piston had lightly scored the original block in that hole (I still have that block). Funny thing was, really no damage anywhere else in the motor! Looked brand new and never did find that piece of missing ring!
Car was running mid/high 11s back then and still "the family car".
Here we go again, a set of restricted headers for the low price of $85. Add says never installed and they fit Chevy, Buick, Oldsmobile, Pontiac. I guess they are universal and pre-crimped. Never installed??? How did the hot spots get there a torch? I've heard this theory before... "When all else fails bash it with a hammer."
