A few years ago I was working on my Bug doing a timing adjustment. To save having to walk around the cramped garage and using the key I decided it would be a good idea knowing the ignition was in the 'on' position to start it up and see how it runs... So I took a screwdriver and crossed the terminals on the starter relay which is attached to the fan shroud. So on my knees I lean in and yep it started! First kick! Not only was the ignition on THE GEAR LEVER WAS IN REVERSE

Took the skin off one knee, my knuckles and totalled a steel toolbox. The toolbox probably saved me as the rear wheel got caught on it and the bug stalled. Thankfully my bug suffered no damage just me.

It was dumb real dumb!

I ripped up my R/H index finger last June, resulted in a 'tear' rather than a cut and 7 stitches later after 6 hrs at the hospital.

In irritating torsion bar adjustment was getting on my nerves and i grew impatient, and i was moving the whole complete floorpan onto a jack post haste. Simply i was too lazy to just the jack down and bring it back up... I had already lifted it a couple times no worries, there isn' too much weight in em. I lifed up a corner, left hand side on the rear of course, left hand on the rear quarter pan half and the right under the rear drum. Unfortunately the handbrake wasn't on.

It was still and steady, till once it was in the air, The drum turned around a little and threw me off holding it up, whole pan landed on the concrete of the garage slab with my finger inbetween the slab and the bottom of the rear brake drum. My first intro to stitches, no nerve damage to a massive degree, but havne't been able to fret a guitar since. (Sliding on the strings makes stabbing pains in the nerve dreadfully.)

I learnt to keep a cool head since!

Conected the fuel in line to the out line on the pump, took about 2 hours b4 I worked out why it wouldn't start.

When I first got my beetle it needed new rear brake shoes. There was no room in the garage on in the driveway so me and my mate
took it up on the nature strip. All was going well untill the jack started to sink into the ground with the weight of the car!

i could write a book but probably the stupidest thing was setting fire to my Sbug doing some welding

that crappy old insulation burns like a mofo

Not proud of this one. I was working on setting the electric choke one day and started it in 1st gear. With the carb loaded full of fuel it sent me straight in to the nearest pole. Front rhs fender completely fubar. This was two days after I had just finished the resto. I swear I almost cried. Yeah my finest moment.

A couple of months ago I was cutting the old floor pan out of my super when the porta flood light I was using for light went out, I Climbed out from under the car with the light and took it to the work bench. I was holding the light in my left hand and plugged it in and turned it on with me right but it still wasn’t working so while looking at the bulb I thought I would give it a little shake.

CRACK next thing I know the 1000Watt Light bulb exploded in my face, I spent 5 hrs sitting in emergency waiting for 6 stitches. I only use LED’s from now on LOL

Grinding out a 6V gear box to take a 12V i almost cut off a finger, the grinder finally stopped when it had wound up half my work shirt from dropping it.

I had my beetle in the garage working on the stereo.It was at the front of the shed and i couldn't get the door open enough so i thought I would push it forward a bit.I was in the passenger seat the handbrake was off and it was just sitting in first so knocked it out of gear.AS soon as I did it it rolled backwards out of the shed catching the drivers door on the side of the shed and bent it round about 30 or 40 degrees past where it's supposed to stop.

Oh forgot the one of not putting the wheel nuts on properly after just getting paint job.
Wanted to see what it looked like back on wheels. Forgot to do them up.
Wheel comes off on way home and rips front guard and running board off
Gave me an excuse to swap the rusty old tin POS running boards though

owww, i learned not to shake light bulbs........ i was 17 put new shoes on my rear, didnt put the split pins back in. the drivers side rear passed me when i was slowin down for the traffic light, destroyed the backing plate shoes etc

1.
When I set up my buggy to go up the Great Central Road from Kalgoorlie to Alice Springs, I didn't tighten the rear left wheel nuts properly. All the way from Perth to Kalgoorlie the rear of the car felt a bit strange, but I couldn't see any problem. In Kalgoorlie the rear wheel fell off, in busy traffic of course. I found all of the nuts and fixed it there and then.

Since then I've been paranoid about wheel nut tighness.

2.
When grinding out the 1600 bell housing of the Manx SR to take a bigger 2 litre flywheel I forgot that it is made of magnesium. I hit a bolt, threw sparks and my T shirt caught fire. The flames were invisible, but I could feel them. I dumped the dog's water bowl all over myself to put it out.

I was taught how inflammable Mg is at school, but I forgot the one time I needed to remember.

3.
When I wired the radiator fans in, in the Subaru powered SR, I powered the both fans through the ignition circuit, instead of triggering them through the ignition circuit and powering them through the main power circuit. The relays and fuses got so hot the the entire fuse block, melted into a twisted mess. I came so close to a fire that the mere thought of it gives me the heebee jeebees.

I now carry a fire extinguisher.

I have an annoying habit of not putting the rotor back in after a tune up. Plus the usual not putting the sump plug back in while pouring in fresh oil.

Ha! I forgot the wheel nuts one, long story short had the buggy at sons place ready to take it to the mechanics round the corner, changed my mind about the mechanics so asked son to drive it to my place, because I hadn't tightened the wheel nuts properly the LH rear wheel departed the car in an 80 zone, son rang up, needed help to get the wheel back on and "bring some f.,?":n wheel nuts with ya" by the time I got there he had the wheel back on and we only needed to put the nuts on, told him I would follow him home, when we got home he commented that "the brakes are bloody shithouse" yeah well it is 1964 technoledgy son, let it sit in the garage for a few days b4 I decided to check for damage so took the wheel off, took me a couple of minutes to realise there was no brake drum, amazingly I went back to the spot and found the drum in some reeds at the edge of a creek, lucky it was painted bright red, son still hasn't lived it down, thought he would have known that you need a brake drum on b4 the wheel.

Oh yeah, grinder stories. My little grinder has the guard taken off. It almost unusable with in on. The switch is really close to the back of the disc. Turning it off I sliced the back of my index finger knuckle to the bone with a super thin cut off wheel. I almost passed out. It barely bleed cause the grinder disc burnt all the flesh.
Yummy
Another one was a wire brush on the drill skipping out of the job and running up my arm. Looked like I been attacked by a lion.
The shirt caught in the machine has happened more than once and it scares the shit out of ya.
Maybe I should look into personal insurance lol.

This is so stupid I posted a thread on here to sort it out!
I was changing the plugs in my bug. The firewall has a stainless backing with some sharp edges on it - from someone in a hurry (no prizes for guessing who) so I stuffed a rag in there to protect my hand.

Well I forgot to take it out and it got sucked into the engine fan. No Blood or Dr's involved with this one. Terry

donn........how can you attach the wheel if there was no brake drum? there would be nothing to bolt it to?

Quote:

Originally posted by LUFTMEISTER not putting the sump plug back in while pouring in fresh oil.

The Bombi kombi was back firing reached in the engine bay pulled the throttle seemed ok no backfire took of the carbi covers pulled the throttle all ok
look into the carbi let go of the throttle and BANG BACKFIRE almost sent me deaf for a couple of minutes and scared the hell out of me.

I was servicing the baja before taking it to ballina for christmas and i was too lazy to get a socket to undo the sump plug so i used the shifter i had near by, It slipped off the nut and i cut my wrist on the bottom of the tinware, ended up with 5 stitches and a tetnas shot for christmas Damn shifters! and lazyness!

where to start... so many to pick from
here is a good one
i was welding new pan halfs i cut out of 2 mm plate
i was near finished only about 5 minutes to go
and the sun was coming in the garage door and shining in the back of my helmet
so that close to the end of the job i closed the garage door
welding ..welding ...welding ...getting a little hard to breath only 1 minute to go now welding...
getting really hard to breath finish take my helmet off
the garage was full of smoke and dark apart from the glowing under the pan
i went for the door and there was a bucket of water ...
i was thinking this is handy thats when i hear my air hose going off
as it was running under the pan
oh well only my old air hose so i chucked the bucket of water on my sea sponge
and thats when i worked out that my power cord was with my air hose.... live under the burning sponge
then i turned around and dashed for the power point
pulled everything out and tipped out a tin of paint that the lid was just sitting on
so in the end i got off easy just had to get a new power cord and my air hose is a little smaller now

I was working up at a mates workshop in the 80's helping to move some floorpan halves out of the way. I stood with my feet either side of one and slid it through my legs, and sliced open the back of my knee. Did go for stiches, but should have. Took ages to heal as it kept on opening up.

when i was building my bug i rolled the shell forward to move stuff with the old fork lift and as i went to reverse the forklif the bug decided it didnt want to stay where i had put it and rolled forward and i slammed in the left rear quarter that i spent weekends repairing
another time an old idiot mate asked if he could use the work shop to replace the fuel tank in his stupid honda prelude dick head thought he could drop the tank without emptying it out first, poured petrol out of the main filler hose directly into a work light he had under the car half my bug caught fire while under primer and his honda melted the rear end.
i didnt mind using my old forklift on his car.we aint friends anymore
very expensive mistake that was.lost a bench grinder,mig welder,my big vw banner and 5 sheets of checkered plate.

I bought a six month old Ford Territory a couple of years ago that had Qld rego on it. Had to take it for a blue slip inspection to change it over to NSW rego. Left it at the mechanics so they could do the inspection, returned an hour later to find the car still on the hoist and the mechanic and three panel beaters standing at the drivers door talking about something. I thought to myself surely they haven't found a defect, it's only six months old. Then the mechanic comes over and says, we had a bit of a mishap. While hoisting the car with the drivers door open, the DUMB F#%* mechanic forgot that he had a mezzanine floor right next to the hoist and the door was crushed as the hoist went up. Door was a right off, hinges bent, car of the road for two weeks, and I made the mechanic pay for car hire and fuel for same period. Obviously wont be going back there again.

when i was an apprentice was asked to remove and engine from a stick shift bug .not having done a stick shift before thought was the same as removing normal beetle engine ,was jsut removing last engine bolt while car was on hoist .then bingo engine was on the floor .has not got studs on the bottom to hold in place .engine felt out and landed on air cleaner .and cut leed light cable in half.replaced air claner lid and new leed light cable

When I was young and stupid (now I am old) I decided to change the front struts on my beetle while it was only sitting on a scissor jack (no stands), needless to say I start reefing on things underneath and the car gets a wobble up. I jump out as the front of the car crashes to the garage floor

you have to be young and stupid before you can be come old and wise