Projects gone wrong.....

[JasonB]

Anyone else get so disgusted with projects going wrong that you just want to pull your hair out??<br /><br />A few weeks ago, I started a lazy process to replace the intake and carb on my sterndrive boat to finish off its mechanical upgrade list I started 3 years ago when I rebuilt it. I goofed the intake gasket the first time, possibly botched the rebuild of my new-used carb, now I seem to be chasing an electrical/ignition grimlin. I've already missed 3 boating weekends and those are few/far between these days. To make it worse, I have a rare chance to take my Dad out this weekend (he was a tug captain) and I really wanted the boat ready to go. I have 3 afternoons to make it happen and I still have to replace the trotttle and shift cables as well as the water pump in the leg.....<br /><br />To make matters worse, I took a short fishing trip in my 16' boat that I completely rebuilt a couple years ago (transom, stringers, floor, etc). When I pulled the plug afetr loading it up, I noted that there was a lot of water in it. I knew I have a small leak that is usually 1gal/hr or so to track down, but this was more like 20 gal after 2.5hrs. Got home and washed her down only to find a crack in the transom. It appears to be cosmetic as I can stand on the outboard and the transom doesn't move. To make it more confusingf, the lake I was on is trolling motor only----I never fired the OB.<br /><br />I don't have any extra hair to pull out, but I'm about ready to.........<br /><br />Sorry all, just reel like ranting...

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

JasonB.. I feel for ya, Bud.. Know exactly where you're comming from, especially monkeying around with old boats and such... And then just when ya think you got it, your ready to get dirty an "git-r-done", and all is right with the world, IT RAINS! .. <br /> <br /><br />When I was rebuilding the Tigercraft, I left the shop in my Pops hands and took two weeks off thinking I'm going to get a bunch of fiberglass work out of the way... Wrong.. It rained every day of that two weeks... I don't mean a little drizzle, NO.. I mean terrential downpours.... The kind of rainy weather that make you wonder if maybe you should go heard up the animals 2 by 2 and put em' in the boat....<br /><br />Yep... More than once, I darn near took the sawsall to the Tigercraft and threatened to haul its rotten carcase off to the dump.. <br /><br />Yea, I got projects.. <br /><br />Like my truck thats been needing a paint job for the last 3 years.. The only time i can afford is to squirt a little primer on it here and there to keep it from rusting... If I do get time to do something too it, IT RAINS! .. Plus I need to rebuild a trans for it and swap it out.. And the motor is getting tired... About time for brakes.. ARRRRRRRRGHH! <br /><br />Like now.. I need to pressure clean and paint the house... IT RAINS! .. (I guess I could do the pressure cleaning in the rain?)<br /><br />I think the rain is actually my own fault tho.. I'm fairly certain that it rains because I finally finished all the repairs on my SPRINKLER SYSTEM! ....... Project done!...<br /><br />Now.. I bet that if I put that new sod down that i been thinking about, it'd probably quit raining..... hummm?<br /><br />Danged if ya do, Danged if ya don't... Cruel fate..

 

[ZmOz]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Sounds like my boat. Died sept. 2003. Still ain't running. Almost got it done last season, but every time I fixed something, something else ended up broken. I pretty much had a nervous break down over the damn thing last year...I was trying SOOOOOOOOOOO hard to get it running before it started raining. My friend had to take away the sledge hammer so that I didn't go out there and turn it into gravel.<br /><br />Same thing starting to happen again this year...every time I fix something, there's another part I have to buy. If it's not running by the end of june I WILL set it on fire.

 

[Realgun]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Yea right after I got the floor out I kept wondering just how long this project was going to be. Took me most of the summer to just get the floor out and cleaned up. Then the next spring to put in the floor. I used to lay on the new floor praying ok snoozing that the seat pedastals would magically grow back. <br /><br />Finally the boats real close jus the carpeting to go in. Buts it been two weeks and still not done<br />cause the darn tilt/trim messed up!<br /><br />Such is life.

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Reminds me of my first drag car I built. Got the engine in but it wouldn't turn over. Finally tore it down and realized I had tightened the rod and main bolts too tight. My ft.lbs. torque wrench had an unfortunate accident so I used my inch lbs. wrench. Had a friend figure the inches to feet. He did it wrong and I torqued the bolts a bit much. Got it running, took it out to the time trials, it died. Turns out I had a lifter with a factory defect. It took some push rods and a valve with it when it went. Got it together again, at the strip, time trials. Burn out ran good, then got the green light. When I hit it it jumped and made a horrible noise. I had twisted off a U joint up front. Fixed that with some modifications. Next time up, green light, hit the gas and launched like a jackrabbit. Hit second gear and again terrible noise. Tranny blew apart. Fixed that and went back to the strip. Ran great during time trials, ran great first pass. Second pass, green light, opened her up, pulled the front wheels off the ground. While the front end was in the air threw a rod. It was turning around 5,000rpm so the rod went all of the way through, hit the starter motor and sent it rolling down the strip. It locked so tight the rear wheens grabbed traction and dropped the front end back onto the track so hard it snapped a bolt on the upper control arm. <br />On the strip the next year all went perfect. Then I got married.<br />I sure miss that car!

 

[NYMINUTE]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Anytime I start a project I try to clear the books of others. Never fails that something will go down, Truck, water heater, mower etc as soon as I am into it. Started my bathroom a few years ago, and the events that stalled it seemed endless. When I finally finished the bathroom, every mechanical-electrical item I owned was replaced or rebuilt through the project.

 

[Bass Man Bruce]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Originally posted by deputydawg:<br /><br />On the strip the next year all went perfect. Then I got married.<br />I sure miss that car! [/QB]

Good story, sad ending!

 

[kenimpzoom]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Hey DepDog, at least your car made it donw the strip once, mine never got past the roll cage stage, then I got married.<br /><br />Ken

 

[deputydawg]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

If I every get my building materials out of my garage I will get updated photos of my new old project. Got my 69 Cougar XR7 out of the trees and am making a drag rod out of that one. Will be at least 5 years before it rumbles to life, but I have a dream!<br />My wife didn't want me to sell my old hotrod. She even got upset when I did but the kids had to eat. <br />She was even madder when I sold my bikes, but again the kids thought they needed food. <br />I only miss 2 things from before we had kids. 1 was the smell of burning rubber mixed with alcohol in the middle of summer on a 1/4 mile of asphault, the other was the rumble I used to feel when I was in the middle of the pack running 110mph around a dirt track in my stock car. That is the true definition of adrenaline rush.

 

[JasonB]

Re: Projects gone wrong.....

Hoorah! I may have found my carb problem. My 30 year old carb spacer (hollow type) does not seal with my aftermarket aluminum manifold. It was leaving about 1/64-1/32 gap on either side of the intake. I ran the ignition problem down to a bad Pertronix magnetic ring. Called them up and a new one arrived 2 days later, no questiosn asked (plug for their cust. service). Tining and ignition are now stable. Bon't make my trip tomorrow as teh cables and water pump are still to go, but hopefully a trip to the parts store tomorrow will get me running again. Funny how you can miss something so obvious for 2 weeks....<br />If all is well, a Father's day launch may be in the works.