81 replies to this topic

[Cooperman]

I once flattened a battery, then realised I had left the

But, and I didn't do this, a friend of mine had re-built a very nice 850 engine and he asked me to check the installation and the timing. I did all that and he then asked me to do the initial start up. I did the usual - plugs out, spin it to get oil pressure, plugs in and it started and ran superbly. Let it run at 1500 to 2000 rpm for about 20 minutes, then switched off, checked it all and re-started it. My friend asked me to reverse it out, so put it in reverse and gently let up the clutch - nothing! Checked the clutch linkage, all OK.
"OK", says I, "Where's the bit you left out?" Sure enough, right there, under a piece of rag, was the transfer gear.
Three hours later with the two of us doing it, off it went down the road and it ran beautifully.

[ChrisG10]

Stripping out the engine.. About to put it back in thinking I have sealed all the gaskets go to fill it with oil and the rocker cover gasket wasnt sealed.. OIL ALL THE WAY DOWN MY LOVELY ENGINE!!! and then went on the garage floor and has stayed there as i cant be bothered to clean up

[Daviewonder]

A mate of mine took his head off ...

Ouch!

i too read it as this first thought christ is he ok

I bet he wouldn't have been

[mohammed]

was flushing the rad and engine.. to out the thermostat to flush the engine..when put the thermostat housing bak on after tighening all the bolts i realised i forgot to put the thermostat in.. so unbolt...what a time waster..

[davej]

I`ve set me jeans on fire a couple of times while wedling. My brother in law, dad and sister were in the garage once and all started laughing me as I try to put the flames out.

[jackgreen91]

I also set fire to my trousers while welding. damn nearly hit my pizzle...a lucky escape.

[Swainy]

I also set fire to my trousers while welding. damn nearly hit my pizzle...a lucky escape.

Hahahaha pizzle. That's a new one!

[GregH]

Connected the battery up the wrong way round, bye bye altenator.

Set a rag on the inside of the mini alight while welding the inner sill, that cought my rear seat alight. I couldn't see through the car because it was so full of smoke.

There must be others but i try and forget about these.

Gregh

[jaydee]

I've one of those magnets that go above the oil filter to trap metallic swarfs, like this one:
http://www.minispare...id=42212&title=
You can see it has a rubber gasket on top, oil filter gasket will seal at the bottom.

Problem is that, i dont know why, i've fitted it upside down, then started the engine over..bang oil squeezed everywhere!

[R1minimagic]

Lots of things that are far too stupid to mention on here!

[mike.]

Rebuilt my engine without the transfer gears!

Luckily remembered before I put it back in the car!

[AntonyC]

I fitted a new headining recently using spray ahesive glue. While i was waiting for it to go tacky i was fiddling with the door card, quickly looked up to see if it was tacky and it dripped straighted into my eye! I must have time it perfectly lol

Anyway i ran inside and prised my eye lids apart and kept washing it in eye solution before being rush to the eye hospital. The nurse said i was very lucky and only had a slight burning the eye. Had a week of putting in this thick white cream in my eye which was not very nice.

A lesson learnt, i always wear glasses when applying glue now

[zeemax mini1]

With the car locked and my tools locked securely in the boot, I put my keys down on top of the air filter housing, so that both hands were free to fiddle with something in the engine bay. When finished, I then closed the bonnet with the keys still sitting on top of the air filter..... unfortunately I have an internal release bonnet!! .

What's worse is that I've now managed to do this on two occasions!!

aha if i locked my car with the bonnet open the alarm would go off so this should not happen to me !

[adam_mini]

I once fitted all 4 wheel trims by removing all 4 nuts, fitting the trim then fitting the nuts back on without jacking the car up. Luckily the wheels didn't come off else it could have ended in disaster .
I now have alloys so shouldn't be able to do this again

Edited by adam_mini, 26 August 2011 - 02:52 PM.

[lapider]

My dad was once restoring a mini and he drove it to his local garage where he lived in a small town in the Brecon beacons. On the way back to his house he had to drive through a village road then down a windy, narrow single country lane with the mini missing its doors,boot and all its glass. In the back he had a load of nuts and bolts assorted into jam jar and ice cream boxes and the doors and boot on the back seat. As he drove back he passed the local bobbies parked up in a lay-by. He drove so fast through the lane and lost all the nuts and bolts as he went over the bridge.