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Got a shop story that made you just laugh at the time? Post it here!
Here’s my best one…. Fixing a flat on my Model A. My neighbor and I were fixing it. He knew much more of what we needed to do than me. Removed tire from rim and then old tube from tire. Removed rubber liner from rim. Found some rust and a few spurs. Sanded everything smooth. Coated rim with talcum powder, installed new rubber liner also coated with talcum powder. Coated inside of tire with talcum powder. Coated new tube with talcum powder and put in tire. Carefully mounted tire on rim. Shifted tube around so it was not in bind. Slow filled tube (with tire) with air. At somewhere around 30 psi tube exploded in a cloud of white powder that covered us and most of the car with talcum powder. After looking at each other, I just said “well, that didn’t work.” Then we just could not stop laughing considering we both we totally white from top of our heads to our feet. To conclude, we did it a 2nd time and this time no exploding tube!
What’s your story. This should be fun.
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You got a model A! Awesome. I have some stories, but I can’t tell ’em worth a damn. Enjoyed yours though.
Maybe not so funny but true. I watched a tech at a W.T. Grants Auto Center (in 1975) attempting to remove a rear brake drum from a Subaru. The tech had the car up on a lift and was hitting the drum with all his might using a large long handled sledge hammer. Eventually the drum broke into several pieces, he did not realize that the drum was held on by the large castle nut inside the dust cap for the bearing. I did not get there quick enough to stop him-not his best day.
Actually, that sounds like something I’d do. And when I realized the error, I am not sure if I would have laughed (I hope so) so been very mad at myself (more likely).
This was some years ago and occurred at the Ford garage.
I was bored with sitting in the waiting room. So, against the signs and warnings, I wondered out to the shop. Over in the corner by an open garage door was a riding mower. I took a perch there enjoying the breeze.
An old guy showed up with a big Ford sedan and talked to the service manager. The service manager called over one of his techs to take it for a spin. As the car went out the door I could see the back end going up and down like it had a square wheel. The test driver was back in about a minute and told the service manager – no problem.
By this time the old guy had wondered over by me. I was intently looking under the car and I could see a football sized bulge on the inside of the rear tire. I thought – the mechanic couldn’t have missed that, it must have nearly bounced him off the seat. He just doesn’t want to be stuck with putting on the spare. So, I said to the car owner, “Look what they did to your car.”
That event ended with the tech putting on the spare. He didn’t look happy.
A few minutes later I saw a man emerge from the alignment pit and go running towards the far end of the shop. One of the ladies that worked there had driven a car out the rear door, hit the overhead door down button and departed on foot somewhere outside. The trouble was the vehicle wasn’t completely outside. The runner was too late. The door descended, the back end of the vehicle went down and the front end went up. Ouch.
A couple of minutes later an air hose, about half way down the shop and up by the ceiling, let go and about 20 feet of hose was flying about. One of the techs tried attacking it with a push broom but that didn’t work. Finally somebody got to a valve and the final event of the day was over.
Well, at least it was time for me to go, my car was done.
Had a tech I work with go in the bathroom and start taking a number 2. Snuck in there with a cheetah bead seater for tires, and launched it under the stall. Needless to say I helped him go.
An older woman driving a 70s vintage Mercury came into the garage complaining about poor gas mileage. The boss sent me out to ride with her. He knew what was wrong, but didn’t tell me at the time. We hit the highway for a test drive where I witnessed her accelerate to about 90MPH, coast to 50ish, speed up to 70, coast to 50 and so on. What I reported to the boss amused him greatly.
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