What's the stupidest thing you've ever done...

[pickax]

I forgot to strap my shovelhead down to the bike lift (frame type), and started tugging on the clutch basket.

Didnt hurt the bike at all when it came down, my body cushioned the fall.

 

[twowheelnut]

Ever since your first post insisting that I had violated protocol I have been trying to think of something...but I got nuthin'. I can't seem to recall anything worthy of posting. I'll keep thinkin'.

********! Lie then.

Let me offer this true tale of stupidity as example:

Last oil change, I slipped the oil drain pan/container under the bike, pulled the fill cap and drain plug when I realized I left the new filter on the kitchen counter, so I went to fetch it while the oil drained into the pan.

Well, when I get back to the garage, guess what is spreading all over the garage floor? Yup, about 3 quarts of motor oil! Seems the pop-up/twist close drain pan plug had decided to pop back down, sealing the passageway into the hold. Fook. It takes a lot of rags and brake cleaner to sop up and degrease the floor from a 4 foot diameter pool of oil.

D'oh! Just call me Captain Hazelwood... <_<

 

[IndianaTom]

D'oh! Just call me Captain Hazelwood... <_<

I did something similar, I was changing the oil in my V45 Sabre. Pulled oil plug, took the old filter off, oiled the seal on the new filter, installed filter, installed oil plug, removed oil pan, filled er up.

Little did I notice, the oil seal from the old filter was still on the engine, and twisting the new on on top of it doesnt seal twice as well, in fact, it doesn't seal at all. I was 3 quarts into it before I noticed the beautiful oil spreading out across the floor. :blink:

yea, alot of rags.

Needless to say, Now I look at the filter housing better now before installing the new filter.

 

[throttlejockeyTJ]

I lucked out in what would have been a wicked accident. It was a rental house & my Brother built a Chevy Small block in the back bedroom on the workbench. I objected to him lowering it off the bench with manilla rope. I didn't trust it! So I am holding my skateboard under the motor (to roll it to the back door). The rope breakes, luckily I didn't go with the skateboard, it came out of my hands and pushed all 4 wheels & assemblies through a solid oak floor. I could have LOST All 8 fingers at the knuckles. :dribble: This life would have been Truely Fawked! TJ

A sad one for a Friend of mine.

He and another Friend spent about 3 years building a Biplane. At the airport on a test taxi run, the siphoned fuel and the battery jumper leads started a fire that burned it to the ground in a matter of minutes. Only salvage selling the engine and prop.

Shot the wood out of the saw thing, usually jams the blade though

Mess with the oil thing

Left a rag over the carb when starting the car, only to watch burning rags flying out the tailpipe. It happened my Mentor (a retired auto shop teacher) came over to check on the progress.

 

[gr8eyes]

I will have to wait till tomorrow. Mine is real stupid.

 

[Scab]

I will have to wait till tomorrow. Mine is real stupid.

...must involve farm animals and ill-placed teeth marks.

 

[racer157]

My buddy Chuck bought a used formula -V racer that was last raced in 1991. We towed it home and cleaned it up . We put the car up on Jackstands in his garage with the nose of the car facing the garage door and the exhaust facing the washer and dryer. We jump started the car using a gavity tank and a old car battery. When it fired off all the rust in the open exhaust header blew out and covered the inside of the garage and us. To make matters worse the old gas lines had dryed up and leaked gas on the hot engine and the car caught fire. So now we had to use a fire exstingisher to put out the fire. Being a powder type exstinguisher, it covered us , the car, and the garage with a whitish powder. Between the rust and the powder we pooked like a couple of coal miners. But she ran !

 

[feejer222]

Many years ago whilst working as race mechanic & repairing damaged paintwork on a TZ 350 using aerosols. My mate, and the rider of the bike was struggling to get the plastic cap off the new paint tin. he put it in his teeth for extra purchase, just as he turned his back to me. I remember saying 'I wouldn't do ......' when I was interupted by a noise similar to that of a high pressure fire extinguisher being squirted up an empty pipe, sort of a skwooooorsh. My buddy then turned back to me and gave me a great big metalic blue grin.

Same guy going past the start line at Donnington race track doing about 120mph with his front wheel vissibly pattering. It was at that point that I realised I had not reduced the 100lbs pressure we put in the awkward new front tyre that wouldnt seat the night before to try and get it to seat properly.

'write on pitboard' IN

 

[flapsup]

Part time job in an old fashioned (1973) North Dakota service station. Guy drives his new Eldorado in and says he left the lights on last night, got a jump start, came to station and wants the battery charged. Told him he didn't need it, but he insisted. Put the car in an empty bay, over the lift with the moveable arms and hooked up the charger. Went outside to pump some gas. Then hear the car owner screaming. Accidentally kicked the foot switch for the lift and we both watched in horror as the Caddy gets rolled over onto the driver's side. The boss was not happy.

Trying to fix a drop light with a bad switch or broken wire. Pull of the cover, fix the problem, thinks I needs to test it before I put the cover back on. Put in a bulb, hold it by the cord so I don't get shocked by the bare brass switch, plug it in and it worked. Grabbed the switch to turn it off. Launched the assembly into a pan where some parts were soaking. Fire extinguishers are hard to operate when one's arm has been shocked into disfunction. Duh!

And yeah, small pieces of wood do get launched from the table saw when you take the blade guards off so you can see better.

 

[Scab]

What's the stupidest thing you've ever done..., ...in your workshop or garage?

That would be my ex-wife. :huh:

 

[odot]

Ok...we need pics for that one, scab.

 

[theotherscott]

My stupid garage story - happened last October....

I recently purchased my first scooter, a 2003 Derbi Atlantis. I bought it to use as a pit bike and for the family to use around the neighborhood. I have ridden motorcycles for more than 20 years, so I am not a newbie when it comes to 2 wheeled vehicles. However, I managed to screw up in a big way the first time I rode the scooter.

The scooter that I bought had been modified by the previous owner by adding a 70cc kit, bigger carburetor, metrakit pipe, and different rollers and springs.

Saturday I rode it for the first time. Not only was it the first time riding the scooter, it was the first time riding since I tore my hand up working on a commercial garage door spring in the middle of September. My left middle finger had a bone that was in five pieces and my hand was torn open in three places requiring stitches. My hand was just now to the point where I could almost make a fist.

The ride itself was uneventful, I was on fairly lightly traveled roads and was taking it easy to get a feel for the scooter. The scooter seemed to require quite a bit of throttle to take of from a stop, but once it started moving the acceleration was more than I expected. Once I made it home thats where I had a brain fart. My wife was outside and as I was pulling back into the garage I just couldn't leave well enough alone and decided to show off.

'Hey - watch this' I said as I goosed it while parking. I had never done a full throttle start so I was unprepared for what was about to happen. The scooter lurched forward with a vengeance that shocked the heck out of me. The garage and contents within were approaching and an alarming rate. Having ridden motorcycles for many years, I am conditioned to use the front brake to provide most of the stopping power. So, as the contents of the garage were hurtling towards me, I did the logical thing and squeezed the front brake firmly. In a split second I realized I was not slowing at all and was confused as to why. The scooter glanced off my wifes motorcycle as I realized the front wheel was off the ground. This information was useless because by the time I realized that I needed to apply some rear brake (or let go of the throttle for that matter), I plowed right into the side of my SV650 track bike that was parked perpendicular to the scooters parking spot. The force of the impact knocked the SV over into my tool box and smashed the headlamp and front panel of the scooter. The scooter and I went down to the left, with my left leg managing to end up under the scooter, preventing it from receiving further damage. My SV sustained very little damage surprisingly. I managed to t-bone it right in the frame slider so it will only need a foot peg and windscreen. My wife's bike just got a scuff on the bar end and a ding in the mirror.

 

[6mmbr]

somehow I got welding over top my garden hose.

after stumbling back confused, disoriented and dripping,

I remember just standing there thinking, "wow that does look kinda pretty"

 

[TWILKIN650]

We had a thread going on this for quite a while, but I can't find it........ Anyway, I plumbed up a Quest GPS to my '05 about two weeks ago, took it for a test ride and all went well. Today, I plunk the GPS in its mount and........nothing. I pull it out, and try again......nothing. Acts as if no power is reaching the electronics. So, I pull out the DVM, trace circuits, and the mount seems "live", but no response from Mr. Quest.

I decide to replace the spindly glass fuze with an APC fuze, solder and rewrap with tape and heat shink tubing. Another half hour goes by.

Finally, I look at the fold out antenna, and realize that the thing will fit in the mount with the antenna folded up into the body of the unit, but in this position it must prevent the contacts from touching the mount's contacts. Duh...........

Place in mount with antenna deployed and voila..........electrons are flowing.

 

[Mrs. Scab]

I once did a set of front brakes on the SO's cager. Totally forgot to torque the lugs, just spun them snug. She didn't get hurt because I tightened them up within a few minutes after she noticed "a noise" coming from one tire during the test drive.
Months later, I felt really stupid for tightening those lug nuts when her lawyer showed me the proposed divorce settlement. Just think, I could have honestly said "It was an accident!".

If you only knew then what cha know now, huh?

 

[Mrs. Scab]

I never do stupid ****.
All I gotta say is............. :lol:

...unless you count my first 2 marriages.

...but that wasn't in the shop.

...and there you have it:

Shoulda never came out of the shop.