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  #1  
Old 02-05-2007, 04:39 PM
davew833 davew833 is offline
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So give ME the stupid award!

I consider myself a pretty good mechanic... I've done engine rebuilds/swaps, clutches, tranny swaps, differentials, etc., all with a fair degree success. However, every once in a while I do something that makes me question whether I ought to quit tinkering with cars and take up knitting or something.

I was poking around outside last Saturday (the first warm day of the year!) with my '95 LSi and decided I'd tackle a slight problem with the antenna retracting. It went up and down fine, but stopped going down with about 3" of antenna sticking out. I looked at it closely and noticed that there was a slight kink in the bottom of a segment which prevented the inner segments from retracting all the way. I figured if I pulled the shaft out, took it apart, and shoved a rod or dowel of some kind inside the kinked segment, I could re-expand it to proper shape and the antenna would work properly. Why go to all of the trouble? Well, a new antenna shaft is expen$ive, I had the time, the weather was nice, and I thought it would be a moderate challenge with a good chance of success.

So I got the antenna shaft out and apart and started looking around the garage for a long-ish steel rod with a slightly larger diameter than the antenna that I could insert and push the kink out of the shaft with. Finally, I picked up what I thought was a discarded worn-out trunk strut (which I had replaced with a new one) from my old Honda Accord. The shaft looked to be just the right size, so I took my hacksaw to the strut. It turned out to be too big, so I ground down the strut shaft segment until it fit.

Well after a few hours (!) of work, grinding, hammering, etc., I got the kink out of the antenna shaft, but it's not really designed to be disassembled and put back together, and it still didn't extend/retract very smoothly. After that, I found I couldn't get the plastic antenna leader to catch and retract into the motor. After much trying, I think I killed the motor itself because all I could hear was the motor relays clicking-- no whirring sound. Then, the car battery died from the trunk light being on. Finally, it got to be 11 p.m. and I gave up on the whole thing.

The next day, I was reading the board here, and got to thinking about hood struts. I remembered I'd pulled a good set from a junkyard SVX a month or so ago, and hadn't seen them with my other SVX parts in the garage the day before. My heart sank as I realized what might have happened, and a quick visit to the garage confirmed it. The "WORN-OUT HONDA TRUNK STRUT" I'd cut up to fix my antenna with, was NOT a Honda strut, It was one of my GOOD SVX HOOD STRUTS! I felt so stupid I laughed aloud.

So, I'm out a mostly-working power antenna, possibly the motor, and a good SVX hood strut I was saving for some future occasion. Is there a moral here? Yeah, don't do what I did! Keep your GOOD parts WELL AWAY from your scrap pile. Oh, and laugh at me if you must, but LEARN FROM MY MISTAKES!
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  #2  
Old 02-05-2007, 04:56 PM
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DanSVX94 DanSVX94 is offline
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Where do you want that award sent?

It's funny how sometimes the little things can bring you down.
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  #3  
Old 02-05-2007, 08:27 PM
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Beav Beav is offline
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Significant Technical Input
Here ya go!


What are buddies for?
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  #4  
Old 02-05-2007, 08:53 PM
davew833 davew833 is offline
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Hey thanks! I like that! Maybe I'll get it framed...
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  #5  
Old 02-05-2007, 09:26 PM
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Trevor Trevor is offline
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I commiserate having been down that road too often.

However you do deserve a medal for spending a lot of time sharing. The fun you have added, be sure has made it all worthwhile. Thanks.
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As a child, on cold mornings I gladly stood in cowpats to warm my bare feet, but I detest bull$hit!
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  #6  
Old 02-05-2007, 10:55 PM
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Landshark Landshark is offline
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ouch! you'll laugh about this sometime......just not anytime soon!
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1987 928 S4 (Black) SOLD!
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1987 928 S4 (Black) SOLD!
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  #7  
Old 02-05-2007, 11:34 PM
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ensteele ensteele is offline
Betcha can't buy just one!
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I am sure that I am not the only one around who has done something just as good as that.
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Earl .... ... .... ><SVX(*>

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[COLOR=”silver”]1992 Tri Color L[/COLOR] ~45K (06/91) #2430
1992 Dark Teal LS-L ~184K (05/91) #0739
1992 Claret LS-L ~196K (05/91) #0831
1992 Pearl LS-L ~103K (06/91) #1680
1992 Pearl LS-L ~151K (06/91) #2229
1992 Dark Teal LS ~150K (07/91) #3098 (parts car)
1992 White LS-L ~139K (08/92) #6913
1993 25th AE ~98K (02/93) #164
1993 25th AE ~58K (02/93) #176
1993 25th AE ~107K (02/93) #215
1993 25th AE ~162K (02/93) #223
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~124K (1/94) #2408
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~144K (10/93) #1484
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~68K (10/93) #1525
1994 Barcelona Red LSi ~46K (02/94) #2624
1994 Pearl LSi ~41K (12/93) #1961
1995 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~70K (02/95) #855
1996 Polo Green LSi ~95K (03/96) #872
1997 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~55K (08/96) #097
2003 Brilliant Red LS1 Convertible ~29K (04/03) #8951
1999 Magnetic Red LS1 Coupe ~33K (04/99) #6420

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  #8  
Old 02-06-2007, 02:04 AM
bcpianoman bcpianoman is offline
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Not so bad at all

If that's the worst you've done in the course of a month, it hasn't been a bad month I say.
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  #9  
Old 02-06-2007, 12:21 PM
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TomsSVX TomsSVX is offline
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not so bad.... I had finished a record breaking engine swap... about 5hrs or so. I got everything all done and then I hooked up my battery backwards and fried my fuse box... That took another 20hrs to completely figure out... so yeah... I have been there Don't beat urself up

Tom
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  #10  
Old 02-07-2007, 10:07 AM
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i think we have all been there...
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  #11  
Old 02-07-2007, 09:09 PM
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It's Just Eric It's Just Eric is offline
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I got my award today....
Afer disassembling and reassembling a mazda tribute door, I realized I was missing a rather arge plastic cover for the mirror bolts (interior side) The car has been shuffled around the shop a bit, with me looking throught it inside and out for the part for almost a week now. Finally I tell the boss it must've gotten thrown away at some point, and to order a new one. He told me to wash the car up, and to have a look into a clunking noise coming from the door. I took the door apart, and gave it the once over. Couldnt find anything, so I put it back together. D'oh! I forgot a peice of sound proofing...So I took it apart again...I saw something strange at the bottom of the door...Reached in, and pulled out the missing mirror bolt cover. Couldnt help but burst out in laughter, especially because where t was, it got overspray all over the only part you DONT see. Whew! Got off that one easy
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  #12  
Old 02-07-2007, 09:30 PM
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Crazy_pilot Crazy_pilot is offline
Moar shifty!
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Ya, at least it wasn't something mega expensive, like buddy at the Honda dealer forgetting to tighten the oil drain plug in my friend's '06 Civic.

Oh well, it was only a Civic
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92 Ebony Mica LS-L "A Rolling Restoration": 223,250 KM - Sleeping
2007 STi 6MT, Stance GR+ coilovers, PWR Rad, JDM hood badge, svxfiles 6000K HIDs, JDM Clear Corners, $15/15 min mod, $20/20 min mod, Energy Swaybar Bushings, Hella Supertones horns, Gold STi BBS rims, Group A lightweight crank pulley, A/C system removed, Custom header-back exhaust, Hybrid carbon/metal rear sway bar, restored headlights with CCFL halos
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  #13  
Old 02-09-2007, 12:42 AM
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ensteele ensteele is offline
Betcha can't buy just one!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Crazy_pilot
Oh well, it was only a Civic
ROFLMAO
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Earl .... ... .... ><SVX(*>

Subaru Ambassador

[COLOR=”silver”]1992 Tri Color L[/COLOR] ~45K (06/91) #2430
1992 Dark Teal LS-L ~184K (05/91) #0739
1992 Claret LS-L ~196K (05/91) #0831
1992 Pearl LS-L ~103K (06/91) #1680
1992 Pearl LS-L ~151K (06/91) #2229
1992 Dark Teal LS ~150K (07/91) #3098 (parts car)
1992 White LS-L ~139K (08/92) #6913
1993 25th AE ~98K (02/93) #164
1993 25th AE ~58K (02/93) #176
1993 25th AE ~107K (02/93) #215
1993 25th AE ~162K (02/93) #223
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~124K (1/94) #2408
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~144K (10/93) #1484
1994 Laguna Blue Pearl LSi ~68K (10/93) #1525
1994 Barcelona Red LSi ~46K (02/94) #2624
1994 Pearl LSi ~41K (12/93) #1961
1995 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~70K (02/95) #855
1996 Polo Green LSi ~95K (03/96) #872
1997 Bordeaux Pearl LSi ~55K (08/96) #097
2003 Brilliant Red LS1 Convertible ~29K (04/03) #8951
1999 Magnetic Red LS1 Coupe ~33K (04/99) #6420

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  #14  
Old 02-09-2007, 05:54 AM
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michael michael is offline
What Potholes ???
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After breaking it off with an ex-girlfriend, she asked me to remove her aftermarket air intake and put the OEM one back on her fairly new eclipse so she could trade it in. There was a washer in the air box that got sucked into the engine. I had to pay $1k to get it out and it was still messed up! When she explained it to the dealer they said it was still under warranty So that money went right down the crapper.
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  #15  
Old 02-09-2007, 06:36 AM
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TomsSVX TomsSVX is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by michael
After breaking it off with an ex-girlfriend, she asked me to remove her aftermarket air intake and put the OEM one back on her fairly new eclipse so she could trade it in. There was a washer in the air box that got sucked into the engine. I had to pay $1k to get it out and it was still messed up! When she explained it to the dealer they said it was still under warranty So that money went right down the crapper.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO that not a funny story at all... I feel like I am going to cry ....

Tom
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