PSA: before you take your car apart...

[Desslok]

In almost 40 years of modifying cars and trucks, the most important piece of advice I can give is to have a back up vehicle that is actually in working order.

Sure, you can replace your whole suspension, intercooler and turbo in the rain, blindfolded and in four hours flat.
But the one thing that always seems to happen, is that something always happens:

- you lost parts that were right there just a minute ago
- the parts never really were right there just a minute ago
- the parts don't fit, no matter how big of a sledge you have
- the new part broke, followed hours later by the old part breaking
- a real man doesn't need a youtube instruction video and then your internet goes out
- the wife urgently needs you to help her pick out a new "live, laugh, love" sign
- you lost your last 10mm socket
- the beer is gone < Jack Sparrow voice> "why is the beer gone?"

 

[swcrow]

Nailed it. Can confirm all of the above. Especially OEM replacement somehow doesn’t fit….

Will add…. “Somehow 1/2” to 3/8” socket adapter shears off and no spare…”

 

[GTI Jake]

Good thing I have the Suburban lol. My GTI has been torn down for months waiting on transmission internals and now that I finally have them it’s sunny & 75 so I’ve been busy playing with other toys and don’t feel like putting it all back together.

 

[ChristopherNeil]

It's always the 4th corner of suspension on my past Hondas where I encounter the bolt or ball joint that changes it from "damn I'm making REALLY good time on this," to "this piece of shit motherfucker." I've hit that point three times on two cars where I've had to completely uninstall everything and revert to previous setup because of a single bolt. I'll never understand how one side can take 15 minutes and the other can take 4 hours.

Now I only do work when I have the following day off and wife's car is available.

 

[BudgetPhoenix]

dropping that one last little bolt you needed somewhere into the abyss on the top of the subframe

 

[Desslok]

Good thing I have the Suburban lol. My GTI has been torn down for months waiting on transmission internals and now that I finally have them it’s sunny & 75 so I’ve been busy playing with other toys and don’t feel like putting it all back together.

I hear ya on that. I haven't felt like working on my poor XJ in years.

 

[kevinkar]

Important instruction no matter how competent you are: Take pictures BEFORE you remove anything, including screws, bolts, connectors, clips, etc. You WILL end up with something in the parts tray you have no idea where it's supposed to go.

I've done this before and ended up having to retrace my steps by taking things apart again. Not fun.

 

[Salami]

Having to remove the head from the block after you realize the oil pressure rubber o ring that sits on the top of the block is still sitting on the work bench.

 

[DSC808]

Pssssh nothing ever goes wrong with my installs

 

[swcrow]

Having to remove the head from the block after you realize the oil pressure rubber o ring that sits on the top of the block is still sitting on the work bench.

Nooooooo…

 

[Salami]

Nooooooo…

Positive part is the valve cover wasn't on yet and the engine was still out of the car

 

[CoryJo]

throughout the years, of taking stuff apart, and not getting back to it in a timely fashion, bag and label your bolts, it has really been a forced practice, i would start something, and not get back to it for 3 months, by the time i got back. i forgot where the bolts where, or where they came from.. bag and label, this practice has made any project i have encountered almost enjoyable. ;-)

but yes, having reliable transportation takes the stress out of rushing to finish. if you can take a break and walk away for a day. it makes the difference sometimes, between getting that bolt out, or rounding it off.

 

[dtfd]

I've learned even if you do know the "by the book" method for something, check on youtube/forums anyways for better methods.

Changing plugs on an FD requires removing the intake elbow along with a whole host of vacuum hoses if you're doing it by the book. I was about to do that on my old car when a buddy was over and he goes what are you doing? We jack up the car, remove the front wheel and fender liner, and there's your easy access.

Cut a two hour job into a 10 minute job.

 

[ITGUY]

You forgot.. You have every tool except that one tool you need now.

 

[krs]

Set each nut or bolt out in order of removal, helps with the install of reversing that order.

Grab a cardboard box, poke a hole in it with your screwdriver, then stick the bolt in it. You can label the bolt that way, and it’ll keep them organized.

Harbor freight tools suck, cry once, buy once.