Thread: Weird Things You've Done to Keep Going.

Thought of another one. Many years ago, when I was at Uni, me and my brother got a VW pickup for transport. We had gone to Glen Innes to visit relatives, and on the way back had camped off the Pacific Hwy for the night, can't remember just where. In the morning we packed up, and fortunately, after starting the engine, I was out the back directing my brother who was backing to do a three point turn to get back on the road, and I spotted oil dripping off the engine hatch.

I told him to shut down, and we investigated. With, presumably, high oil pressure due to the cold start, the guts had blown out of the oil pressure sender, and there was a jet of oil squirting against the hatch (No warning light!). After some discussion, we went round the bodywork, and found a suitable sized self tapper that could be removed and screwed into the body of the sender to block the oil coming out. Worked until we got home, when we bought a new sender. (And put the screw back where it had come from.)

John

Back when I was too young to go spot lighting with my dad and uncle, they were out the back of my uncle's farm in the truck, trying for bunnies... then the fuel pump packed up. My uncle had a flagon of water in the cab so they emptied that and filled it with petrol. Then they found some rubber hose and hooked it onto the carby. The other end went into the flagon - I guess they primed the carby then got the engine going. Anyway, they drove back to the house with dad sitting on the mudguard, hanging on with one hand and holding the flagon higher than the carby with the other.

Cape York early eighties. Rear diff striped teeth so swapped front diff into back and proceeded on rear wheel drive. Same trip top tank on radiator blown. Used tube of window silicone to seal. Bulged out once under pressure but held. Added a jerry can of water to the roof rack with a hose to gravity feed a mist of water into engine via grill. Window silicone used as all purpose instant gasket for both repairs. Oh what a feeling!

I have an enduring memory of us driving back from a family event in the 70s and we hit a roo in Dad's pride and joy. A Cortina. Have to admit this was a car I stil, have fond memories of as well.

Anyway, I think we had just left Nannup and were driving back to Bridgetown. A windy, cold drive at the best time in winter when we hit the roo and beside Dad being distraught with his car being damaged we were on the road with no road side assistance on those days.

But we got going. With Dad holding some electrics together, sitting on the front wing while Mum drove (trying to see under bonnet) my brother and I thought this was cool. Being in the 70s I also reckon the chance of them being under the limit was zero! But we all got home and the Cortina did over 100 thousand miles in our hands. Wish we still had it.

Dad was freezing at the end.

Back when I was a small boy (1953), the family drove from Sydney to visit a friend of my mother's who had married a grazier on a property about 70 miles out of Booligal in western NSW. At that time the roads west of Narrandera were not even gravelled, let alone sealed, and in many places not even formed.

At this time we were in the Swift (made in Coventry in 1931), a small (10hp) English car with a roomy 'aero' saloon body. It was usually very reliable. On the way back, we were about fifty miles east of Hay when the engine stopped.

Investigation showed dad that this was because the fuel pipe between the vacuum tank and the carburetter had cracked. Digging out his tools showed that his soldering iron was missing - never did figure out what had happened. However, he did find in the toolbox a foot of heavy walled copper pipe. This was used as a soldering iron to solder up the crack in the pipe, heating it in a fire from gathered saltbush. (In 1931 there was no such thing as a flexible fuel pipe - a coil of several turns in the copper pipe allowed for some movement between the engine and body (no rubber mounts), but the rough roads and resulting vibration had work hardened the copper, resulting in the crack)

The picture shows the station homestead with the Swift in front, as well as the station ute (Dodge, I think).

John

Nothing special, but amazing the engine kept running, years ago I was driving accross Europe in a Citroen BX diesel. The head gasket blew in Switzerland at the toll. I pulled over and removed the thermostat and refilled with water and left the rad cap loose. I rang my dad for other advice as I was much less savy at the time with engines and he confirmed there was little more I could do. His only other advice was dont tell the missus that no way we would make it to Italy. We actually did make it, but the poor engine was so hot it was not touchable but it kept running, I was not game to turn it off as I know for sure it would not restart. The noise from the poor engine was horrible kind of a sick puffing clatter, but it just kept going!!
Car was abandoned in Italy.
Chris

And yet another one. In 1973 I had rented a truck to help my parents move from Sydney to the Central West. Returning empty to Sydney, the exhaust pipe broke just below the manifold (someone had failed to reconnect a stay between the pipe and the bell housing!). This was on a dirt road between Cobbora and Gulgong. I had very few tools, but did have a good pair of pliers. I went to the nearest fence strainer post, and, as I expected, found some offcuts of fencing wire at the foot of it. Using this, I tied the pipe in place, cutting the noise down to merely loud, and continued on to Sydney.

John

Young and foolish.....
Mates VW beetle throttle cable snapped after a night out. We drove it home with me sitting on the rear bumper operating the throttle looking through the back window with my mate driving the car
We were eventually quite well co coordinated with gear changes by the time we got home!!!
Phil