You ever do something really STUPID?

[kawagumby]

I was about 18, working on my souped-up '56 ford. I couldn't tell if the secondaries were opening on the AFB I had recently mounted, so I decided to look down the throat of the carb while I gassed the engine. Well, my face was about 8-10 inches from the carb when it backfired. Oh my. All my hair was gone, no eyelashes, no eye-brows, most of my hair (I used to have it on the top of my head once) was gone too. I couldn't see and my face was burned pretty good. Luckily, I had a sympathetic girl friend who led me around the neighborhood for a couple of hours so my face could feel some cool air. I guess I probably won't be looking down a carburetor while an engine is running ever again.

The second most dumb thing I've done...working on an air conditioning unit at a school...two identical units, one running, one I'm working on. Do i need to look at the electrical schematic to reassemble? Nah, I'll just check out the wiring on the running unit...no problemo...until I forgot the unit was "hot" and grabbed a wire...yup. Pretty dumb.

Living long is not just about, genes, good diet and exercise...it is also about luck, I think.

[Sunny the Model A]

lol

[Sunny the Model A]

yeah yblock, you could have lost the ability to flip off drivers

[Y-Blockhead]

Originally Posted by Sunny the Model A

yeah yblock, you could have lost the ability to flip off drivers

OMG!! I did not think of that!!

[apbright]

Took my '31 Roadster out for the first time in a few months, not noticing that all coolant had leaked out. While driving, I attributed the burning smell I kept getting to some oil I had spilled on the exhaust manifold during a recent oil change. Finally realised the engine was overheating when it kept pinging/knocking despite significant spark retard. Then, I panicked, and pushed the car up to a local kindergarten, 'borrowed' their garden hose, and poured water in the radiator. This resulted in a massive plume of high-pressure steam coming back out of the radiator neck - mercifully not on me. However, the car would not start after that, had to have it flatbedded home.

The next day, took off the cylinder head, and saw a big crack in the combustion chamber of the head. I felt pretty dumb.

[dave in australia]

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Don't know weather this counts as stupid or just unlucky, but I've caught my shirt on fir whilst welding before. Also burnt the web between my toes from hot slag, that was the last time I welded anything in sneakers(running shoes).

[Sunny the Model A]

Lucky you got away with that. I don't know what I would have done if I can't flip off jerks in their fancy pants Tesla's

[Ray in La Mesa]

I've learned NOT to gas weld & cut in flip flops! Molten metal between the toes take FOREVER to heal! Now, when ever I'm cutting, I put a cookie sheet down with water in it, stops the traveling sparks & slag.

g.

[Sunny the Model A]

ouch... That had to hurt. but you made out better than Anakin did.

[Certimafied]

My first lesson in loose clothing and an angle grinder with a locking switch and a wire wheel attached. I was about 16 working on who knows what trash I brought home. I just remember using the wire wheel to clean some rusty metal and the wheel caught my shirt. It proceeded to wrap itself into my shirt so tight so fast and right into my face. It was stuck unable to turn anymore making terrible noises and beginning to smoke. I couldn't hit the locking switch to turn it off. I panicked for a few seconds before pulling the plug. It took a minute or two to unwrap the grinder from my shirt. The shirt had only one hole in it but was stretched out an amazing amount. I had some scuffs and the grinder smelled terrible for the rest of its short life.

Good stuff Haha. I learned a lot that day!

[California Travieso]

Originally Posted by Synchro909

I don't think Ryan allows posts long enough for me to tell my stories!

Synchro,

Ask Gary what his secret is. I don’t think Ryan has a limit on length.

David Serrano

[trulyvintage]

I was married for 17 years to someone
who left the family & the family business
to pursue drinking full time.

Got Divorced.

Remarried her three months after the divorce.

Got divorced a year after the remarriage.

I Got You All Beat …


Jim

[Jerold Ebke]

When in college I was home helping my dad build fence. We were digging a post hole with a tractor mounted post hole digger and it had no safety shields in the old days. I was using my arms to pull the dirt away from the auger as it turned into the ground. A bolt caught my jacket, instantly wrapped my jacket tight to the auger and spun me around 5 or 6 revolutions before my dad could stop the power take off on the tractor. A ruined jacket. A panicked dad and brother who had to unwind me from the auger and no broken bones.
My Dad, bless him bought a new post hole digger with shields and we always made sure all our farm equipment had shields in place after that.

[burner31]

If I haven't done anything stupid for the day means I haven't gotten out of bed yet.
When I was much younger me saying "good morning" really translated to "Hey, hold my beer, watch this"

[Dave1931Pickup]

I was fifteen when I bought my first Model A. I had the rear axle assembly out from underneath the frame to do so some repair work. I don't remember how I took apart the rear spring without killing myself but I was putting the leaves back together after painting them. I managed to get the main leaf assembled with the shackles on to the spring perch's. I then stacked the rest of the leaves on the main leaf and installed the long center bolt. I started to tighten the center bolt to compress the spring leaves. I know now that this is not the way to do it but I was young and invincible (STUPID). For some reason I was straddling the the spring assembly while tightening the center bolt. The leaves were almost compressed when I heard zzzzzzzzzzzz. The nut on the bolt stripped and slipped all the way down to the last thread before stopping. Did I mention that I was straddling the spring pack. I was fortunate for the last thread on the bolt so I was still able to produce two ex kids ten years later.

[Rodrelic]

Originally Posted by Patrick L.

Stupid stunts ? If I only do one a day, its been a good day.

Ditto

[jm29henry]

No never had that problem! LOL!

[al's28/33]

I've done lots of woodworking, measure 3X and cut once, but I always seem to cut on the wrong side of the pencil line and the damn board is still too long or too short. I do not see an end to this tradition either.

[katy]

Originally Posted by al's28/33

I've done lots of woodworking, measure 3X and cut once, but I always seem to cut on the wrong side of the pencil line and the damn board is still too long or too short. I do not see an end to this tradition either.

Try using the other end of the pencil.

[Russ B]

Too many, but i was lucky. A couple :

crawling/inspecting a new 27" sewer with no breathing air protection or monitoring eqpt.

working up on a 250' refinery smoke stack without any fall protection; a light chain across the ladder/platform entry saved me from falling to death one time.


My grandfather lost three fingers in a lumber mill saw accident. My dad lost a couple fingers as a kid banging a quarter stick of dynamite between two rocks at a mining camp. People have been doing dumb things for centuries. It is sometimes amazing how resilient we are, and how long we do live.

i was much younger during both incidents, about half my current 75 years. Maybe the dumb mistakes teach us enough so we do live to old age.

Later as a general contractor, i viewed always keeping my crew safe to be my top priority.