What are some of the worst repair jobs you've seen?

[evilhawk]

After prepping my 1959 Silverhawk for restoration, I began to notice a lot of crude repairs done by inexperienced "do it yourselfers" or "would be" mechanics. Some of these repairs were done with the right intentions (like the cabinet hinge holding the gas pedal to the floor or the dryer hose that ran to the heater core), while others left me scratching my head.. most notably the removal of the inner fender wells.. I think maybe the previous owner did this because at one time the car was in an accident and the front drivers side frame was bent upwards and maybe it was the only way he could get the fender to fit without actually repairing the frame damage or perhaps he cut the wells out to give him easy access to bolts that mount the fender to the body? Whatever his reason was, it would have made more sense just to pull the frame straight and then go on with body repairs. Another crude repair I found was done to the left front bumper bracket. The previous owner put a different bracket that wasnt meant for the hawk on the car and then cut it welded length to it so it would be even with the other side. You'd think if he was going to do all this work to make the bumper stick out as far and even on both sides, he would have at least dropped the height down so it wasn't higher on the drivers side. Once again this issue could have been avoided if the frame was pulled straight.

So in this post I would love to hear some of your horror stories about the worst repairs/mods you've encountered when repairing these old Studes.

[Ray Stewart]

I DID IT
I bought a 62 Lark that had been slide into a short rock wall...the bottom of the doors. center post (4 door), front door jamb, and rocker driver's side was crushed towards center about 7" while the top of the doors gapped about 7" out from the roof (actually the doors suffered very little harm). The challenge was IF IT COULD BE FIXED. I made a "strong back" (that may be a local term-not sure) which is layers of 14 gauge steel 2" strips fitted to the right side rocker inside contour (so I had the correct curve) then weld the pieces so I had a custom fitted brace for the damaged rocker. I then cut 1/2" black iron pipe & welded to the frame with 1/2" threaded rod, nuts & washers in the pipe. Welded the rod to the strong-back. Seven of these expanders. I would turn the nuts so the threaded rod would extend further and further out from the black iron pipe. Turn a little here and a little there. Next thing you know I have the entire lower driver's side pushed back out to about where it should be. Pulled the front door post forward about 3/4". Once both doors lined up well, opened & closed properly, and were totally functional I simply welded pipe, nuts, washers, and threaded rod into one unit. Then on to weld in floors and structurally secure the posts. True, without a torch the body will never come off the frame. That was my first Stude and what go me hooked. Painted it with Rustoleum, a set of tires. Still have it and still drive it.
In the years to come maybe someone will write in that "you will never believe this". Lark in KY with threaded rods, pipes and stuff welded right to the frame!!!

[j.byrd]

Don't know if this qualifies as "worst", but a 51 Stude truck I bought that had an Olds V-8/ automatic installed had the front brake lines cut loose from the drums, then rolled back and pinched closed !!! I noticed this after I got it home and took it for an acceleration test on our dead-end road, and went sailing past our driveway trying to slow down enough to turn in. Won't mention the electrical tape repair on one radiator hose and the gas line, ha ! Most other "repairs" that were a bit - -lets say- -inadequate- - were generally not exactly safety related on this truck and other Studes we've had.

[ceecab]

While prepping my '55 for paint, I noticed that behind the gas filler tube there was a rusty piece of sheet metal poorly spot welded to the inner fender panel
I thought that was a wierd place to have a hole- but on looking into the trunk, could fine no hole or rust at all
I yanked the 'repair' off with a pair of pliers only to find not only clean rust free metal, but PAINTED clean rust free metal
Painted in shiny Pima Red original paint
My bodyman and I are still baffled

[Sam Ensley]

Many years ago, my brother owned a service station in Marietta, GA across Highway 41 from an auto auction. I was there one day when his brother-in-law came in with an old Dodge that was knocking. He put it on the grease rack and cut an insert out of an old leather belt and installed it in the car. He drove the car across the road and sold it in the auction, "as is."

[31Streetrod]

Sam.... I pulled some time with Lockheed Aircraft in Marietta back in the 60's and "fondly" remember Blackmores (Blackies) located there on 41 across from Dobbins AFB. A lot of C5A production problems were solved with notes scribbled on napkins while stacking up the long necks.

[stall]

About 25 years ago I bought a 70 Chevelle Conv.(stil lhave it). It looked great with a primo paint job and detailed engine compartment.
I drove it all over that Summer then purchased tires and an alingment. The mechanic (a good friend) called meover and showed me a tie-rod; the not was stripped and just wired on with the kind of wire you would use to hang a picture--Yikes. I have no idea when this had been done or even how you could strip a castelated nut.

My mechanic buddy said he had seen many Bubba jobs but this was at the top of his list.

[Ted Preston]

Well, I can tell a story about a bodged repair job I did myself that turned out just fine, but based on what I know now . . . .

When I was in high school, I noticed a squeaking sound coming from the front of my 62 Impala. I traced it to a bad control arm bushing, and could clearly tell that the rubber was missing from inside the steel bushing shells. I can't remember now how I went about getting the right part at the parts store, since I'm sure I didn't know the name of the part at the time. With the proper replacement part in hand, I used my best uninformed judgment about how to get the bad part out and the new part in. I removed the nut that held the bushing onto the end of the pivot shaft, and I used vice grips and a hack saw to get the old bushing shells out of the control arm. All was good to that point. I used a hammer to slowly tap the new bushing into place over the shaft and into the control arm . . . without ever removing the control arm from the car!

Many years later, I read the instructions in a shop manual for a similar car that described how to remove the control arm from the car and press the old bushings out with a hydraulic press, and press the new ones into place. I now know how to do it right.

Funny thing is, after I used a hacksaw, vice grips and a hammer to replace that Impala control arm bushing, I drove the car, problem free, for another ten years and fifty thousand miles or so. Occasionally, hapless shade tree mechanics get lucky!

[dean pearson]

My car is a 52, two door hard top and overall it was in great shape body wise.
It didn't run tho. The worst thing I found was where the PO. Had torched of the front springs to lower it cutting into the spring seats.
After reading some of the other posts here I feel lucky. At the time I didn't know much about Studebakers and never really gave it a good looking over until it was paid for and delivered.

[Chris_Dresbach]

There's nothing on my car that some duct tape, bailing wire, and WD-40 can't fix!!!

[kurtruk]

As purchased:

[rockne10]

As purchased:

At least it kept the big rocks out!

[9echo]

I think that is a flame retarder.

[Ted Preston]

As purchased:

Ha! That photo reminds me of another bodge I used once . . .

One day, out for a drive, I had a coolant leak around the radiator hose on a 53 MG. It seemed to be leaking from under the clamp where the hose attached to the thermostat housing. Easy Fix, I thought to myself. I grabbed my screwdriver to tighten the clamp . . . and the metal under the hose collapsed under the clamp's pressure. the metal tube was corroded away until it was just paper thin. I took off the hose, and cut a pop can into two strips, then slathered on a thick coat of JB weld and used the two aluminum strips, one inside the old thermostat housing's tube and one outside, to hold the JB weld in place while it cured. Once cured, the radiator hose went back on, and then the clamp (tightened rather lightly!)

The repair got me home. A quick search on Ebay found me a replacement thermostat housing. I hung the bodged part on the garage wall to start "MacGuyver" conversations.

[JeffDeWitt]

There were a couple of real goodies on my truck.

The floor on the drivers side that was "fixed" with an aluminium parking sign that glued to the floor with silicone sealer.

The motor mounts that were actually bushings from the front end of an old Chevy, stacked about 4" high, and the rest of that setup was just as kludged.