Topic: How Not to Install an Engine--Cover of Oct. 2014 Mustang Monthly

[lancelot66]

It's been a little over 2 years now that my wife and I bought our first house. When we were moving in and putting a lot of stuff in the garage, we were looking at the space left after the fastback went in (2 car space), the gorgeous white epoxy sealer the PO had used when it was built (yep, just like Jay Leno's) and started talking about how I would work my projects under the car, in the winter time especially. Talked about floor jacks, heaters, etc. and I made her a promise, right there on the spot to NOT EVER jack the car up on stands/jacks, with boards underneath so as not to chip the surface, while home alone. She checks on me often when I'm out there and worries her head off most of the time if I have the car in the air,  so that was what I had to do. A no-brainer really. Justified easily too, some Race Ramps, wheel chaulks, besides the heavier-duty floor jacks and jack stands I already had when we were married (going on 6 years). It is a promise easy to keep and provides us both with peace-of-mind I NEVER enjoyed or observed in my younger days when I was alone and not very wise... 

[Brian Conway]

     Sounds like my learning curve.  Brian

[lancelot66]

Sobering and humbling without question Brian. Yep. When I think back on how many times I was just plain being an idiot about decisions made and how I went about stuff...should have also confessed in this lively thread that yes, I did go out over this last weekend and bought the subject issue of MM. Gonna frame the damn thing and hang it in the garage I think, maybe over by Ed Roth and Rat Fink...what a hoot...

[67gtasanjose]

In 1983, I put a new clutch in my GT/CS. When I put the tranny back in, I was alone and decided to bench press the tranny in.  I had the linkage off, but the linkage rods were still attached.  As I benched it into place, the linkage rods fell down and landed on my chest.  I was either going to line this tranny up and bolt it in, or be impaled by the rods.  As luck would have it, it slid right into place and I was able to bolt it in avoiding sure death.  Used a tranny jack ever since.

Similarly, I bench pressed a 700R4 Overdrive GM tranny with converter into a full-sized van once and without a spotter or helper. I'm not sure what they weigh in at, but it was more than what was safe. I drug it up from between my legs over my danger zone and onto my chest. Only thing that made it somewhat easy was that those vans had tons of room around them. I remember the arm spasms as I screwed a bolt or two in and got they weight off me...crawled out and had yet another rum and coke. Looking back, I guess you could say I am lucky to be alive with some of the dumb things I've done, probably wouldn't be alive except I put the booze down about 17 years ago...Drank more than most in a lifetime before I was 38 yrs old. Older & wiser now...OK, well older anyways