I am an idiot

I hate when I make more work for myself....

Long story short, the brake lights and turn signals on my early Bronco (1976) have never functioned. This has never been an issue because it has been perpetually dismantled for the past 4 years. Well I am finally finishing up the little details in preparation for driving it this summer. I started with the brake light switch and worked my way to the turn-signal switch, using my wiring diagram for the truck, which incidentally fits entirely on 8 sheets of 8.5 x 11 paper . I dismantled the column and discovered..... That the previous owner had cut all of the wires about 6 inches from the switch. Don't ask me why but that is how it was. Here is a pic after I labeled the wires.

I made my own harness out of two trailer extensions and wired everything back up. To my surprise the brake lights, the flashers and the turn signals all began to function as they should. Hooray. The problem arose when I began to reassemble the column. I realized that I failed to threat the wires through the shift ring before I soldered everything together. Now I get to undo most of the wiring I just did.

I hate it when I do dumb stuff like this...

I kind of like the exposed wiring look. Clamp a big ol' set of vice grips on that steering shaft and you're good to go as far as I can tell.

At least you have a sense of humor....

think of it as practice for when you really feel like doing it

And now you know why they were cut.

I did an idiot thing today, too. Well, the idiot thing was last month, I discovered my idiocy today while transferring blasting sand from its 50-lb bag to moisture-proof containers (coolant jugs and 2-liter bottles) so it won't cake up in the basement after the bag gets opened.

Hmm, this stuff looks odd. Smells odd, too... does sand even have an odor?

I bought blasting soda instead of sand. D'oh! So I spent nearly $40 on something useless if I want to dabble in engine coatings at home. (You gotta rough up the surfaces by sandblasting, soda or glass aren't abrasive enough)

Philosophically, it's chemically the same as baking soda, so I should be good to go when I decide to start electrochemically de-rusting parts. But, still, $40.

Looks like you do good work.

Were working on an Oldsmobile right now. Taking the rear axle off. We busted 4 of 8 bolts and rounded 3. We could have let them soak in oil, but my friend was in a hurry...

Oh, the number of stupid things I have done... where do I start? The one that sticks out most in my mind was when I was about 14 or so and I put an O ring in the wrong place when assembling a Honda SL100 top end. I kept looking at the diagram, it showed what looked like an O ring, so I put one there... and thus blocked off the oil to the cam bearings, which do NOT like running dry. My dad looked over the diagram with me and agreed that it looked like an O ring went there but that I should have used my head and realized I was blocking an oil passage.

That was an expensive lesson in that you can't always assume the diagram is correct, you must also consider the intended use of whatever part is in your hand at the time and also THINK!

pimpm3 wrote: The problem arose when I began to reassemble the column. I realized that I failed to threat the wires through the shift ring before I soldered everything together. Now I get to undo most of the wiring I just did. I hate it when I do dumb stuff like this...

I taught you well my young grasshopper.

I am an Idiot too. To many reasons to post!

Knurled wrote: Philosophically, it's chemically the same as baking soda, so I should be good to go when I decide to start electrochemically de-rusting parts. But, still, $40.

or you can make a lot of biscuits

I tried to give a customer my 1/2 ratchet and 10mm socket (I was way too lazy to find a 3/8 or 1/4 ratchet, so I used the 1/2.
I left it under their hood beside the latch.
I had wondered why the hood didn't seem to close.
I slammed a cavalier hood on a wrench hanging halfway out. in front of the customer. they were very worried but luckily it didn't bend anything.
my face ran into a hanging water hose because I was looking at my phone and walking at the same time.
I think that covers it for today=]

I regularly try to put a dent in the bright yellow hoist arm which is usually right at head level.

Shawn

About 10 years ago, with my first SE-R, I was at a friend's house fixing the timing gear that was off a tooth after a cam install. We got it all buttoned up, started it up and it ran perfect for about 15-20 seconds, then it made a crunchy noise under the valve cover. Turns out we each figured the other one had torqued the bolt on the timing gear. Drove the car to my friend's house to fix it, then watched it go home on a flatbed.

Putting a late 90's Firebird CD player in my Fiero, I buy the pigtails for the head unit and the Fiero. The plug for the head unit looks almost right, but it won't quite fit. There's an extra tab on the plug that is in the way. After trying to figure it out for a while, I decided to trim the tab off the plug. I hook it all up, and it doesn't work. My friend comes by, and immediately identifies the problem: I'd plugged the connector in upside-down. Somehow, in all of the trying to figure out how to get the plug in, I still failed to orient it properly. I don't know how it happened, but as soon as the plug was flipped, I had a CD player.

Is this sort of like when you finally make a nice flare on a brake line while laying in the snow under your crusty piece of E36 M3 New England car and then realize you forgot to put the threaded part on first? I have never done that!!! Or maybe when you hook the fuel return,and tank vent lines up wrong so that you fill the oil pan with fuel? Never done that either!!

ugh.. stupid things.... does loving italian cars count?

I just replaced a head unit only to realize that the real issue was two blown speakers (the only ones in the car). I did a really nice wiring job though

I cut an artery in my thumb when I tried to open a can of potatoes.

Did something stupid?

Been there. Done that.

Ah, where would I start ?

wbjones wrote:

Knurled wrote: Philosophically, it's chemically the same as baking soda, so I should be good to go when I decide to start electrochemically de-rusting parts. But, still, $40.

or you can make a lot of biscuits

Or use it to raise Ph in a swimming pool.

I believe that anyone that has ever tried to assemble/disassemble or just fix something has done something stupid. Present company included.

We have all had those days, bet you won't do it again!