I have made a few repairs using just crap I find on my garage floor or **** found around the track. Thought a thread like this could be handy-

1) replaced my front lower LCAs, cotter pins broke when I removed them and I didnt have replacements. Obviously not wanting to leave the castle nut on the lower ball joint un-pinned I began searching on my garage floor. Low and behold I found a couple of those giant staples used for holding cardboard boxes together. Perfect fit.

2)Couple years back, a bunch of friends and I went to Carlsbad raceway. I had just installed the Hotshot 4-1 2 peice slip fit header and wanted to see how my times improved. Well, on my first run the bolts worked themselves free and the header split apart mid track(stilled managed a high 14 sec 1/4). Get back to the pits and meet up with my friends. We just stand there and kinda stare at it for a bit as we had nothing to repair it with. Looking around the pit area we spot a fallen chainlink fence. We cut off a few links and used pliers to run the links through the bolt holes, put about 4 links per side. Went back on the track, and clicked off my very first 13 sec 1/4. Those links held up for a month or two too.

Summary-

Giant staples make good replacement cotter pins

Chainlink fence can hold a header together.

 

I've used zip ties and paper clips to hold more things together in a jam than I'd like to admit.

 

 

Oh come on guys, lets get some real life examples.

 

 

I don't think it would fall under repairs really, but my catback right now is made of all straight pipe. I just welded a bunch of 7.5 degree cuts together to make the bends.

Once we used a Vice Grip to hold the header to the turbo on my Civic for an entire two day autocross practice session.

JB Weld is good for filling in holes in your welds in charge pipes if you're on a tight timeline, or ran out of weld wire.

I do a ton of ghetto things, but thats all I can think of for now.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Ricey McRicerton &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I've used zip ties and paper clips to hold more things together in a jam than I'd like to admit. </TD></TR></TABLE>

 

I cut the foglight holes in my bumper with a steak-knife. Does that count?
And zip-ties rank right-up there with duct-tape in my book I love those zippy little bastards.

 

I hate dealing with tape on a car. Either it's too sticky to once you get it on it destroys whatever it touches when you take it off. Or, it's not sticky enough to where it won't stick on good enough.

 

When we took the turbo off of my buddies car his oil pan was still tapped. So we took a bolt, put a big washer on it and used electrical tape to tape it to where the whole on the oil pan was. It was supposed to be just a quick fix until we could get another oil pan. That ****** drove around with it like that for like 2 months though.

 

I was doing an auto to manual swap on my friends 2000 civic ex... Well somehow during shipping his tranny got a little banged up... Where the Shift rod connects to the tranny was a little crooked.... So the holes wouldnt line up to get the "bitch" pin in... So I put two giant cotter pins inside, going on a month and a half and still holding strong...

My distributer cap bolts were rusted to hell and wouldnt come out... So i cut the head of the bolt off, brill a hole thru the dizzy, and zip tied a new cap on... And didnt have to miss work the next day....

Yea so i would fall under the Zip-tie/cotter pin ghetto rigger...

 

I have quit a few from over the years. I know i have others but cant remember them, but heres some good ones.

1. Coat hanger to hold my muffler up.

2. Duck Tape to hold up bumper (come on who hasnt done that)

3. Had some loose wires and no electrical tape so i used clear tape instead

4. Used one of my key chain links to hold my wastegate onto the flange at the track.

5. Always use my chest as a tranny hoist.

6. Zip ties (enough said)


Got to many IMs and PMs going on right now to think of the rest but i know i got some good ones

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luserkid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
5. Always use my chest as a tranny hoist.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I love that one. Haha.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luserkid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have quit a few from over the years. I know i have others but cant remember them, but heres some good ones.

1. Coat hanger to hold my muffler up.

2. Duck Tape to hold up bumper (come on who hasnt done that)

3. Had some loose wires and no electrical tape so i used clear tape instead

4. Used one of my key chain links to hold my wastegate onto the flange at the track.

5. Always use my chest as a tranny hoist.

6. Zip ties (enough said)


Got to many IMs and PMs going on right now to think of the rest but i know i got some good ones </TD></TR></TABLE>


Coathanger, have to remember that one.

 

- I have JB-Welded holes in my exhaust shut

- I have used two hose clamps and a piece of a soda can to close an exhaust hole

- I have used a coat hanger to hold the exhaust on the car

- I have used zip ties to hold my washer fluid lines onto my hood

- I am using zip ties to hold my brake lines onto my dampers

- I used Gorilla Glue to fix the tab that holds the driver's door window glass onto its regulator

- I have a slightly larger diameter drain bolt jammed into my oil pan because the threads stripped and the old drain bolt wouldn't tighten

- I have various pieces of the interior zip-tied and duct-taped to fit around the roll bar

- I have tons of self-tapping screws that never tighten to hold interior pieces in

 

1. rubber cement + duck tape + scotch tape - 2 piece broken lip back to one

2. zip for bumper perfect bumper fitment

3. coat hanger - muff of course

4. jb - scape the ... out of my n1 reweld done many times

 

2 more i just remembered. (well ones mine and one is what a friend told me).

1. Cardboard as a creeper (me)

2. My friend used his belt as a battery tie down at the track and got in.


3. Electrical wire to hold in the lower ball joint because theres no hole for the cotter pin (friend of mine, held up for a long *** time, still is)

 

I just remembered one. A small chair when I had to take my driver seat out because it wouldn't sit correctly on the car. That was really bad, every time I would brake I would almost fall over..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luserkid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">1. Cardboard as a creeper (me)

</TD></TR></TABLE>


Yep, used this one.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by JDM-EJ1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just remembered one. A small chair when I had to take my driver seat out because it wouldn't sit correctly on the car. That was really bad, every time I would brake I would almost fall over.. </TD></TR></TABLE>

LOL! damn you guys should have recorded that!

Another one i remember (told you i have alot)

Before i had proper tools i would use the crub as a jack/hoist to do oil changes. Just drove the front pass/driver wheel up it and its perfect room. Could also do a header or exhaust or little things under there.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luserkid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">


Before i had proper tools i would use the crub as a jack/hoist to do oil changes. Just drove the front pass/driver wheel up it and its perfect room. Could also do a header or exhaust or little things under there. </TD></TR></TABLE>

LMAO! Never thought of that!!

 

A few more-

cut in half 2 liter Pepsi bottles for funnels, yeah I am too cheap to pay a 1.50 for a real one.

Pepsi can as a makeshift oil catch can

Steering wheel puller used to press out suspension bushings AND pull them back in- this one takes a bit of ingenuity and alot of junk found in the garage.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 4door_demon &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">A few more-

cut in half 2 liter Pepsi bottles for funnels, yeah I am too cheap to pay a 1.50 for a real one.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

I got that bet



Now thats a funnel.

As a kid i had a swing set (one of the hardcore metal ones that killed kids) Well as i got older we had to get reid of it.. Took a sawzall to the legs and now the legs are cheater bars for me

 

Dissassmbled one of these babys to fill the gap I had from putting crx exhaust on my old EF hatch...:



Unscrewed the top, unscrewed the bottom, tossed the grease tube insert in to the trash, slipped the metal tubing over both sides of my small stock exhaust, and welded that POS in....

The auto tech instructor never figured out what happened to his extra grease gun

I have a ton of these stories too.. I might chime in again..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Luserkid &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Now thats a funnel</TD></TR></TABLE>
Wow, i'm glad Im not the only one to do this.