Murphys Law in action in the garage

Funny story for you guys about my experience this past weekend. This wasnt my TC, which has been running perfectly, but happened when doing some exhaust work on my 86 Tbird 5.0.

Here goes..... Cats in my old H pipe on my 86 Tbird 5.0 were bad... rattling around, etc., so I got a nice, shiney new Catco H pipe to replace it. Easy hour or 2 job, right? WRONG.

Jack up rear end of car, position jack stands under axle (apparently not exactly under axle....), and lower floor jack.

Put floor jack under K member, begin to jack up front end nice and high so I can put jack stands under the front end.

While jacking up front, rear axle slips off jack stands, rear of car drops to ground. Pass side jack stand grabs brake line to pass side wheel cylinder as car falls, and rips brake line in half. Brake fluid drains on floor. I am not happy.

Need new 18" long brake line. Go to parts store. Buy 20" pre-flared brake line. Go home.

Remove broken brake line. Fitting on new line fits prefectly in wheel cylinder.

Fitting on new line does not fit junction block on axle.

Remove new line, cut 1" off end. Get flaring tools and double flare attachments out of tool box.

Cant remember how double flare attachments work.

Try it the way I think it works. Guess I didnt remember right.

Cut another 1" off new line. Finially remember the right way to double flare. Actually remember to put old, correct thread fitting on line before doing the double flare. I am pleased with myself!

Put in new brake line. Get ready to bleed rear brakes.

Break bleeder screw off pass side wheel cyl.

Remove wheel cyl, take it into house. Drill out bleeder, insert Easy-out, and twist. Break off easy out in wheel cyl.

Back to parts store for new wheel cyl.

Install new wheel cyl, bleed pass side. Then go to driver side to bleed it.

Break off bleeder screw in driver side wheel cyl. Decide to bypass the "drill it out, break off easy out" process on this one.

Back to parts store for another wheel cyl for driver side.

Put in new wheel cyl on driver side.

Bleed driver side, and re-bleed pass side "just to be sure".

Three hours after starting to jack up the car, I was now ready to replace the H pipe.

Believe it or not, H pipe install actually came off without any major problems!!!!

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Jeff Korn

88 Turbo Coupe: Intake and exhaust mods, T3 turbo at 21 psi, forced air intercooler, water injection, bypass valve, Ranger roller cam, subframes, etc., etc.. // 86 Tbird 5.0 (original owner): intake, exhaust, valvetrain mods, 100 HP nitrous, ignition, gears, suspension, etc., etc.... // 91 Escort: Bone stock winter car // 02 Taurus Vulcan(wifes car)

[Image: eek.gif] [Image: eek.gif] [Image: eek.gif]

If you would have ended with "New driver's side wheel cylinder (or insert name of any part on the TC here) was wrong one or broken out of the box and the store can't get another one for 2 weeks" then you would have stepped into my world. Glad to hear everything came out ok, though.

Kev

So... where's the problem??? [Image: tongue.gif]

Isn't this the completely normal, everyday turn of events when working on a TC? [Image: biggrin.gif]

Sure sounds normal to me; what matters is the triumph at the end!

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Joe F.

My 87 TC & mod list with sources

Jeff,

Are you sure Lord Lucas wasn't somehow involved? [Image: biggrin.gif]

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86 TC, 73 Mini, 72 Mini Van project, SVT Focus
Click here to beat a ricer.

ROTFLMAO.....yep sounds like a typical day under a T-Bird to me! [Image: biggrin.gif]

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"Finch....get the f*ck away from that fikas......that is a jizz-free fikas!"

So there is someone else like me! Here I always thought it was just me!

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Dan S
NATO Member
84 and 88 Turbo Coupes
It's no longer a hobby, now it's an osbession!

Hey Jeff, for an encore you need to put an NA Stang T-5 in your TC. Then try the 5.0 Stang billet alum. clutch quadrant and adjustable cable mod for an encore. I think (fingers) crossed) after hours of tweeking it's finally right. Seriously, I feel your pain. And based on the other responses here, don't feel so all alone now. [Image: biggrin.gif]

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87 TC, T-5 swap, billet quadrant / adj. cable, solid state IVR, fog light relay mod, PST suspension, KYB-AGX fronts, Gas-A-Just rears, K&N, bypassed BCS, med. red, 90's wing, 181K+ Mi's., daily driver, feeding on ricers!

Dan S...I hate to be the one to break this to you, but there is nobody else like you...thank god!!!!

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88 Silver T/C, original owner, 251,000 miles
Loaded except leather & auto trans
K&N, Gillis, SVO roller #1, big SS valves, ported intake, head, & exhaust
Polyurethane bushings throughout, GT-HR 235/55R16's

I thought I had bad luck when the front of my daily driver got hit 2 times in a month and a 1/2 .Had to replace the header panel bumper cover and driver fender the first time after getting the car back together four days later a lady in a 2000 corvette tried to pull a uturn on a two lane road with out looking and there goes everything I just fixed four days ago plus alot more .Well that is the end of the daily driver that is my luck it was an 87 T/C with 153,000 miles now I will begin to strip it