weird things previous owners have done

[1quick6]

I am curious to hear stories of things you have found while doing repair work on your TR, things previous owners have done, that make you say "Why in the heck did they do that?" Of course, it causes you lots more work!

My latest one has to do with getting my exhaust system sealed up. I replaced the driver's side header and put on a matching crossover pipe that came with it. While taking the crossover pipe off, which is normally held on by two M10x1.5 bolts on each header, I discovered that the previous owner had replaced the outside bolt on the passenger side with a stud and a nut on top of the coupler ( not sure if that is the right term ) and a nut on the bottom. I had wanted to replace all four with stainless bolts, but there is no way I can get that stud off without removing the passenger side header since there is no access to it. To top it off, the stud made it almost impossible to get the crossover pipe back on since it severely limited clearance. I ended up having to grind a little bit off the coupler just to get it to clear the frame so I could get it lined up with the stud. To get the 17mm socket on it, I had to turn the nut with a wrench at 1/8 turn for several minutes before there was enough clearance to get a socket on it and then had to switch to a deep well when I could. That darn stud cost me over an hour of time, where if a proper bolt had been used it would have been a couple of minutes.

I'd still like to get that stud out and put the proper bolt in, but it's just too hot in the garage and I think it is all sealing well now.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Original owner of my car swapped in a Currie Ford 9" rear when the car was brand new! Didn't get the original rear with the car BUT that was actually a good thing. Also, had gauges installed but never hooked up. Car had 4700 miles on it when I bought it.

 

[charlief1]

Someone before me added a boost guage from a chrysler turbo to a little panel and stuck it in the ash tray for use. Don't know how the heck you could see it on the consol but it is what it is.

 

[allblackcars]

Does a $200 dollar paint job count! They painted all trim and bezels gloss black along with the rubber trim around the quarter glass. The best thing the previous owner did was keep everything else stock.

 

[GNTIM]

the previous owner kept all the build sheets!!! Nathan Martin, if you are out there, I am going to find you

 

[87GNSteve]

I had a driverside window switch missing the connector the wires were wrapped on the poles of the switch and an entire tube of JB Weld poured over it to keep them together. There was so much JB WEld you couldnt get the upper door panel off. I just cut the wires and get another connector at the junkyard. I dont know why he didnt do that.....

 

[coach]

The original owner sold me the car, with 14,992 miles on it. Every single item he ever purchased for the car or took off the car, but would not throw in the new set of T-tops and bags he bought as extras in 1988. I have since offered to buy them and he said he is keeping them because he might get another T-top car in the future and he may need them...WTF???

Coach

 

[IT_guy]

Where to start......

Cooling fan rigged to run constantly instead of using the thermostat (car came from Texas, but now in Wisconsin)
Internal fuel pump was inoperable when I got the car, still in the tank, and an external pump was installed (using the same lines)

 

["Turbo-T"]

Let's see...the above pics are the exhaust I pulled off of my car. As you can see, someone welded on 2 inch dual pipes from the stock Y pipe, then they cut off the flanges to the catalytic converter and sloppily welded in a home made test pipe. Why anyone would want to run fence post sized pipes to choke down the exhale of a turbo engine is beyond me.



This is the rest of the exhaust. In addition to installing drinking straws for pipes they also installed one of the worst flowing mufflers.

Then someone installed a TE-60 turbo on this same engine with the tiny pipes, yet left to stock D5 converter in.

I found a "live" 12 gauge wire under the carpet that went to....nothing.

I also found someone spliced into the radio wiring harness for an aftermarket radio. They were too cheap to go out and spend $12 for an adapter.

There was no hot wire kit when I bought the car. I presumed it still had the stock fuel pump. Ordered a hotwire and walbro 340. Dropped the tank to find it had a Holley/Walbro 340. But no hot wire to support it.

Someone also tried talking a chrome car and giving it the WO2 option except they left the door handles and window trim chrome, but blacked out the tail lamps, head lamps and installed an '86 GN grille.

 

[Onalky87]

I am curious to hear stories of things you have found while doing repair work on your TR, things previous owners have done, that make you say "Why in the heck did they do that?" Of course, it causes you lots more work!

My latest one has to do with getting my exhaust system sealed up. I replaced the driver's side header and put on a matching crossover pipe that came with it. While taking the crossover pipe off, which is normally held on by two M10x1.5 bolts on each header, I discovered that the previous owner had replaced the outside bolt on the passenger side with a stud and a nut on top of the coupler ( not sure if that is the right term ) and a nut on the bottom. I had wanted to replace all four with stainless bolts, but there is no way I can get that stud off without removing the passenger side header since there is no access to it. To top it off, the stud made it almost impossible to get the crossover pipe back on since it severely limited clearance. I ended up having to grind a little bit off the coupler just to get it to clear the frame so I could get it lined up with the stud. To get the 17mm socket on it, I had to turn the nut with a wrench at 1/8 turn for several minutes before there was enough clearance to get a socket on it and then had to switch to a deep well when I could. That darn stud cost me over an hour of time, where if a proper bolt had been used it would have been a couple of minutes.

I'd still like to get that stud out and put the proper bolt in, but it's just too hot in the garage and I think it is all sealing well now.

I had the same problem a week ago!! When taking the crossover off the driver side flange top bolt was just like that. I had to remove header

Also, there were holes in trunk where someone had an amp bolted down in there for a stereo

 

[Azrial89]

Boost, RPM, Oil Pressure, Water Temp all installed and operating properly, but no back lighting. Pulled the gauges... All lighting wires just dyked off, don't really understand that... Also, ash tray slot filled with three switches and a button attached to... Nothing. Trunk light dyked. Left the turbo heat shield off for no apparent reason, destroying the hood liner. Yeah, I think that's about it haha


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[salvageV6]

You guys are waaaayyyy to picky.

 

[VaderGN]

The pleasures and surprises of owning a used car.


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[bison]

Ground wires grounded to plastic. Worm clamps used on fuel lines with non fuel injection hose, torn injector o rings spraying fuel everywhere, leaking gas tanks, failed brake lines, leaking brake lines from incorrect flaring, unbolted seats, seat belts removed, seized calipers, missing drum brake components, missing head bolts, thousands of stripped threads, butt connectors and tap in connectors all over the cars wiring, wiring "rats nests", t-shirt in rear diff (owner put it in because someone told him it would be a posi if he did), engines with missing rings, rings on upside down, missing oil pickup gasket ( and no anaerobic sealant), abrasive sanding disk divots all over deck, heads, and intake manifold, no valve stem seals on intake valves, turbos with oil drainback routed to valve covers, transmissions with missing components or incorrectly jnstalled components, failed power brakes and e brake not functional, rear brake lines folded over to prevent fluid loss instead of fixing leak, holes drilled in floors to let water drain (instead of fixing leaks), contraband under center console, rodent nests just about everywhere you could imagine on the car, owner poured windshield washer fluid in coolant reserve tank, tires that were so shot I wouldn't roll them across the floor let alone ride in a car with them on, cracked rims, flashlight taped in place to replace missing head lamp, doors that wouldn't latch, missing quarter glass, wasps nests all over the damn car, marsupials living in trunk, car with 3 compact spares on it being driven!, vin numbers removed with grinder, used condoms, dirty underwear, blood, feces and just about any other f'd up thing you can think of.


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[turbo nasty]

Had one with a external fuel pump that drew through the factory sender...I dropped the tank one day and there is a non fuel rated water type hose just clamped to the sender that hung down in the fuel tank for the pickup.
The fuel had taken its toll and 1/2 of the hose was melted away and the inner braid was just dangling. Made sense why below 1/2 a tank the fuel psi was dropping.
Same car had wiring that had #10 spliced to a #14 then back to a #10 then to wire nut...LOL.

 

[dr_frankenstein]

about a dozen half melted 12Ga shotgun shells in heater assembly.

 

[John Larkin]

holes drilled in floors to let water drain (instead of fixing leaks)

I had an 87 Grand Am that had a leak in the cowl that I could never find. I drilled a drain hole. Beat pulling the carpet 3 more times. What a mess that was but it fixed it. I bet no one ever figured out what I did because it actually stopped the flood.

 

[salvageV6]

I drilled a 3/16" hole in the back seat floor of salvageV6, I thought it was the right thing to do.

I did at least drill through the vent part of the floor, made the "flow through ventilation" work better, and I had to clear a place for some water that puddled a few inches on top of the dynamat I installed.

I also used worm clamps on fuel injection line for like 15 years, two of them though just like the factory.

 

[Williams3982]

The original owner sold me the car, with 14,992 miles on it. Every single item he ever purchased for the car or took off the car, but would not throw in the new set of T-tops and bags he bought as extras in 1988. I have since offered to buy them and he said he is keeping them because he might get another T-top car in the future and he may need them...WTF???

Coach

Lol


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[87GNSteve]

Owner had a 454 installed in place of the LC2.