Bruzilla
Well-Known Member
You guys will like this! A friend of mine recently sold his 1968 Road Runner to a guy who's pretty new to the hobby. The car is an immaculate 440-4spd car that was fully restored a couple of years ago.
So, the new owner is out cruising about north Florida a week ago and the engine dies. Having more money than automotive experience, he calls for a wrecker and has the car towed to one of those chain tire/exhaust/alignment/general repair places (you guys know the breed). The techs troubleshoot the problem as no fuel reaching the carb, and decide to replace the fuel pump.
Just as they do many times a day, they followed the fuel lines back to the fuel tank and tried to see how to remove the fuel pump.
Not finding the usual access point, they decide to lower the fuel tank because they think the guys at Plymouth are total morons and never engineered a way to remove the fuel pump from the tank without dropping it. At some point after dropping the tank, someone informs the tech that older cars don't have electric fuel pumps in the gas tank and they are mounted on the engine. Ooops! Somewhat doubtful of this new information, they decide to reinstall the gas tank, but they'll only secure it with one strap... just to save themselves some work in case they end up needing to drop it again.
They move to the front of the engine and conclude, for some reason, that the only way to access the fuel pump is to remove all the belt-driven accessories. So they pull the alternator, power steering, and water pump off. They then proceed to put the new fuel pump on, and for some reason decide to just mount it with just one bolt part way in. Our guess was they were in the midst of mounting the pump when someone came by and asked "why did you guys take off all the accessories to change a fuel pump?" and in the post-question debate the techs forgot they never finished mounting the pump.
Now they go to reinstall the accessories, but no one made note of how they were installed and the alternator was put back on without the spacers.
They go to start the car, and it starts but they tear up the alternator belt in seconds. Thinking putting a new belt on will make all the difference, they get a new belt, put it on, and it too is shredded in seconds. Now they figure maybe they did something wrong and notice the alternator pulley isn't close to being aligned right, so they say "that's what those leftover parts were for!" and get the alternator installed correctly.
The owner comes to get his car, and now the car won't start. Turns out not installing the fuel pump in correctly causes it to work its way out and damage the pump lever. So the owner takes the car to a speed shop where they find the gas pump is ruined and the gas tank is a fraction of an inch away from falling out of the one strap trying desperately to hold it on.
And this, oh newbies to the hobby, is why you never, ever, go to a chain repair shop. Look for that rundown, shabby, looks like it's run by a guy named Scooter, shop.
So, the new owner is out cruising about north Florida a week ago and the engine dies. Having more money than automotive experience, he calls for a wrecker and has the car towed to one of those chain tire/exhaust/alignment/general repair places (you guys know the breed). The techs troubleshoot the problem as no fuel reaching the carb, and decide to replace the fuel pump.
Just as they do many times a day, they followed the fuel lines back to the fuel tank and tried to see how to remove the fuel pump.
Not finding the usual access point, they decide to lower the fuel tank because they think the guys at Plymouth are total morons and never engineered a way to remove the fuel pump from the tank without dropping it. At some point after dropping the tank, someone informs the tech that older cars don't have electric fuel pumps in the gas tank and they are mounted on the engine. Ooops! Somewhat doubtful of this new information, they decide to reinstall the gas tank, but they'll only secure it with one strap... just to save themselves some work in case they end up needing to drop it again.They move to the front of the engine and conclude, for some reason, that the only way to access the fuel pump is to remove all the belt-driven accessories. So they pull the alternator, power steering, and water pump off. They then proceed to put the new fuel pump on, and for some reason decide to just mount it with just one bolt part way in. Our guess was they were in the midst of mounting the pump when someone came by and asked "why did you guys take off all the accessories to change a fuel pump?" and in the post-question debate the techs forgot they never finished mounting the pump.
Now they go to reinstall the accessories, but no one made note of how they were installed and the alternator was put back on without the spacers.
They go to start the car, and it starts but they tear up the alternator belt in seconds. Thinking putting a new belt on will make all the difference, they get a new belt, put it on, and it too is shredded in seconds. Now they figure maybe they did something wrong and notice the alternator pulley isn't close to being aligned right, so they say "that's what those leftover parts were for!" and get the alternator installed correctly.
The owner comes to get his car, and now the car won't start. Turns out not installing the fuel pump in correctly causes it to work its way out and damage the pump lever.
So the owner takes the car to a speed shop where they find the gas pump is ruined and the gas tank is a fraction of an inch away from falling out of the one strap trying desperately to hold it on.And this, oh newbies to the hobby, is why you never, ever, go to a chain repair shop. Look for that rundown, shabby, looks like it's run by a guy named Scooter, shop.
