Southern (or afro) engineering, redneck rig up, ghetto job, etc......call it what you will, but most of us have done something big or small that would qualify as a non-OE/manufacturer suggested cure to what ails our trucks. Dixie460 posted 2 fixes done to a truck and I wanted to hear some other people's ideas, whether it/they are comical or not, but (more importantly) how did they stack-up against time???

I look forward to hearing your stories!

 

Well, uncle Encho did this (waaaaay down South), I have to say it's still working just fine to this day: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...le-repair.html

I will eventually replace the radiator, but not because of this.

 

not really a "fix" to cure an issue but a mod to improve the looks really, found the wood trim in a Mark3 custom flair (dent side) side and pulled that, would have taken the overhead too if my truck was teh Xtended cab but sadly its not so that couldnt be had but the rest of the wood I took and slowly started replacing the ugly gray/black XLT trim thats made of plastic with wood made pieces, so now I just need two or three more fo the Mark three dash trim pieces (so they match) for the doors and driver side pieces, I found two more that don't match and havent put them in yet as im not sure if i like them or not (really crappy looking...) also went to the pick a part and pulled the best looking res off a truck to replace mine, again another thread another topic, cost of that was all of $5 verses the $35 WANTED ON EBAY AND $60+ from the local dealership...so yea made off well there. also a $10 fix for a dry rotted drain plug on the upper coolant line (why would a dump valve go there anyways, its best located on a lower section....) but I pulled that out and replaced it with a mail to mail adapter and fixed a nearly costly issue to the tune of $1k or more, thankfully I caught the error of autozone (never will i get anything from them for the engine again) and replaced with the better O'relies part...so alls well....


other then that most of my "fixes" are mostly cosmetic, except for the headlamps, they will be a functional fix that will be replacing the busted old lamps, but for now a little ATF fluid and a rag works well...

 

I blew out a steel brake one on a 70 F250 I had years ago while out 4 wheeling with it. I used duct tape and hose clamps to make a temporary repair to have enough(barely) brake to get back to town to get a new steel line to fix it right. I took the duck tape and rolled it round round the rust hole and then used 3 or 4 hose clamps to help hold it. I had a bottle of brake fluid in a tool box in the bed. Like I said it was only a temporary fix to get back to town, and I went slow, but it worked

matt

 

My A pillar trim was rattling like crazy because it was cracked at the screw hole and the screw didn't hold it tight..

Drilled a hole through a penny and used it as a washer.

Works PERFECTLY

 

Best thing to do in that case is to take some vise-grips and crimp the steel brake line off before where the leak is. That way you still have some fully functioning brakes (at least a couple wheels) to get you back where you need to be without any leaks.

 

I once purchased a 78 from a good friend. He bought it with the intention of using it as a trail rig but lost interest soon after he took possession of it.

Apparently the PO had performed a transmission swap and ran short on bolts during reassembly. After I bought the truck and drove it an entire block the input shaft in the NP435 twisted in half.

When I started taking it apart to install a new NP435 I realised the reason the input shaft twisted was because the transfer case was only held up to the transmissions output shaft with the transmission mount! This caused the transfer case to shift rearwards enough for the output shaft of the NP435 to walk itself and the shaft bearing out of the case, which caused the internals to lock up.

Upon closer inspection I found two of the studs used for securing th T-case to the tranny had holes drilled in them for large cotter pins! God only knows why the PO didnt purchase for nuts for the studs.

 

The list of quick fixes I've done could go on for days.

Wads of electrical tape to plug a tire quickly on the road is a good one. Putting a really big screw into a hole where a nail went through is also one of the better fixes.

Hanging exhaust with coat hangers works pretty good.

When your throttle cable breaks, you can tie binder twine to the throttle under the hood and pull it through the window to get home. It's much funner with 2 people so the guy in the passenger seat can pull the rope. Much more difficult with a manual tranny though.

 

My F-150 sprung a pinhole leak in my heater hose nipple off the water pump. It was Thursday nite and I had to go to work the next day, so I cut a piece of rubber gasket material into a square and hose clamped it over the hole. Didn't leak a drop and held up just fine til I replaced the pump Saturday morning.

 

another one I did was a bungie cord around the coolant tank to hold it in place until I have time to swap the tank out with a better one that won't flop around.

 

That one is the winner in my book. Hilarious.

 

Know a kid who in high school drove his car with a rope, had it through the firewall though. Apparently a throttle assembly was too spendy. One night at the light there was a cop next to us and he threw his feet on the dash an took off when it turned green, should seen the look on his face. Yeah that kid drove it like that all through high school

 

You could just tie the rope to the armrest... Instant cruise control

 

He was worried he couldn't get it untied fast enough in a panic situation . But he did think of it

 

Not a Ford but funny as it involves the cruse control of my friend's chevy.... many years ago we went to Miami, when he picked me up I as puzzled as there was a big brick on the seat. I ask what the heck the brick was for... "....it's my cruse control..... he replied!!


Now on my car, the wiper bushing broke(tyhpical Chrysler) during a thunder storm. Well, I had some rope and made it work! Pull one rope, then the other......

As for my trucks. I still have about 10 cans of pepper in the 84's radiator! Has not leaked in over 10 years!

My bus aux battery charge relay failed and I use a knife switch to charge the battery as I have not been successful in locating where Ford or StarTrans put the stupid charge relay. Its buried in the engine bay some where and a van engine bay is not alot of room with a 460 too....