What's the WORST 'Fix/Repair' you've ever seen?

[Mel]

I posted a question years ago regarding something bizarre I'd found on my car and asked for thoughts/opinions.  The first, of several replies I got, was from Gunslinger who started off the thread with something on the order of 'Welcome to the world of fixing things others have screwed up.'  So, I was thinking, 'What's the most idiotic 'fix/patch' you've ever seen?'  I'll start it off.

When I first bought my '66 some 16 years ago, the car was off loaded from a semi at 2:00am in a strip mall parking lot.  (The cop who floated through at that moment probably thought that, in that brightly lit setting, it was either legal or more paperwork than he wanted to deal with.)  Anyway, drove it home bucking and kicking all the way.

Quick compression check, all OK.  Carb float levels, accelerator pump OK.  Ignition, start with the easy: points, condenser, cap, rotor, plugs, all basically OK.  Wiring:  On each side, the  plug wires for the front two cylinders was duct taped together, as was the wiring for the back two cylinders.  Needless to say, the seller's report of the engine having been overhauled approx. 500 miles prior to my purchase was met with skepticism but, 15,000 miles later, it's doing OK.

So, again, what's the most idiotic thing you've seen?

[mfg]

This is a fun question!

I don’t know if this could be considered idiotic, but years ago I went to look at a ‘64 Avanti that was for sale locally… The car needed work, however I had definitely seen worse…

What I found strange was the entire disc brake system & the 11” rear drums had been replaced with a complete V8 Hawk/Lark drum brake system… 

I drove the car (the original Avanti brake booster was still in place)

Funny thing is, that Avanti stopped BEAUTIFULLY, with very light pedal pressure!!

[Dwight FitzSimons]

About 30 years ago I purchased a '63 Avanti from its original owner in order to get its R3 engine.  The car looked, and was, tired.  No problem there, but it also had three bone-headed screw-ups done by the seller's garage. (The seller had praised that garage). 

1) The car had been used as a daily driver summer & winter in Cincinnati (an R3 Avanti!), so by the 1980s it needed a new frame.  One was purchased from Avanti Motors and installed.  But the garage drilled the holes in the frame for the rear cross-member about 1/2" too far back.  That set the engine/trans too far back & the accelerator bellcrank (?) rubbed on the firewall, rubbing a notch in the fiberglass.  I re-drilled the holes correctly.

2) The garage had screwed up the wiring for the parking lights so that they worked oddly.  I corrected the wiring.

3) The garage had cut off the flared end of the copper oil pressure line and used a compression fitting to connect it to a rubber hose made for another vehicle.  My brother made an adapter for my flaring tool so that I could flare that tiny tube.  On the second try I got the flare right and installed the correct flexible hose from head to copper line.

There may have been more.

--Dwight

[R3 Forward]

A minor issue but still could not believe somebody did this....  I bought a 63 R2 about 2001, a bit warn but all original.  A previous owner had painted the inside of the engine compartment with a paint brush using a red paint that did not even match the maroon color on the body.  Pretty ugly.  Have done a full restoration installed an R3 clone and everything looks better now.