Stupidest thing you've done?

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MannyEdwards

MannyEdwards

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Just how stupid can we get, I wonder. Maybe this isn't downright the stupidest thing I've ever done, but it gave me the idea for this thread.

Anyway, yesterday I replaced the radiator on my truck. It all seems fine, except I have 2 screws left over. Should I be worried?
 
MannyEdwards said:
Just how stupid can we get, I wonder. Maybe this isn't downright the stupidest thing I've ever done, but it gave me the idea for this thread.

Anyway, yesterday I replaced the radiator on my truck. It all seems fine, except I have 2 screws left over. Should I be worried?
Click to expand...

If you don't have screws left over something is wrong.

And no, I'm not telling the stupidest thing I've ever done. I'm trying to maintain a certain level of respect here!
 
Since you started with car repair stupidity... Back in college I had a 1989 Subaru XT-6 that I replaced the timing belt on. Subarus have horizontally opposed engines, so there's two heads, and obviously two camshafts. This had two timing belts, instead of one big one that more modern Subaurs have. After getting the belts replaced, and everything back together I discovered that I missed one little line in the repair manual that said I was supposed to do the one camshaft, and then rotate the crankshaft half a turn before doing the other camshaft.

Half the engine was 180º out of phase. It idled well, but as soon as you put a load on it, not so much. Good thing it was a non-interference engine!
 
lustreking said:
Since you started with car repair stupidity... Back in college I had a 1989 Subaru XT-6 that I replaced the timing belt on. Subarus have horizontally opposed engines, so there's two heads, and obviously two camshafts. This had two timing belts, instead of one big one that more modern Subaurs have. After getting the belts replaced, and everything back together I discovered that I missed one little line in the repair manual that said I was supposed to do the one camshaft, and then rotate the crankshaft half a turn before doing the other camshaft.

Half the engine was 180º out of phase. It idled well, but as soon as you put a load on it, not so much. Good thing it was a non-interference engine!
Click to expand...

How long did you leave it like that?
 
When me and my buddies were teenage pyromaniacs we made a "rocket" out of a piece of copper pipe filled with gunpowder and sealed at both ends save for a hole in one end. When we lit the thing it went nowhere (to be expected) but instead just sat on the ground spraying white hot flame out of its ass-end for 2 minutes. As soon as it was done I reached down and picked it up. Melted the fingerprints off my hands for weeks.
 
Stupidest thing Ive ever done? Probably walking into a gas station hammered @ 19 to get some chips for a girl in the next door bar. Why this? Because I got arrested due to cops staking out the place for drunk college students. Why is this weak story my dumbest moment... Because I got caught.

Have I done worse, and whilst drunk...Oh yeah... But I didnt get caught, so we wont dwell on those moments. Those are called wins.

On car notes, I probably had a tote full of crap left over from working on my last Trans Am. I upgraded my throttle body to a stage III Shaner (from a 2000 I think) into a 1998 and it idled @ 1800... Couldnt figure it out at first. Found out the throttle cables were different (even though the same F body) and had to adjust. She still ran low 12s for just a full intake/exhaust 346 with a built tranny.
 
Adult-only, or are teenage antics allowed?

If so - I put a can of spray-paint into a fire so's I could watch it explode.

5 minutes went by, and nothing. I knew the can was full, so I was puzzled.

Another few minutes went by, and nothing. I figured it wasn't hot enough where I put the can, so I went up to it, with the thought of burying it in the coals quickly.

As I walked up to the fire, *BOOM*

Paint can exploded in my face. I was covered in burning spray-paint. Thankfully, my glasses protected my eyes and I didn't breathe any in. I tore off my glasses (as I couldn't see out of them anyway) somehow made it back to my truck and drove home. Blind, in agony, smelling of burnt and shame.

I went to the ER, had 2nd degree burns all over my face, neck, and hands. Luckily, somehow I made it out without but one scar that you can see to this day, and that's on my right hand. I was 16 and thought I knew it all.

What a dumb **** I was, and can only wonder how I didn't end up looking like melted silly putty. I am not a great looking guy to begin with, but I could have ended up much worse.

I'll take marriage over re-living that nightmare again, thanks.
 
Not my stupidest moment but close. My dryer squeaked. I opened up the back of the dryer, turned it on a waited for the squeak. The noise was coming from one of the belt rollers. So,, I brought out a can of wd40 and sprayed the suspect squeaky, hot, spinning and lint ridden roller. Poof! Flame ball. That was 25 years ago but still stands out to me as one of my stupider moments
 
slym2none said:
What a dumb **** I was, and can only wonder how I didn't end up looking like melted silly putty. I am not a great looking guy to begin with, but I could have ended up much worse.
Click to expand...

I hear ya. I was the same myself. Somehow I have reached adulthood, without breaking any bones, no major burns, no blown off fingers, full eyesight, no permanent damage whatsoever. Which is not for lack of trying. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to myself in my teens and beat some sense into me.

So I did a lot of terribly stupid things and this is not the worst I did by any means, but the one that left most of an impression.
At about seventeen I was at a party, I won't go in to why, but I was drunk and fell out a window. The drop was about 10 feet, but there was a lot of rubble.
Next day, I woke up, hung over as hell, and couldn't move from my bed. Went to the hospital, got x-rayed and had a fracture on one vertibrae. After a few days I could walk sort of normal again, but my foot was numb for years.
I've done things that should have ended in death or permanent injuries, but just got lucky, I guess. It is a wonder not more teens die, if they are anything like I was (hope they're not).
Now, I'm scared of everything instead :)
 
Being drunk, while probably responsible for falling out the window somehow, probably saved your life. You were so loose & limp, and that acted as a natural cushion. Had you been tensed up for an impact, you might have broken your back outright!

Looking back now, this was kind of stupid:

At our elementary school, the big swingset was at the back of the playground, overlooking a hill. We were supposed to be facing the school, but of course, as soon as the teachers weren't looking, we'd face the other way, get to swinging as high as we could, and jump out of the swing-seat, flying through the air and then tumbling all the way down the hill. We had to have fallen 15 feet or so every time, vertically (no telling how far out we got) and the hill wasn't short, so we'd roll a good bit after "landing". The most harm I ever got were some bruises from rolling on rocks and I ripped a shirt once.

I did that today, y'all would be hearing about my funeral...
 
I've done many a stupid things. One that my parents will agree was really dumb was many years ago as a teen I came home after partying (drinking). The folks were out of town.
I went to bed and suddenly heard a rustling sound in the ceiling directly above my bed. I banged on the ceiling but it did no good. Thinking it was a mouse and being a drunk teen I decided to take care of it with my 22. rifle.
I shot at the sound about 3 times.
Turns out it was a bat and my Dad had to fix the leaky roof.
 
arturo7 said:
Spare Parts Theory: When doing automotive work, at the end of the job, if there are parts left over and the vehicle still runs, you have improved the design. Congratulations!
Click to expand...

If you rebuild a carburetor enough times you will eventually have enough leftover parts to make a second carburetor.
 
slym2none said:
Adult-only, or are teenage antics allowed?

If so - I put a can of spray-paint into a fire so's I could watch it explode.

5 minutes went by, and nothing. I knew the can was full, so I was puzzled.

Another few minutes went by, and nothing. I figured it wasn't hot enough where I put the can, so I went up to it, with the thought of burying it in the coals quickly.

As I walked up to the fire, *BOOM*

Paint can exploded in my face. I was covered in burning spray-paint. Thankfully, my glasses protected my eyes and I didn't breathe any in. I tore off my glasses (as I couldn't see out of them anyway) somehow made it back to my truck and drove home. Blind, in agony, smelling of burnt and shame.

I went to the ER, had 2nd degree burns all over my face, neck, and hands. Luckily, somehow I made it out without but one scar that you can see to this day, and that's on my right hand. I was 16 and thought I knew it all.

What a dumb **** I was, and can only wonder how I didn't end up looking like melted silly putty. I am not a great looking guy to begin with, but I could have ended up much worse.

I'll take marriage over re-living that nightmare again, thanks.
Click to expand...

Man, it's a good thing you had your glasses, or you'd be blind.
 
alphaomega said:
I hear ya. I was the same myself. Somehow I have reached adulthood, without breaking any bones, no major burns, no blown off fingers, full eyesight, no permanent damage whatsoever. Which is not for lack of trying. I wish I had a time machine so I could go back to myself in my teens and beat some sense into me.

So I did a lot of terribly stupid things and this is not the worst I did by any means, but the one that left most of an impression.
At about seventeen I was at a party, I won't go in to why, but I was drunk and fell out a window. The drop was about 10 feet, but there was a lot of rubble.
Next day, I woke up, hung over as hell, and couldn't move from my bed. Went to the hospital, got x-rayed and had a fracture on one vertibrae. After a few days I could walk sort of normal again, but my foot was numb for years.
I've done things that should have ended in death or permanent injuries, but just got lucky, I guess. It is a wonder not more teens die, if they are anything like I was (hope they're not).
Now, I'm scared of everything instead :)
Click to expand...

Wow. Could have been your neck. You're lucky!
 
Probably mine was in my early 20s. I was really desperate for a job (it was November 2008) and was finally going to go in for my first day at Taco Bell the next morning, but had run out of soap and didn't want to leave a bad first impression. So I decide at about 11pm the night before to run out to Walmart. We had just had an ice storm in suburban St. Louis, and my tires were stuck in place.

So I walked to Walmart. For soap. In the ice and snow. I still can't feel parts of my toes. But Taco Bell loved me, and my tires were thawed out enough by morning to drive.
 
I ain't tellin' the stupidest thing I ever did. That's between me & God. But one time, in PA, we were bored one weekend fartin' around up on the hill behind the house. We had 114 acres btw. So we found these hollow reeds & some plastic. Well, we decided to build a fire to melt the plastic & get it inside the hollow reeds. It was coming along pretty well,...then I decided to peek in the other end to see if it was running far enough through. Then, all of a sudden...BLOOT! It shot it's load against my left temple. Now I know how women feel. (way ta go, hawkeye!). It burned like all hell for several minutes. My brother eventually had to use his pocket knife to shave it off the side of my face. I still have a dark spot there that can be seen today. I now try to remember Robin Williams...I WILL NOT DO STUPID SHIZ FOR NO REASON! I WILL NOT DO STUPID SHIZ FOR NO REASON! I WILL NOT DO STUPID SHIZ FOR NO REASON!...
 
Got waaaaay too drunk and did some cartwheels face first into a cinder block wall and shattered my nose. The tip of my nose was literally hanging off of my face. Thank god for a good surgeon who stitched my drunk ass up at 3 in the morning.
 
Didn't listen to you guys & save my books as they're written onto an external drive, memory stick, whatever. Well friends, today I got a notion to add to my cookbook, & guess what? Windows got rid of it, or otherwise lost it! The whole friggin' book! Lost the better part of two or three others as well in windows.old.xxx. Bloody 'ell! Well, I finally had to say F***it & look for that 16GB memstick I bought awhile back. I had to dig down into (my name)2/WTF?/Where the F?/ Who the F is dave/documents where?. FU2 To finally find where open office is saving my files too, instead of the current " my documents". So after saving them all to the memory stick, I sent copies to " my documents" (current) & checked to make sure they're there. Now if I could just tell that stupid open office to send them to what I like to call, " the right place"...!@#Q%()*#$%$#$%%$&$ besides the fact that @#$$&(&*)&%$%#, not to mention, !@@!$@%_)&*((&$$@#...:mad:
 
I've got a couple.

Middle School: We took a trip to the Festival of Nations at the Civic Center. After the event we were waiting outside for the bus and I saw that the access panel on one of the big flagpoles was open. I looked inside and saw the mechanism for raising and lowering the internal cables for the flags. There was a small mechanical catch. I pushed on it and the catch released before I realized what I was doing and I heard a "whirring" sound. I quickly turned around and casually stepped away from the flagpole and pretended that nothing had happened. About 1/4 of a second later I heard a rattle and a thud and I turned around to see a 20-30 pound counter-weight laying on the ground where I had just been standing.

College: My friend and I were hiking in what I remember to be Fall Creek Falls State Park . It was a dry year (summer of 1995) and the water level was down far enough that we could walk across the top of the falls (Cane Creek or Piney Creek Falls) from one side to the other. The sign on the falls said it was 85 or 95 feet high (memory is fuzzy). I decided to jump figuring that the cascading water had hollowed out the basin... yeah, I was a smart one. I psyched myself up and stepped - not jumped - off the waterfall. My foot caught and I spent the entire two breaths of time on the way down trying to get upright and get my feet together. I hit the water with my upper body slightly canted forward, my right arm slightly apart from my body and my feet slightly spread apart. I got a river water enema, a wrenched shoulder on my right side, and my upper body from belly to chin was red and sore. I didn't drown so Darwin was wrong.
 

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