The worst/best bodge thread.

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Dave Bamber
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The worst/best bodge thread.

Post by Dave Bamber »

Inspired by Marty's heater matrix bypass, whats the worst/best bodged, botched and general cowboy style repair you've seen or heaven forbid done[:0] Crack on[;)]
VisaGTi16v
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Post by VisaGTi16v »

Lotus test track May 2002 doing a Sprint in the Visa which at that point was on its original 1.6
Got the car finished on the friday, left at 3.30am to drive the 180 miles there. First practise run, came out of the second corner, went for third gear and ripped the gear linkages off as the cups were so worn. Got towed back to the paddock, jacked it up, went under it with some cable ties, sorted, they didnt come off again :D
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alexp-j
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Post by alexp-j »

4 out of 6 MOT faults fixed using cable ties, one with araldite.
Passed re-test yesterday.
VisaGTi16v
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Post by VisaGTi16v »

cable ties really are one of the best ever inventions, they can fix so many things!
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Post by bikeboyz »

Well I wont call it a bad bodge but one evening in a hurry doing a ton past a truck the exhaust fell off the Punto, in a spark flying fashion! Ended up renching of the back box slinging it in the boot and driving the last 40 miles home. Being of course a bank holiday and nobody having a exhaust in stock, welded it up, slapped it back on. Next day in the frost, started it up left it running to defrost, had a cup of tea, came out and found it had melted a small hole in the rear bumper, bugger!
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Post by VisaGTi16v »

which reminds me of driving back through france last year and my zx exhaust broke in 2 just before the rear box so had to tie it up with some thin wire I had so it was vaguely pointing in the right direction, damm noisy at eurotunnel customs :D
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Post by beezer »

"cable ties really are one of the best ever inventions, they can fix so many things!"
Even better are the 'releasable' variety available at Maplins. For cyclists they are the bees' knees.
I have written about it in another thread but I once turned a wooden (boxwood) bearing for my alternator. It got me from Mull to Glasgow where I purchased a new 'conventional' bearing. I turned a spare to carry on the journey but didn't need it.
martyhopkirk

Post by martyhopkirk »

Not responsible for the matrix bypass bodge - however I will have to fix it before the cost of gas canisters gets out of hand....
However worst bodge i ever did (and believe me I have done some classics) was repairing the front brake lever cable on a Yamaha motorbike using a small screw wire block (the type you would use to join 2 low voltage wires together and usually come in a block of 10) - It was sunday, I was poor, it was raining, the bike shop did'nt have any (take your pick).
Worked mind you (long enough to sell the bike).
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Post by beezer »

The AA repaired my clutch cable with a glorified version of the screw wire block. That was over a year ago and it is still in place. I have a new cable but I am just seeing how long it lasts.
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Post by bxbodger »

I drove an Allegro around for ages with a wine cork in place of the broken plastic cooling system filler plug-it worked fine, and hands up who hasn't replaced a cartridge fuse with a bit of foil at some point??
It must be something about Japanese bikes, or the optimism of a 16 year old-on my first bike, an FS1E, the bit on the front drum brake plate that the brake cable adjuster goes into broke off with metal fatigue, I just araldited it back on until I could get another brake plate[:0]!!!- scarey to think I did it now, but it actually held!!!!
Stuart McB
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Post by Stuart McB »

Dacia duster 4X4, heater valve broke. B&Q brass radiator tap with big red handle and some copper fittings. Plumbed in and worked better than the original. Also Rover 600 (ergh!) had a slight oil leak on returning from the dealers after a service. Had a look underneath and found a ciggy wrapper stuck to the sump, pulled it of and the sump was sick over the drive. The dealer had managed to hole the sump and put some metal putty over the hole and then the tin foil from some Gold Leaf over it to give it that metal finish. Any how new sump fitted and drive cleaned by dealer staff. All OK and the Rover has long gone....horray.
martyhopkirk

Post by martyhopkirk »

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by bxbodger</i>

I drove an Allegro around for ages with a wine cork in place of the broken plastic cooling system filler plug-it worked fine, and hands up who hasn't replaced a cartridge fuse with a bit of foil at some point??<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Still got a cork I use on the caravans water heater - been going strong for 4 years now!
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by bxbodger</i>It must be something about Japanese bikes, or the optimism of a 16 year old-on my first bike, an FS1E, the bit on the front drum brake plate that the brake cable adjuster goes into broke off with metal fatigue, I just araldited it back on until I could get another brake plate[:0]!!!- scarey to think I did it now, but it actually held!!!!
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
Did the same with a Tomos Disco moped - though used chemical metal putty. Must be a common fix!
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Post by oilyspanner »

Servicing rear brakes on a Xantia this summer found large splodge of what appeared to be "Gun Gum" or similar between caliper and suspension arm??????? made the caliper sit on the p*ss and wore the pads wedge shaped but WHY?????
Working on a Shogun found front fogs to be wired with flat twin and earth (solid core) and sellotape,wiggled the wire and the loom caught fire, main light switch had been replaced with one from a Vauxhall too, very complicated, lights only worked with certain combinations of switches. will post more as memory improves
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ralph
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Post by ralph »

Snapped the height adjuster on my 205's headlamp while replacing a bulb before taking it for MoT.
Because the headlamp was left flopping about, I wedged a piece of wine-bottle cork underneath it and tried to get it somewhere near level with the other headlamp.
No, it didn't pass. And the tester found my pathetic repair. Embarrassing.
This was years ago, honest.
dnsey
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Post by dnsey »

Used to run a moped years ago.
One day the throttle cable broke miles from home - but the choke cable had the same type of nipple...
Started OK with a glove over the air intake, but riding home (several roundabouts, etc) with a thumb-operated throttle trigger on the same side as the twistgrip gearchange was interesting!
I believe the same trick was possible on the Hillman Imp.
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