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My touch is cursed!!

Joined
Apr 2, 2004
Messages
4,611
Location
Newark, Delaware
Corvette
1965 Coupe L76 / 1978 L82
well, it just seems that everything I touch on my car I manage to break or if it's already broken I make it worst!!

Over last winter I had to remove my DeWitts radiator and ship it back to Tom because the drain petcock was brokenn and when I tried to remove it to replace it I found it had been severly crossthreaded by some previous owner or mechanic. He repaired it, installed a new petcock and shipped it back. All was great and fine and since the petcock was already closed I never touched it, just simply reinstalled the radiator and when ready refilled the system.

Everything was just fine until the other day when I had to replace my lower radiator hose. I opened the petcock to drain the system and all that came out was a bare trickle. It took quite a while for it to drain that way but it finally did. I wondered what the deal on that was but figured I'd look at it later.
I just went to refill the system with coolant after swapping out the hose the other day and thought I closed the petcock but as soon as I started pouring it coolant I heard it draining out on the garage floor. WTF!! I checked the petcock and realized that the "wing" on the valve is simply freespinning on it's shaft. It won't close!! :mad
&#$^%^@^#$

now I have to wait until after the holiday weekend, order up a new petcock unit, wait for it to come in and worst of all try to remove this one and install the new one without completely screwing up my expensive to replace DeWitts radiator with my cursed touch.
Normally I'd figure this was just an inconvient delay but anymore with my typical luck all I have are visions of what else could possibly go wrong!
Those threads in the bung are already repaired damaged threads so I'm afraid of making them worst with the removal and reinstall of another petcock.

you know, it would be nice if SOMETHING, just one thing, just once, would actually go right for me on this car!

sorry guys, I just needed to vent!!
 
you know, it would be nice if SOMETHING, just one thing, just once, would actually go right for me on this car!


Barry if it was easy every one would do it


It may be hard to understand but this is really what working on cars is all about. Have patience, relax, its all supposed to be fun.

What else have you ever done so challenging,

I think this why I work on cars , it teaches me how to control my temper



Now for your problem. See if the brass spinner thing is just up too far and that's why its spinning ,it only pressed into place on to the knurls
 
Larry
it's fun working on them at times.........but other times it's just plain downright frustrating and during those times it's anything but relaxing.
i'm sure you weren't overly thrilled 2 weeks ago when you wanted to get that new tri-power set-up on your '62 and there was a problem and you couldn't get it installed and had to wait until after Carlisle.

The sentence you referred back to is accurate. If at least most things or even some things went right for me I could deal better with the occasional problems but it just feels like that everything is always getting screwed up and when I try to fix it all I do is make it worst than it alreeady was.
I realize fully i'm new at working on these cars but I would hope that at least something I do could go right for a change, that's all.

It does look at though the wing moved up or down on the shaft, it's still sitting at the same spot at the end of it, it's just simply freesping on it so however it's pressed into place didn't hold.
I'm hoping maybe a local store like Advanced Auto may actually stock the petcock unit to save me having to order one from Paragon and pay more for shipping than the actual part costs.
 
Barry,

probably just something simple with the petcock. I might be able to stop up today or tomorrow and take a look at it, if you want

Bernie O.
 
Take the petcock out, put the knob up on the knurls where it belongs and then solder it in place :)
 
Barry, maybe $3 from PepBoys. Not NCRS correct but it's nice to be able to attach a hose to it when draining the radiator. Mike
petc.jpg
 
Bernie
you know you are welcome to stop by anytime you want but I got the petcock out but just never got over to Advance Auto today - maybe tomorrow if they are open.
At least the threads still seem ok which was my biggest concern. The unit unscrewed out fine so as long as I can manage to screw the new one in without screwing it up I'll be OK. Than again, never under estimate by talaent for screwing up even the simplest jobs.............

Craig, for $3-$4 bucks I'll just go get a new one. Two actually so I have a spare for the next time it happens.

Mike, it looks as though that one is brass. I need to get an aluminum one. Wouldn't putting a brass fitting into an aluminum radiator cause isses with the reasction of the different metals? The current one is aluminum as is the radiator.
 

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