What's your best MacGyver moment

[johnyrotten]

So we've all been there, 6pm on a Sunday in the middle of something and Murphy shows up and throws his hand in the mix. My glasses snapped in half (the flexible Bridge over the nose). Thought about possibly silver soldering them, but working blind and unsure of the metallurgy I came up with this. A few pieces of stainless wire, some heat shrink and c.a. glue. A bit of file work and 20 minutes later, fit perfect and will get me through the holiday weekend till I can get some replacements. Anyone else have a MacGyver story they want to share?

[Can-Con]

In '84 I had a '76 Caprice Landau, would have been a beautiful car if I had money to put into it ,, and a starter.

Late one night after visiting a cousin at UNB I started for home but the car wouldn't. I'd need a boost with no cables let along a handy car to get a boost from.

Ron's room mate had a big Honda cruising bike but neither had a car so we made due.

all I had in the trunk of the car was a stray wheel cover and a length of copper tubing.

Took all three of us but with one holding the stainless steel wheel cover tight to my chrome front bumper and a chrome tube on the bike and another holding one end of the copper tubing to the positive on the bike and the other end on my battery, I started cranking it over and we managed to get it started. ?

Edited October 13, 2024 by Can-Con

[NOBLNG]

22 minutes ago, Can-Con said:

In '84 I had a '76 Caprice Landau, would have been a beautiful car if I had money to put into it ,, and a starter.

Late one night after visiting a cousin at UNB I started for home but the car wouldn't. I'd need a boost with no cables let along a handy car to get a boost from.

Ron's room mate had a big Honda cruising bike but neither had a car so we made due.

all I had in the trunk of the car was a stray wheel cover and a length of copper tubing.

Took all three of us but with one holding the stainless steel wheel cover tight to my chrome front bumper and a chrome tube on the bike and another holding one end of the copper tubing to the positive on the bike and the other end on my battery, I started cranking it over and we managed to get it started. ?

Are you sure your name isn’t Red Green.?

[Mike 1017]

The 53ft trailer that I was hauling developed an air leak. So, I grabbed my trusty Vice Grips and clamped down on the airline taking care of the leak until I could get it repaired. FYI. If a truck develops an air leak the brakes will lock up and you are going nowhere.

Mike

[Ace-Garageguy]

I've rigged so many shady vehicles just to get 'em home, I could write a book on the wrong...but effective...ways to do things.  

[rattle can man]

temporary repair to a radiator hose. wrapped the area with duct tape then applied a hose clamp over top of that. worked like a charm to get me home.

[Tim W. SoCal]

When I was attending tech school near Phoenix, AZ, I was headed home to SoCal for a weekend after working late into the night. I was headed west on I10 and came across an elderly couple broken down on the side of the freeway. It turns out that the secondary lead from their ignition coil to their distributor cap had corroded and burned in two, resulting in no spark to their rotor. I made a temporary coil wire out of a section of metal clothes hanger, which got their engine running, and followed then into Blythe, CA.

[JollySipper]

Pouring gasoline down the outlet side of a failing mechanical fuel pump will reprime it enough to get you home, or at least not stranded......

[webestang]

Back in the early 80's while driving my 71 Super Beetle on a date, the throttle linkage broke on the carb. I used a rubber band and a paper clip I had in the glove box to fix the linkage and finish my date. 

[NOBLNG]

Back around the late 70’s, I was at a bush party and someone stole the coil wire from my ‘68 Biscayne as a joke. So I swapped a plug wire over to the coil and drove it home on 5 cylinders.?

[johnyrotten]

3 hours ago, rattle can man said:

temporary repair to a radiator hose. wrapped the area with duct tape then applied a hose clamp over top of that. worked like a charm to get me home.

I've done similar,  plastic bag, tape and a clamp. Got my buddies old dodge home without Nuking the engine. 

[johnyrotten]

2 hours ago, webestang said:

Back in the early 80's while driving my 71 Super Beetle on a date, the throttle linkage broke on the carb. I used a rubber band and a paper clip I had in the glove box to fix the linkage and finish my date. 

Priorities. 

[Little Timmy]

Vice grips have saved me quite a few times

In the middle of nowhere Idaho, my radiator in my 1976 Olds cutlass blew apart. ( I didn't know they could actually blow apart, but there it was, one big pile of shrapnel. )

I walked a few miles and actually found an old junkyard. The only car on the lot that had an almost usable radiator was a 1969 buick.

I purchased the radiator, and walked back to my car.  The "new to me " radiator didn't have a separate hose mounting for my cars heater.

So I took the hose that went from my heater to the radiator, and clamped it off using a pair of vice grips ... then drove the 300 miles home.

 

I also had a Honda 350 motorcycle that I used a pair of vice grips as a gear shift lever.

Drove it that way for 2 or 3 years.

 

[stitchdup]

my neighbours like to wedge the outside door open which causes my flat to freeze. I took apart the door closer and replaced the spring with one from an old baler. now it takes more effort to open the door but they cant wedge it open as the spring is stronger than the rock is heavy.

Edited October 15, 2024 by stitchdup

[lordairgtar]

I was homeless for a short period. I collected scrap metal and cans with a coaster wagon. I bought a $50 Chevette. Ran pretty good but was rusty. Driving on an especially bad road with potholes the size of large dogs, one of my shock absorber/strut on the front end broke loose from the tower pushing it through the sheet metal. Some old muffler strap criss crossed on top of the tower , then lining up the strap holes to hold the shock and drilling holes in surrounding sheet metal and screwing them down with sheet metal screws got me through the cold winter until I had a normal job where I could afford a better car... another $50 dollar crapwagon, but wasn't rusty like the Chevette.