What’s the All-Time Worst Wrenching Project?
Tell us about the one that drove you wild—and not in a good way.
My sophomore-year prom date owned a green 1965 Mustang with glasspacks, which gave it that deep exhaust tone gearheads (like me) love. You couldn’t miss the rumble of that car as it rolled through the school parking lot; some scowled and some grinned. That being said, there's no telling how much pain he had to go through to get those installed.
Nowadays it's easy to get everything you want in a car directly from the factory, sports exhaust systems, suspension lifts, performance upgrades, etc. Some folks, however, like to get their hands dirty and do things the old-fashioned way: a DYI wrenching project.
This made me wonder: what's the all-time worst wrenching project you've embarked on?
Remember when neon undercarriage lighting was the rage? Maybe you recall the stuck-on spoilers of the ‘90s and 2000s. Whether doing something big like an LS engine swap or small like adding VTEC stickers, there's gotta be some project that just drove you wild.
Take, for instance, this Dodge Hellcat frame repair – and we use the word “repair” in the lightest of air quotes. Or Caleb Jacobs’ Corrado massacre. If a Frankenbronco lights your fire, then you can just tell everyone you planned it that way all along. I mean, to each their own but you know and I know that you win some and you lose some.
Like many DYI videos found on YouTube, TV shows like Fast N Loud, Overhaulin', and Bitchin' Rides made it look easy. Sure, yeah! Go ahead and replace that engine. Here's a manual. And to be fair, they take on big, splashy projects that get views. The average car fan with some basic wrenching tools and a lift doesn't have the benefit of a whole team making sure it goes smoothly.
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