Who's the cheapest SOB on this board

[Cowracer]

(Idea taken from a Monndoggies Front Suspension post)

I am by no means a "cheap bas-tahd" so I am not it the running, but what is the 'cheapest' thing you ever did/saw?

I have seen a guy who built a rack out of PVC pipe to let the last little squib of oil drain out of his oil bottles.

Tim

[Dieselboy]

I saw a roll bar constructed out of 1.5" threaded steel plumbing pipe. It was very choice. :rolleyes:

[More Power]

Here's a free - no obligation sample pac.

http://www.thedieselpage.com/images/samplepac.jpg

:D

[grape]

we got through tech at a local dragstrip with a steet car that ran high tens with a PVC rollbar spray painted black.

[cruzer]

In the old neighborhood, back in th 60's, the guy across street wanted a swimming pool. He hired a guy to dig the pool by hand. After a while the shallow end had been dug. The neighbor felt the job was taking to long, so he hired another guy to help. Then, he used concrete blocks and a hand concrete mixer to assemble. Needless to say, the pool leaked. It was great because the pool had the coldest water in the hood, because water had to be running in it most of the time to keep it full.

[G. Gearloose]

doesn't count, but my neighbor paved his 350' driveway by going to to the town dpw barn, filling 4 5-gallon buckets full of cold-patch, taking them home in his trunk. Took him three years. He also burns his trash becuase he refused to purchase his senior-discounted tranfer station permit for $25.

[Turbo Al]

I don't know if it counts as cheap or just plain stupid :rolleyes: After a couple of outragous estimates for paving my driveway I did it myself (in cement)by hand with a 1/3 yard mixer and gravel loaded by hand (1/2 price) into my 93 P.U. for about $900.00 no biggie except that it is 140 ft long 12 ft wide with 6 double pads up by the house.

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

So, I inspired something, huh? You had to KNOW I was going to respond to THIS.

Well, check these out. How about these ideas? (http://forum.thedieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005762#000008)( Click in colored text.) Or, cheap vacuum line replacements? (http://forum.thedieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004746#000003)

The inner tube vacuum pump diaphram is the only item that failed in service. All my other cheapo stuff still works fine.

By the way, take a look at the location for the maker of More Power

[Cowracer]

Originally posted by Dieselboy:
I saw a roll bar constructed out of 1.5" threaded steel plumbing pipe. It was very choice. :rolleyes: :eek: Yikes! Was it at least schedule 80?

T

[Jim P]

There was an old guy that worked at my shop and he was really cheap. When he and his wife would go to Mcdonalds, they didn't want to have to buy a drink. So they asked for hot water which was free and they both used the same tea bag that they brought from home.


This same guy brought his car to my house for me to change the front brake pads. When I took it apart, I found out that the parts store had given him the wrong pads. So I had to run him to the parts store and exchange them. The proper ones for his car cost $1.35 more than the ones he exchanged. He asked the parts guy for a senior citizen discount on the $1.35!

[Dieselboy]

Originally posted by Cowracer:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by Dieselboy:
I saw a roll bar constructed out of 1.5" threaded steel plumbing pipe. It was very choice. :rolleyes: :eek: Yikes! Was it at least schedule 80?

T </font>[/QUOTE]Not likely. It was on a "race-prepped" Honda. &lt;--oxyMORON :rolleyes:

[patrick m.]

how about this, a friend of mine came by the house one day and had a "grease gun" with him, he decided he wanted to lube his front end. After getting the 2 minute job done (with my help), we kicked around, had a beer or two (mine), told lies and that sort of thing. After he left, i noticed he forgot his grease gun, so i put it up, after all he visited often. On one visit about a year later, he pulled out a new grease gun, just bought it, i wondered why he bought a new one, he new his old one was on my shelf, i reminded him of it several times. He told me that if i wanted, i could "have" his old one, if i gave him half the money back for his new one.

I told him that he was very well covered when it comes to greasing his front end. :mad:

[markrinker]

In high school, one kid constructed a hood scoop for his Impala out of an electrical conduit box, complete with the knockouts. It was choice...

[catmandoo]

yeah mark that reminds me,of the movie roadwarrior with mel gibson.the punk with the 59 chevy with the chrome stacks out the hood.

[Marty Lau]

Some of this reminds me of an old client, he was a depression kid and hated to waste or toss out anything. He dressed in old tattered clothes most of the time unless he came "downtown" then he wore old untatered clothes. Lived in town heated with wood mostly from trees cut int he niegbor hood, picket up beer and soda cans on his walks with his dogs. He died leaving about $2.3 million to nieces and nephews. Ah he did tho have a new car and pickup.

[bigmikestud]

I read a great tip in "The Family Handyman" on how to reuse zipties. Get a small screwdriver and loosen tab to remove tension on locking mechanism. Killer tip!

[JohnC]

Amateurs!

Did I tell you I use only oil filters without the anti-drainback valve?

It's too hard to back flush the other ones...

;)

[ 05-07-2004, 01:56 PM: Message edited by: JohnC ]

[whatnot]

Originally posted by bigmikestud:
I read a great tip in "The Family Handyman" on how to reuse zipties. Get a small screwdriver and loosen tab to remove tension on locking mechanism. Killer tip! I thought everyone did that :D

[triggerman]

Years ago I picked up a 88 F250 7.3 for a beater. The previous owner had already worked the truck pretty hard. Looking at the trailer hitch, I noticed the 2 5/16ths hitch ball had been sheared fron the toung ! The guy apparently couldn't bring himself too through away the "good" ball with no tenden, so he just WELDED the ball on top of the toung!!!!!!!!!!!!! :eek:

[Spindrift]

I had a roommate who drove around in a beat F150 (what other kind is there). It was so rusted out, he used bumper stickers to cover the holes on the exterior and more bumper stickers on the floor boards to keep his feet from getting wet when it rained or snowed. Of course the bed of the truck eventually rotted off so he "welded" the box back onto the frame using baling wire. Needless to say, the bed did its fair share of sliding around on the frame. If you were driving behind him as he went down the road, it looked like the truck was bent in the middle at almost a 45* angle, but it was the truck bed that had shifted.

Does anyone remember "Giacobazzi" wine. At the time, a bottle cost $1.50 My buddy knew a bar owner in town who supplied him with Giacobazzi bumber stickers. Naturally, we called his rig the Giacobazzi Truck.

[C.K. Piquup]

My story is about a 2 5/16"ball-hitch as well.My buddy lived on a horse farm and took care of horses,grounds,and the widow`s 35`boat for rent(he worked full-time for me,also).Springtime rolled around and it was time to haul the boat and dock it at her condo in Annapolis(can you tell the widow was rich?).My buddy asked to"borrow"a 2 5/16"er.I had one on a`72 step bumper(1st year factory stamped and only year 4"wide w/4"drop from tailgate).Anyhow,we couldn`t get it off easy,I suggested"Betty"might"buy"one.He took bumper back to the farm to remove ball(I suggested a"little"heat might help.When I got the once prestine bumper back(1.5years later),there was a nasty 2.5-3"hole torched out and the bumper was all twisted.Oh yeah,never did get the ball back he"borrowed"on the behalf of"Betty",the millionaire widow.Here`s the"twist".I just realized I`m the cheap one here.I`m mopin`about my bumper,when I spent enough time fishin` on the boat(free fuel and all),I could have bought alot more bumpers with the money I saved.

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by grape:
we got through tech at a local dragstrip with a steet car that ran high tens with a PVC rollbar spray painted black. They probably let you slide because you don't need a roll bar until you go 11's in a solid roof car and I think 13's in a convertible. If you

[rjschoolcraft]

Turbo,

Did I miss something? High 10's is faster than 11.99 in the quarter. :confused:

[rjwest]

When in service, used water for leaky brake system.
required many refills on a Payday night.
Money for gas,beer,girls,
no money for Brake fluid...

[TurboDiverArt]

Originally posted by ronniejoe:
Turbo,

Did I miss something? High 10's is faster than 11.99 in the quarter. :confused: Oops, I read it as high teens... Sorry for the insult! :rolleyes:

Art.

[rjschoolcraft]

After re-reading, I see the slip. No harm done, I just thought I missed something. It's been a while since I've been down the drag strip!

I see you have a 69 SS/RS Camaro. I have a 67 SS/RS Camaro, currently with no engine and suffering from weather. It's a project that I hope to get to sometime. I used to race a 67 base coupe that was originally a 230 I-6 with powerglide. I built a 350 4-bolt main and Turbo 350 automatic for it. On street tires with a 3.36 open differential, I was running 13.80's in the quarter at 112 mph. With a good gear, posi and tires, it was probably capable of low 13'2, high 12's. The car was also my daily driver during my college days.

My cousins both had 87 Buick GN's. Pretty quick for six-cylinders.

[Animal]

Where I work we have union cooks, one of the guys about 60 was going to retire (could have done it years ago) but decided to work one more year to pay off some bills. When he retired his monthly checks ended up being $15K, he only made about $5K a month working. Not only was he cheap, he was stupid.

[ucdavis]

It was Spring of 1981, and Jim was both cheap and lazy. Didn't do gardening or pay a gradener, so his front yard was getting overgrown. He had a date & a BYOB cocktail party sheduled; wanted to impress the "big date" @ the party so he cut the new, low-hanging branches out of his yard. Didn't want to pay a dump fee, so he put the green refuse in his fireplace & tried to light it. No go; just smoldering. Dropped by Mike's place & stole Mike's "diesel" can (too cheap to buy his own quart or two of diesel, and Mike wouldn't mind cuz, after all, Mike wasn't home).
We (Mike & I) stopped by to help Jim set up for the party; his front door was open as we approached the house. Big flash and loud "Whoomp" heard thru front door. Jim staggers out, dazed & smoking a bit. Blisters on lips, hair singed back to a vertical line from ear to ear. Shoulda checked the "diesel" to make sure it wasn't regular unleaded before stealing it. Jim wanted sympathy for his burns & the smoky state of his house, but after explaining where/how he got the gas, and griping at Mike for not properly labeling his cans, Mike wasn't too charmed.

[markrinker]

Not sure if this qualifies, but I ran 50/50 regular unleaded and E85 in my 1997 Silverado to save a few pennies on fuel. Since they were sold side by side at Holiday Stationstores, it was simple enough to do, while paying at the pump.

[moondoggie]

Good Day!

Mark: Sorry, this won't qualify you as a cheepo. E85 is 85% ethanol. If you did an accurate & long-term mpg check (the only mpg data that will tell you anything useful), you'll likely find that your mpg drops dramatically on E85. Back in the good old days, if you jetted a carb to make a gas engine run on straight ethanol, it needed to deliver about 2.15 times the ethanol that it did gasoline. This means the vehicle would deliver about 1/2 the mpg on ethanol that it did on gas.

This information is wide open to clarification by anyone with actual experience - it's only technical information I read in various resources. I've never run a vehicle on straight ethanol. You might, however, want to look at my gasohol mpg (http://forum.thedieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005648#000004) post.(Click in colored text.)

Blessings!

Brian Johnson, #5044

[markrinker]

Actually, I did track my mileage and arrived at the 50/50 mix because it yielded the best mileage vs. cost savings. I think it did help clean up the fuel system and injector, maybe my 'savings' were in that aspect alone.

I am aware that any ethanol program is basically a farm subsidy, not a silver bullet.

[Marty Lau]

Originally posted by Mark Rinker:


I am aware that any ethanol program is basically a farm subsidy, not a silver bullet. There is NO FARM SUBSIDIES in this glorious country of ours! tongue.gif

[moondoggie]

Good Day!