Hillbilly Engineering

[grandpaweaver]

I was out on the patio with the dog at lunch time when this older PT Cruiser comes driving up the street and hits a big chuck hole the whole neighborhood has been waiting for the road crews to fix. All of a sudden his exhaust comes loose hanging from the motor, the muffler still in place, he stops right by our house to get out and look at it.

I ask him if he needs any help, he says he thinks he's got this.

Opens the back end roots around for a few seconds and pulls out a long set of nice yellow jumper cables, throws them under the pipe, his wife gets out the passenger side and grabs the cable, he grabs the other and hooks them together inside the front seat. They both get back in and drive away. 

I'm thinking the fumes will kill them before they get to far

[Jess from VA]

Jumpers will never replace old metal coat hangers. 

For my first few jalopies, I always had a few coat hangers in the trunk.  Tore up several exhaust on snow and ice banks growing up in the great white north.

[Steve K (IA)]

I can't imagine.  First thing, the insulation will melt off the cables.....

[R J]

I can't imagine.  First thing, the insulation will melt off the cables.....

If front of pipe no longer hooked to the engine, it will cool off real fast and the cable cover will not melt.

[J.Mencalice]

Multi-tool, pop can, duct tape (the handyman's secret weapon).
Drive on.

Red Green.

[Hooter]

Jumpers will never replace old metal coat hangers. 

For my first few jalopies, I always had a few coat hangers in the trunk.  Tore up several exhaust on snow and ice banks growing up in the great white north.

   And a soup can or two.   

[Jess from VA]

Jumpers will never replace old metal coat hangers. 

For my first few jalopies, I always had a few coat hangers in the trunk.  Tore up several exhaust on snow and ice banks growing up in the great white north.

   And a soup can or two.   

Well yeah.... that was for after you got home. 

There was also some cheapo epoxy concoction you mixed up and gommed all around the hillbilly repair to try and keep it glued together and air tight which worked pretty well for a few weeks. 

And back when cars had straight vents, I learned to drive with all the windows up and the front vents open, which sort of pressurized the compartment so you didn't carbon monoxide yourself to sleep/death with exhaust leaks under the car. 

Ahhh, the good old days.    

[Hooter]

And if yo didn't have air conditioning that was better than a sharp stick in the eye on a hot day.