Crazy engineering stories?

[cheb]

I used a turned piece of oak as an adapter from the downpipes to the end can on my R100GS. It lasted long enough to convince to make a stainless steel one.

[MingtheMerciless]

Continuing the wood theme, the firm I apprenticed with made power transformers. One particular transformer design had an on load tap changer, the shaft of which was made of a super compressed/pressurised laminate wood. The shaft was made of an inch square section of the bastard stuff. It was so dense and strong that it would take several hacksaw blades to cut through it.

[Gregor]

There’s a subreddit called Justrolledintotheshop which has some pretty spectacular auto bodges/neglect /fuckwittery.

[Sadlonelygit]

My gramps had a Morris garage between the wars and I was told stories of wooden pistons, sawdust in gearboxes/diffs.

[ZRX61]

More than a few seized Kaw H2's were sold with a tennis ball on the con-rod of the seized cylinder. "It's only running on two, I think it fouled a plug...."

[Skub]

I once bought a fairly new,but disassembled (in boxes) Honda dirt bike,some time in the 90s. I think I paid 50 quid or so. On further investigation some bright spark in order to remove the crank,sawed through the crankcases....