Was replacing the brake MC on my MK I last night and a 25-yr old memory
resurfaced. Back in "74 I had been fiddling with the brake MC on my
first convertible - a 67 Mk 2 - when I inadvertently connected the
positive lead of the starter solenoid to the clutch MC line using my
trusty wrench. [Lesson 1: disconnect battery cables]. Sparks flew and a
large hole appeared in the clutch hydraulic line necessitating
replacement of said line. With line now replaced, I enlist my mother to
"gently push the clutch pedal in" whilst I lay under the car attending
to the bleed screw. She instead tried to push the pedal through the
firewall thereby shooting a stream of clutch fluid directly into my face
[Lesson 2: use safety glasses when dealing with hydraulic fluid]. I
scream in pain and roll from under car unknowingly catching my arm on a
jagged rusty shard of rocker panel. Dashing to the sink to rinse my
eye, I finally get my vision cleared enough to see blood pouring down my
arm and chest. Thinking I have somehow punched out my eye I run
screaming through the house for confirmation of said status. My mother
finally arrives back in the house having been almost trampled during my
dash to the sink and she confirms that I am bleeding but from my arm,
not from my eye socket. Everything calms down and I go get my overdue
tetanus booster shot after which I have a reaction to the horse serum
they use to formulate the shot. But I lived through it with a fond
memory, a mother who would never set foot in that car again, and a small
scar on my arm.
Moral : There's a reason the first step in many repair procedures is to
"Disconnect battery cable" and safety glasses are not just for sissies!
Have a good day all.
Gary Hutton
Newburgh, IN
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