Many years ago I built a bugeye Austin Healy Sprite , and swapped in a 289 Ford with some Cobra goodies on it. Got it running, and towed it to an abandoned stretch of highway for some test runs. Had not put the flip front end back on the car, so everything up front was exposed, had not put the windshield back on, and the bucket seats were not even bolted down.

I fired it up, a buddy of mine climbed into the other loose bucket seat, and I did a smokey pass. My friend says to me "hey, I'm watching the secondaries on the Holley carb, and they didn't open, you were running on a two barrel !" So next run, I get it moving and he leans over the dash (no windshield installed) and pushes the secondaries open with his fingers.

It was like an afterburner had kicked in, and he fell backwards from the force and semi lodged in the rear trunk compartment. Found out I had installed the spacer plate under the carb upside down, and no vacuum was getting to the secondaries.

Right after that, we at least bolted the seats back down. I'd like to say it was because I was young and dumb, but sometimes I still do stupid things like that in the excitement to get a car running for the first time.

Don