glava2876

For me, it was replacing the the clutch, pressure plate, T/O bearing and pilot bearing in my 84 with the 4+3 on jackstands in my garage last winter.
Had to take the bottom of the vette off to get it out and sliding it in place using a floor jack was real fun.
On the PITA scale of 1-10, it was off the chart -I was in over my head, but I got it done and it came out perfect.

RUU

Lower ball-joints. Could not install the new (MOOG) BJs with the loaner c-clamp ball-joint tool. The buggers kept going in crooked no matter how carefully I lined them up. Finally took the control arms & BJs to the shop up the street where the wrench there even said they needed a lot of pressure on the shop press to get them in.

Epimax

Heater Core

87Vetteowner

Not so much a PITA . But very harrowing was doing some work on my digi dash. I had to replace some bulbs, and do a cold solder job. Talk about nerve wracking. I know if I had screwed up that job. I may have had to fork over quite a bit of money to get it either fixed or replaced.

But most anything on the Vette is a PITA ..

navyndi2

The opti was the biggest pain to replace so far, I'll be changing out an alternator and pulling another computer this weekend.

doc_cj

#8 spark plug ... closely followed by #5 & #3. But I've got big, fat hands, so anything that means squeezing them into a tight spot is a PITA. The next closest was replacing the gauge set in an '86. Wasn't so much hard as it was just plain uncomfortable trying to work around the steering wheel and under the dash. I almost hate to do anything under the dash. I've been involved in one opti-spark changeout, and I'm just glad I didn't have to do it all myself. The owner did the real work, I was there mostly to hold the beer and help his cuss a lot.

Donne Trav

WIRES! WATER PUMP! FUEL FILTER! With bad vision and increasing
inflexability, I FLAT OUT REFUSE TO DO ANY OF THIS CRAP AGAIN!

F22

As noted in an earlier post, and from recent experience, the late C4 fuel filter replacement counts as one of the worst! Nothing like being soaked in eau-de-Chevron With Techron, while trying to start the threads on the upper part of the filter, deep in the upper innards.

I smelled like Premium Gasoline for two days!

mtnmanut

PITA ANYTHING UNDER THE DASH---PERIOD. ANYTHING UNDER THE CAR OR HOOD IS EASY IN COMPARISON..AND TO THE GM ENGINEERS:sm ash: COULD DO THAT ALL DAY

FASTAZU

Opti-spark on the wife's 95

jabez

For me it was the fuel filter. Guarentee gasoline on bloody knuckles.

kitttransam

Anything that has to do with taking apart the passenger side of the dash on my 89. Had to track down my turn signal flasher which went bad. Why is it in such a crappy spot?? And what's with that panel on lower passenger side dash. I almost wanted to just rip it off!!!

Mtn Billy

I haven't had to do any major stuff to my 85 C4 - yet. Mostly tune and adjust the dang engine made by the wicked engineer of the west, not nice.

Wiring is awful setup it's by the same jerks that did my Austin Healey.

After going back 50 miles to get the spare and storing it I can see why I'll never ever never (I know it's bad omen to say that) use it.

Bill

Sparkytfl

I replaced the whole motor within a month of buying the car, and I have to say the only part that pissed me off during the whole process was getting at the bolts holding the engine and trans together, especially the passenger side top one.

Getting the engine and trans lined up while dropping the engine back in always seems to be more luck than anything else. Tilt it forward, tilt it back, raise, lower, raise the trans, lower the trans, then sometimes you decide to give up for the day, but first you give it a big shake out of frustration and it shifts just right and drops into place.

Different car, but trying to put the air horn back on a computer-controlled quadrajet carb after replacing the tps is a major pain, even worse while its still in the car and you're leaning over the fender. The neighbor heard me yelling and thought I hurt myself.

mike100

Saginaw steering is a perennial favorite:

Cliff Harris

The biggies I've done:

Brake booster
Steering rack
Rear wheel bearings
Heater core
700r4 -- without a trans jack

I'd say it's really close between the heater core and the 700r4.

I didn't have a trans jack for the 700r4 and I was using my floor jack to lift it up but the floor jack wouldn't go up high enough so I was putting blocks of wood under the trans. When I thought I had it high enough I pushed it forward. It turned out that the trans was leaning against the side of the tunnel and it fell off the blocks of wood. I tried to catch it and the bottom edge of the pan landed on my left forefinger. I thought for sure I had broken it. I remember holding it up and bending it and visualizing a trip to the emergency room, but it only left a 1" long cut (and a lot of pain). I wrapped masking tape around it to stop the bleeding (partially successful as long as I didn't bend that finger) and kept working until the trans was in. The next morning I went out to the garage and found blood stains on about half of my tools and all over the floor. Getting the bolts in the C beam is an exercise in frustration and I'm glad I have a bunch of universal joints and long extensions to put the bell housing bolts in.

DRidgeway

Power brake booster and Opti were all replaced by my previous owner about 1000 miles before I purchased it. So hopefully those are good for years to come.
I'm embarrassed to say that that my first repair, the serpentine belt was waaaaay easier then I kept trying to make it.
But I'm learning.

pianoguy

I've pulled the engine, replaced the opti, etc., but I'd have to say the biggest PITA jobs relative to their size was a tossup between installing a new shifter and fixing the HVAC programmer box. Both required a midget contortionist that could work blindfolded.

Jimbo 89

injectors and heater core