One repair I've used repeatedly is to fashion battery boxes out of wood. Sometimes all that is needed is a piece on the bottom. Now it's faily acid proof, the original problem. Funny thing is I've had this repair fail inspection. So I just keep going back to the inspection station till one of the inspectores passes it, or he doesn't notice.
Many years ago I was sent to help a BMW car broken down. The guy said it would idle but not accelerate, he didn't want a tow, if I could make it go. Looking at the throttle linkage I noticed it had two cables, one was the throttle and the other seemed to go to the exhaust system. So it had connection to the gas pedal but the second cable was broken. When he stepped on the gas the throttle would open but the second, always thought it was an expansion chamber, would not move. There were exposed ends to the broken cable. I usually carry the universal battery terminal repairs and using the part that goes to the wire, I cut off the part to the battery post, I was able to connect the broken ends to the broken cable. It worked. I gave him instructions to not use hard preasure on the throttle and not try to make the car go faster than it wanted. I also told him to make sure that he pointed out this repair to the dealer mechanic so I would get some kind of Karmic credit for it. Of course anybody who later replaced the broken cable would find my repair.
The guy didn't like my price. I charged him $25. It was about 20 years ago. As far as I know it's still working or this car died for other reason's.
Once saw an early 60's Plymouth with over a hundred hose clamps holding the exhaust system on. It worked, sort of.
'74 Ford LTD II, broken points, not bad, the rubbing block came off. Tied points together with piece of thin copper wire. Could not rev over 1500 rpm because the wire would break and I'd have to do it again. Made it only several miles, this was in the city, before I got tired of this so I left the car and walked home. I was drunk that night.
disston friend of Bill Wilson, almost 11 years