The Mythical 7 Cylinder V8

I've never heard of this happening from the factory, but...

Sometime in the late 70'/early 80's there was a magazine article written by a guy who a famous off-road/4X4 dude, and he was "way out in the middle of nowhere" when his engine took a dump on him. He was smart enough to carry tools whenever he went out, and turns out he burned-up or broke a piston....for whatever reason. Anyway, long story short: He and his dog (I remember his dog was with him) dropped the pan, and then the crank (partway), removed the offending piston and rod assy, and then he fashioned a wooden dowel to fill the bore and act as a seal of sorts (I don't recall the reasoning behind that). Regardless, he kept running it this way for quite some time after he got back, and I distinctly remember him saying that he got some weird looks when he would pull up to a gas pump, start the gas flowing, and then open-up the hood to pour some water into that bad cylinder (to swell-up that wooden "seal").

Sure wish I could remember the details better, as I'd like to read it again.