Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

Good idea! Is that support bolted through the base ? As someone else has said, I have had a few Chevy 6's on my stand, and have been leaving it overnight with a bunch of wooden blocks under it. If you listen closely you can hear those stands screaming when the weight goes on!

 

Dang, guys, I must have found a heavier lift. I hung a straight eight, fully assembled on it. Maybe just lucky?

Ben

 

No, it's welded. It is just a pipe within a pipe and some holes drilled thru for rough height adjustment. Then a plug or large nut welded on top for the screw adjustment. It might be better if a "C" shaped bracket was welded/ bolted to the lower part and then the vertical made so it could pivot and lay down when not needed. That would provide extra room for engines with front sump to be rotated. Either way it gives a lot of support and peace of mind......

 

Mount Your Favorite Wheels And Tires On The Wall So Flat Sides And Stumbling Minimize...

 

I stock up on shop supplies at Harbor Freight. Red shop towels, box of shop paper towels, zip ties, crazy glue, epoxy glue, cut off wheels, etc...

Decades ago I had a shop teacher that always cleaned his hands in the shop with solvents and soap. His hand were a shrunken mess. I use Diamond Grip gloves. I used to buy them off the Snap-On truck, but now you can get them on Amazon. They cost more, but they last and you can reuse them. They are the best gloves out there.

 

Thanks. I’ve never used those gloves. I’ll order some today. Always try to wear some type of glove when possible.


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For nasty jobs such as the old differential fluid, oil etc keep old towels and clothes around instead of throwing them away when clean, use them for the nasty jobs then just throw away after the job is complete. Saves wear and tear on the washer.


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saves you from the wrath of she who must be obeyed also!

 

.......and if you are allergic to latex, you can buy a nitrile equivalent.
I use milking gloves for anything messy now, quicker than washing up.

 

I

1953naegle You could modify your stand so that you had the braces at the rear as per picture. You could then make your front brace removeable and put it in if you feel necessary after you have turned the engine.

 

I was doing a little research on shopping for junk yard trannys, and they said your best bet is to get one from a wrecked car, because if it came from a nicer car chances are that it's in there because of the either the tranny or engine

 

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That looks like a pretty sturdy engine stand even before it was modified, and they did a nice job modifying it. That also looks like a pretty hefty engine in the background. The issues I would have are that it takes up a lot of room for a small garage, and the attachment points/bolts are still no stronger than original. I don't mean to criticize but am trying to be objective. I think the larger wheels are definitely an improvement and would benefit 99% of the engine stands most builders have. I think adding one of the supports like I posted above would allow the engine to reside on the stand rather than a separate pallet and help preserve garage space.
Its no secret that I think building some type of overhead crane is highly desirable. If round support posts are used, larger sections of pipe can be placed around (slid on) the upright supports, and an engine stand type of adapter welded to them. With a little additional forethought the engine stand adapter can also be made to work as a rotissere for frames and even bodies. I have some things in the way now but the stuff on the left is easily rolled out of the way making mounting an engine very easy. Again, if its an extended stay situation, I put a support under the engines oil pan.

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Brake job tips:
Anytime I’m doing brakes, I have a large (retired) commercial baking pan underneath to catch all the brake dust and hold my tools and such. Keeps the driveway cleaner and it’s easier to clean up afterwards. Also keep the wheels upright after removing them. Laying them down leaves a nice round ring of brake dust on the driveway.

 

Everyone has a cell phone.........Take a lot of pics BEFORE taking something apart!

 

I think probably a lot of people already do this, but when you open a new can of paint, take a small nail or punch and punch holes in the rim of the can that the top goes in to. That way, the paint will drain back into the can and when you replace the top, it will seal.

 

I did a similar thing on my roll a round hoist as Ekimneirbo, mine isn’t quite as fancy, and my hoist has square tubing as up rights. I just pulled the part from a regular engine stand and then welded a piece of heavy pipe to a flat piece of steel and drilled holes in it and a corresponding plate on the other side of the up right and bolted it on. Then I just remove it when not building an engine. Takes about 5 minutes. And I can use the hoist for support, just like , Ekimnierbo, does. Works great. And there is nothing around or under the engine to trip over.
Those engine stands that have the two legs out front are stable, but I end up tripping over them while working on the engine. While that one that was modified is very stable, it appears to me to be hard to work around. I just imagine it was modified for that engine in the picture. Just hope the pivot pipe and weld is heavy enough.
As I get older, avoiding falls becomes more important, to me. I don’t bounce as good as I once did!






Bones

 

Thought I share this idea my Dad showed me sixty years ago. While it’s not the neatest looking storage, it’s real effective. It’s just a barrel sitting in the corner. Stores a lot of stuff in a small area and everything is accessible.








Bones

 

To prevent the bristles on parts cleaning brushes from staying splayed out from heavy use, slip a piece of rigid tubing or an old bushing up the handle and over the bristles when done using the brush. It'll help keep the bristles straight and like new.

 

That's cool Bones.

Speaking of storage does anyone have a good way to store log chains? The wall brace that mine have hung on for years is now covered with sheetrock. Right now I've got some in the pickup floor, on a couple of sawhorses, on a shelf, and on the floor.

Yes, I know that I have too many, but they're staying. I just need a better way to store them.

 

I keep mine in a few 5 gallon buckets. If you don't overload them, you can just grab a bucket and toss it in the truck bed or on the tractor. You can also "nest" them to some extent for storage. If your bucket blows up, spend 2 bucks and go again!

 

I store mine in a couple of cabinet drawers. Then when I open the drawer it's obvious which is longest shortest big or little. I don't coil them, each just has it own crumpled pile. I have a bunch of short smaller ones that I use for lifting. That way they don't get intertwined. Just open the drawer and pick the one that best suits the occasion. Then they are out of sight the rest of the time.

 

Get one of those 15/20 gallon or larger barrels and drop the chains either on the inside or out side of the barrel and hook the hooks on the barrel lip. Make sure to always put the hooks of the same chain next to each other. Usually there are a few chains hanging from my barrel, but the are in use right now. I hang mine on the out side, as I have the inside filled up.







Bones

 

I have mine hung on the end of one of my work benches that has a metal framework that sticks up about 3"-4" along both ends with the hooks for each end side by side so it is easy to grab whichever chain I want to use.

 

For chain storage I built a bracket using angle iron and a piece of 3/8 rod with the end turned up so they won't slip off. For those that are long enough to touch the floor I simply take the bottom hook and slip it over the chain high enough to be off the floor

 

This is how cheap I am.. Today I put a disposable glove on one hand to hold a head gasket while I sprayed it with aluminum paint. Later on I needed to smear sealer on the head bolt threads. Grabbed the wadded up glove out of the trash, ripped one finger off and stuck it on to wipe the sealer with.

 

Lol...wat a tightwad.

 

I feel like I am helping with the environment when I use recycled latex gloves, plus I'm a cheap bastard too

 

No no no .. You're frugal or maybe "Thrifty".

Not wasteful.

Besides, it leaves more cash left over for booze. (Being downright cheap however, always ends up costing a fortune.)

 

I was always told there is no pride in being wasteful, good job.

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I always claimed to be fiscally responsible rather than cheap, better half might argue.