Whats the best "trick" or tech tip a mentor showed you?

Keep your attention on what I'm doing ask questions later.

 

Didn't see this one so I will add it.When cutting holes for seat mounting bolts and seat belt holes in new carpet,I use a soldering iron and go under the car,burn a hole in the carpet from underneath.Run the soldering iron around the circumference of the hole and it melts the carpet and seals the fibers so that they don't pull and run when installing bolts.

 

My older brother who was a mechanic taught me this.When relining drum brakes take drums off of both sides and leave one side assembled as a model for the first side you are relining. Once you have the first side reassembled use it as a model for the putting the other side together. No more extra springs or parts or stuff that doesn't quite fit right.

 

Use alcohol when tapping aluminum, and no, not the the kind you drink, just regular rubbing or denatured alcohol. I know a lot of you use alcohol whenever you're working on your car. It keeps the piece cool and cleans the threads of both the tap and die. It also helps when cutting aluminum with a hack saw. It has the benefit of not making an oily mess, it just evaporates. You have to take care as with any other flammable liquid.

Another tip I came up with is using eBay as a reference. If you want to see how something is put together or if you want to find an item some one is talking about search the 'Bay. 9 times out of 10 someone will be selling something and usually will have nice big detailed pictures of the item because they do want to sell it and they'll want to show all of the details.

 

and as far as the shoes go remember that the shoe with more material goes in the back.....FAT GUY RIDES IN THE BACK OF THE BUS!

 

First one i ever learned was how to check for a lose or broken timeing chain. I learned it after i thought i lost the bottom end, engine had a knock. It was a blown nylon tiped timeing gear. Remove distributer cap (watch rotor while doing next step) bump engine with starter, if it dont turn broken chain or drive gear for distributer sheard the pin. If it turns, turn engine by hand the other direction and if there is a delay before rotor starts turning its a lose chain.

 

This isn't true with early Ford 39-48 brakes....

 

Broken axle shaft. How to get the broken piece out without tearing it all down? Remove the hub with the shaft that is still attached. Get your arc welder out. Take a pieces of long straight steel rod. Clamp the positive to the end of it. Slide on a rubber hose. or shock absorber rubbers, over the rod leaving the last inch or so open. Clamp ground to the axle housing. Turn welder on. Slide the rod into the housing until it contacts the broken stub. ZAP!! Pull out the stub. Uh, turn off the arc welder before sliding the rod out. It worked!!

 

soak a part in apple cider vinegar to remove rust...
when porting and polishing heads put shaving cream in water passages to keep metal out....shaving cream will unharmfully dissolve in coolant

 

gas tank leaks, rub a bar of soap across the hole. temporary fix but I probably used a case of soap on my 55's tank back in 83.

 

Check the timing on a new/rebuilt engine before you hook up the fuel line.

 

Tough spring to install?

Bend the spring and slip washers, or coins in between the loops.
When you let it straighten out, the spring will be longer.
Slip it over the post's and pull the washers (or coins) out...

Jeff

 

Always ask someone for their opinion. Even if it sucks.
1) You gain their respect, and flatter them for wanting to know what they know.
2) Once they tell you, you are just as smart as they are.

 

The best tool in a workshop is a comfy old chair: for when things go wrong and when things go right!

Also, get a workshop in easy walking distance of an auto parts store...

 

Don't walk down stairs with your hands in your pockets.

 

Especially since many of them recycle the water for the next guy!!!

 

OK I got 2.

If you need to paint a set of rims and don't want to remove the tires. Very carefully apply Armor All to the tire and then apply the paint. The paint will not stick the tire. Wipe the lifted paint from tire after it dries.

No matter how careful you are, eventually you will get a small piece of steel or rust stuck in your eye. Do not rub it or even blink. Wave a strong magnet over your eye and the offending piece will pop right out.
This one saved me about 50 trips to the ER.

 

VERY COOL!!!

Thanks

 

Spray on underarm deodorant spray works too.

 

I do this a lot myself. I call it working by braille.

One thing I noticed is that you *have* to keep your eyes shut when doing this. Otherwise it seems like you mind decides that your eyes know better than your hands.

 

After applying body filler on a large panal and you find after you sand it there is a number of spots that need to be refilled.It is best to refill the whole panal again.If you just fill the spots in qustion you will find when sanding you end up with waves in your work.This is because you are cutting the filler you did not fill. This may seem like alot of work but it will pay off in the long run.

 

I just use an el-cheapo zip tie gun (tensioning tool). Most of them will snap off the extra zip tie when they pull up tight, but they leave a fairly long end. The trick is to not pull so hard that the end of the tie snaps off, then give a good twist or two and pop the end of the cable off. You'll get the same result but quicker

 

The dang long bolt to hold the fuel pump pushrod on a small block chev, Thanks dad

 

Keep all your old parts until the job is done!

 

To find a electrical short;
Put a circuit tester in series with the + battery cable. If there is a drain on the battery the tester will burn. Pop out fuses and disconnect circuits, when the tester goes out, you've found your short.

 

Amen to that.You live and you learn

 

I find this works better between the negative cable and the negative post on the batt.. no spark show if the tester hits a ground.

 

To R/R flywheel ring gear - knock loose any welds holding ring gear to flywheel - start BBQ; set flywheel next to burger and cook. Flip burger and flywheel; knock loose ring gear re fit ring gear - let cool while eating.
Burrrpppp

 

Phone numbers. I write them on the wall next to the phone. That way they don't disappear. When I get to many unwanted ones, I copy down all the ones I want to keep. Paint the wall and start over. For me, that's every 5 or 6 years.

 

Super Freaky Friday Night