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

Engine seized and bores rusted? take spark plugs out, funnel in some Baking soda..slowly pour vinegar in till full..put in spark plugs, wait a day or 2..BAM! no rust or seizing!

 

Just two of the old (tricks) used quiet often in our shop. When cutting aluminum with bandsaw, use a candle to lubricate the blade, When drilling holes in leaf springs, use Elmers Glu(sno flake glue works best,getting hard to find) to lubricate drill.

 

All my car friends were cheapskates but wanted to have nice things. When it came to cleaning under the hood we used to use old plastic grocery bags to cover the electrical parts & then degreased with Simple Green & low pressure water. Spray down with tire foam (the canned stuff) & drive around for a while. Throw the bags away, touch up with rag and you're good to go. Took 3 minutes and you didn't have to mask or remove things.

 

A good tight Crescent wrench works well too.

 

Suspect a burnt exhaust valve? Hold a dollar bill in the exhaust stream at the tail pipe. If it gets sucked in every so often, you indeed have an exhaust valve problem.

 

When measuring a crank or other precision shaft, the weight of the mic, it's not a damn C clamp.

 

surely no one would post something meaningless in order to add to their post count!! haha

 

Don't read the repeats

 

WD 40 is a good hand cleaner. Will also remove most stains from carpet and upholstery. Is a good insect repellent until it evaporates. Spray some on your hands and rub around your eyes and ears. Just a few I can remember right off.

 

Also loosens adhesives. This is a great thread!

Mine mostly have to do with patience, walking away when frustrated (after gently setting tools down). I like what someone said earlier that there's never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over (and OVER).

I get my kicks from driving, so when I'm doing something major that's keeping my ride off the road, I have had to learn to pick manageable chunks of my projects and work each piece through from start to finish so I can feel "victory" & check that one off the list.

Sometimes the hardest thing to do is remember something I've learned the hard way - the next time. An old friend used to say "Yup, done learned that lesson, bought it & paid for it..."

Thanks everyone!

 

Friend of mine that welds for a living gave us a tip one day. If you happen to pick up something that was obviously to hot and you burned your fingertips,immediately use a black permanent magic marker and rub it all over the affected area and it will deminish the paint and aid in the length of time to heal. Don't ask me how it works,but my son tried it and it really helped the pain and the healing time.

Another tip, had a 401 Nailhead that one of the water pump bolts broke off that went all the way through the timing cover into the block. Well we welded a nut on the nub of the bolt after the head broke off,didn't faze it. Ended up ruining the cover,had I known if you drill two to three holes in the boss surrounding the affected bolt,drill approc 1/8 holes through the aluminum down to the shaft of the broken bolt,then spray some PB blaster in the holes and let it sit overlight, The bolts are actually corroded to the housing not the block. The next day they will come out. Then when you go back up with it you can put some five minute epoxy in the holes and run a drill bit back through it and go ahead and wrap it up !!!

 

How to sharpen a drill on a regular grinder. pigpen

 

You can get the welding putty in the new people friendly formula from Cronatron Welding Supply online. It works great and is reusable. Your local welding supply house should be able to get it for you. Worth the cost although not that expensive.

 

Most all bolts have a factory taper. Some with big tapers. So ditto!!

 

Put C notches in full boxed frames. Weld a round piece of shaft to center your hole saw. then drill thru one side, then drill from other side. Finish up the cross cuts with hacksaw etc.


Ago

 

The correct way to pack wheel bearings, so that you push out the old grease.

 

I used to struggle with drilling a pair of holes exactly opposite one another on a piece of tubing. Simple, take a piece of newspaper, fold it lengthwise till its about four inches wide and long. Wrap the paper around the tube and mark with a pencil on the paper where it over laps. Remove paper, lay on table and press flat..at the two ends of paper make a small v notch. Rewrap paper around tube referencing your previous pencil line. At this point your two v notches will be exactly 180 apart. Mark with felt tip marker, use center punch and then drill away. Works sweet on stove pipe to if you are installing a damper.
The second one is make your own penetrating fluid cheap, simply mix one half acetone and one half ATF. Keep sealed tightly. Please MARK the container so some dolt doesn't pour it into a transmission by mistake.....ask me how I know!!

 

It's probably already been mentioned but it always applies- Keep It Simple Stupid

And one for the annoying buddy- F.O.C.U.S man, Fuck Off Cause Your Stupid

 

I just learned this "trick" yesterday from my nephew. This trick is for taping wires in a close confined area.

Cut a length of tape off a roll. Take the length of tape and roll it up very small with the sticky side out. Start the tape where you want it and carefully unroll it around the wiring.

I tried it and it works great!

 

The first trick I learned from my dad was how a piece of Saran or Glad wrap and a rubber band can cap off a fuel or brake line. I use a baggie, plastic wrap is a PITA to tear off! I was 12, had just broke off the fuel pump flex line working on his '59 Chevy PU.

As a ute, he also showed me a trick he learned in a gas station for popping out front hub seals. Remove the outer bearing, rethread the castle nut a couple of turns. Grab the drum or rotor and pull it towards you (I sit on the deck, ready to catch it on my lap). The nut will catch on the inner bearing, pop the seal out slicker than snot! Never damaged a bearing or seal with this method.

He would pour oil down the side of a wire or a thin screwdriver into an opening that he didn't have a funnel small enough for - an old farm trick! Works slick for adding oil to a floor jack...

Lost him to cancer on 9/19/01, STILL MISS HIM...

Good stuff here guys, lets keep it going!!!

- Tim

 

an old quadrajet rear metering rod held with vice grips is a great tool for taking off those pesky little window crank clips in older GM cars.

 

My dad had a sheet metal shop. When I put my motorcycle down and dented the side of the tank, he had me take the tank off the bike then empty and clean it out. He cut out a round of sheet metal to fit the filler hole, fitted a schrader valve to the center of the round and then soldered the assembly to the filler mouth of the tank. A little air from a really small compressor and, bang, dent almost all gone. A little 50/50 solder and some filing, and the dent was repaired to a metal finish. Damn, that was cool!

Byron

 

As alot of us say. My dad taught me so much. Two simple things I learned.First If you can't figure it out stay calm. Walk away and take a NAP get up and fix it. And return all tool to their proper place.Thirty years later those same tools are MINE. My son know what the rules are. Don't tuch gramps tools.Father are the greatest, Thanks Dad!

 

Here's a simple one my dad taught me when I was a little kid helping him putting a customer's car together after a brake job. Turn the hub of wheel so there is a stud at the 12 o'clock position. Roll the wheel over and rotate it so one of the holes are also at the 12 o'clock position. It's a lot easier to install the wheel if you can get just the first stud and hole lined up. Works every time.

I was just reminded of this the other day when my son was trying to install the wheels on his car. It's second nature to me but something new for my son.

 

Here's a safety tip that's stuck with me since my Air Force days. Don't wear jewelry (rings, watch) while working on things mechanical or electrical. Think about it.

 

I haven't worn my wedding ring for twenty years. I work with electricity every day. I also knew a guy who worked on big rigs. The place he worked had Mack COE that had a jungle gym type of grab holds. One day he slipped and fell of the truck, half of his ring finger didn't.

 

Don't wear a big necklace with a medallion on it when the back of a TV is open. Buddy of mine learned that one the hard way.

To a tip - for installing large, heavy tires, first align the lugs with the lug holes, then sit and straddle the tire. Hold the tire with your hands and brace your arms against your legs. You can use your stronger leg muscles to lift the tire...and your back will thank you.

 

My dad no sooner said "Anything that moves or spins can hurt, maim, or kill you. Be aware of moving objects", then moved the sissy bar into place on my bicycle and pinched my finger! He got a good chuckle out of it and it was a lesson I never forgot.
A few years later I was working in a fabrication dept. In the year I was there that lesson served me well, at least two coworkers hadn't learned the lesson and lost fingers in the machines.

 

Hi Art - Could you explain that process?

thanks

Dan T

 

Thanks everbody for posting. Great thread.