Easy and usefull tips and tricks post

Yea a Dalmation. But he's what they called a coach dog. Weighs a little over 90 lbs today. They were guard dogs as opposed to running dogs, a little territorial. He's alright once you get to know him.

More tips shortly.

 

For full fender guys. to keep the paint on your new headers when installing wrap them in a plastic bag.


remove bag before starting.

Wirelooms on the cheap. A NASCAR trick. Use wireties.




for more than 2 wires put more than one tie on the tie that goes around the wires.

 

how do you cut the circular notch out of the screwdriver head?

do you use a small die grinder, or do you use a grinding wheel? it seems to me it would be hard to make a circurlar notch.

 

Showed this on another post but worth reposting for this.
Whenever you have a weld repair where the heat from the weld can cause distortion or damage to the part or part assy. Insert the part into a bucket of water being careful not to submerge the area to be welded into the water.
In this case we had a waterpump boss break off along with a large portion of the casting. We had concerns over the seals being damaged and held it in the water bucket acting as a big ole heatsink. This keeps the part totally cool.
The same can be done when there is a concern over distortion or warpage.
The piece size will be totally dependent on whether you have a swimming pool in the back yard.
This is a relatively safe practice as the voltage and amperage from welding is at a range that it does not zap you.
All pacemaker wearers...ignore this post.

 

Get some swivel extensions made by SK, they have the best knurled grip on them, and they let you get into tighter spaces. Definetly a useful tip! When the bolts to loose to turn with a ratchet, pop the ratchet off and loose the bolt with the extension! (Works great with greasy fingers...)

Thats about all i've got...

When your out of salt, windshield wiper fluid works on ice patches at the garage door!

 

I swap out my fan belts every two years and take the old one and put it in the car as a spare. When I change the belts the next cycle I throw the old spare away if I didnt have to use it...

 

Cheap easy tech: Using a large heat shrink hose clamp to hold my column mounted tach to the bracket (original designed for a hose clamp).

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=34146

swdobbs...

 

can you please post a link or a picture of this "swivel extension by SK"

I don't know what it looks like but i could really use one.
thanks

 

Kinda combining the two, never throw away a shop manual, you never know when you'll get an assembly (engine, rear end, transmission, dashboard, etc.) out of something you never owned the car it came out of. There's an auction near my house that usually sell garage sale crap, but they always seem to have a Chilton's or a Motor manual for me to buy for $5.

case and point: later model Ford 8.8 axles are still 28 spline (drum) and 31 spline (disc). and come in many different lengths. Could make narrowing that truck rear worth much cheaper.

 

Heres one: to get your yellowed whitewalls way clean and white again, you can actually wet sand them!

 

Want to refresh some old rubber parts that are made of rubber and unobtainium? Soak the small ones in brake fluid. Wipe down the larger ones several times with brake fluid. Rinse with Prep Sol before installation next to paint. If necessary, you can clean the parts first with lacquer thinner. Do not get either brake fluid or lacquer thinner on the paint.

pigpen

 

Here's a few easy ones that you can do with an elcheapo screwdriver set.

If you have reversed or deep wheels and little caps, a regular flat blade won't reach in to pop your hubcap off. Take a medium sized flat blade screwdriver, put the tip in a vice and heat it with a torch about an inch above the tip, bend it at a 45* angle and hose it cool. Then get a piece of vacuum hose and slip it over the screwdriver. This will keep it from scratching your wheel and the bend will get it into your deep wheel. Throw it in your glovebox and take it with you. Heck, make another for the tool box at home.


Along the same lines, use a small flatbladed screwdriver and bend to a 90* angle. This will get those stubborn acorn nut covers off.

 

In this picture: http://store1.yimg.com/I/autotoolexpress_1830_3654557

You can see how at the socket end of the extension it has an resess on each of the flats? It lets you get into tighter spots than you can with a straight extension, without needing a flex joint.

A flexible extension is also a good thing for 1/4 inch drive. Sears item #00904336000

The Flex socket is also pretty cool... Everybody needs some of those. Especially a flex socket for spark plugs!

Quick release extensions are pretty sweet as well. The socket stays on until you slide a little clip back (instead of a spring detent with the little ball!)

Another cool one is the long 3/8ths drive ratchets. Craftsman has them... but snapon makes a VERY nice long handle 3/8ths ratchet! I've got the craftsman... the gears are a bit sloppy... but it works. Helps you use your 3/8ths even more before reaching for a 1/2 inch drive.

Definetly get a magnetic pan for little parts, stick the darn thing to the bottom of the car and your creeper doesnt have to roll over bolts... and you know where the "other socket" that you brought under the car is!

Check into getting some allen insert sockets... forget about an allen wrench!

A lot of this stuff ya have to buy new... not many people use them, so not many are for sale used... But golly are they ever time savers!

Good luck... Buy the above and look for new stuff, your an official Tool Whore!

 

Get a couple cheap magnets and an old sheet to cover your windshield at night in cold weather. Saves scraping ice and snow off the windshield on those below zero mornings. Magnets keep the sheet from blowing away and work better than tucking the sheet into the doors.

 

To take gas out of a gas tank or car you can get a hose make sure its all the way down into the tank and take a knife or razor blade and cut a small triangle hole in the tube approx 4 to 5 inches from the bottom of the hose thats going into the gas can or other car (if going into another vehical make it 6 or more inches from bottm to make sure that the tube is placed in the gas tank saftley. Next blow or use air from an air compressor to force air towards the tank that needs to be filled, the vacum from the air traviling away from the submerged side will force the gas to come up the hose and into the gas tank other car. Easy way to siphon gas without the after taste.

Jonney

 

heres one for ya.
If you’re working on a greasy gremmie motor and you need it cleaned get your self some cans of easy off oven cleaner run the engine for about 3 min then turn it off and start spraying the motor let it set for 15 min then wash off the easy off and presto the engine is clean. Oh ya don't get it on your paint it will take it off.

 

Don't use ATF for brake fluid. It will make the seals swell and cause leaks.


Frank

 

Read this in a household cleaning hints book but never tried it.

Take a bucket of hot water and pour in a cup of kerosene. They say it will actually wash and wax your vehicle for you, just don't know what it would do to your paint.

Geno

 

used this little trick today. i was welding my firewall in and didnt feel like cutting a tiny sliver of metal and there wernt any slivers on the floor that looked like they would fit ... looked next to me and there was a pack of old welding rods laying under the car ... cut it to size put it in the long gap that u didnt feel like cutting a piece of metal that was a quarter of an inch wide and 12 inches long and mig over it .... much easier gaping the hole with the rod in place

tom

 

I keep a file of every part number that had gone into my Deuce. Ie clutch, bearings, seals, slave cylinders, etc b/c when Im gonna need to replace that part down the track...I'll know EXACTLY what to replace it with.

Sure as hell beats the crap outta dealing with some knuckledragger at the parts shop who has no idea of what you are talking about coz hes used to dealing with ricers all day long.

I keep this in a "bible" along with tuning specs, and other tips I wrote down so that they would come in handy down the road.

Worth a thought,

Rat

 

And: Always tell your wife what they're in there for, lest you get a hard look and a sharp tongue, or worse.

pigpen

 

I do that too. In fact, I try to keep a log of what I've done to the car with dates and keep reciepts. (NO I never added them up )

Great post! Keep em comin'

 

I'll throw out another. It seems every pre 49 Ford suffers from the sagging drivers door handle. I see it all the time, even on beautifully restored cars, but mine don't sag

If you take the door panel off, and maybe part of the latch depending on your year, they all have this strange spring in there that actually returns the handle to the up position. Over the last 65 years or so the springs are broken, or at least weak. New springs may be available or you can still find some replacements around. There are different sizes for different years but they are all shaped like this '@'. I have a small stash. Replace this spring and it's just like it was 19--, whatever year your car is, all over again.

 

One more for the night. Have a heavy shaved trunk and need a popper? Sure you can buy those overpriced ones from any catalog, but that's no fun. Grab those old valve springs out from under the workbench. Cut one so it's just long enough to put some tension on the trunk lid, bolt it down. There you go. Nothing's more appropriate than an old valve spring! Plenty enough tension to open even a heavy trunk lid, even if it's only compressed 1/4" or so. If it's not quite right, you've got 15 more under the bench, do it again a little longer or shorter.

 

ive got copys of oregon fender law in case cops try to pull some shit.

 

are you TRYING to kill people??? haha

but seriously, definately DO NOT spray a "bunch" in there. And you can use most anything that is flammable and in a spray can. I usually use WD40 or ether. Bring the can close to the bead or point inside the tire or rim and spray the can for NO more than 3 seconds. Always works for me. Dangerous as hell if you spray a bunch in there. If you HAVE to do it this way, remember..........spray for 3 seconds or less

and Automotive Stud: I dont quite understand your method with the trunk and valve spring idea. Bolt the valve spring to what? Isnt the trunk gonna pop right open after you push it down? How would it hold the trunk shut?

EDIT: wondering if you are using a latch with this idea? I was thinking that the spring was used to hold the trunk shut too.

 

Hey, how come my name is above the explosives 101 tire thing? I didn't post that

I did the trunk spring on my '47. I left the stock latch hooked to a cable, but the lid is so heavy it wouldn't open. I put the spring through one of the striker bolts with a washer. It sticks up just enough to put a little tension on the closed lid. Pushes it open when you pull the cable. Not the fanciest thing in the world, but it works. To close I just hold the lid a few inches from being closed all the way and drop it. It's so heavy it compresses the spring and latches perfect.

 

Aluminum foil makes great masking for headers,door handles ,etc.Just form it into place.
Bleach White works great for cleaning light colored vinyl interiors as well as whitewalls.
Afarid of locking your keys in the car? Spray paint an extra key flat black and tie wrap it under the car. No one will see it but you'll know where it is.

 

A couple on torch work...


When using your cutting tip as a heating tip, either flip the Oxy. lever up or, in the case of a Victor Jr. put your thumb under it...
Don't trust yourself to not accidentally hit it.

Secure your work, if heating and bending. As soon as it starts to fall, you'll have an automatic reflex to catch it.

Have your hammer, vise-grips... etc. right there, BEFORE, you get the piece hot.

To light a torch... (well, some guys might not know)
There's three knobs...
When I assemble a cutting tip to the torch body, as a habit I line-up the two Oxy. valves.
To light...
1) Open main Oxy. valve all the way.
2) Crack Oxy. mix valve open, and then seat it slightly. This will prevent it from snapping open too far, when you go to add Oxy, which will snuff the flame.
3) Open the Acy. valve until a fair amount of fuel comes out.
4) Strike your flame. Keep your striker cup turned away from you so the flash doesn't come at you, and hold the striker a few inches from the tip... it won't make a loud pop when it lights. The "pop" is why I don't turn the Oxy. mix valve on yet. You'll get a big orange flame, and some carbon bunnies floating in the air, but you'll save your ears.
5) Open the Oxy. mix valve a little at a time. This will turn the flame from orange to blue. You'll see tiny blue flames coming from the holes aroungd the tip. Keep increasing the Oxy. until those blue flames are their sharpest. Once you've gone too far, you'll hear it begin to sputter. Turn it back a little. The sound will tell you alot.



Don't use too much Acetylene. A big mistake is to have too big of a flame.
Start small and go big. Besides, once the cut is started, the Acy. isn't doing anything.

Acetylene fittings are LEFTHAND threads.

For a nice straight cut, make a flame cutting jig.
Here's an end view with dimentions.

The guide is raised so the fingers of the flame can fan out where they need to go. I used a cross section of 3" channel for my handle, but you can change this design.
You can make longer cuts, by clamping any straight edge down, but block it up, as shown.

DON'T lay your torch in the gravel.

Unwind all the kinks in the hose, BEFORE, you light it.

Don't burn your shit up.



JOE

 

When lighting your torch if you crack the oxy just a bit you won't soot up the shop ticking off the painter getting a white car ready to spray.

Anytime I am working around a radiator, removing or installing one, I tape cardboard to it. Protecting it from my clumsy wrench or screwdriver and the fan.
Carl