[ QUOTE ] [ QUOTE ] My vote for tech week winner: Slik Mofo's "feminine by-product" tech!!! [/ QUOTE ] Thank you, thank you very much. On behalf of those that shared info, Im just returning the favor. [/ QUOTE ] Gets my vote...!!!!!!
To discourage folks from "borrowing" my 8-foot air hose and nozzle that I use on the porting bench, in a shop that will have a half dozen folks working at the same time, I changed the female end of the hose and the male ends of my die grinders and air nozzle to a different type than the type that's used throughout the rest of the shop. I wasn't a **** about it; I fitted a shop-common male end to my hose so that the hose bib on the wall is still useable by others when I'm not there. Haven't had to chase a hose since the changeover, and mine sits right on top of my tool caddy in plain view when I'm not there.
I spent hours trying to dig a pilot bushing out if the back of a SBF one time with one of the of the slide-hammer pullers. It was a nightmare, the material was pretty soft, so the puller just kept ripping chunks out and the bushing wouldn't budge. Finally, I managed to dig it out. Well, the next time I had to do it, I went to borrow a puller from a buddy, and he told me about the following method: You pack the bushing hole full of grease, and work it around to fill the entire cavity behind and around the bushing. Then take a round object the size of the hole (as tight a tolerence as you can get, I used a stripped input shaft I had) hold it up to the bushing like you were going to insert it into the bushing. Give it a solid whack with a BFH. Tada! Pops out like it was nothing!
[ QUOTE ] No splinters, cleans off easy, nice and slippery, and doesn't soak thru. [/ QUOTE ] We're not still talking innuendo, are we?
Vern and I have been culling shop tips from really old copies of Popular Mechanics, Popular Science, etc., for inclusion in his new catalog, mostly for fun, but also because some of them are really clever. Here's one that is so basic you wouldn't think it needs to be included. Well, trust me when I tell you that four out of five non-factory cotter key installations we see in the shop are wrong! This isn't to say that an incorretly installed cotter key won't do its job. By its very nature, however, a cotter key is meant to be removed when the nut it locks in place is to be removed. The uniform and accepted installation makes the mechanic's job easier, plus when the ends of the key are flattened against the nut and the bolt or stud, they aren't likely to rip the skin on your hands when working around them. BTW, the handy hint omits an important point: If the ends of the key are long, trim them and particularly the one that folds over the bolt so its end is in the center of the bolt and tap it down flat against the bolt.
[ QUOTE ] the "Ghetto Creeper." Same thing, only its just a big piece of cardboard. [/ QUOTE ] man,let me tell you..when my car was in my mom's garage,there was ALWAYS a huge piece of cardboard layin around,and if you lay it down the same way every time,it DOES last a long time! Creepy
Sorry no pic,s as most are aware of the new shed well filling it with all the old shed contents has proved huge whith 27 engines to store under pallet racking and get out easy I bought some 65 mm casters and with a through bolt hole bloted 4 on each block at the front or rear which ever worked beter tipped them up on end compleate or incompleate and roll them around anywhere JR
Got a few things here, most are pretty obvious, but hey 'So What' wants to get the count up over 101. First is using a machine vice on your drill press to hold round stuff Second. I used to have all my dollies and body hammers etc in an old ammo box. You could always count on the tool I wanted being on the bottom. Also with all the tools in it, it was pretty heavy. So I finally got around to making myself, what I call my 'dolly trolley'. Third, was reading about HVLV spray guns and decided to borrow a friend's to give them a go. My friend always just chucks his in the vice when filling them. Me being me had to do something better than that. I like these guns and am going to get a couple. For my last idea. I like to have my garage reasonably organised. But am always looking for other stuff to put in it, especially to store things. But I do like this stuff to look like it belongs in the big scheme of my garage. I recently was in a second hand furniture store and spotted a map drawer. I thought to myself I would like that, but where could I fit it into my garage. So I came home and looked at my garage and then thought; hey above my computer there is a lot of wasted space. So I went back and bought the map drawer. On getting it home I made a frame with castors on it and it sits over and around my computer table ( well it's more than just a table, it's something else I made), I have since actually bought another map drawer and mounted it just below the first one I bought. They are great for storing posters and all sorts of things. The bonus in this case is I ended up with an area on top to place lighter objects.The point here is in our garages there is so much wasted space up in the air. So much can be mounted above, just make sure the structure is strong enough to support stuff. Also when I built my garage I designed the cupboards that are in the main work bench area to go from floor to ceiling. The very top cupboard doors actually lifts out!
[ QUOTE ] To discourage folks from "borrowing" my 8-foot air hose and nozzle that I use on the porting bench, in a shop that will have a half dozen folks working at the same time, I changed the female end of the hose and the male ends of my die grinders and air nozzle to a different type than the type that's used throughout the rest of the shop. I wasn't a **** about it; I fitted a shop-common male end to my hose so that the hose bib on the wall is still useable by others when I'm not there. Haven't had to chase a hose since the changeover, and mine sits right on top of my tool caddy in plain view when I'm not there. [/ QUOTE ] Mike took your idea one step further. I just finished installing an air dryer. (humi***y @ 78% today) To make sure no one (well mainly me) can "mix" the hoses to my air tool caddy; I used 3/8" conectors off the dryer and 3/8" air line. I have a retractible 3/8 " air hose reel (25 feet; used in reverse) mounted on a "caddy" on casters, with a regulator, a line oiler and a manifold (with different ends) so I can have more than one tool hooked up at the same time. I made "cubby holes" for each of the tools. That way they can't accidently use one of the air tool lines (with oil in them) for painting. (they're also a different color)
Brakeleen..or similar. I use it to kill bugs, clean grease off of my good shirts, degrease almost anything. It cleans brakes too. Also, it evaporates, and doesn't leave a residue. That, and it's cheap.
I know i have a ton of 'quick tips' i've picked up from friends, books etc..but can't remember anything but what i was just doing.. I'm finishing up block sanding my 53, and a friend gave me an idea he uses in the body shop he works at. Take a piece of lexan, about an 1/8 inch thick. Cut it the size of your long board paper. On one side i have 36 grit, and on the other i have 80 grit. I'm using the 80 right now, so the 36 acts as a grip. The lexan is VERY flexable, allowing you to follow compound curves very well which many of our cars have.. Very cheep (mine was cut from an old race car window) and from what i've seen on mine, works really good. I'll see what else i can remember.. Tony.
For you folks that actually USE paint around the garage... I keep an old phillips screwdriver sharpened into a punch on my paint table, along with a hammer, and every can I open, I poke a drain hole in the groove where the lid seals. Nothin like NOT having all that paint runnin' down the sides of the can and gumming up the lid so it won't seal. Also, with paints like POR15 that dry in the can with a skim on top---turn the can UPSIDE DOWN after you hammer on the lid, that way the skim is on the bottom when you're ready to use it again and all the paint's at the top of the can. My feeble contribution to Tech Week Does that count as two?
Another use for WD40: I have used it to disolve the dried rubbing compound in cracks and crevasas. Driprails are a problem area and door jambs. Just spray it on let it soak in some and then use a little stiff bristel brush, Repeat if nessary. The oil won't hurt the paint.
Another take on the "ghetto creeper", if you know someone who is putting one of those universal fit rubber mats in the bed of their truck and it is a six foot bed, snag the remaining 2 foot that is left over. You can then roll it up and throw it in your trunk, just in case of a roadside breakdown.
Best thing for cleaning up spills, kitty little, less dust more absorbent, then any commercial product. If you soak your hydraulic lifters in oil over night the pump up faster and are easier to adjust Two favorite sbc tools Pre-oiler made out of old dizzy. Clutch aligning tools old pilot shafts out of blown trannies works so much better than the commercial tools.
Ok, got a couple more.. For when your primering, or painting for that matter.. if your not taking your wheels off your ride, and don't have wheel covers, 60gal garbage bags work great... and another.. I have a cell phone, like may of you i'm sure..and sometime's when i've been at a show, it go's dead. Basically because i was a dumb*** and forgot to charge it..anyway.. I bought one of those 3.00 power port's (cigarette lighter) from the local parts joint and mounted it up under the dash on both my '33 and '32. I have a car jack for the phone in my toolbox, so if the phone dies when i'm away, all i have to do is plug it in and i'm good to go. this way, if my car ****'s on me, and i don't have the tools to fix it, i can call for help. This also works great for the small, portable air compressor i carry in the truck too.. Tony.
[ QUOTE ] Another use for WD40: I have used it to disolve the dried rubbing compound in cracks and crevasas. [/ QUOTE ] Cool Rudy! All these years and I never tried WD40. The "recommended" crack cleaner is 1/2 distilled water, 1/2 rubbing alcohol..... And on the ghetto creeper thing...I had a friend who brought me old water slide mats from the water park---padded and slick, soft and easy to wipe off...mmmmm....does that make me a ghetto goldchainer(tm)?
Another paint can tip. Saran Wrap. If you put a piece over an opened paint can or POR-15 before putting the lid on it'll seal great and be much easier to open.
Here's a sweet idea from the wayback. Let's say you need a very small bit of spray finish -- maybe a tiny repair or a detail on sign or trad graphics. Even with a touchup gun you're going to spend a lot of material that will eventually get washed away in the gun cleanup. So, put the paint in a small gl*** container, like a baby-food jar, put it in the bottom of the spray gun cup, ***emble the gun, and spray away! I'd like to add a small tip to this and suggest that you punch a hole in the lid to a baby-food jar, just large enough to accept the spray gun siphon.
The most used tool in my shop is this stool I built out of small block chevy (heven forbid) camshafts and flexplates I had lying around. Used as a stool, step ladder, welding table, saw horse, short workbench, tube bending fixture, painting fixture, umbrella stand, ect.
1. Buy a couple of bolts that are longer than your transmission bolts. cut the heads off them and put a slot in the end. Screw a couple into the bellhousing before you try to install the trans. They will line up the input shaft with the spline in the disc. and the trans will slide right in. bolt up the remaining two bolts, remove the guide pins with a screwdriver, and install the remaining two bolts. 2. A variation on the cardboard creeper. When you are driving along and see those piles of used carpet beside the road waiting to be picked up by the trash man, stop and pick up a couple of pieces. Cut them into 2X5 or 3X6 pieces and throw them under the car when it isn't high enough to use a creeper. It's a lot more comfortable than cardboard and here in the north country its a lot warmer to lay on in the winter. When it gets dirty, put it out for the trash pickup and look for some more. Also throw a piece in the trunk its amazing how many uses you can find for it out on the road. Frank
I use a speaker magnet under my drillpress to collect the shavings. I use a piece of wrestling mat cut to board paper size as a flexable sander. I'll think of another few after a beer.
Thought I'd p*** along a couple for the stripers in the audience.You've probably seen or heard of them before but here goes anyway: When working over a sanded surface that is to be cleared after striping,buy some cheap cotton work gloves(the thin kind)at the hardware store.Use the offhand one(the hand you DON'T stripe with)whole and for your striping hand,cut off the thumb and index fingers to facilitate holding the brush.Keeps unnecessary fingerprints off the job.I use them when doing new cars at the dealership;saves cleanup time afterward. A lot of times I use more than one brush at a time doing a job.If I lay down a small lettering brush,it invariably rolls off my palette and into the closest available dirt pile.Stripers usually are so short,they just fall off with the slightest jiggle of the palette.I buy small alligator(roach)clips by the package and slip them onto the ends of my small lettering brushes and then clip them to my palette when not being used.For the stripers,I clip them crossways just behind the wrapping and slide the handle into a hole in the palette or clip them to a larger clip I've attached to the clipboard through the hangup hole. My palettes are just glossy magazines my wife gets a ton of everyday in the mail.Clip them to the clipboard and flip to the next page for the next color.CAUTIONo NOT use these when working with HOK striping paint as the solvents attack the inks in the paper and transfers it to the paint! Use a piece of aluminum or gl***(not plexi)for HOK paint. Another thing I do is when I'm painting outside the shop,I tape one of those plastic bags you get in most stores to my tripod to use for waste paper and such.Makes cleanup much easier.Also if you use Fineline or other tape as a guide for your brush,when you pull it off,roll it in a ball between your hands before discarding.It won't stick to the side of your plastic trash bag and piss you off because it won't go in.Simple **** but effective. Guess that's about it for now.
When trying to start a nut threading onto a bolt in a tight spot, put a piece of paper over the nut, then put a socket on the nut. The paper will wedge the nut in place and it will not fall out of the socket. Ghetto creeper #72 - old shower curtains! Also make good drop cloths, and can be used for masking wheelwells etc... or as a "grease guard" under an engine stand.
[ QUOTE ] Buy a couple of bolts that are longer than your ........(fill in space)... cut the heads off them and put a slot in the end. Screw a couple into .........(fill in space) ... before you try to install the... .......(fill in space) ... will slide right in/on. Bolt up the remaining bolts, remove the guide pins with a screwdriver, and install the remaining bolts. Frank [/ QUOTE ] Frank didn't mean to hyjack your idea; but it works for almost any part! Heads, manifolds, water pumps, etc. (especially if your working on flatheads!) Great for keeping gaskets aligned until the part(s) are in place.
Ratcheting nylon straps For lifting heavy bulky things with your cherry picker, I use the ratcheting nylon straps to stabilize whatever is hanging from it, like pickup truck cabs, rear ends, etc. they also don't scratch paint like chains do. They also work when you don't have one of those engine tilter doo-hickeys. One more use, I have used them to temporarily mount axles so that a car can be moved without having to bolt everything together.
Mike that "small jar" in the paint gun idea is great! Now I know why the old painter that touched up my '41 had an old INK BOTTLE in his tool box!
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