Were all car enthusiasts that have come across litttle tricks that help us out and make our life easyer when working on our cars. Have any tricks that can help someone else out? Here's a couple I use alot. When trying to screw through carpet ( door sills, shifter boots etc ) I wrap masking tape around the screw to stop the carpet from pulling. To start a whole in thick plastic, I heat the screw up with a turbo torch, melting a threaded hole on the plastic ( holds better ) Another one is berring in the oven' axel in the freezer. I'm sure you guys have alot smarter ones, let's here them
-- Edited by hawkeye5766 on Tuesday 22nd of April 2014 11:29:55 PM
When putting a screw back into plastic, turn it backwards until you feel it click into the existing threads. If you don't, it will cut a new thread, weakening the structure and almost certainly stripping out the hole.
Removing a pilot bushing for manual transmissions from the back of a crankshaft:
Fill the hole completely with grease. Insert pilot shaft and tap in with a hammer. The grease will pop the bushing out. You'll likely get some spray of grease too, so wrap a rag around the crankshaft flange to contain the spray.
Contain oil in transmission:
If you're pulling a transmission without draining, slide a yoke in the end to seal it. You can tape/haywire it to keep it in place. This should prevent oil running out all over when the transmission is tilted.
U-Joints:
Use a socket that matches the diameter of the u-joint bearing cup to pop the cap out of the yoke (same trick for removing a lot of bearing races). When installing a new u-joint (or re-installing an old one), use grease to hold all the needle bearings in place as you assemble.
66 Beau wrote Removing a pilot bushing for manual transmissions from the back of a crankshaft: Fill the hole completely with grease. Insert pilot shaft and tap in with a hammer. The grease will pop the bushing out. You'll likely get some spray of grease too, so wrap a rag around the crankshaft flange to contain the spray.
A trick for rusted screw heads on wheel well mlds-sill plates.Take a small mini sand blaster and blast the heads.Most of the time it will clean out the heads so you can put a screw driver in them and turn them out.
cracked plastic interior trim panels, remove-butt together showing as close a correct front exterior face-melt with soldiering gun along inside face to bond back together without damaging visible grain on the outside
I have a jack from the trunk of a 1990's sunbird - I welded an angle iron 'V' shape up on the jack point- I welded creeper wheels on the base -- I jack to the bottom on a car door remove the bolts and wheel the jack and door away
Use a brake shoe adjuster (not the tool but the actual mechanism) to expand a warped sbc exhaust manifold for install. Also another pilot bushing removal trick (brass type). Screw in a 5/8 nc tap and when it bottoms out against the crank keep going and out comes the bushing. Very fast with air ratchet.
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'68 Parisienne 2+2 Convertible Matador Red (Resale Red but not for sale).
I cut some 1' square chunks of parging screen, I thread rusty bolts into the screen... Then I have something super easy to handle in the sandblast cabinet!
Beats trying to hold onto separate bolts. Then you can paint EM...
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later...rog
AADD supporting member !!
I'm a collector...not a builder!!Located in sunny central Saskatchewan at the lakehead!
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
I saw 3 guys boost a truck with no booster cables. They drove the running truck up until the bumpers touched for the ground. 2 of the guys held a 3/8 chain tight from positive to positive. Away they went.
When starting a bolt or nut where you have to reach in from above and can't get your hand in there, a gob of axle grease in a socket will hold the nut or bolt so you can lower it in. I've played with trying to magnetize the extension or nut but the grease is easier.
For new cars and their horizontal/angled oil filters, I'll use a screw driver to punch a hole in the filter to let it drain to minimize the amount if oil that runs down my arm. Anyone have a better trick?
This is one I wish I knew about years ago. Replacing front springs the easy way. I recall seeing, on Overhaulin or ? having to put a dozen guys on the front end of a car with no engine for extra weight when trying to change the springs. The easy way is to compress the spring with a compressor just enough to get it into the cavity with the lower A arm hanging down. Wrap a heavy chain under the floor jack (positioned under the outer edge of the lower A arm) and over the top of the A arm/Frame and take away the slack. Jack the lower A arm up into place as the chain under the jack will keep frame from lifting. I usually have the spindle attached to the bottom ball joint and just jack it into the top ball joint. This pic is after the spring is in place.
Since most of you guys here are rear wheel drive guys...
When you are repacking front wheel bearings on a disc brake car, remove the caliper, remove the dust cap, cotter pin, spindle nut and washer, then remove the outer bearing. Then put the spindle nut back on about 3-4 turns, grab the rotor at 9 0'clock and 3 o'clock, pull it out towards you with a nice crisp tug while also pulling down nice and gentle. It will pop the rear seal out of the rotor in the back and the inner bearing and seal will remain hanging on the spindle, nicely removed for you. Much easier than fighting with it on the bench.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
When you are removing rear axle seals, once you have the axle loose and are sliding it out, just before you pull it out of the end of the tube, carefully/gently lock the inner tip of it just behind the axle seal by letting the weight of the axle pull outer end of the axle down. Then give a gentle push down using the inner tip of the axle shaft (using it as a pry bar) to pop the seal out of the axle tube. Be gentle because the shaft is a huge lever and it won't take much.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
When removing an automatic transmission from a 62-67 Acadian/Nova with a V8, the top 2 transmission bolts will make you say bad words.
Remove the 2 transmission mount bolts and also the 2 crossmember bolts while supporting the transmission somehow. Lower the back of the transmission down a bit and have at least 3 feet of extension with a 9/16" swivel socket at the end. That will go up nicely now to those 2 bolts.
Just make sure the distributor cap does not get crushed against the firewall when you lower the back of the transmission. I remove it to be safe.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
Were all car enthusiasts that have come across litttle tricks that help us out and make our life easyer when working on our cars. Have any tricks that can help someone else out? Here's a couple I use alot. When trying to screw through carpet ( door sills, shifter boots etc ) I wrap masking tape around the screw to stop the carpet from pulling. To start a whole in thick plastic, I heat the screw up with a turbo torch, melting a threaded hole on the plastic ( holds better ) Another one is berring in the oven' axel in the freezer. I'm sure you guys have alot smarter ones, let's here them
-- Edited by hawkeye5766 on Tuesday 22nd of April 2014 11:29:55 PM
My screwdrivers with broken tips end up at the bench grinder being sharpened to a point. They make good centre punches, aligning tools for holes, sometimes I bend the end 90 degrees and make a hook tool. It's amazing how often I use that homemade hook tool.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars
My screwdrivers with broken tips end up at the bench grinder being sharpened to a point. They make good centre punches, aligning tools for holes, sometimes I bend the end 90 degrees and make a hook tool. It's amazing how often I use that homemade hook tool.
While fixing computers and printers on the road, I had a full little tool kit made entirely of modified paper clips. Looked a great deal like a set of lock picks, but softer. Ideal for things like pulling a post-it out of a floppy drive and such.
If you want to replace a heater hose without draining all your antifreeze, take off rad cap and get someone to hold shopvac tight on rad, vacuum keeps from draining. If working on big diesel engines that hold 10 gal of antifreeze, and you want to refill, put small boat bildgepump with 6' of hose in bottom of 5 gal bucket and hook to 12v bat. No more spilling
When spinning off an oil filter I grab an old plastic bag (bread bag works fine). It covers my arm up to the elbow and I spin it off. Then invert the bag and the filter is contained in the bag.
I'll remember for next time
