crazy (29-12-10)
Thought this might be a good thread to start. I'm sure there are others out there who have thought of something simple but clever.
I'll start.
The work van battery was looking a bit dodgy so we all pitched in and bought a jump starter battery pack. $45.00 from super thief auto.
So to keep it topped up I have hooked up a (12v) power supply from the brake light to the 3.5mm external power socket.
So as you have already worked out everytime I brake a little bit of charge is put back into the jumper battery.
Ive got antoher one. How to use your kids protractor as a dial indicator, but I'll let somebody else throw one in first.........
"It's Life Jim" But Not As We Know It!
"We come in peace" shoot to kill.
crazy (29-12-10)
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Senior Member
ive got a piece of slotted Unistrut i use for removing motorcycle flywheels. the genuine puller has an external threaded tube you wind into the stator. costs like $50 and need many different types.
i use the unistrut and some long bolts , resting the unitstrut against the pulley nut , winding them in and gently tapping with a hammer till the taper comes free. sortof like a steering wheel puller but with more flexibility.
About 10-12 years ago I was working as a mechanic (on tractors and farm type equipment) - I made lots of little things which came in handy. About the only thing I 'salvaged' when I left was a wheel brace (one of those 4 sided cross ones ) that I cut one of the sockets off and welded a 1/2inch socket drive onto. You can't use this in confined spaces, but by god you can get some purchase onto a rusted nut when you need to ! And because you have the socket drive end on it you can put whatever size socket you require.
Even though I have a totally different job now, I still use it occasionally when things get a bit tight
Cheers.
When I was a kid, I used to have an imaginary friend. I thought he went everywhere with me. I could talk to him and he could hear me, and he could grant me wishes and stuff too. But then I grew up, and stopped going to church.
To adjust the timing on Holden/chev V8's you need a 9/16 spanner that is bent in a way that allows you easy access. So as a bright spark apprentice I spent 30 mins heating and bending my brand new sidchrome spanner to suit, only to find my boss pull the exact same spanner from his toolkit which he bought for a few bucks at some trade store...DOH
Setting ignition timing with a globe on points systems.
Running in engines by towing the car with the spark plugs removed.
Doing wheel alignments with some chalk, string and my sat inclinometer.
I could go on embarrassing myself.....
Just a few off the top of my head:
Connecting your garden hose to the heater input hose of your car and running your engine for a while is a thorough way to flush out your cooling system. You can also refill from this point and avoid air locks.
Filling up your diesel fuel filter with diesel prior to fitting it saves you having to press the fuel bladder button two hundred times.
Discarded manual gearbox shafts are a handy way to align the clutch and pressure plate assembly while tightening the bolts.
Garbage bag + window cleaner + hot summer day = window tint remover
When buffing your car use high quality polish and a slow speed clean buffing pad, for best results apply a super thin mist of water using a spray bottle but try not to dampen the pad.
Razor blade + good quality window cleaner + that cheese cloth stuff = perfect streak free windows.
Brake squeal on unworn pads can be caused by a lack of chamfer on the brake pad edge, lack of 'that grease stuff' in between the backing plate and pad, or the brake pad surface becoming too smooth.
Um that's about it for now. Now for some stupid stuff:
'my friend' once removed an engine from a tarago using a block and tackle and winch and foldable step ladder.
The same guy was once working for lexus and 'almost' left a sump plug loose on an is200. Very lucky save.
The same guy was lowering an auto out of a camry without realising that the cruise was still connected.
The same guy was installing an a/c into a rav4 when he stripped a decent amount of skin of his wrist. After it healed, he did the exact same thing again, in exactly the same circumstance.
The same guy put a car through a drive-in car wash, decided to listen to some music whilst still in the car, on went the radio and up went the aerial. What the #### is that noise? It's like a scraping noise on the roof, why do I have no radio reception all of a sudden? Oops.
Oops indeed.
- Use a flat piece of steel to hold shaft/pulley, for when removing the last bolt on a shaft or pulley.
- Use blocks of timber for useful support, such as jamming in places when having engine mounts off etc.
- When pushing cars out/in, turn the wheels with your hands it's more effective at times.
- When removing bolts/nuts, use a Piece of Paper, Sticky Tape and a Pen to stick all the bolts onto the paper and record the locations with the Pen.
- Long piece of garden hose, great way of finding exhaust leaks and sources of other noises.
- Store "freeze spray" such as freeze and release in a fridge for a while before use, makes it much more effective with less spraying needed.
crazy (27-12-10)
a length of 2x4 pine to listen to noisy bearings in the bottom end or tappets in the the top end
putting dolly wheels under a trailer is a good way to manouver it around a tight garage. i need to spin mine by 90deg after unhitching it.
WD40 or any water dispersant spray makes good hand cleaner if your hands are caked.
The Early Bird May Get The Worm But Its The Second Mouse That Gets The Cheese!
Leather belt as an oil filter remover.
Bottle Jack + Bench Vice + G Clamps = cheap hydraulic press to remove bearings, wheel studs, bushes etc.
Last edited by intelliGEORGE; 27-12-10 at 11:14 PM.
wixxer (03-01-11)
washing powder is great for getting grease off(ouchie on cuts)
broken a bolt/stud off flush or even below, position a nut over it and weld through nut onto stud and then fill nut with weld. it may take a few goes. but works great - even with exhaust manifolds.
El cheapo clutch aligning tool.
Piece of dowel that will fit into centre of flywheel and wind a roll of masking tape behind the dowel end so the diameter is the same as the clutch plate centre. Then add pressure plate.
Adding more or less tape gives you a universal aligner
crazy (29-12-10)
A loop of old timing chain brazed to an old 1/2 or 3/8 extension bar makes a great oil filter remover. Just slip the chain over the filter and wind. The chain wraps tightly around the filter.
Indeed. Drench the inside of the window with window cleaner, attach the black garbage bag to the window then use something to smooth out the air bubbles that exist between the bag and tint (plastic playing card perhaps?). Leave it to bake in the hot sun (I did this on ~35'C day), then peel off the bag and tint. The bag and tint should glue together in the heat and come off quite easily, any excess tint glue can be removed with persistance and window cleaner. If you're worried about damage to the rear window demister element then you can either cut little strips of garbage bag and then work section by section, or you can cover large sections of the rear window then carefully use a razor to cut inbetween the element pattern and remove the bag.
Most people remove tint with news paper, you just need to keep it damp.
Got a 52mm gauge thats meant to be fited into dash but dont want to drill holes?
Get yourself a tow ball cover. Nice chrome one, put a bit of tape around gauge for a tight fit. Bingo
"It's Life Jim" But Not As We Know It!
"We come in peace" shoot to kill.
Applying a silicone bead doesn't need to be messy.
Squirt the silicone out of the nozzle making sure it touches the surfaces to be sealed on either side.
Get a spray bottle with a little detergent mixed with water and spray over the silicone then use your finger (or special tool) to smooth silicone and remove excess.
The silicone won't stick to anything that's been sprayed with your detergent mix so make sure this spray doesn't get behind your bead anywhere.
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