Helpfull Things

Kind of a dumb title, but I have been thinking about this for awhile. I bet we all do things all the time out of habit that would help everyone else if we shared these little things we have learned or come up with ourselves. So if you would share these little secretes it may make all of our lives a little more convenient.
Here is my first one. I have lost more hats in my roadster than I can count, my friend showed me a little trick. He used a badge holder from a trade show. Put it on back wards and clip it to your back of your hat. that way if the wind blows it off it is caught and you won't loose it. What do you think?
Ken

Heck of a lot better than superglue!

here is my little trick. I tried everything to get the glue off of my glass when i removed the tinting that the car came with. The glue was king of heavy and everything i used just smeared it. So i said what the hell and used acetone. Worked great. when i need to get any overspray, tape goo, or and other materials off my chrome or glass i just go to the dollar store and spend $1.00 on a bottle of fingernail polish remover. just do not use on painted or rubber material.

Great idea for a thread Ken!:3dSMILE:
I stumbled across this last week when taking the bed off my pickup by myself. I just tilted the bed up from behind, slid it foward until the edge of the bed landed on my creeper, and then just walked it off. Here's a shot
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c.../bedoff009.jpg
http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/c.../bedoff006.jpg

You’ve probably heard of {goo gone} it will take glue residue off just about anything but the smell is really bad. Mineral oil does the same thing with out the smell. While putting down tile in a bathroom I got adhesive on the vinyl piece’s. I tried mineral oil it worked, and now I use it for anything sticky. I’ve used it to take gasket sealer off my hands also.

Richard

iVE HAD ALOT OF CRAMPED ENGINE BAYS, AND LEARNED THIS TRICK MANY YEARS AGO. NOW THAT I HAVE A BIG BLOCK IN A SMALL MUSTANG, GETTING THE BACK 2 PLUGS ON THE LEFT SIDE IS A CHORE. THIS IDEA MAKES IT A BREEZE. A SIMPLE PIECE OF VACUME HOSE SLIPPED OVER THE PLUG TIP MAKES IT ALOT EASIER TO WORK IT IN. I ALMOST HAVE TO DISLOCATE MY FINGERS TO GET THEM BACK TO THE SPOT THEY NEED TO GO. THIS WAY I WILL NOT DROP THE PLUG AND IT NOW HAS A LONG HANDLE TO SPIN IT IN OR OUT.

These tips are always good to hear again, I’ve seen that in hot rod magazines but when I was putting plugs in a 3800 V6 the backside is really hard to get to, and I forget the little tips.

This tip has nothing to do with hot rods unless you are painting them with a brush.

If your going to reuse the brush even as long as a month or more leave the paint on the brush and wrap it in a plastic bag, the paint will still be wet.

Richard

Occasionally, I have a need to hone a hole to a little bigger size or clean rust or gunk from the inside of a tube. Using a piece of rod 1/4 to 3/8 inch in diameter (even the shank of an old bolt with the head cut off), use a hacksaw to cut a groove down the middle of the rod about 3/4" to 7/8" long. I've even made a length of allthread work. Using one inch wide emery cloth that comes on a roll like machine shops use to polish crankshafts, slide the end into the slot in the rod and wind the cloth around until you have the diameter you need to do the honing, then tear off the remainder. Winding it clockwise as you are looking at the slot end of the rod will insure that when you spin it in your drill motor, it will not unwind. Presto, a variable diameter hone, depending on how much cloth you wind onto the rod. If you have a 1/4" drill motor, then use a rod 1/4" in diameter. If you have a 3/8", then use 1/4", 5/16" or 3/8"rod.

This is an old one that probably everyone knows, but it's all I have. :p :D

To make it easier to install a transmission onto either the block or a bellhousing, take two long bolts (about 6 inches long) of the correct thread size to screw into a couple of the bolt holes in the engine or bellhousing. Cut the heads off and round the cut off portion a little to facilitate getting the transmission started onto them.

Screw the long bolts into the block or bellhousing so the rounded ends are sticking out (put one bolt on either side of the engine), then start the transmission onto the bolts and use them as "ramps" to allow you to slide the transmission into place. Obviously, you want to use the same holes on the block that you use on the transmission so it slides correctly into place.

I have used this with both automatic transmissions and stick transmissions. It makes it a whole lot easier to get both types installed, especially stick transmissions where you are trying to get the input shaft through a throwout bearing, through a clutch plate, and into the pilot bearing. Saves a lot of lifting and cussing. :D I keep a few different thread sizes in my tool box just for this purpose.

I figured there might be one person in the civilized world who didn't know about this trick. :)

Don

Don, if I had known that little tip when I was young, and would be under a car with the 4speed lying on my chest. Then take a deep breath and raise it up give it a good thrust into the throughout bearing my chest wouldn't hurt so bad today!!!:)

1. For what it is worth, an MG Midget has no frame and the monocoque mount for the transmission requires that you pull the motor to change the clutch or transmission. However to do that you have to disconnect the driveshaft and then put it back into the trans spline when you get the motor and trans back in. Sooo you need to reinsert the floppy driveshaft into the spline in the back of the trans but the front universal just keeps flopping around. I ran into this when I replaced the universals on the driveshaft. Then a pro mechanic from a sports car agency showed me how to wrap a bunch of masking tape around the front universal to hold it straight and then all you have to do is hold the drive shaft like a spear in one hand and rotate it slightly till it slides into the trans spline. The universal goes up into the monocoque X-member and is totally hidden from view but when you get the car running again the weak tape just fragments and the pieces fly around in the X-member hole but who cares, you can't see them anyhow. This trick should work anytime you need to get the drive shaft into a spline on the rear of a transmission.

2. Two days ago I had to get two bolts up into the bottom of the radiator mount through the front spring channel but the spring is already pretty much filling up that space! I got it together because the bolts are drilled for cotter pins so I put a piece of wire through the hole with about a 6" tail on the wire and fed it up into the hole and then pulled the bolt up through the hole from the bottom where only a child's hand would fit. Fortunately a 9/16" box wrench with a zig-zag offset handle just fit into the space between the spring and the frame channel enough to hold the bolt head while I tightened the nut on top. Should I mention that I tried other methods for at least 30 minutes before I thought of the wire idea? Without that cross drilled hole it might be possible to wrap small wire into the bolt threads for the same idea, but the drilled holes really helped.

3. Most folks on this Forum are essentially Master Mechanics so my adventures are just a result of inexperience and/or stupidity but one other adventure had to do with installing the front buggy spring on my dropped axle. It think it took three or four tries but finally I got it by attaching the shackels at one end of the spring and then going to Lowes and buying the biggest C-clamp they had which turned out to be just barely big enough. The C-clamp was just big enough to tighten down on the middle of the spring to flatten it and make it stretch out long enough to get the shackels on the other end. Of course during the process at least two of the tries involved the C-clamp slipping off and the spring kicked like a mule. Fortunately I got the shackel attached on the third try without breaking my arm!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Don Shillady

1. For what it is worth, an MG Midget has no frame and the monocoque mount for the transmission requires that you pull the motor to change the clutch or transmission. However to do that you have to disconnect the driveshaft and then put it back into the trans spline when you get the motor and trans back in. Sooo you need to reinsert the floppy driveshaft into the spline in the back of the trans but the front universal just keeps flopping around. I ran into this when I replaced the universals on the driveshaft. Then a pro mechanic from a sports car agency showed me how to wrap a bunch of masking tape around the front universal to hold it straight and then all you have to do is hold the drive shaft like a spear in one hand and rotate it slightly till it slides into the trans spline. The universal goes up into the monocoque X-member and is totally hidden from view but when you get the car running again the weak tape just fragments and the pieces fly around in the X-member hole but who cares, you can't see them anyhow. This trick should work anytime you need to get the drive shaft into a spline on the rear of a transmission.

2. Two days ago I had to get two bolts up into the bottom of the radiator mount through the front spring channel but the spring is already pretty much filling up that space! I got it together because the bolts are drilled for cotter pins so I put a piece of wire through the hole with about a 6" tail on the wire and fed it up into the hole and then pulled the bolt up through the hole from the bottom where only a child's hand would fit. Fortunately a 9/16" box wrench with a zig-zag offset handle just fit into the space between the spring and the frame channel enough to hold the bolt head while I tightened the nut on top. Should I mention that I tried other methods for at least 30 minutes before I thought of the wire idea? Without that cross drilled hole it might be possible to wrap small wire into the bolt threads for the same idea, but the drilled holes really helped.

3. Most folks on this Forum are essentially Master Mechanics so my adventures are just just a result of inexperience and/or stupidity but one other adventure had to do with installing the front buggy spring on my dropped axle. It think it took three or four tries but finally I got it by attaching the shackels at one end of the spring and then going to Lowes and buying the biggest C-clamp they had which turned out to be just barely big enough. The C-clamp was just big enough to tighten down on the middle of the spring to flatten it and make it stretch out long enough to get the shackels on the other end. Of course during the process at least two of the tries involved the C-clamp slipping off and the spring kicked like a mule. Fortunately I got the shackel attached on the third try without breaking my arm!

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

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Don, your information on the MG transmission reminds me of a friend that I bought his 61 Corvette after he sliced the passenger side fender, and the lower grill section. He then bought a 66 Jaguar xke yellow / white convertible top, camel interior. This was 1968 I tried to give him some advice, when you go out to the bars don’t take the Jag. After bouncing off the guardrail he did a number on the passenger side of the car. Not too long later when the car needed a new clutch he thought he would save $200 by doing it himself. It was more complicated then he thought and the car sat in his garage until the early 90’s I wanted that car but you know how it goes one day someone else came along, and he let it go.

Richard

These are all great! It doesn't matter if you are a master mechanic or not there is always something to learn. I hope this keeps going, the longer people think about this, the more will come out.
Ken

here is a trick I found when restoring a 51 ford f1 I was trying to remove many of the rusted carrage boltd that hold the fenders ,running boards ,etc.I found by tightening with a air impact wrench they would snap off creating less damage to the surrounding metal and making it a whole lot easier to disassemble.I just wish I had figured this out earlier in the restoration

wrench in Rick
That is worth a try as I've been trying to get them off all weekend on my 48
F1! I tryed loosening with the impact wrench, but never thought to try tightening them!:3dSMILE:

NOW you tell be about all those little tricks. If I had known some of them, for sure my hands and arms wouldn't be a criss cross of scars:CRY: :CRY: :D

One trick that I learned putting the body on my TCI chassis. The cowl bolt holes are mean to line up, with skidding the body on a freshly painted or powder coated frame to drop a couple of 3/8" bolts into the nutsert. I was making up an order for McMaster-Carr when I came across some Gr B7 studs - . You guessed it - dropped right into place and every other bolt hole lined right up exactly. I have a couple of extras now - but so what.

From my order:
98758A468 4 Each ASTM A193 Grade B7 Alloy Fully Threaded Stud, Black-oxide, 3/8"-16 Thread, 2" Length @$1.82 each

I can't take credit for this "helpful tip" and have posted it before, but just in case anyone missed it I'll post it again.

All of us who play with old cars have to sometimes deal with screws that are frozen in place, especially if you are removing door hinges. I have used the old hammer impact tool for years with marginal results, but we ran across a nifty way of doing it that makes it so much easier.

Essentially, what you need is an air chisel. They give you several tips with it, one of which is a pointed chisel tip. What you do is weld a 1/4 drive x 1/4 socket onto the tip so that you can insert various screwdriver attachments into it. These attachments are available at places like Home Depot, and come in Phillips, slotted, and hex head configurations.You also weld a little handle to the side of the chisel tip that is used to turn the fastener counter clockwise to get it out once you have it loose.

Here is how it works. You insert the phillips or whatever tip into the fastener you want out, and press down tightly (like you were drilling it out) Now you start the hammering action of the air chisel, while holding the handle in your left hand. After a few seconds of the air chisel pounding away at the fastener you are usually able to turn the handle counter clockwise and the screw will come out very easily.

We have used this tool a bunch of times, most recently when we removed the four doors off of Dan's '49 Ford. It made childs play of something that used to be a very tough job. Try it, I guarantee you will be amazed. Here are some pictures of how we made ours.

Don

great idea rick. will use that one in the future

Thanks Don,

That one is saved to my computer, them screws can really be frustrating.

Richard

When Don wrote about using alignment dowels for putting in transmissions I had to laugh. All these years I have been using aliment dowels for lining up my valve cover gaskets and valve covers using the same technique but never smart enough to think of the same procedure on transmissions.
Thanks Don !!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I can't take credit for this "helpful tip" and have posted it before, but just in case anyone missed it I'll post it again.

All of us who play with old cars have to sometimes deal with screws that are frozen in place, especially if you are removing door hinges. I have used the old hammer impact tool for years with marginal results, but we ran across a nifty way of doing it that makes it so much easier.

Essentially, what you need is an air chisel. They give you several tips with it, one of which is a pointed chisel tip. What you do is weld a 1/4 drive x 1/4 socket onto the tip so that you can insert various screwdriver attachments into it. These attachments are available at places like Home Depot, and come in Phillips, slotted, and hex head configurations.You also weld a little handle to the side of the chisel tip that is used to turn the fastener counter clockwise to get it out once you have it loose.

Here is how it works. You insert the phillips or whatever tip into the fastener you want out, and press down tightly (like you were drilling it out) Now you start the hammering action of the air chisel, while holding the handle in your left hand. After a few seconds of the air chisel pounding away at the fastener you are usually able to turn the handle counter clockwise and the screw will come out very easily.

We have used this tool a bunch of times, most recently when we removed the four doors off of Dan's '49 Ford. It made childs play of something that used to be a very tough job. Try it, I guarantee you will be amazed. Here are some pictures of how we made ours.

Don

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That is really cool !!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ken Thurm

Kind of a dumb title, but I have been thinking about this for awhile. I bet we all do things all the time out of habit that would help everyone else if we shared these little things we have learned or come up with ourselves. So if you would share these little secretes it may make all of our lives a little more convenient.
Here is my first one. I have lost more hats in my roadster than I can count, my friend showed me a little trick. He used a badge holder from a trade show. Put it on back wards and clip it to your back of your hat. that way if the wind blows it off it is caught and you won't loose it. What do you think?
Ken

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Now that's a good idea!!!! Gonna have to give that a try, should work while scooterin' too!!!! Was thinking about using some of them really sharp little black screws they use to hold sheetrock on the wall with............**) **) **) :whacked:

You're welcome Ken.

Dave, make sure you use Stainless steel screws, the drywall screws will set off the metal detectors at the airport. **) :p :LOL: :LOL:

Don

Time to revive this thread. Found this video on precission screw trimming to length at Brownells web site. What a great idea!
http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/lid=1...ure?mc_ID=2040

Well, this one might have limited applications and I can't take credit for it, but here goes. Yesterday my ex-Wife broke down in her PT Cruiser. Don and Dan were working so I went over to see what I could do. There are rubber bushings in the ends of the two shift cables (5 speed versions) and over time they deteriorate. Hers were totally gone and the shift cables on the transaxle were just laying loose, so she only had first gear.

We first called a Chrysler dealer and they do not sell new grommets, only the complete shift cables, in sets of two.........$ 170.00 a pair! :eek: Because I know zip about new cars I asked the Service Manager how much to install them. He wouldn't quote a price "until we see it here.":rolleyes: But their labor rate is $ 99.00 per hour. I called the shop that worked on my Honda and he quoted about $ 350.00 parts and labor.

Don got on the internet and found a PT Cruiser forum. There was a tutorial on there about how a guy fixed his using hardware store items, and Don emailed it to us. Long story short, I cut up two rubber tapered stoppers, drilled a 5/16 hole in the middle, and used a Jesus clip and fender washers to replace the rotted out bushings. Took me all of an hour and cost about $8.00 in parts. The car actually shifts better than using the original cables and even if those bushings rot out down the road it will be easy to make new ones the same way.

So, I guess the moral of the story is that forums like this one and the PT Cruiser one really are super helpful in passing along tips to save money and grief.

Don

Well, you guys stole all of my good ideas, I guess I'll just have to think up some new ones.

Been using studs, cut off bolts, etc., for years, even have a drawer for them in my top box; they also work really well for installing oil pans - two quarter twenty by two inchers in each pan rail (on a Chevy) will help keep everything lined up until you can get a couple of bolts started. Tapered, or aligning punches come in mighty handy, too.

For cutting off common machine screws, many universal hand crimping tools for use in the electrical trades from Ideal, Klein, AMP, and so on have the most common thread size holes in the hinge area that you screw the screw through and close the handles; it is a bypass cutter and makes a reasonably decent cut, and when you back the screw out, the threads chase it for you.

Here's one I use every once in a while for bending tubing without kinking it. Tape off one end of the tube and fill it with sand. Depending on the size of the tubing it may be necessary to heat it while bending. The bigest pain of the process is making sure all the sand is cleaned out after the piece is done.

It worked out great when I needed to reshape the transmission dipstick when I did the mockup on the 37 Dodge.

When I lowered the Brookville body on the TCI chassis, I used four studs for alignment. Two were just cut off 3/8" bolts that were removed and Gr8 bolts used to fasten through those mounting holes. The other two were actually Gr8 studs from McMaster-Carr and were left in place on the inside of the cowl. These two replaced the original style 3/8" bolts simply due to the fact that many swear words are used trying use bolts in that position with a modern V8 in place of an 'A' flathead 4 and it's much easier to just put a flat and a lock washer along with a Gr8 nut on those studs.

One of those studs is behind here:

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i8...0016-2-1-1.jpg

No penetrating oil handy ? Use any kind of torch,heat the srew or bolt up,then hold a wax candle to it and let it melt a few seconds. In most cases the bolt can then be removed easily.

When faced with the inevitable sag or run in new paint let it dry overnight, then you can work it down gently to even the surface. If you try to sand out a run you will be sanding the valleys on both sides of the peak, and will likely sand through your clear/color beside the run before you get it flat. Instead take a single edge razor blade and tape the ends to keep the corners from digging in, and to form a guage for your scraping.
Tilting the top of the blade toward you at about 60 degrees, draw it along the run toward you, applying a gentle pressure to slowly shave a curl of dry paint from the top. As you continue the tape will act as a gauge, leaving the run proud by the thickness of the masking tape. At this point you can block sand with 1500 grit, then two stage polish and the run will be history.

roger that is really good. wish i knew of that when i first shot my car.

Hworell's post about heating and using wax reminded me of something. More and more people are playing with old cars now and I see questions from time to time asking how to get the wishbone perch bolts out when they are frozen.

The wrong way to do it is to beat it out with a hammer, all you do is mushroom the end and it will never come out. What you want to do is heat the perch bolt very hot with a torch, then drip paraffin wax down into the crater at the bottom (turn the assembly upside down) and let the paraffin suck into the gap between the perch bolt and the wishbone/axle. You can get paraffin wax at your local grocery store or hardware store in the canning section. It is used to seal jars during canning. It may take several attempts, but it will eventually free up the bolt.

Using the torch has saved me on numerous occasions with lots of frozen bolts and fasteners. Usually if you heat and let it cool the bolt comes right out.

Don