I'm running out of homemade tools to post so some of these are a stretch but whatever......... 1. 9" axle measuring doohickey. Just hook the tape on the bolt head and when you get to the end of the housing add 2 1/2 inches for overall length. 2. Dzus spring and button drilling fixture. When installing panels with Dzus fasteners first make the panels and cleco everything together where you want the buttons. The 1/8" cleco hole then becomes the center hole for this drilling fixture. Just cleco it on and drill for the spring size and spring loaded Dzus buttons you need. I made it out of stainless so the holes won't hog out quickly. 3. Dzus coutersink. I have a bolt on countersink for awkwadd spots but this air hammer tool and a countersunk hole in the table top works great for flat panels. Just insert it through the panel into the hole and tap it with a hammer. 4. Engine lifter. This piece of angle with 2 chains is the perfect engine lifting device. The eye swivels and can be moved to balance the load and everything is high enough to clear carbs. 5. Layout strips. When laying out lines for beadrolling these strips save alot of measuring.
First you say to your self... that's so simple... then you go "why didn't I think if that, DUH!" Nice job kev....
Just a question on your housing measuring tool, on one of the pictures, you have 1 3/8" written between the bolts that you use to measure from, if that is the case, the actual measurement is 1 1/8" between the two axles. I have a Dutchman Motorsorts gauge that I have used to build hundreds of housings with, and 1 1/8" is the correct measurement.
The ingenuity and the quality of your workmanship has been observed and is superb. I always look for your ride to see what is new or what I have missed.
awesome i wish i woulda thought about the engine lifter before i went out and wasted my money. Thanks for the tech
6. Early Ford brake drum puller.For drums on banjo rearends. I had to borrow a friends puller a few months ago so I kinda copied it. Thanks Travis. 7. Wedges. Cut from scrap, these come in handy every now and then when building stuff and best of all, they are pretty much free. 8. Engine Dollies. I know, most of you guys have these already but I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel now. Don't tell the guy at the supermarket but shopping carts make perfect engine dollies. 9. Open valve cover . Another thing most HAMBers probably already have. Good for adjusting valves with then engine running without losing all the oil down the side of the block. 10. Wooden blocks. May seem like a weak idea for a tool thread but I cannot get through a weekend working in my garage without needing a block for something. Good for holding things in place, jacking, tweaking hinges, beating things, drilling etc.
Those grocery carts work well because they have a low center of gravity and good heavy duty casters on them. I felt safer with my engine on one of those then a cheesy "autozone special" engine stand.
Somethin' you boys aren't tellin' us?? Seriously, great tips again Kev - love the low buck approach to makin' it when you could maybe go and buy it somewhere. Steve
kev,your simple approach to problem solving is always a treat.I have learned alot from your posts.Tell me,the shopping carts used for engine dollies,How do you get the homeless people to give them up?
It dont get any better than this, something we can all use at some point in time, thanks so much your tool post Rusty
i walked out to my building earlier and found a piece of angle iron with holes drilled every 1.25" all the way down it....i had never seen it before and i had just looked at the engine puller 5 minutes before.....kinda odd.... i'm going to cut it to length and reinforce the center with a piece of box tubing because it is kind of thin (about 1/8"), but it will work perfectly...
The Jalopy Journal
