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Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Ron Brown, Jul 30, 2019.

  1. Boneyard51
    Joined: Dec 10, 2017
    Posts: 6,442

    Boneyard51
    Member

    Given a choice of too loose or too tight, I’ll take too tight. I have seen oil filters come loose, I have seen oil filters leak! Although difficult I have never seen an oil filter I could not get off! I have a whole armoda of things to get filters off!
    Just my experiences!








    Bones
     
  2. 1971BB427
    Joined: Mar 6, 2010
    Posts: 8,719

    1971BB427
    Member
    from Oregon

    Since I build my cars alone, and never have a helping hand I often have to figure out how to do something alone. Recently I was installing all the glass in my '39 Chevy and thought I really needed a second person for this part. But couldn't get any help, so I decided to try it alone. Before starting I went on Fleabay and for $9 I ordered a cheap glass suction cup tool. I figured I could hold the glass, and pull out on it while pulling the weatherstrip in.

    [​IMG]

    So the tool held great, but the small clothesline rope didn't work for crap! Having lots of small stranded electrical wire around, I figured it might slip the weatherstrip easier. So I cut a 8' piece and put it in the rubber channel. Pulled the glass in place, shot some soapy water on it, and the window literally almost fell in place as I pulled the wire! Took me all of 60 seconds by myself to put the rear window in!
     
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  3. olscrounger
    Joined: Feb 23, 2008
    Posts: 4,770

    olscrounger
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    ^^^ excellent--have used one of those for years-makes glass install much easier.
     
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  4. Paulz
    Joined: Dec 30, 2018
    Posts: 126

    Paulz
    Member

    You can also find those vacuum handles in the bathroom aisle in a lot of stores sold as shower grab handles.
     
  5. Truck64
    Joined: Oct 18, 2015
    Posts: 5,325

    Truck64
    Member
    from Ioway

    I choose "just right". No leaks, no runs, no errors. So much time wasted, cleaning up mistakes by stupid fuckers. Too loose, too tight, whatever.
     
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  6. turdmagnet
    Joined: May 19, 2008
    Posts: 384

    turdmagnet
    Member

    Agree with a thin film of grease over oil. Another thing an old mechanic showed me when I was a pain in his ass was to wipe a bit of grease on the new filter threads before you screw it on. Maybe it works maybe it doesn't, but this with the 3/4 turn after gasket contact has always worked for me. $0.02

    Sent from my SM-T560NU using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  7. David Gersic
    Joined: Feb 15, 2015
    Posts: 2,730

    David Gersic
    Member
    from DeKalb, IL

    I put a Fumoto valve in everything. Makes draining the oil quick and easy.



    Sent from my iPad using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
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  8. When dismantling your Holley carb (or any carb) for a rebuild use your heat gun around the gasket areas to soften the hard stuck gaskets and they'll come apart much easier. It'll also make it easier to scrape the gaskets, in the same fashion dropping small parts with stuck gaskets in a glass of hot water will almost make the gaskets just fall off.

    20201013_130100.jpg
     
  9. Gizzy
    Joined: Jan 20, 2008
    Posts: 761

    Gizzy
    Member
    from N.W,Ohio

    Me too....I use a lot of tape
     
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  10. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,777

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    I had a car taped and ready to paint when life stepped in and it sat for more than a year. My tip is don't do that! :mad:
     
  11. LAROKE
    Joined: Sep 5, 2007
    Posts: 2,079

    LAROKE
    Member

    I work alone as well. I used ratchet straps to help me with the new windshield on my '55 chevy 1st Series truck.

    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,777

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    Battery Charger I just found this out.
    We all know that the newer electronic chargers won't charge a completely dead battery. I had one this morning. I didn't want to connect it to another battery because they are all in other cars and it would be hard to get one close enough to hook up. I turned the charger to the boost/start mode and it charged the battery enough to work on the regular charge mode. Maybe you guys already knew this but I didn't.
     
  13. atch
    Joined: Sep 3, 2002
    Posts: 5,626

    atch
    Member

    It's been mentioned in about a hundred other posts on here, but apparently not in this thread. Or at least I didn't find it by searching.

    When needing to find a radiator hose for your hot rod you're putting together and just now have the engine and radiator in place, a preheater hose is a really good way to make up a template. Stretch and bend into the shape you need and take it with you to the parts house. You probably have a favorite old time parts house that will let you look through their wall of racks holding dozens (hundreds?) of hoses 'til you come up with what you need.

    Works infinitely better than a coat hanger or welding rod bent into shape.

    The one I use is a NAPA 819-1127. It's 1 1/2" diameter so is a really close approximation for most radiator hoses. It's compressed to minimum length (about 8") for packaging but says it's 18" long. I've never stretched it out all the way to verify though.

    [​IMG]

    A free aside: while the fellas come and go at my local NAPA store there's a lady that's been there for a long time. She probably knows as much as all the guys put together. When I go in I always browse around the racks 'til I see she's finishing up with a customer and make sure I get her to wait on me.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2020
  14. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    I had tried to fit LED bulbs in drop lights before but they always bottomed out before making contact. Recently found some, at the dollar store no less, that don't have that wide base part. New life for old drop light. 20201031_090711_resized.jpg
     
  15. I dropped my old style drop light and broke the frosted glass on the LED conversion bulb. Now it's really bright.
     
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  16. rln31455
    Joined: Oct 22, 2007
    Posts: 12

    rln31455
    Member

    I save the plastic lids from coffee cans. They make nice mixing boards for epoxy like J B weld or even a little body filler. Just throw them out when done.
     
  17. blue 49
    Joined: Dec 24, 2006
    Posts: 1,820

    blue 49
    Member
    from Iowa

    ^^^ Another nice mixing board is a car dealer plastic license plates. A friend's shop was once the detail shop for a used car dealer and they left behind a load of them. I grabbed a half dozen to take home and before my friend could put the rest away, his son pitched them.

    Gary
     
  18. I kept my old door glass out of my pickup truck to mix body filler on. Its perfectly flat and easy to clean up after the filler hardens, I just scrape it off with a razor blade. Easy peezy.
     
  19. Carpet installation -
    To find that bolt hole after you lay carpet: heat an awl with a torch and push through. Shifter boot screws, seat belt bolts, etc. Seems to minimize ''runs''.
     
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  20. Departed
    Joined: Dec 20, 2010
    Posts: 181

    Departed
    Member
    from Canada

    if you have a nut that's catching or bad threads that jams. Hit around the nut with a hammer (or whatever is closest) and it'll fix the threads and smooth them out again.
     
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  21. fyrffytr1
    Joined: Dec 20, 2016
    Posts: 834

    fyrffytr1
    Member

    Here's something that might save someone else a heartache. Don't be too lazy to move you car out of the shop to get tools needed for a job. I thought I could get a miter saw out between my project 50 Pontiac and my finished 67 GTO. Guess which car I hit?!!! A 1 1/2" scratch cost $1,507.50 to repair. Luckily Hagerty Insurance covers stupidity and they cut me a check for the full amount. Car is in the shop now.
     
    Last edited: Nov 18, 2020
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  22. Yeah, thats Murphy's law. I have experienced it several times..:(
     
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  23. Six Ball
    Joined: Oct 8, 2007
    Posts: 5,777

    Six Ball
    Member
    from Nevada

    Sometimes I think I work in Murphy's Garage. :(:D
     
  24. fyrffytr1
    Joined: Dec 20, 2016
    Posts: 834

    fyrffytr1
    Member

    I think I own a Murphy's franchise garage!
     
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  25. Coggles
    Joined: Mar 3, 2019
    Posts: 67

    Coggles

    Oooo that’s a great idea. I have a weird mystery piece of glass that is a window for something that was in my Hudson when I bought it. I was trying to figure out what to do with it.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
     
    loudbang likes this.
  26. dmikulec
    Joined: Nov 8, 2009
    Posts: 590

    dmikulec
    Member

    Old thrift store muffin tins and bread pans are great for storing parts and can usually be found for less than a buck a pop. And it supports a good cause to boot.
     
  27. If I have the space..I move frames like this
    20201213_234839.jpg

    If your wire in your welding machine likes to bird nest,build something like this and you wont have that problem
    20201213_234912.jpg
     
  28. mgtstumpy
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 9,214

    mgtstumpy
    Member

    You never have enough off floor storage so shelves are a must. Use every available wall space (Above head and within safe reach), then there's less to trip over on the floor. Also power outlets and access to them as well! The only proviso is that you need to get organised!

    Old 2-bay shed
    - Shelves across rear wall and 1/2 way down each side. It's amazing how many boxes you can fit and what they can hold.
    91501040_694668601361189_4986507934608392192_n.jpg

    New 3-bay shed - Shelves across back wall and down each side wall again in addition to 2 x panels of 4-shelf racking. I also use heavy garden hooks for hanging panels and components etc on the walls. That hoods now hanging on the wall as that was move-in time.
    6.jpg

    131128939_690186681664400_5318430776165528201_n.jpg

    131338459_155533942981981_7547427120944320610_n.jpg

    4.jpg
     
  29. Mart
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 4,893

    Mart
    Member

    Re the mig wire birds nest.. On mine there is a spring on the central hub that provides a drag to keep a tension on the wire. In the pic above a spring could be fitted between the nut and washer. That might help somewhat.

    Mart.
     
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  30. blowby
    Joined: Dec 27, 2012
    Posts: 8,661

    blowby
    Member
    from Nicasio Ca

    After 6 decades on earth I finally just learned the right way to coil extension cords, the 'over under method'. Sure wish they would have taught this in school instead of those useless subjects like reading and writing. ;)

    https://www.premiumbeat.com/blog/wrap-cables-cords-rope/
     

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