Art & Inspiration It ain't a car part but it does the job - What have you used?

I had to use a hacksaw handle as a shifter after some A-holes stole my O.T. GTX and stripped it....

 

Cockshutt tractor gas tank upside down with a hand made grille.

 

Slightly OT, we have a GM 268-A marine diesel valve cover on our front door as a door knocker!

 

I use these chromed metal faucet to wall cover plates from the local plumbing supply shop to cover and protect the door card upholstery , work well and add a bit of bling.......andyd

 

I have used brass pipe a fittings to turn out bushings. The tank for my parts washer is made from the front half of an old sears washing machine it's big enough to set an engine block in it.

 

20 odd years ago I got a dual quad setup off a '57 Cadillac and the linkage on it was cobbed up with part of a door hinge. Like the kind your inside the house doors use. I can't remember now if it was all hooked up when I took it off or not.

Everyone's used coathangers for the exhaust but when a daily driver broke the motor mounts I used it to wrap around them and put them back in, while I waited for replacements to come. Worked fine.

Another daily I had lost a gas tank strap. I bought a coil of plant hanger cable in Wal-mart rated for like 300 lbs, jacked the tank back into place, wrapped it around about five times, put a couple of cable clamps on it, and that tank is still solidly in place so far as I know, I haven't even looked at the truck in a couple years.

 

The trans tunnel in my roadster is very narrow. While making the aluminum panel to cover the trans tunnel I found the clutch slave cylinder and a fitting would interfere with the flat panel. After thinking about what I could use went into the kitchen and grabbed a muffin plan. Sawed off one of the holes and added a flange around the top with a handle. Smoothed up the edge with some bondo where the flange met the muffin pan. I then used it as a mold for for laying up a fiberglass cover. The diamond plate in the picture is a reflection of the diamond plate rubber floor mats on the gloss black aluminum panel. Quietly replaced muffin pan with a better Teflon coated one to keep wife happy.

 

Here is another one. The suicide door locks on my 34 are from an airplane, a Texan T6 WWII trainer. These were used for the choke setting on the carburetors. They were also used for tail wheel locks. Not my idea but saw them on another car in a magazine article.

 

3WLARRY did that on his coupe. HRP

 

No pics today, but on the "Grandpa Car" '51 Ford, we needed a spacer for the air filter so it would clear the linkages. Dad grabbed a vintage Hills Bros. coffee can, cut off the bottom, spray painted it silver and VOILA! - instant spacer. Perfect fit, the diameter matched the carb and the cleaner base.

Also on the '51, we needed to re-seal the clean air vent tube that feeds the heater/vent/defroster. They're a strange fiber-y/cardboard-y material that we didn't have a replacement for. BUT, a cut and taped Land-O-Lakes butter bowl worked a treat.

 

I was running two 97's with exposed paper air filters. Heavy rain caused the engine to die. When I got it going again, I went and bought some aluminum foil bowls and put them over the filters. I made the last 500 miles in heavy rain that way.
I used a Melmack cup to make a transition piece from 1 1/2" 32 column and drop to a tilt assy.

 

The parking lights on my '53 are mounted into polished stainless steel measuring cups. I used the handles as mounting brackets.

 

That's what I'm talking about, it looks as though it's actually a automotive part. HRP

 

It is a car part but it does the job...

 

914 Porsche seats in my Willys with the factory headrest deleted. New headrest is pad from a discarded universal gym and fabbed mount.

 

Hard to find, but very comfortable...84-86 Fiero buckets, are also quite narrow, as seen here in my '36 4-door.
I ended up putting 4 in my sedan 4 door, because they fit so well..had to cut off the headrest speakers however fot the back seat to see out the rear window...g-willys

 

I had a set in my '57 PU. I found that while they were great in a car like the Fiero where you sit on the floor, they tend to pinch your thighs together in a vehicle where your legs need to reach down to the pedals.

 

Plain stainless skillet lids make great air cleaner tops, cut off the knob in the center, drill a hole, drop it on. good to hide modern air cleaners too.