Technical Little tips and tricks for garage hobbyists.

I just use an old plastic tote that I keep under a workbench. Too many different shapes and sizes to make em look neatly organized. Every few years I may pull the tote out and rinse it out. No matter how much you wipe the funnels, seems they always drip some over time. So I do a quick wipe and just toss em in the tote.........semi out of sight and easy to get when I need them. You always have to wipe them again before use anyway.

 

Drilling the bottom of a car frame was letting chips of metal fall on me. Solution to problem...an empty toilet paper roll fit perfectly over my drill and caught the shavings.

 

Nothing earth-shattering here. You folks all know what these are and most of you have several. The factory supplied and installed lift point brackets for engines. I sandblasted mine and shot them with Rust-Oleum red. Now at least they look good and I'll hang them on my engine hoist/cherry picker.

 

If you are like me you will need to label them so you can remember which ones go to which engine....

LynnW

 

Another tiny tidbit. First two pairs of gloves are welding gloves and the 3rd is for wood stove use. Sometimes when you're in a bit of a hurry it's convenient to be able to tell which is which without having to turn them over to determine which is left or right. Black and silver Sharpies will write on just about anything.

I write on lots of stuff. Like which wrench to use for the bolt holding the blades on the mower; written on the top of the deck. What size Allen wrench for the pulley set screw on the side of the pulley. The date on a saw blade when it was new or changed out. The date the refrigerator water filter was changed. Etc., etc., etc.

Also, not written, but even better: the correct wrenches to remove gauges are hanging on the Oxygen/Acetylene rack. The correct wrenches for various uses are hanging all around my place.

 

Looks possibly to be a multi gender washroom

 

I'd love to be able to have something like that. However; I live on a gravel road and dust gets into every crack and crevice in our house and shop. I have to keep my funnels in a file cabinet drawer to keep them from having a film of dust on them whenever I get one out to use. Even at that I always wipe them out before use.

 

How about a tip or trick for storing air tools with whip hoses on them? I hate the nest of snakes in a tool box drawer. The hoses are 5' long which complicates things a bit. They could be shortened, but I would rather have the longer length. Hanging them on a wall is not a good option as wall space is non-existent.

 

I love this thread! One of the best on the HAMB!

 

I'm sure on the other side of the compressor, There's one going outside..
If I had that set-up, it would be full because my buddy's would when not looking

 

Gearheads: I have been real (reel) happy with this. It is the only hose I use for air tools.

 

I am in the process of cleaning, sorting, tossing, and reimagining (a Disney concept) my shop. It's likely to take weeks. I have just gone through this thread again and found some very helpful ideas. Thanks to all!

 

I`m with @Oilguy ,,,,,,It is (reel) good

 

Chock your front tires when the rear of your car is on jackstands so you don't drop your car on your chest like I did (yes, really).

 

You might consider a file cabinet or a cabinet with some deeper drawers. Then cut some LARGE tubing (or roll some on a slip roll) or maybe some of the plastic "cans" like Folgers coffee or the cream colored plastic ones that coffee creamer come in. Pop rivet the bottom of the cans to the bottom of the drawer. Then set the coiled hose and tool in each container. Keeps them separated and neatly stored.
I have a cabinet that has a bunch of 5" deep drawers that I store all my flaring and tube bending stuff in. It lets me keep it all in one place. Recently bought a "Koul Tool" for inserting hoses and it would not fit in the drawers. Really wanted to keep it with the other stuff. After some head scratching, I cut the bottom out of a drawer. Then I sheared the bottom into pieces to make side walls. I opened that drawer and the one below it and put a couple tack welds to hold the front of the drawers in alignment. Set the sheared pieces inside and pop riveted them to the sides of the drawer. Now I have a deep drawer that holds the Koul Tool box and some other stuff. When its closed, it looks just like two drawers....like it did originally. I really like these types of cabinets for organizing a shop. Usually they are older looking but they work well and have roller bearing drawers. Usually find them for $50/$75 each.

 

I like all the stencil labeling on your drawers....looks very neat.

 

A place for everything and everything in it's place. Hell, maybe places for things you don't have yet, an eye to the future to eliminate a future mess. Stenciled drawers is a huge commitment! Chalk maybe?

 

Ouch!!! That's going to leave a mark...................

 

Was installing a set of Caltrac knockoffs. Lots of pulling and pushing on the rear of the car since it required removing the spring plates. Got the driver's side done with no drama. I didn't notice how much I had moved the car forward, apparently tipping the jack stands doing it. When I unbolted the spring plate on the passenger side, the spring unloaded because the plate was hung up a little on the ubolt threads since I didn't unbolt all 4 nuts evenly. That shock was enough to rock the car the rest of the way forward off the stands. Thought I was dead. Even now typing this it gives me anxiety.
I got REALLY lucky. Bruised my chest up pretty bad. Gas tank got me on one side, spare tire well on the other.
I was able to pull myself out. Once I got myself together, I went inside and hugged my wife and told her I loved her. She could see it on me and asked what happened. Went to the Urgent Care instead of the ER since I could breathe ok. No breaks, just soft tissue damage. Checked out my heart functions and all that since trauma around the heart can be bad news. Painful lesson that still pains me almost every day. First time anything like that has happened to me. Hopefully the last.
Worst is the mental factor, I really do not like crawling under cars anymore. Fortunately I've got a buddy close to home with a lift. That fiasco inspired the bottom line of my signature.

 

What I do is put the stencil in place and then fill in the letters with a permanent marker rather than paint. If I need to change it later (and I often do), then some carb cleaner on a rag usually gives me a clean surface easily.
I wish everything I have was this organized, but I have accumulated so much stuff in my lifetime that I will Never be able to locate some of it, and may forget I have it.....if I don't organize what I can. Basically I try to keep related/similar things in the same area. Cabinets is the answer....
A cabinet with empty drawers is not as bad as not enough cabinets.

 

If you have some spare tires/wheels that you use for rollers, especially some wide ones like Corvettes have..........lay them on their side under the car. If the car should drop, it will still be above you.
When my son and I use our lifts, if lifting a really heavy (diesel pickup), we put stands under each end of the vehicle and adjust them just enough to be snug.

 

I do have a couple of spares, and that's a great idea. Thanks!!

 

My dad's career was as a tool-n-die/mold maker but at home, he was a jack-of-all-trades.
When he retired and moved to Florida, he found that he had too much time on his hands so he started a part-time business doing repairs on motor homes and house trailers. One task he had to do pretty often was drilling up into the undercarriages, which was tough work, especially because no lift/no pit. If no "tool" existed for a task, he simply "invented" one.
I don't have any photos so I had to take two and a half minutes to make this sketch of his lever system for drilling up while avoiding 'arm aches' and dulling drill bits.
It could be made sort of adaptable for height and leverage.......

 

Bought my wife a classic convertible Mustang years ago. Had a white top that needed cleaning. Figure I'd use white wall cleaner. Little did I know the bleach does wonders bleaching paint...shit!

 

That reminded me of a technique that my Dad showed me, many , many years ago!
Like you I don’t have it handy and I can’t draw. But if you are drilling anywhere and need more “ power” pressing on your drill motor, just hook up a small link chain to the part you are drilling and place a long screw driver through the appropriate link to gain leverage on the handle of the drill motor. It may take some rigging, but it can usually be done. Thanks Shift Wizard for that old memory!




Bones

 

That is NOT a Classic convertible!

 

Well, it is nearly 60 years old.....time flies.

 

Sorry, but it's still not a Classic. Here is a list of Classic cars from the The Classic Car Club of America. A Mustang will never be on it in our lifetime.
https://www.classiccarclub.org/approved-classics

 

Personally I think your response is classic...

 

Perhaps its not a Classic. Maybe it's Traditional. Or a Hot Rod. Or one of a thousand other definitions. The arguments are old, are over-threaded, and smell slightly mouldy.

As long as it makes the owner happy, and he only posts appropriate material on the HAMB, then all is good.

Cheers,
Harv