Whats the best "trick" or tech tip a mentor showed you?

Back when I was a kid, my dad had a great trick for when I couldn't get the lawnmower to start:

He'd head outside, and shake his head...little did I know, I was letting all the compression escape out of the dimple in the top of the spark plug.

He was always willing to help me when I got stuck on a problem, so...he kindly told me to put my finger over that dimple in the end of the plug to "hold the compression in", while he'd give the starter rope a good tug for me.

ZAP.

I only fell for that once, but it has been the best tech tip ever, because I've passed it on to many trusting and unsuspecting friends with small engine problems

 

Quick way to find #1 cylinder on a v8 engine is the cylinder head bank that sticks out further forward than the other is the #1

 

" guy that says he knows how to do everthing knows less than the guy that wants to learn."great words of wisdom

 

Unless the engine in question is a flathead Ford.

 

hey wait a sec.. i thought it was righty tighty, lefty loosey... haha

 

unless its the wheel studs on an early 60s mopar product..another tip many learn the hard way.

 

If you ever want to check the flatness of a head or block and dont have high precision plates, use a newer piece of glass, its almost always FLAT. My Shop teacher Mr. Kelso Coale taught me this. He was a great man and I try to invoke his name on all my projects. I wouldnt know half of what I know if it were not for him. We used this trick to find out my head on my motorcycle was warped, he then locked it down in the milll and showed me how to mill a head. Later he stole his wife's powder puff and helped me paint it with the puff. Coolest thing I ever saw......smooth....

 

Make a stand to hold a transmission vertical for assembly by turning a wheelbarrow on its nose, then set the trans case in between the handles.

 

If you smash your finger and blacken the nail,use DISTILLED turpentine and soak a paper towel or clean rag and wrap the digit for 20 minutes or so.The next day you can
drain the blood from the nail with a heated pin or fine drill bit and the soreness will have totally gone.
The turpentine is great for soreness even though you'll stink like a pine tree?It's great for tooling stone too...

 

Model A 4 banger points gap?

1 dime width.

thanks Dad!!!!

 

When painting, alum. foil wrapped on odd shaped surfaces makes good, easy masking tape.

 

Have I already posted on this thread? Just in case the best trick or tip anyone ever showed me was jack stands. No need to elaborate right?

 

this is a trick iv used on 2 60's era fords with ford-o-matic transmissions. if they suddenely stop shifting into high gear, pop it into forward and reverse a bunch of time till the car gets rocking pretty well. It will usually get the governer un-stuck and make it shift again.

 

Has anyone mentioned polarize a generator?

 

1. An older guy where I work was constantly working himself to in the manner removed parts from trucks. IE Cummins 855 Diesel starters and Cummins PT fuel pumps - he'd leave the hardest bolt for last. After seeing the old fart struggle many times I kindly told him to take the hardest bolt to get to out FIRST. He took it to heart and actually thanked me later.

2. Super glue. Ever split a nail, right up to the quick? Superglue is your friend. Takes a while to grow out but it beats trying to work on vehicles with it.

3. Burns. My right arm was scalded from shoulder to wrist with boiling hot water - a coworker hadn't cleaned up a spill and I stepped onto it while carrying a gallon of it. A bakery worker brought raw eggs whites and poured them over the burns. The pain disappeared instantly! But I had to keep the application moist. And the scars are very minimal. YMMV.

 

That's awesome!

 

Wow Great thred idea. I have been blessed with many mentors,
Here are a few that come to mind

* use an old refrigerator compressor as a vacume pump to pull down a AC system. If you dont have one you can use the engine to pull a vacume make an adapter and pull the vacume under the carb.

*drill a hole and weld a nut to a thick piece of scrape big enuff to catch on the inside of a brake caliper insert a bolt and another piece of scrap to push a brake piston back into its hole.

* Same concept making a press. plate with hole and nut welded to it bolt onto the engine block screw bolt down onto stuck piston ( uses a scrap piece between piston and bolt )to free you can also use a torch on the cylinderwall to help.

* A/C low pressure switch can be jumped with a paper clip or wire to turn on the compressor so you can add a can of freon.

* Spreading a pair of shackles: insert a open end wrench into each hole of the shackle so that the wrenchs cross in the middle then press down on one wrench the other on the floor like a pair of sissors, it will open the shackle up so you can put it over the bushing or frame.

* Leverage is your friend cheater bars, to boxed in wrenches linked together, changing the position you are working in

* when putting a tire onto studs roll the tire up on your foot and rock it back on your heel you can easy raise and hold the tire while you line up the studs.

* breaking a tire down can be easy with a front end loader or tractor bucket
you can even use the wieght of the stranded car with a board place on the bead and the ground lower the car down onto the board and break the bead loose.

*Mounting a NEW tire by hand can be hard set the tires out in the sun for a few hours to soften up the rubber, you can also use a tie down strap wraped around the tire and rachet it tight and pull the tire into the rim then blast it with air or ether ( becarefull just a drop of ether goes along way ). A 5 gallon bucket makes a perfect tire mounting machine, also dish soap is a great lube for the bead.

*Saftey glass's dont look near as dorky as a patch over your eye. ARRRE!

* toilet bowl cleaner will clean a old gummed up carberator like new, just let the parts soak for 10-15 min the wash off.

* when glueing PVC pipe put glue on one side insert the 2 pieces and TURN 1/2 around, this will spread the glue out and ensure a even coat never twist backwards it can cause a gap and a leak.

*Cardboard and ballpeen hammer make great templates of frames and bolt holes, place cardboard against holes and use the ball end of hammer, use flat side of hammer for frames and brackets.

* the same relay 30amp runs the electric fuel pump on most cars the A/C relay is also 30 amp if you dont have fuel, switch the relays and drive home but with out A/C.

* changing the size bung in the back of a chevy power steering pump will save you from cutting and spicing late model and early model hoses. when you mix years and parts. trust me I know.

*Peptobismol works as a good anti-seize.

*You can brase with a coat hanger and a torch

* Stake your races with a chisle or punch when installing new ones in roters



Some of these are tricks used out of neccesity others are just down right handy.


* My favorite trick, is to walk away when you get frustrated, come back later with a cool head and look at the problem from a different angle/view. Its hard to do sometimes but very effective.

Theres alot more but I need to get back to work.
MrC.

 

parafin wax to remove stuck studs or bolts. Heat it up let it flow works better than ANYTHING

 

lefty loosey, righty tighty.

 

So many tricks of the trade......Vasoline (to prime the oil pump) never damaged any of the V6 Buick engines I have put together over the years(+25). I have made many special tools for carburetors over the years....The screwdriver with a 135 degree bend on the end helps to remove clips from locks and carbs that I made about 30 years ago and still going strong...... When working with small O-rings I use body grease from either side of my nose to lube them.....TDC indicator from a sparkplug housing with a bolt threaded through the center. Double checking a harmonic balancer for proper indexing. Alway have at least one magnet on a stick handy when working on an engine. Use a long bolt to install a camshaft......O/T, use a ball peen hammer to balance a lawn mover blade......Hammer the balancer into the speedy sleeve....baby powder keeps tire tubes from chaffing....#1, putting a refrigerator in the garage.....#2 putting an air conditioner in the garage....I have worn out at leat 3 vacuum gauges over the years, one of the best all round tools.

 

ya know i dated a girl once that we called lefty lucy

 

A patch panel trick I was shown was make your patch first then put it where it's needed and overlap the good metal a bit, then trace it out and cut the good metal. ( I was cutting out the rust and making templates for patches, doh!)

I use a sheet metal workers dividers (like a geometry compass) to trace an uneven edge onto a patch panel, and for circles or arcs.

Another one was to use the edge of the grinding wheel to "cut" into the piece you're working on moving across as you go. It's quicker and the wheel lasts longer if you take your time!

If you have to move something heavy around the shop just use a piece of sheet metal covered in grease and slide it across, works good without having to lift it like using pipes!

If you're trying to pull something out, like a frozed trailer hitch, connect a heavy chain to it and "flick" the chain like reigns on a horse. yanks it right out!

 

Arrid extra dry (yes the antiperspirant deodorant) works great for checking for small coolant leaks and a/c hoses.

R134 freon (just a little) charged into any contained system and a little air pushed in with it you can pin point the smallest leaks with a sniffer. Used this on air systems on big trucks.

 

Put rope caulk into the swivel socket and it will not flop around. Also the caulk can hold nuts in the socket or wrench when going back together. It can be put on your finger to hold a nut in place too or used on a screwdriver tip.

My boss always threw his tools on the floor. He said it was easier than replacing them after they drove off in the customers car.

 

with a motor that has been setting a long time , mix a small coffee can with half gas and have motor oil. use this to start the motor ..it will help the rings reseat..
it has worked on a 302 and a 348 both had been setting well over 20 years .

 

Keep a stocked fridge in the garage. Makes it much easier to get those extra hands when you need to lift a body off a frame or anything else you need help to do. Sometimes a cold beer will get you more help than a 20 dollar bill.

Keep a magnatized screwdriver around for when you drop nuts and washers into tight places you can't reach with your fingers.

A chunk of cardboard to keep you out of the snow in the driveway under the car is handy, Several pieces can be stashed behind your roll up in the garage.

Spare lightbulbs in case you drop your drop light. You know you will...

I usually use plastic coffee cans in the garage when I'm working on stuff. Everything small goes in the can. Masking tape and a marker will tell you what those small parts and bolts go to later.

Save odd things like starter snouts, long starter bolts, those thin headed flywheel bolts, interior screws, etc. Nice to have the right one in a drawer in case one of the bolts walks away or you need a different snout on a starter. All the stuff your parts guy will tell you he can get in by next thursday.

You can never have enough 1/2 or 9/16 wrenches. Those things vanish faster than a pipe mover when the border patrol drives by.

My old man always referred to a big screwdriver as his oil filter wrench. It was magnatized too.

A GOOD extension cord long enough to reach the driveway or street where you wind up working on things other than the project in the garage.

Pick up one of those pink handled tool kits for the wife's kitchen drawer. You'll be glad you did and your favorite carb tweaker screwdriver won't be bent up from opening paint cans in the back bedroom remodel, cleaning out the garbage disposal, or yanking roots in the garden. If you have her with you when you pick our HER new tool kit, she might not even notice the new torque wrench you casually slipped in the cart with it...

Gramps taught me if you take her out Friday night she'll usually let you play in the garage all day Saturday...

 

My Dad taught me that when I was little and complaining about not being able to see a bolt. Though he calls it "Workin like Helen Keller", haha.

Also, a buddy of my told me about a great (and inexpensive) alternative to expensive de-greasers: He told me to go to the 99 cent store and buy the cheap oven cleaner they have there. The cheap stuff they sell there usually still has all the nasty ultra de-greezin chemicals that expensive shit doesn't. ESPECIALLY in bullshit California. Spray the stuff on, a light scrub and rinse. Done.

 

if you ever get welders flash (eyes blister closed).... cut a potato in half poke holes in it and hold it to your closed eyes it will soothe the burns and make life better again....

 

I have a bunch of those fancy schmancy sanding blocks but more often then not I still go for the paint stick.

 

Another thing my Dad has always said (and I'm always glad I've listened); Keep a decent assortment of tools, fluids and whatever you think might come in handy in your car at all time. Always be prepared. ESPECIALLY if you're driving an old car. Why? Because you never know what will save your ass when you're atranded somewhere. I had a two foot length of bailing wire coiled up in a corner of my tool bag for about 5 years... Last summer I had to make some throttle linkage on the side of the road and that wire finally became useful. I'm sure glad I had it! I was 2 hours from home with only 20 bucks in my pocket! Thanks again Pop