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

Sure...
After you get the hose clamp out of the way (The old guy always used tin snips) he placed a 1 x 2, old broom handle, etc. on the edge of the hose and wailed away with a hammer.

 

wouldn't a razor be easier lol

 

My Dad, with his bad back, taught me to stick a breaker bar under the tire and use it as a lever to lift it into place. It works so well, I've never done it any other way.

 

There's a new idea I'll have to try. Thanks.

 

you guys probably all have one of these. they are used to fill a pig (portable air tank) from your big compressor without having to hold an air chuck on the schrader valve on the pig. you just plug the female ends of the compressor hose and the pig together and allow the pig to fill.

a friend showed me his many years ago and i made the one on the left right away. then i showed it to another friend later on to which he responded "yeah, when i made mine i put a valve in it so you don't lose air when you disconnect." so i made the one on the right.

i don't use the pig around the shop 'cause i've got the compressor right there. BUT, i've done a lot of remodeling for sweetie over the years and am constantly bringing in a pig to run air nailers in the house. i have two pigs and i just set the compressor regulator on 125 psi (the max pressure in both pigs) and when i take an empty to the shop i just switch it out with the now full one and leave the empty one to fill automatically while i go back into the house to keep working. my compressosr comes on at 125 and turns off at 175 so there's always 125 psi in the compressor tank.

and of course there's a million reasons to take a pig with you when you leave home (boneyard trips, help a friend, etc.).

 

A shovel is easier.

 

Yep, a short handled shovel works great.

 

Some of my tips have to do with my tool organization.

Here is a stand made from a chopped up closet clothes rod and a flat plate. I put my Vise Grips down in the tubes.


Sure, you can clip them to an angle or something but this way I don't have to adjust them back and forth from one application to another.

Now here are some tips to save your fingers when wire brushing parts.

The object here is to have something that lets you clean a bolt (threads or heads) while holding it steady and protecting your fingers. Two styles shown for different sized parts.






Yes that one is (still is) a shoehorn from Harbor Freight.

Lost_N_Austin

 

To help me save "Welding Gas" I made this "Cap" from a piece of Plastic Pipe. I always keep it on the tank when the Valve is Closed. When I remove the Cap, I open the valve and when I get through I close the valve and replace the cap. That way I can tell from across the shop whether the valve is open or closed. Nothing like getting ready to do some welding and find out that you left the tank open and lost your gas.


Even worse is to start welding and wondering if you have turned the gas on. Cap on/Gas Off - Cap Off/ Gas On.

Lost_N_Austin

 

Here is one I haven't had to use for many years but I learned it from my Dad.

When removing a pilot Bushing from a Crankshaft from a standard trans car, fill the hole in the back of the crank (and bushing) with heavy axle grease. Keep packing it in until there is almost no more capacity. Then drive a shaft (metal dowell) that is the size of the transmission input gear into the hole. Hammer it a few times and then add some more grease. In no time the bushing will pop out with no damage to your tools or even to your bushing. Hydraulic pressure will force it out. Sorry if this has been posted in thread.

Lost_N_Austin

 

When my fingers heal from the last bolt cleaning incident I beleive I will make one of those finger protectors. I guess I should have followed my #1 shop rule, "Don't put your fingers where your wouldn't put your pecker!"

 

removing broken bolts by welding a washer to the bolt then weld a nut to the washer.

also, removing a head bolt broken off at the block without pulling the head. (last one to tighten) put a steel brake line tube down the hole, put solid welding rod in the tubing. cycle the welder and push welding rod into the broken bolt. TURN OFF WELDER. unscrew welding rod with bolt.

 

If you have ever had a problem removing nuts, bolts, rubber hoses then welcome to the world of Never-Seize.

 

Don't pay someone to do what you can do yourself, take pride in your work and you will appreciate the results more.

 

All I've read so far are good tips. Sometimes the best way to learn is by just watching others work. I've learned a lot that way.

 

I think the drill press lathe is mentioned up there somewhere, but I I use it to turn hockey pucks into motor mount bushings, transmission mount bushings and anything else that needs a shape too complex for me to carve with a blade.

You can bend 1/4" plate without a press by scoring it in your chopsaw, bending it in a vise and then welding scoring shut. With practice, you can even get the scored side on the inside of the bend.

I peaked the hood of my '51 chevy using 1/4" rod. I cleaned the metal up and tacked it in (slowly) starting at the back and moving to the front, while bending by hand.

When I got to the end of the hood, I just cut off the excess. Then I went and finshed the welds off.

Totally noob stuff, but there ya go

 

This is too good of thread to be "forgotten"..

one trick i learned in case of on the road problems: measuring or knowing inside diameter of soft lines of car (ie fuel and brake hoses) and carrying a small 2 inch long piece of copper/aluminum/steel tubing of those sizes. if you get a puncture in your line you can cut the original line and insert the pipe in between so you get to continue your travel. (2 correct sized hoseclamps or universal sized ones are useful addition to ensure leak free connection.)

also measuring the hard lines outside diameter works and carrying assortment of small pieces of right inner diameter softer hoses to slip over the punktured line.. cut it in two, slide the hose inbetween and off you go.

these fixes will likely hold well enough to get you back home or nearest garage.

 

Has anybody ever made one of these engine oil prelubers?
If so how?

 

This is for pulling rear axles on drum brake GM cars (and many others). After removing the bearing retainer bolts, install the brake drum backwards over the studs. Then put 3 lugnuts on about 4-5 threads (maybe with the studs almost flush in the lug holes) in a triangle pattern and use the drum as a slide hammer

 

A friend of mine years ago took a gas welding bottle and rigged it up with an air regulator and filled the bottle with air. Then he mounted it to a two wheel dolley.When we would go to the salvage yards with the bottle and an air impact and ratchet, we could get four Mustang II front ends and a couple of steering columns before there was not enough pressure to operate the tools.

 

My dad is a GM guy, when changing front wheel bearings, he showed me an easy way to remove the inner seal. after removing the nut, slide forward the hub, remove washer and outer bearing, slide hub back on, install the nut and yank off the hub! inner bearing and seal are hanging on the spindle. causes no damage to the seal if your just repacking and want to reuse.

 

Hee hee. I think my wife caught me on that one.

 

Walk at a fast pace, hold something like it's important and don't catch peoples eyes. Key to being left alone

 

Trim a hockey puck for use as a body mount or radiator cushion.

Or.... Don't bend over the fender to repair your engine at night.... On a dark street in San Francisco!

 

i really good tip that very few seem to know, is when welding a hole with a mig in a flat panel put a block of brass behind the area welding and fill on top of the brass. the weld will pool on the brass, but the weld will not stick to the brass and when pulled away you have a nice flat clean surface.

 

If the back side of a sheet of paper you no longer need is blank, cut the sheet into four pieces and use them as scratch paper for notes. Those smaller pieces of note paper will fit into your pocket easier.

 

A good buddy of mine, Larry Young taught me years ago that if you ever have to drill spring steel, use Elmer's white glue as a lubricant and it'll work easier than all the cutting oil on the planet... He was right! Nobody beleives that one untill they shake their head at me and try it, but it works.
I miss that guy everyday...

 

My mentor was one of the most savvy midget race car owners of his time.
He quite possibly owned the fastest midget in the country in the late 50's.
Aside from that he taught me how to make a very fine martoonie which I indulge
in ocassionally these days.

 

That's a damn good quality to have in a mentor if I do say so myself!

My buddy Larry mentioned above was a winning midget owner and driver as well, constantly tried to convince me that there was money to be made runnin' the things... Emassed a small fortune doing it - only after starting with a large fortune!

 

Roger on the small fortune. We made a lot of money building engines for other teams but
there wasn't much in the racing unless you followed the whole circuit all season and had a winning car.
I also learned a lot about springer spaniels from him.