Tips And Tricks Thread

[Andi]

Old skool? bodges? tech?

For a bit of fun and handy information for others. What tips and tricks have you used?

 

 

To find an oil leak, wash down engine and spray with foot powder. Start up engine and wait.

 

For nicely spaced rivet holes (especially around forms/arches etc) get some dressmakers white elastic tape place ruler against it and

mark every whatever intervals. With an assistant have elastic stretched until the correct intervals you desire and transfer marks onto panel.

 

 

Andi

[ozz]

Had my passenger seat out today, no runners just bolted to floor.

 

Cut the heads off 3 m8 bolts put them in 3 corners dropped seat into the bolt holes and bolted up removing the headless bolts as I went.

 

(Obvious to some no doubt but I normally don't think like that)

[keith kelly]

best tip I was given was for fitting head onto engine. Cut top off old head bolts and make slot in the top, screw into the engine and use as a guide to line up the gasket and head. method used every time now with no issues.

[Guest mower man]

I'm tempted to try and put an artical together on this , if I can remember some of the old indian tricks used by myself and people Ihave worked with ,it may take a little time mowerman

[fry61]

Doesn't necessarily need to be an article. How about little "sound bites" one/two liners that our Editor can tack on to a page that is "not quite full"

[HAWKNORTH]

Removing rounded nuts. Okay, so not the best of opening lines but we've all been there. The nut has rounded off at the corners, spanner just slips, ring spanner not much beter, mole grips etc just making it worse, no burning tackle. If space and access allow then a Cold chisel and a hammer may be the answer. You need to spread the nut and free it from the thread of the bolt. Position the blade of the chisel in line with the bolt which puts it at 90deg down one of the faces of the nut. A few good blows with the hammer will spread the nut and hopefully release it enough for it to unscrew from the bolt. If the nut is very old then it may even split and come off altogether. This technique is really only for bigger dia bolts and very dependant on access but has worked well in the past for me. Watch your thumb with that hammer

[Andi]

I'm tempted to try and put an artical together on this , if I can remember some of the old indian tricks used by myself and people Ihave worked with ,it may take a little time mowerman

 

I did think of this too. maybe we could have a "tip of the month/quarter" section

 

Andi

[Andi]

This is a simple and veteran method

 

Spanner too big?

If your working with limited kit wedge a flat blade screwdriver inside a spanner jaw against the nut/bolt

 

Andi

[richardm6994]

Great topic Andy!

 

A few little car building tips I've picked up (mainly becasue I did it wrong the first time around);

 

Always solder your electrical connections wherever possible.....loose bullet connectors = standing at side of road wondering where all the volts have gone.

 

First engine start-up after a rebuild.....save your antifreeze until you're 100% sure there are no leaks.

 

Always use proper thread lock glue (loctite) on your nuts and bolts

 

Buy a good set of spanners.... then go and buy another 2 or 3 spanners @10mm, 13mm, 17mm and 19mm as this avoids wasted hours looking for "that bl00dy spanner which I had a minue ago"....same applies to socket sets.

 

Keep welding electrodes in the airing cupboard.

 

When you loose insentive to do anything to your build.....tidy the workshop....it's always help me get back in the mood.

 

Always deburr.

 

Measure once, cut once.....realise it's wrong, throw it away and then remember what the actual saying is.....

Edited April 7, 2014 by steamer

[Guest Ian & Carole]

How long are steel brake pipes ? how to measure what you need.

 

Get a length of 2.5mm twin + earth cable, strip it out and use either the cables, abandon the earth bit.

 

Stuff one end into the coupling and just run the cable around the route you intend the brake pipe to go, using nice gentle curves.

 

When you are happy with the run mark the cable and add 1/2 "

 

Straighten out your cable and you have an exact length of pipe needed for your install.

 

"DON'T FORGET TO PUT THE UNIONS ON TO THE PIPE BEFORE YOU FLARE THE ENDS"

[agent_zed]

another simple one. If you are tightening a small nut/bolt with a big wrench/spanner hold the tool further down (nearer the nut) so you have less leverage and therefore less chance of snapping the nut clean off.

 

For my mig welder i pegged a bit of foam over the wire before it enters the liner to hopefully clean off any crap/dust on the wire to keep everything running smooth. Heard someone used an ear plug instead of foam.

 

Not a tip but an engineer once told me a rough rule of thumb is that a bolt screwed into a thread 1.5x the diameter of the bolt is as strong as that is ever going to be. Wouldn't matter if you screwed it in another 4ft wouldn't be any stronger. Which i found quite interesting.

 

To get the perfect tension on a nut tighten the nut until it shears clean off and then back half a turn

[Bob Tucker]

It is impossible to hit a tapered balljoint hard enough to break it.

Not so for your thumb; the brake pipe next to it; the thread on the TRE, or the ball joint cover.

Seriously, two big hammers, one either side of a ball joint will always shock it free if hit hard enough.

 

Always keep a 4 foot length of scaffold pipe handy....this can be used for (insert your own favourites here).

[agent_zed]

remembered another... if you are pushing a wrench away from you push with your palm and your hand open so when it slips you don't smash your knuckles into whatever is behind it.

 

I also find with getting a stubborn nut loose its best to use a t-bar if you can so you have equal force both sides or at least rest your other hand on the ratchet top to stop it slipping off and ruining the nut.

[maw]

As a complete newbie I'm learning loads of stuff off this thread already! I'm loving it! Keep them coming :-)

[maccavvy]

if doing brake pipes or calipers. push the pads back. then push the pedal down and wedge it there.

remove and brake pipe or caliper and no fluid will spill out. keeping the pipe before the split full and no loss from the mc.