Tips And Tricks Thread

[Guest Nik]

Afraid V5 is in there as well!! Will have to send off for replacement before I can tax so let's hope the sun shine lasts.

[Guest Ian Maycock]

When I loose something and get a replacement the original always turns up after the replacement arrives. I am sure yours will to

[Snapperpaul]

Before your divorce becomes final buy all the tools you ever want

Not once have I seen on a divorce settlement a dispute over who gets the socket set, welder and car jack

[Guest Gargoil]

Sorn'd the car for winter over the phone. Decided I would write sorn details/date phoned etc down and keep in folder with all the kit car paperwork inc mot iva cert driving licence.The tip here is to then remember where you put said folder!! Yep can't find it anywhere, suns shining can't tax car!!

 

It's somewhere, try not to think about it and it will come to you, eventually. I have lost stuff in a backpack before, having checked it several times. I once had to get a garage to remove my locking wheel nuts (needed metal welding on to them, to remove them) even after I and two other garages had looked for key all over the car. It turned up about 6 months later, in the glove box. the same glove box we had all checked. Pixie gremlins!

Re check the places you have already checked, but instead of looking to see if it's there, know that it's there.

[Andi]

When cutting a steel inner cable put a bit of heat shrink on the end and heat it up, then it will not fray at the end when threading through the

outer cable.

 

Andi

[Bob Tucker]

Divorce settlements can be funny (other peoples!)

My mate had a fishing boat..his wife hated him having it.

Come divorce time, she claimed it was worth £4000. Real value was about £1500, but she wouldnt budge.

She expected to get 2K if he wanted to keep it.

His solicitor told him not to argue, but accept her valuation.

Come the end, she got the boat, and lost £4K from her settlement.....since that was her valuation!!

[kevin the chicken]

If you have a swarm of bees nesting in your chimney dont be tempted to try to smoke them out by lighting a fire (despite what you have read on the internet). The nests are full of wax and paper and are highly flammable. The end result will be loads of firefighters trampling through your house, a pump appliance in your front garden, a turntable ladder in the road next to your house and the whole village wandering or driving past to see what idiots done what. AND ME MISSING MY SUNDAY DINNER AND HAVING NO TIME TO PLAY WITH MY KIT CAR.

Just in case anyone was considering it.

[Guest Knownothing]

If you want a water blister on the tip of one finger, use an angle grinder to cut through stainless steel body work in order to fit a bonnet vent whilst wearing full protective equipment. Next, remove glove and touch an area of body work adjacent to the area you have been cutting, which by now will be very hot, with one finger tip and for as little as half a millisecond. A water blister will instantly appear. Admittedly this is a mite painful and may cause you to shed the odd tear.

[Andi]

Squeaky belt

 

Belt chirp is normally a belt thats a bit loose.

The bodge is talcum powder.......

 

(By Bob Tucker)

[Guest 2b cruising]

Squeaky belt

 

Belt chirp is normally a belt thats a bit loose.

The bodge is talcum powder.......

 

(By Bob Tucker)

This will help the belt slip.

However you won't hear it squeal like a little piglet you have just stood on.

 

 

Just carefully use a bit of bleach and apply it to the running serface of the belt.

Yankees even buy it in spray cans as they use a lot of ultra long belts on their v8's.

The only real cure is a new belt. The old belts get a hardened shiney serface where they have been slipping.

Always use correct adjusting methods.

Never over tighten, you will just overheat and wear out the bearings in whatever you are running.

Don't use levers on the belt to fit it. Always loosen enough to fit over all the pulleys.

 

For a quick fit of timing belts.

Cut through the old belt along the run of the belt.

Remove the outer half of the belt.

Slide the new belt onto the pulleys until please it meets the old half belt then cut through the remaining old belt.

Slide the new belt the whole way on.

DO NOT USE THIS METHOD IF OTHER ITEMS ARE RECOMENDED FOR CHANGING AT THE SAME TIME. ie, water pumps, adjusters, idlers etc.

[Big Jim]

Scan your insurance certificate (& maybe also your driving licence) write "COPY" across them, then keep them in a safe place in your car. Should you be involved in an accident, other parties / police could ask to see them (Ok, police can get details through PNC, but it's good to be prepared) Also the details on what to do in case of an accident and the phone number to ring to get your car recovered by the insurance will be on the paperwork.

Keep a copy of your breakdown recovery service details as well.

 

On workshop tricks, if you need to weld up a hole in a bracket, clamp a piece of copper behind it then weld up the hole, (You can't weld to copper)

If you need to clean up the thread on a bolt / stud, and you haven't got a die nut, cut a slot in the tread of a spare nut and use that.

To use a thread tap without needing the correct tap wrench, find a nut the best size and press it onto the square end of the tap in the vice, you can now use the tap in a socket or spanner. Using a tap with a nut on is often much quicker than using the proper wrench, and you can get into those awkward places easier.