Cheap Tricks

[Ozzy2013]

Originally Posted by RenoKeene

Baby stroller tool cart.Found this one at the side of the road where someone put it out for the garbage man. This thing is great, holds lots of tools, rolls in any direction, has locking wheels so it won't roll down the driveway, easy to push over gravel, sand, etc. so I wheel it out to my parts truck with no problem, saves running back and forth for tools. It also folds up almost flat so you can take it with you to help your buddy work on his stuff...and it was FREE.

Yup love my baby stroller put my plasma cutter on mine!

[9teen69]

Great ideas !

[truckin 79]

1.You can use toothpaste to take minor scratches out of glass
2. When putting standard transmission into bell housing and trans just wont go that last 1/2 inch. Have someone push in clutch and trans will slid right in
3. I am sure most people know this one but I didnt see it posted. I didnt know this till my brother showed me in my middle 20's(twice that old now). Anyway when a ratchet and socket just wont fit(to fat) and all you can get is a wrench on a bolt/nut and need more leverage just interlock another wrench and you become strong like BULL.
I really like the rechargable battery for junk yard use. I am always looking for old 2 knob radios

[truckin 79]

I thought of another one, you can use a wooden broom handle as a stethoscope. That way it keeps you away from the heat of engine and sound quality is great

[RenoKeene]

Originally Posted by truckin 79

I thought of another one, you can use a wooden broom handle as a stethoscope. That way it keeps you away from the heat of engine and sound quality is great

Very smart.

[cheyenne402]

Originally Posted by truckin 79

I thought of another one, you can use a wooden broom handle as a stethoscope. That way it keeps you away from the heat of engine and sound quality is great

My Dad taught me this when I was a young teen. Very useful.

[richard2717]

Not really for the truck per se but useful if you are waiting on a truck shipment. Most people know you can track UPS / Fed Ex etc. but you can also track freight shipments. This website allows you to track just about any of the major guys as long as you have your tracking number.

http://www.track-trace.com/

Just scroll to bottom of main page and look for the trucking company in alphabetical order.

Richard

[omodified]

Make your own timing tape.

I wanted to check the timing on my engine today. I didn't have any timing tape for the balancer and I don't have an adjustable timing light. I checked the three major parts stores and none of them stock timing tape. So, rather than order it and wait for it to come in, I decided to make my own.

First, you have to start with a little math. You will need to know the diameter of your harmonic balancer. If you have a seamstress tape, measure the circumference (around the outside) of the balancer. If you only have a measuring tape, try to place the tape exactly through the center of the crankshaft bolt and measure across the face of the balancer from end to end. In my case, I had the receipt from when I purchased my balancer so I knew that mine measured 6.75 inches. Ultimately, you need to know the circumference (the distance around the outside) of the balancer. Multiply your diameter by 3.1416 (pi) to get the circumference. DO NOT MULTIPLY THE CIRCUMFERENCE BY 3.1416!!!!!

In my case, 6.75" diameter = 21.2058" circumference.

Now that you know the circumference, you can calculate the various degrees along that circumference. Since the total timimg I am targeting for my engine is 36 degrees, I will start there. 36 degrees is 10% of 360 degrees. So, multiply your circumference by 10% for 36 degrees. Half of that measurement is 18 degrees. Half of that measurement is 9 degrees and so on. Here are the calculations for a 6.75" balancer down to .017578125 of a degree (I'll explain why so small in a second).

6.75" diameter = 21.2058" circumference

10% of 21.2058" = 2.12058" (36 degrees)

2.12058" = 36 degrees
1.06029" = 18 degrees
0.530145" = 9 degrees
0.2650725" = 4.5 degrees
0.13253625" = 2.25 degrees
0.066268125" = 1.125 degrees
0.0331340625" = 0.5625 degrees
0.01656703125" = 0.28125 degrees
0.008283515625" = 0.140625 degrees
0.0041417578125" = 0.0703125 degrees
0.00207087890625" = 0.03515625 degrees
0.001035439453125"= 0.017578125 degrees

The timing tape you can buy in stores is displayed to you in 1 degree increments. The reason I calculated down to such a small number in degrees was so I could add together the measurements for 1 degree. The calculations I used for 1 degree are in bold italics above. Therefore...

0.059020048828125" = 1.001958125 degrees

or you could say that...

a light 1/16" = 1 degree

Now that your math is finished, grab some good 1/2" body shop tape or painters tape. Blue or green will work fine. Lay out a 3 inch piece of tape onto a clean, flat surface. Start on the far left side of the tape about 1/4" in from the tear. Using a straight edge, draw a thin line (I used a fine tip sharpie) across the tape. Write the letters TDC through this line. Now measure roughly 2 1/8" from this line and draw another line across. Write the numbers 36 through this line. Measure again from you original line out to 1 1/16" and draw another line. Write an 18 through this line. Measure again out to 1 and a heavy 9/16" and draw another line. Write a 27 through this line. You can continue to add additional lines from here if you wish, using our earlier calculation of a light 1/16" per 1 degree.

Once you are satisfied with your tape, apply it to your CLEAN balancer surface. Line up the TDC line on your tape with the line on your balancer. You are ready to set your timing!!!

[SamsAutoParts73-87]

good one!

Also an excellent example of real world uses of math.

[HappyHooligan]

Just read through this WHOLE thing tons of great tips
My favorite is this... I spend way too much time trying to get nails clean will definitely start doing this one.

Originally Posted by kwhite4

Here is a sounds stupid but it works deal. I hate to wear gloves when I do mechanical work so I will take a bar of soft soap and claw the crap out of it . Puts soap under my nails instead of grease and its alot easier to get out...

Now for one of my own along the same lines as the interlocking wrenches for leverage.
if you cant get the angle right use a nut and a bolt locked together, will allow almost any angle for offset, also works with ratchet and extension for extra long crows foot!!

Hooligan

[srvhemi]

Thank You so much for leading me to this thread. Sooooo many great ideas here. Some I knew of, but most are new to me, and great ideas. Your truck is bee A yuo ti FULL. thanks again man.

[RenoKeene]

You are very welcome.

[cherokeejohn]

1) Cut to shape and drill the pivot pin hole.
2)The center one, the hard one, it has the trough for the switch arm. you have to weld a bit and grind it out, but not a big deal
3)Use a tiny bolt and a jam nut to act as the pin
4)Use countersunk screws and nuts to replace any broken faceplate brads

I copied this from a different thread here on the forum. It's from project No Buck! by member Ackattack, posted by member Tx Firefighter. The A/C,Heater controls are one of the few flaws in our trucks and allot of old cars too. I replaced mine with a set of repro's and after a short while they broke also. Cheap pot metal just doesn't hold up, esp. if your cables or flapper don't move freely or if there is debris in your system. With a cheap welder and a little time and patience I used this procedure and it worked great! I thought it would make a good one for this thread, and bring it back to the top because it's such a good thread too

[srvhemi]

Had the time to read through entire thread today. There is so much good info on this thread. Did you give up on trying to make an index? The thread is fantastic, but if there were a good way to find specifically helpful things, that would be awesome. I'm not a computer guy, so I don't have any suggestions, but maybe by bringing it back up, someone else will have a good suggestion on making it easier to navigate and find what the reader is in need of.

[srvhemi]

CAN ANYONE PROVIDE AN ECONOMICAL WAY TO COOL A 100+ DEGREE GARAGE?!

Does anyone have a good way of cooling down an attached garage. Its been over 100 degrees consistently here in TX. I went and got a portable AC unit (a big one) and vented it outside, but made very little difference. Then I got a big box store oscillating fan. That makes a difference, makes it so we can be out there, but still sweating profusely. I talked to a guy about teeing off my central AC from the house and putting a big vent into the garage. And that wouldn't be terribly expensive, but it wouldn't be efficient and would most likely sky rocket the electric bill. The vent would have a flipper so it could be essentially capped off when not out there. And then there's those big evaporative/ swamp coolers that are super expensive, big and bulky, and they need to vent outside. I didn't see this come up anywhere in the thread, it doesn't directly apply to fixing our vehicles, but there must be other folks out there who agree that having a comfy climate when working on our projects makes a world of difference. I used to live in PA, and it was the cold extreme I had to deal with. When I get to where I can build me a little 3 bay shop, I will definitely spring for insulating walls and doors and have central heat and air. ANY SUGGESTIONS ARE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED.

[flashed]

I dont have air in my shop but I do have a big portable fan that helps a lot as well as an exhaust fan in the back wall pulling heat out .

[srvhemi]

If you purchase an expensive wood bed kit for your truck: Go to your local home depot, lowes, or other place that you can buy lumber. Then get a small piece of the same kind of wood (usually oak, but there are other kinds). I found a piece that was 3' long by 3/4" thick by 6" wide. Prepare it like you plan on prepping your bed wood, then if you know what color stain you're going to use, try out your stain process (what you think is the right way) on that piece. You can tape off sections to try multiple colors and finishes, if you're not sure what you want. I should have done this in the first place. It would have saved me a lot of time, money, and aggravation. The piece of "trial wood" may cost you 20 bucks and you can buy really small cans of the stains. You are only using a little bit of it, you can return it and say your wife picked up the wrong one. Once you achieve your desired finish, you can go about sanding, staining, and clearing your wood bed KNOWING how its going to come out, because you've already gone through the entire process on the trial piece. You may be out 20 bucks, but that's so much better than messing up on the precut bed pieces. I worked on mine for like 2 weeks, sanded every piece at least 4 separate times. ***IMPORTANT NOTE: Mock up all your pieces first, drill and countersink any holes you need before you do your sanding and staining. It is time consuming, but it is in your best interest. TRUST ME ON THIS.

[NONHOG]

[QUOTE=srvhemi;
Does anyone have a good way of cooling down an attached garage. /QUOTE]

Good insulation is the first thing, not cheap though. It is the first step of doing it the right way.
Until then you might try watering your roof. (depending on the roofline, house style) I don't know it works but makes sense. The condensation pulls the heat off the building cooling things down? Heck maybe I'll try it now that
Seattle is more like Phoenix.

[69chevytrucker]

the one man cab lift using a cherry picker and a couple 2x4s with a ratchet strap picked up my cab and set it on another frame in like 20 min by my self

[augiep9]

If you have a carpet covered floor and need to drill a hole head up a small screw driver or similar and burn the carpet where the hole will b. Carpet won't unwind when you go through the burnt hole.

[midniteblues]

Figured this great thread should be brought back up.

Here's one I forgot I made a few years ago. Can't remember if it's a 5/16 or a 3/8 bolt but anyway,
I drilled straight through it on the drill press and tapped it out too fit a grease zerk fitting.
It fits in replacement of the 3 o clock bolt on a manual steering gear box too pump some fresh lube in with a standard grease gun.
I like too turn the steering wheel all the way too one side then give er a few pumps then work the wheel back an forth a turn or two and keep pumping/turning till you hit the full turn/lock the other way.
It'll get that old gear box working smoothly again for years too come.
Some say too take out another bolt too expelled the excess grease. I never had too a little bit might spew out your seals but they need lube too.

[NONHOG]

Left over peel and seal (fat matt, dyna matt etc.) works great as a sound deadener for your stainless kitchen sink.

[RenoKeene]

Originally Posted by srvhemi

Had the time to read through entire thread today. There is so much good info on this thread. Did you give up on trying to make an index? The thread is fantastic, but if there were a good way to find specifically helpful things, that would be awesome. I'm not a computer guy, so I don't have any suggestions, but maybe by bringing it back up, someone else will have a good suggestion on making it easier to navigate and find what the reader is in need of.

The index is coming. I don't have interweb access at home and I've been slammed at work but I'll get it done.
I think this thread is a must read for the newer folks in our hobby, and for anybody that works on their own stuff for that matter. Lots of very resourceful folks on here.

[KEL]

Originally Posted by powerdriver 1958

Not sure if this was covered , I forgot about this until I needed it ... Have a leaky threaded fitting but are out of thread tape or sealant .

Try another style of thread .
.

RE Post #405

Along this idea, fishing line instead of thread is almost like
a plastic nut. Works great.

[100%Chevy]

O.K. couple more---
When you go to the U-Pull-It yard,grab extra lug nuts,bolts and hardware.Around here it's free!
And,if you need a under-hood light,90's GM trucks all came with them.They're pretty cheap and easy to install.
Mike.