Cheap Tricks

[RenoKeene]

Bringing this back up.
Been out of touch for awhile dodging life's bullets but got it covered for now, finally self employed and back building trucks (on the side)...working on something really special. Using the shared knowledge you guys posted makes these builds much, much easier and your contributions to this thread are greatly appreciated.
Share this thread with your friends, the info contained is priceless.

[RenoKeene]

Going on 57,000 views. Wow!

[In The Ten Ring]

Cheap tricks! Oh! I thought this thread was about low cost escorts.

[PapaNui]

"Sub"

[Tdrcreyn4]

subscribed

[joeminnesota]

I hate kneeling on the floor and i wont wear knee pads. I use a foam kneeling pad. Amazon... $8 for a pack of two. They are usually available in the garden section of your big box hardware store too. Use a garden hose to rinse them occasionally. If you need to change a tire along the road, a floor mat works great for this!

[kehstr]

bump

[kehstr]

2017 bump

[clay68c10]

To remove bad battery corrosion just get a few cups of almost boiling water and slowly pour it on the terminals. If the cable ends are nasty, get a pan and soak them in the same temperature water. This works better than anything I've ever used. Even the hard crusty deposits come off easily. And it can get you some more time/miles out of a "fuzzy" cable.

[clay68c10]

Here's a trick I use when separating difficult ball joints with a BFH.

I tried this one out yesterday on my old crusty bare 71 frame. This was all after soaking everything in Kroil penetrating oil for 2 weeks.

The first side was very hard to separate the lower joint, i was using a 8lb sledge with a 30" handle. I was swinging it like a pissed-off golf putter and hitting the spindle really hard, for a while. This was after I gave up hitting it with my 2lb short handle sledge. The spindle had the rotor and caliper on it still. It did not separate and I had to take it into work with the lower control arm on the spindle. I put it in the vise, heated it with the oxy/acetylene torch and used an air hammer to pop it. What a pain, and not a great DIY solution if you don't have a torch or air.

The other side was in the same crusty shape, but this time I pulled the caliper and rotor off first. Using the same 8lb sledge, I hit it about 10 times and the lower joint separated.

I'm pretty sure this is because all the extra mass of rotor and caliper dampened the impact.

Also, use the suspension spring to help you. Take off the shock first. Then take the ball joint nut (or nuts) loose, spin it 5 or so turns and leave it there while you whack on it. The spring is then putting considerable counter pressure on the taper, but when it pops loose, the nut will keep it from separating completely and unleashing the spring.

When doing both upper and lower ball joints, loosen both nuts and hit the bottom joint area first. It is usually the hardest to separate, and while you're beating on the bottom of the spindle the shock can sometimes make the top joint separate first.

[Cape Codder]

I keep a trigger spray bottle of water with a good dose of dish soap in the shop. It is good for getting rubber parts such as door window run channels to slide in place or just rubber cushions to go into their holes. Good for finding a leak in a tire or if sprayed on a suspected leak area then blow air from inside it helps locate water leaks.

[davischevy]

If you can't make out the details, part numbers, assemblies, wording etc, take a picture with your smart phone. the details you couldn't see with your naked eye, will be clear as a bell.

other Larry

[Cape Codder]

Originally Posted by davischevy

If you can't make out the details, part numbers, assemblies, wording etc, take a picture with your smart phone. the details you couldn't see with your naked eye, will be clear as a bell.

other Larry

I find myself taking a lot of pics before repairing cars these days. Some of these new suv's have so many nameplates on the hatch I need a pic to remember where they go.

[davischevy]

And I keep a spray bottle of soapy water handy.

[midniteblues]

Now only if they can make a spray bottle that lasts.

Tires left outside that filled with rain water.
Instead of throwing them around like a ape too empty them just use a wet dry shop vac. It gets those pesky leaves too.

Over the yrs. We have accumulated a few children's car seats.
I donated the "in date" ones and trashed the expired ones.but before doing so
I noticed on the back of each one is a short strap/ belt.
These make handy tie downs for your hand truck,welding/torch bottles,keeping rolled up tarps rolled up,dang near anything, like engine stands or lifts that want too roll away

[richard2717]

I went to pick up a parts truck I bought and after getting there realized someone had already swiped the drag link and tie rod ends. Not wanting to make another trip I used 4 ratchet straps to keep the wheels straight and in line with each other. The back one was the tricky one but was able to hook the strap hooks the the bleeder nuts on the calipers.


.

[Cape Codder]

If you have a winch or come along to load a car that the wheels can't be straightened just sick a lug wrench through a slot in the wheel to lock it into a caliper. If the wheel doesn't spin it will drag straight. Did that many times to load wrecks onto a flatbed when the police wanted their road opened quick

[richard2717]

need to blast something longer then your cabinet. Cardboard with ductape door opening, trim a couple pcs of metal to fit the shape your putting in and blast away.


.

[NONHOG]

nice blast cabinet tip!

[ole dollor]

[QUOTE=richard2717;7873919]need to blast something longer then your cabinet. Cardboard with ductape door opening, trim a couple pcs of metal to fit the shape your putting in and blast away.


very good idea ....indeed

[richard2717]

Just don't do like I did 1st attempt and try to hold the cardboard thru the blasting glove. If you pull to hard and your glove clamp isn't tight enough it will pop the glove off, and it only happens after you have everything taped up. it is actually easier to go ahead and cut the hole in the cardboard that your pc is going thru and reach in thru there. It worked out pretty good but I think i may still build a metal extension and attach the door to the end of that.

[Cape Codder]

I just bought some used doors this week from a salvage yard for a newer Honda I am repairing. The doors were absolutely mint damage a scratch free. The salvage yard used pieces of the weather strip that goes on the pinch weld of the door opening cut to fit the bottom of the door for protecting the door bottom for delivery. The had a strip of shipping tape to hold in place and it allowed you to drag the door without damage. It would work great for removing a painted door for hinge repair or just storing a door.

[Radford46]

Very informative thread. Read through it today.
Not everyone will need this tip, but if you have a restored race car or vintage car with old vintage tires, (my vintage modified had 15" wide modified race tires on it, most race slicks are thin side wall, and leak air constantly), anyway, if you take the blue ,Dawn ,Dish washing liquid soap and coat the inside of the tires before mounting them, the soap will seal the tires to the rims, and they will hold air a lot longer.

[Andy4639]

If you like going to car shows but get hot sitting outside I have something to help you.

Things you will need:
#1 Cooler
#2 water are some kind of liquid drink
#3 Battery jump box with converter in it for 110 volts
#4 Small 110 electric fan

Take your battery jump box with you and a small 110 fan. Plug it up to the jump box and have a nice breeze blowing when you sit down. When you get up to walk some more remember to cut it off.

[kehstr]

Originally Posted by Radford46

Very informative thread. Read through it today.
Not everyone will need this tip, but if you have a restored race car or vintage car with old vintage tires, (my vintage modified had 15" wide modified race tires on it, most race slicks are thin side wall, and leak air constantly), anyway, if you take the blue ,Dawn ,Dish washing liquid soap and coat the inside of the tires before mounting them, the soap will seal the tires to the rims, and they will hold air a lot longer.

Doesn't this just make you wonder what people were thinking, or how desperate they were when they came up with things like this??