Homemade Tools or Cheap Tricks

I made a steering wheel puller out of three bolts, a nut, and a metal plate with three holes drilled into it. It worked great but it destroyed the tool...good thing it was free.

 

Pressure brake bleeder made from scraps. Clamp over the M/C with a "C" clamp and pressure up to 30# with air. Better than pumping the pedal!

Russ

 

That's an awesome idea!

 

That one really worked for me... I had tried everything I could think of one time when trying to remove rear wheel bearing. Nothing worked. Someone told me about welding a bead around the inner race... worked like a charm!

 

This is #1 in my book!!!!!

 

Here is a neat trick making a brake bleeder from a garden sprayer for those without compressed air. Of course you will need a different MC cap than the one in this illustration
http://www.bmw-m.net/TechProc/bleeder.htm

 

Water Separator

Humidity in the Southeast US presents a challenge when painting or sandblasting. I've found a small water separator in the air line just isn't adequate.

Here's my home-made water separator for compressed air. Used it once to bead blast and sand blast with no condensation issues. Air blasted out of an air nozzle after going thru the separator doesn't have any noticeable water drops in it. Think its solved my problems.

Picked up a 5 gal portable air tank ($20) from Tractor Supply, 20' of 5/8" OD copper tubing ($40), and some pipe nipples and fittings. The separator is placed in a plastic tub (same one I used for electrolytic rust removal) and covered with 4 bags of ice to chill the compresed air and condense the water vapor.

Air from the compressor goes into the top of the copper tubing coil, is chilled as it goes around the coil, goes into the tank at the bottom of the coil, and out of the tank at the top. Both the coil and the tank are covered with ice and act as heat exchangers.

An 1/8" pipe is connected to the bottom of the tank and run up the outside to a small shutoff ($5) like the one used on the supply for a toilet tank or sink faucets. Opening the valve at the top of the 1/8" pipe allows any collected water to be forced up the pipe and out. Holes were drilled and fittings welded onto the top of the tank to accomodate the air exit and into the bottom for the water drain.

Black iron fittings would have made for decent welds -- just weren't available where I was shopping. I had big-time problems with the galvanized. I welded galvanized before without any big issues but not this time. Even after grinding off the layer of galvanizing, pin holes would develope right thru the fittings. Anyway, it ain't pretty but its done and it's functional. Like always, I could do it better the second time.

 

dang your seperator is as big as my air tank! sweet trick though....

 

tired of screwing up your threads on your lugs of your rotor or marring the rotor when installing new bearing races keep an old wheel around just place the rotor in the wheel like it was on the car and instant bench for driving in races

 

Saw or Shop horses are something we all need but are a pain in the butt to store . Here is what I did. I have 4 pairs 2 are 36'' wide 2 are 48''wide all are about belt buckle high or 36'' high .

Material needed are 3/4'' and 1/2'' electrical conduct

For top cross bar cut 3/4'' to lenght ( your mesurement )

The hinge point is 1/2'' cut 2 1/2'' longer than 3/4'' then 1/2'' is slid into

the 3/4'' leaving 1 1/4'' expose on both ends.

Then cut 4 legs to same lenght .

On each end of the cross bar weld one leg to the 1/2'' and one to the 3/4''

then repete on other end at 90 deg.

Then cut a spreader bar and weld between legs.

Then use a small chain or cable between legs on each end as a stop .


Then you will have shop horses for kinds of uses .

I have uses the he$$ out of these sense i built them will hold a lot of weight. If you need more bench space lay a old door on then . Can be used for body work lay a hood or fender on them etc.


Jay


And you can hing them on a nail

 

Take the old style small block long head bolts, cut the heads off, bevel the cut ends. These make dandy transmission guide pins for one man engine installations. Screw 4 of these into the bellhousing holes, drop the motor in, line th estuds with the holes in the bellhousing and pop the engine right into place. These can also be used to align manual transmissions with the rear of the bellhousing. I use em also to slide the Toploader back to adjust the McCleod hydro throwout bearing in my 89 Ranger.

 

Very good idea!

 

removing e-brake cables...

Jeff went with me to Pull a Part Sunday. i was going after e-brake cables. to remove them i needed a fuel line clamp. Jeff found one on a junk car.
i tighten it around the barbs on the cable, pulled tention on the cable and then loosen the clamp...

thanks Jeff...:Handshake

 

I've done that too! Otherwise you end up stabbing yourself with a screwdriver and just breaking off the tabs.

 

Water Separator

I have used this separator for years - it is home made but very efficient.
Made from square tube and a couple small plates from 3/16" steel for the top and bottom. Five sheet metal baffle plates and some 1/2" tube and fittings.
Here are the drawings: