mikecg
01-16-2007, 10:37 AM
There is some quick things to know when working in a garage. Most of this came out of an article in a magazine I read.
Things for the Shop
1. Finger Nail Polish remover makes an excellent bug and tar remover for chrome. (Just don’t use it on the painted areas)
2. Can’t read the size on old sockets; wipe some colored paint across the size stamping. The pain will fill in the stamp and make it readable.
3. A drill clamped in a vise can be used as a make shift wire wheel or grinder.
4. A dab of grease on a screwdriver tip will hold a nut onto it to get into tight places.
5. Use a piece of garden hose as a stethoscope to pinpoint that ticking noise.
6. Think you have a dead cylinder? Spray your headers with water from a spray bottle. The one that stays wet is the one not firing.
7. When tapping holes, turn the tap a 1\2 turn forward and a ¼ turn backwards, then repeat until complete. This will prevent the tap from breaking off, as the ¼ turn back clears the debris.
8. Cover your arms and hands with baby powder before working with fiberglass.
9. Need to get a metric bolt or nut off and only have standard wrenches? A penny or dime can be used to take up the slack between the head and the wrench.
10. Can’t find an oil filter tool? An old V-belt and channel locks or pliers can be used like a strap wrench.
11. Tired of dropping those wrenches in tight spots. Tie a piece of string from it to your wrist.
12. Next time you change your oil, skip the $0.99 conventional oil and grab the full synthetic. The initial cost may sting, but you’ll be reward with a much better lubricated engine, which adds horse power and gas mileage. Do the same for the differentials also.
13. Polishing your expensive billet or chrome wheels takes a soft touch. Fleece material is perfect, but T-shirts, cloth diapers, or terry cloth can actually scratch more.
14. Trying to mount a transmission by yourself? Insert threaded rod of the appropriate size into the engine blocks mounting surface. Then you can simply jack it up and slide it onto the treaded rod.
15. A digital camera can be a valuable tool for reassembling things later, so take lots of pictures when you take it apart.
16. Listerine works better then soap for getting the smell of gas and other petroleum products off your hands.
17. Brake cleaner and nail polish remover are great degreasers for small parts.
18. For longest tire life check alignment and rotate every 6000-8000 miles.
19. Tire size decoding: 275/30R24 – 275 is the width of the tire in Millimeters, 30 is the sidewall aspect ration percentage (30 percent of 275), 24 is the wheel diameter.
20. If you have custom wheels on your car with special lugs, but still use the stock spare, wire tie factory lugs to the spare rim.
21. If you sock rusty parts in straight vinegar, you’ll find that after a few days the rust can be easily removed. Parts will also be clean and paint free.
22. For a quick and easy drip pan, use a cookie sheet with cardboard or kitty litter on it.
23. Vaseline on your battery posts will keep them from corroding and provide perfect contact.
24. If your contacts are corroded already use baking soda and water.
25. Latex Gloves are porous and can allow bad stuff to pass through to your skin. Put disposable nylon gloves under the latex when working with chemicals that can be hazardous to your skin.
26. Rubbing a non-magnetized screwdriver against a magnet will magnetize it.
27. Got chrome with a small amount of surface rust on it? Wadding up some aluminum foil and rubbing it over the rust will make short work of the problem.
28. Mixing tire tread designs and compounds can lead to poor handling and braking. Always use the same type of tires all the way around your car.
29. A spark plug not properly torqued will not seat all the way, preventing the plug from dissipating heat correctly. This can elevate combustion chamber temperatures, which can cause detonation.
30. Got a Holley Carburetor with a bowl screw leak? The rubber gasket on a common roofing nail is the correct size for the application.
31. Common chalkboard chalk or kid’s sidewalk chalk can be used on files to prevent them from getting clogged with filings.
32. After breaking in your new engine for 20-minutes change the oil and oil filter. Break-in lubricants will have worn off and worked there way into the system and can clog the oil filter.
33. Rain-X works wonders on the glass, inside and out. Use it to also preserve the rubber glass seals and to prevent the windows that move from sticking to the seals and tearing them.
34. Use copper or multilayer steel gaskets on headers. They cost more, but I’ll last much longer then paper.
35. Find a screw in your tire? Deflate the tire prior to removing it to prevent it from shooting across the room.
Things for the Shop
1. Finger Nail Polish remover makes an excellent bug and tar remover for chrome. (Just don’t use it on the painted areas)
2. Can’t read the size on old sockets; wipe some colored paint across the size stamping. The pain will fill in the stamp and make it readable.
3. A drill clamped in a vise can be used as a make shift wire wheel or grinder.
4. A dab of grease on a screwdriver tip will hold a nut onto it to get into tight places.
5. Use a piece of garden hose as a stethoscope to pinpoint that ticking noise.
6. Think you have a dead cylinder? Spray your headers with water from a spray bottle. The one that stays wet is the one not firing.
7. When tapping holes, turn the tap a 1\2 turn forward and a ¼ turn backwards, then repeat until complete. This will prevent the tap from breaking off, as the ¼ turn back clears the debris.
8. Cover your arms and hands with baby powder before working with fiberglass.
9. Need to get a metric bolt or nut off and only have standard wrenches? A penny or dime can be used to take up the slack between the head and the wrench.
10. Can’t find an oil filter tool? An old V-belt and channel locks or pliers can be used like a strap wrench.
11. Tired of dropping those wrenches in tight spots. Tie a piece of string from it to your wrist.
12. Next time you change your oil, skip the $0.99 conventional oil and grab the full synthetic. The initial cost may sting, but you’ll be reward with a much better lubricated engine, which adds horse power and gas mileage. Do the same for the differentials also.
13. Polishing your expensive billet or chrome wheels takes a soft touch. Fleece material is perfect, but T-shirts, cloth diapers, or terry cloth can actually scratch more.
14. Trying to mount a transmission by yourself? Insert threaded rod of the appropriate size into the engine blocks mounting surface. Then you can simply jack it up and slide it onto the treaded rod.
15. A digital camera can be a valuable tool for reassembling things later, so take lots of pictures when you take it apart.
16. Listerine works better then soap for getting the smell of gas and other petroleum products off your hands.
17. Brake cleaner and nail polish remover are great degreasers for small parts.
18. For longest tire life check alignment and rotate every 6000-8000 miles.
19. Tire size decoding: 275/30R24 – 275 is the width of the tire in Millimeters, 30 is the sidewall aspect ration percentage (30 percent of 275), 24 is the wheel diameter.
20. If you have custom wheels on your car with special lugs, but still use the stock spare, wire tie factory lugs to the spare rim.
21. If you sock rusty parts in straight vinegar, you’ll find that after a few days the rust can be easily removed. Parts will also be clean and paint free.
22. For a quick and easy drip pan, use a cookie sheet with cardboard or kitty litter on it.
23. Vaseline on your battery posts will keep them from corroding and provide perfect contact.
24. If your contacts are corroded already use baking soda and water.
25. Latex Gloves are porous and can allow bad stuff to pass through to your skin. Put disposable nylon gloves under the latex when working with chemicals that can be hazardous to your skin.
26. Rubbing a non-magnetized screwdriver against a magnet will magnetize it.
27. Got chrome with a small amount of surface rust on it? Wadding up some aluminum foil and rubbing it over the rust will make short work of the problem.
28. Mixing tire tread designs and compounds can lead to poor handling and braking. Always use the same type of tires all the way around your car.
29. A spark plug not properly torqued will not seat all the way, preventing the plug from dissipating heat correctly. This can elevate combustion chamber temperatures, which can cause detonation.
30. Got a Holley Carburetor with a bowl screw leak? The rubber gasket on a common roofing nail is the correct size for the application.
31. Common chalkboard chalk or kid’s sidewalk chalk can be used on files to prevent them from getting clogged with filings.
32. After breaking in your new engine for 20-minutes change the oil and oil filter. Break-in lubricants will have worn off and worked there way into the system and can clog the oil filter.
33. Rain-X works wonders on the glass, inside and out. Use it to also preserve the rubber glass seals and to prevent the windows that move from sticking to the seals and tearing them.
34. Use copper or multilayer steel gaskets on headers. They cost more, but I’ll last much longer then paper.
35. Find a screw in your tire? Deflate the tire prior to removing it to prevent it from shooting across the room.