i made a ford wiper button release tool form a screw driver , which i heated an bent a few ways.

also made a pcv gromment extractor. made from the spring of a bathroom exhaust fan.

 

you get the idea.

 

Being a toolmaker, I've made of lots of precision tools that a lot of people wouldn't even know what they are. But I've also made a rolling A-frame hoist, a set of 'rotisseries' for working on car frames, a sandblaster, a rolling engine stand (not the turning kind), and a special socket (1-9/32") to fit a Ford pitman arm nut. I couldn't find one anywhere, so I modified a 1-1/4" socket w/ an EDM machine.

 

in my highschool macining class i made the c-clamp that i use for pushing in the piston on disk brake calipers. i used to hav a moddified funnel so i could get oil int differentials easier. i wish i knew where tat got to.

 

OK, gotta tell this one - Had an old Bronco with a big bumper/winch on the front. Now I had some 16 foot long roughcut 2X12's to lift up in 13 foot high walls. I had a front receiver, so I put a straight shank 2" ball in it, and found a 16 foot lenght of 2-1/2 inch heavy wall pipe. Mounted a small pully salvaged from a come-along to one end of the pipe. Then I set the pipe on the ball, and ran a chain from about 4 feet up from the ball to both front corners of the bumper, letting the pipe incline forward somewhat. A bolt thru the chain links clamped the chain to the pipe. Then i ran the winch cable up over the pully, and down to ground level. Now it was a simple job to hook the cable around the center of the 2X12, and winch up to the top of the wall, and set in place. Drop the cable back down, back the Bronco up a foot or so, do the next one. Set 23 of them in about 2 hours ......

 

Borrow a dig-cam, if you can.

I'm curious.

 

Made a steering wheel puller and retainer ring remover for a Grand Prix. Flat piece of aluminum that fit on top of a deep socket the went over the steering wheel nut. Then a couple pieces of threaded rod through the plate into the side of the wheel to tension it before before smacking with a hammer.
Later in the process, the plate with a hole in the center, is placed over the steering column and nutted on. The threaded rods then are used with a nut to push down on the retaining ring while the center nut holds the plate on.
The first time to change the turn signal switch and figure out the tool and make it - 4 hours. The second switch went in in about 45 minutes.

 

I have a set of antenna nut spanners made from cotter pins. These also work for Delta faucets if you forget your Delta key at the shop and are replacing the ball seats. I just bend one leg back and twist the end a half turn and then bend the other leg to match. I can then slip a shower curtain loop through the eye and hook the spanner to my tool bag.

I have a set of Companion wrenches on hand for making specialty tools with the torch.

 

Made some really tall jackstands that would fit my F-700 out of 2" pipe and box tubing.
Made a sand blast booth, 6' x 3' x 3', out of plywood. Bottom is angled down to the mouth of my little suction blaster. Uses a 1-1/2 hp exhaust fan. This thing has lasted 20 years. I have some big-rig air tanks that knock out the water from the air (7-1/2 hp comp).
Also made a 50 ton press with a bottle jack. Mostly use this with a brake for making parts. Throw in a few wrenches every now and then as needed.

 

Couple of handy ones...

My ex-wife owned a 78 Bronco with a heavy duty alternator. Silly thing had a habit of chewing up belts. Big problem was the only way to get tension on it whenever I had to replace a belt was to grab a boss on the side of the alternator with a wrench and there was only about 3" of clearance for the wrench. I cut the business end off of a crescent wrench, and welded it to the side of a length of pipe. We called it the tomma-wrench.

At the same time, I was living in an area with a vast supply of rock. (usually poking up in my driveway) I got into the habit of doing yard improvements using native stone. If you've ever hit your hand while splitting stone, you know once is enough. I made a stone chisel out of the shaft from a dead shock off my dump truck and welded a2 foot length of pipe 90 degrees to the center of the chisel. No more broken fingers even with someone else swinging the sledge.

 

Lets see I have over 25 years made from welding rod a small hook to pull the spring that holds your headlight in place. Just bend a rod into a loop and over the loop down 5 inches and then make a V at the end for grabbing the spring and pulling it to hook the headlight cup in place.
Made for removing those chebby horseshoe clips. From an old window blinds. The handle for adjusting the blinds had a u shape end tha was the right size for pushing the clips off. So I cut the handle at 18 inches which then gives me more leverage for those clips that are ruste in or stuck from all thsoe years. Specially the old one pre 60's.
Made a steel rod that curves to help take out troblesome rear seals. This was for a Dodge truck. The old seal kept breaking into small peices and this rod was able to slip around the crank and push the rest out..
Made body panel pry tool for reaching those dents in the 1/4 panels behind wheel wells with an 74 ford trunk spring. I took the spring and cut in half. The part that hooks to the side works as a handle. The cut area I ground one to a point with a 45 degree angle. The other has same angle, but heated and flattened it to form a flat area. These let me get in to areas that are damged a couple feet in the 1/4's or out of reach. This was how we worked in the bodyshops back in the 70's and early 80's. Made our own tools to improvise to work. Then you hung onto them, you always needed them again.

 

Made very effective striking wrenches out of impact step-down adapters and pitman arms.
Weld adapter in place over the steering box eye of the pitman arm. This allows you to insert an extension and a step-up adapter into the step-down adapter. Hold the striking wrench with the extension, and bash the tie-rod end of the pitman arm.
Pitman arms give you offset to clear obstacles, and these wrenches are great for flywheel bolts, harmonic balancer bolts, and stuck front wheel drive axle nuts. They can be used by two people (have the holder wear goggles and use a long extension) so the striker can even use a sledge hammer. Small versions can be made by welding an adapter or impact socket inside the hole of an air-cooled VW axle nut wrench (or a similar piece of steel plate).
Great power for where you don't have compressed air, and fits in a tool bag.
For Harley-Davisdon owners, you can make a good compensator nut wrench this way. Use a six-point socket, weld to pitman arm, grind off the chamfer so the socket fully grips the compensator nut. Insert extension through pitman arm to hold socket in place.
Welded bar and rebar handles (at various angles) to all my cold chisels. Better control and saves fingers. Allows much harder strikes when yer hand isn't in the area.
Added pulleys to the tip of the bar on my engine hoists. Allows use of a come-along to reach into engine bays.

 

from a machine screw, nut, washers- GM tilt pivit pin puller
13mm combination wrench-bent the box end to the other direction for the valve cover bolts on 7.3diesel
tool?to hold the camper window up after the struts failed-from 15in piece of 3/4pvc pipe, cut a slit the length of pipe and wide enough to fit over the strut

 

My most common tool I make is out of broken taps. Grind the broken tip down to a chisled point and tap it with a hammer into that stripped out screw turn and its out. Works great. I have not used an easy out in years.

 

I made the B.F.B....or Big -*-explicative-*- bar, helps out when you are my size trying to bust loose bolts. Helps to get more leverage on the breaker bar. Also made a set of fixed height jack stands to place under my truck in the winter to take pressure off the suspension. Made an attachment for the floor jack so I could get the truck high enough to get it onto the skates and jackstands.