tools you have made yourself
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 102
Likes: 0
made a 30 mm wrench open end angled differently at both ends,(on a weekend call in with no wrench available)out of flat bar. actually got used buy a hydraulic shop next to us and they took template to make their own.
a/c clutch puller out of flat bar
tight access hack-saw, used half a hack saw blade and taped to 4" long 3/8 bolt, works great on pipe in tight spots where a cutter wont fit.
filed down teeth on a ford hub socket to fit the nut on the gear box of a carrier reefer
plus many drivers, punches and pullers in the shop
a/c clutch puller out of flat bar
tight access hack-saw, used half a hack saw blade and taped to 4" long 3/8 bolt, works great on pipe in tight spots where a cutter wont fit.
filed down teeth on a ford hub socket to fit the nut on the gear box of a carrier reefer
plus many drivers, punches and pullers in the shop
Senior User
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: North Dakota
Well I should not say this but I made a cheater bar for wrenchs got sick of doubling up wrenches had to many slip. I know you should use the the right tool for the job and it is not like putting a 4ft pipe on a 1/2" ratchet. But it is a 5 foot pipe with two pieces of flat bar that hold the wrench on. I wished I had a picture of it. Very handy I have to deal with alot big nuts so you can use with wrenchs from 15/16 to our biggest wrench that is 2 1/4". Too many situations where I can not get a ratchet or breaker bar into places this solves it in a safe way. I could not live with out.
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 673
Likes: 4
From: nortonville illinois
for the oil pump i used an old 1/4inch drive screw driver style (thing i cant remember the name of) and duct taped a socket to the end for every motor so i can stick it in the dist hole the socket wont fall off and i have enough lengh to turn it to see if it pumps
i weld sledge heads large solid steel bars so i dont have to buy eny more wooden handles the heads usually are bought in a bucket or something at an aution
i weld sledge heads large solid steel bars so i dont have to buy eny more wooden handles the heads usually are bought in a bucket or something at an aution
More Turbo
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 673
Likes: 4
From: nortonville illinois
we used to have a gasket scraper made out of a band saw blade about 1inch wide, the teeth worked pretty good to cut the old hard to get gasket off and wouldnt really hurt the metal and just sharpen the end so it would cut the gasket
Elder User
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 512
Likes: 0
I have made a few tools, although only one looks reasonably good.
#1. A bracket to lever against when installing a new shifter bushing into the top of a NP-435 in my old F-150. Made from 3/8" steel rod that I heated and bent. Don't have the truck anymore, but still have the tool.
#2. A water-pump holding tool for a '97 BMW M3. Although I'll buy the proper tool the next time I need to do this as mine barely works and the right tool isn't very expensive. I was pressed for time. Made from 1/4" x 1.5" flat steel.
#3. A wrench to tighten the coolant tank level sensor on a '97 M3. A crow-foot wrench would have worked better, but I had trouble finding one in the right size that wasn't $50 from Snap-on... Made from leftover stock from making the wrench above.
#4. A 22mm 1/2"dr socket with flats ground into the side for holding an alternator pulley bolt while turning the shaft with a hex wrench. I imagine most of us have made one of these... This is the only one that looks half-decent and has actually been used more than once.
#1. A bracket to lever against when installing a new shifter bushing into the top of a NP-435 in my old F-150. Made from 3/8" steel rod that I heated and bent. Don't have the truck anymore, but still have the tool.
#2. A water-pump holding tool for a '97 BMW M3. Although I'll buy the proper tool the next time I need to do this as mine barely works and the right tool isn't very expensive. I was pressed for time. Made from 1/4" x 1.5" flat steel.
#3. A wrench to tighten the coolant tank level sensor on a '97 M3. A crow-foot wrench would have worked better, but I had trouble finding one in the right size that wasn't $50 from Snap-on... Made from leftover stock from making the wrench above.
#4. A 22mm 1/2"dr socket with flats ground into the side for holding an alternator pulley bolt while turning the shaft with a hex wrench. I imagine most of us have made one of these... This is the only one that looks half-decent and has actually been used more than once.
Last edited by Ian F; Jan 3, 2006 at 11:56 AM.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,881
Likes: 1
From: North of Tulsa, Oklahoma
Ya know when I first saw that thread topic, I thought. "Made our own tools.?.?..Who makes any of their own tools?!? That just sounds odd." Then I had a brain fart and remembered that I have done that also. 
.
I turned the old bearing race from my '78 F150 front axle into a bearing race installer. It is a very very simple and effective design. I didn't have any pipe or the correct bearing race installation tools handy. So I put my McGuyver mind to work and thought "hey, if I cut a slot in this old race and flipped it over, then I can install the new race all the way into the seat with this old race. That way only the old race would receive any possible hammer damage and the perfectly sized ring would evenly distribute the hammer impacts." What do you know?!....It worked and like a charm. Thus that trusty bearing race turned bearing race installer now sits in the top drawer of my toolbox for future use.
If you wanna see pics check out my Gallery, in the Personal Pics Sub Gallery.
.
Well GooooOOooly. I just had another brain fart. I didn't make this tool, but made it better. I bought a wooden handled welding wire brush. The kind that has a bunch of holes drilled in it and the metal wires are just bent in half and forced into the holes. They work ok for a few times but eventually the metal bristles dislodge and the brush becomes useless. I solved that delema with my trust Gorilla Glue. I carefully dribbled some in each hole and let it sit overnight. As this stuff dries it expands. In the morning all the bristles were firmly and permanently sealed from coming out of the holes and the glue expanded perfectly to allow hole of glue to be touching, thus forming a solid layer of glue from one end of bristles to the other. That cheapy Harbor Freight 39cent brush has lasted months!!!
.
I turned the old bearing race from my '78 F150 front axle into a bearing race installer. It is a very very simple and effective design. I didn't have any pipe or the correct bearing race installation tools handy. So I put my McGuyver mind to work and thought "hey, if I cut a slot in this old race and flipped it over, then I can install the new race all the way into the seat with this old race. That way only the old race would receive any possible hammer damage and the perfectly sized ring would evenly distribute the hammer impacts." What do you know?!....It worked and like a charm. Thus that trusty bearing race turned bearing race installer now sits in the top drawer of my toolbox for future use.
If you wanna see pics check out my Gallery, in the Personal Pics Sub Gallery.
.
Well GooooOOooly. I just had another brain fart. I didn't make this tool, but made it better. I bought a wooden handled welding wire brush. The kind that has a bunch of holes drilled in it and the metal wires are just bent in half and forced into the holes. They work ok for a few times but eventually the metal bristles dislodge and the brush becomes useless. I solved that delema with my trust Gorilla Glue. I carefully dribbled some in each hole and let it sit overnight. As this stuff dries it expands. In the morning all the bristles were firmly and permanently sealed from coming out of the holes and the glue expanded perfectly to allow hole of glue to be touching, thus forming a solid layer of glue from one end of bristles to the other. That cheapy Harbor Freight 39cent brush has lasted months!!!
Last edited by cigarxtc; Jan 3, 2006 at 03:05 PM.
Junior User
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 62
Likes: 0
four foot bending brake...out off steel scrap pcs. best thing was using a eight inch long solid bar , six inch in dia, for the handle counterweight. I did spend twenty dollars for two bearings and machined shaft. I had a lot of fun with that.
FTE Stories
Ford Trucks for Ford Truck Enthusiasts
Top 10 Most Expensive Ford Trucks Ever Sold on Bring a Trailer
Joe Kucinski
2027 Ford Super Duty Buyer's Guide (Every Model, Engine, & Package)
Brett Foote
Top 10 Ford Truck Tragedies
Joe Kucinski
AEV FXL Super Duty - the Super Duty Raptor Ford Doesn't Make
Brett Foote
Lobo Vs Lobo: Proof the F-150 Lobo Should Be Even Lower!
Michael S. Palmer
Ford's 2001 Explorer Sportsman Concept Looks For a New Home
Verdad Gallardo
10 Best Ford Truck Engines We Miss the Most!
Joe Kucinski
2026 Shelby F-150 Off-Road: Better Than a Raptor R?
Brett Foote
2027 Super Duty Carhartt Package First Look: 12 Things You NEED to Know!
Michael S. Palmer
More Turbo
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 615
Likes: 6
From: Tucson, AZ
I had to make a two-pinion hand drill out of aluminium in a production engineering class back when they tried to make a mechanical engineer out of me. I still have the drill and use it frequently. For a while it was the only drill I owned. We made EVERY part of the drill except the chuck. I guess they succeeded in making me and engineer. I own my own engineering firm now.
Phil
Phil
Senior User
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 264
Likes: 0
From: las vegas nv.
Almost everything in my garage is on wheels to take advantage of space.Made a stand for my vise out of 2 pieces of 1 inch plate welded to each end of a section of 4 inch pipe,one end has the vise bolted to it.The other end is large enough to make a stable base with two slots cut in to mount wheels so that I lean the vise back and roll it to where ever I need it, smack, bang, weld,hold, brace, stand, drill, hammer on it then roll it back out of the way to do something else.
I'll have the Roast Duck
Joined: Jul 2002
Posts: 9,622
Likes: 110
From: Northshore, MN
took a spark plug for my 351M and pulled the center out of it, then replaced it with a long nail, screwed it back into the engine, and hand turned the engine over til the nail touched the piston, rose, and stopped rising to find top dead center. Pretty hard to get more accurate than that.
!["Beemer Nut"'s Avatar](data:image/svg+xml;utf8,<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 50 50'><circle class='avatar-circle-default' fill='%23bc5285' cx='25px' cy='25px' r='20px'></circle><text class='avatar-text-default' x='49%' y='53%' fill='white' text-anchor='middle' alignment-baseline='middle'>"</text></svg>)
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 6,658
Likes: 4
From: "Islander"
Welded 3/32" wire inside around the end of 2" exhaust pipe, slotted 4" deep and have a 2 1/4" sleeve over the outside. This is used as a collet to grip Dayton disc brake pistons and remove them at Pick-N-Pull. Made most of the factory BMW tools with the lathe, welder and Bridgeport mill. Wheel balancer, bead breaker, tire bead seat blaster, too many to list over the years. Always carry a tape, pencil and note pad for tools you can make at home from items that are manufactured.
.....=o&o>.....
.....=o&o>.....
Mountain Pass
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 169
Likes: 0
From: Klamath Falls, Oregon
There are some great ideas in here. I built my engine stand. This was before I got the arms put on it but shows how the head was done.Did all of the machining work my self and I think it turned out pretty good. When I got it all done I put a complete 390 on it with iron manifold and everything. Didn't flex at all.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 2,881
Likes: 1
From: North of Tulsa, Oklahoma
That's one beeeaaauuuutiful engine stand. That's a lot more work than I would have put into one unless it was used everyday for my job, but it's very nice, none the less.
I don't know if it counts as a tool, but I took a few free wooden pallets and bolted some non directional casters at each of the four corners and have very inexpensive and functional big item creepers. I have one under my truck cab in the corner of the garage and one under the stripped down truck frame in the middle of the garage. It makes it sooooo much easier to move around in there and rearrange or sweep the floors.
I don't know if it counts as a tool, but I took a few free wooden pallets and bolted some non directional casters at each of the four corners and have very inexpensive and functional big item creepers. I have one under my truck cab in the corner of the garage and one under the stripped down truck frame in the middle of the garage. It makes it sooooo much easier to move around in there and rearrange or sweep the floors.
Posting Guru
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 1,139
Likes: 0
From: fremont ohio
I've made quite a few gear/pulley/pitman arm pullers custom for each job so they fit right on. Never had too much trouble with any of em. I'm sure I've created manyother tools, but thats all I can think of right now.