I am putting up a metal building that has about 3,500 bolts in it. To put a nut on a bolt where you cant reach the head I cut a V notch in a puddy knife. It works klnd of like the claws on a hammer. When you push the notch on the bolt threads it keeps it from pushing back into the hole. The nut spins right on.

A little bit of grease around the inside of a heater or radiator hose will make it slide on easier. I've used this trick to put the wrong size hose over the too big of a fitting. It works!!

I've pulled a few oil pans in my day and they can be a real pain to align up and mount while on you back, laying on the ground. Some auto parts carry them. They have small blue clips that screw into the bolts holes on the block. First silicone the gasket and seals to the block. Screws these plastic clips into the block. (I only use one in each corner). Then grab the oil pan, align it to the clips and push it on. The oil pan snaps into place and stays in that position so you can put the bolts in and start tightening the oil pan. Once you have a majority of the oil pan bolts back in, simply use a screwdriver on the clip and unscrew it from the block, then put the right bolt in and torque the pan. Makes the job real easy and eliminate getting oil leaks from sliding the pan around trying to find align the bolt holes. Plus the clips are cheap. Mine even came with my gasket from FelPro.

Ok here it is what everyone needs to know. have you ever tried to remove window tint from your windows ? the trick is to cut open a large black hefty garbage bag, then spray soapy water on the inside of the window you want to remove the tint on ( spray a good amount on like you would if you were going to clean the window ), next press the bag on the window - the wetness will hold the bag on the glass. leave all the windows up and put the car out in the sun (in Florida about 45 min. will do ) then remove the bag and grab hold of the tints edge. the tint removes clean with no residue what so ever. I did this on my kid's ford ranger and was done with the whole truck in less than 1 hour


Rick

Hey guys, have you ever removed a pilot bushing from the crank with grease?
Pack hole with grease to fill it and I use a 1/4 inch drive extention and correct size socket (socket flipped over so backside is flat) to just fit inside hole in bushing tap extention into hole. every couple of smacks ad more bearing grease. It will hydraulic the bushing out of crank. I've even re-used the bushing on the same trans. Kurt G.

Great tip & tricks
 

Thanks, guys, great tips. Keep them coming. That's what I like about this forum, everyone is willing to share their knowledge. You don't know how much that is appreciated. I am never too old to learn new tricks.
One of my tricks, before plastic clips, was to tie the pan gasket onto the pan with sewing thread. After all the bolts are started simply break the thread and pull it out, then torque the bolts. Keeps the gasket from sliding around while you are aligning the bolts. I do have to admit that the plastic clips would work better, but in a pinch the thread will work. Again, thanks for all the info.

Gil

Turn your waste motor oil into heat for your shop. I found this site that has good info about building a waste oil burner. It took me about four hours to build the heater from junk I had on hand. It is not too cold yet so I have not tested it out over a long period of time. It seems to work good but it does produce some smoke and odor. It is not too bad unless you have close neighbors. It will coat the flue with soot. The site says the soot can be blown up and out of the stack with a shop vac every week or so but that must produce quite a black cloud of carbon powder. Google Search, "Roger sanders' waste oil heater"

Seal Removal and Installation.

Another way to destroy an otherwise useful screwdriver would be to weld a small sheet metal screw to the end screw it into the seal and tug the seal out. For seal installation use a socket or the correct diameter (easy if you have a 3/4' drive set kicking around) install a short extension into the socket and then give it a tap with a hammer until the seal is seated.

If there is no shaft already thru the seal turn the socket around and put it on the extension upside down. Now you have a solid surface to drive the seal in with.

Save some frustration when replacing cotter pins on non-safety things like shifter linkage (i.e., this isn't for ball joints or steering linkage parts). Instead of a cotter pin, use a Hitch Pin. They hold tight but there's no drama removing them like with a bent-up cotter pin. Available at Ace Hardware, True Value, etc. 1/8" is the most common on Bonus Built trucks (column shifter linkage, clutch adjuster pins, etc).

I've used these on carburator linkage too. Work nicely. That clip in the picture looks like the same one I found after a few frosty beverages...:-drink

corroded battery cable?
 

Got a corroded battery cable? Mix a teaspoon or so of baking soda in a plastic cup of water. Disconnect the cable from the battery and submerge the corroded end of the cable in the mixture. After a few min. it will come out bright and clean. Reinstall on cleaned battery post and you are good to go.

Another sticky option for cleaning battery terminals is soft drinks. Any carbonated soft drink that contains carbonic acid, will remove stains and dissolve rust deposits. Pour some soda pop over the battery terminals and let it sit, then remove the sticky mess with a wet sponge.

Here's a tip while doing brake lines. Sometimes the metal line is not always straight or you bump it on something and bent it slightly. Don't straighten with you hands because it won't be straight. Lay the bent line on a flat surface like the floor and place a flat board on top, then simply roll the board back and forth applying pressure, the line will roll with the board and make it nice and straight again.

recycling oil
 

ok... you drain your oil in that nifty black plastic box, or dish pan or whatever... and your ready to pour it into something to recycle it.

A funnel in a quart oil can will hardly stand up and you're trying to hold a oil catch pan and pour most of the oil into the funnel. you need a third hand to hold the funnel still and keep some of the oil off the driveway..

well, here you go...

http://www.clubfte.com/users/jniolon/funnelhicky.jpg

I'm sure someone sells them on ebay... but find some scrap angle iron, rod stock, tubing and fab up the stand. I used 1/2" angle for the base ( about 15" on each side and 3/8" rod ( about 18" high) for the upright. Slid a 1/2" sleeve tapped for 1/4" thread added a wing bolt and made a clamp to hold it at the right height (whatever that happens to be) then bent a ring a little smaller than the funnel out of 1/8" pencil rod... welded it all together and I have a handy third hand. haven't spilled a drop since. I usually pour mine back into wide mouth gallon jugs and it works like a charm. My neighbor collects it to burn in a used oil furnace in his garage. Fab it up to the dimensions that you need and paint it up all purdy. Your wife will appreciate the clean driveway

john :-X06