Repair/mechanic tricks and or tips?

[varmint]

This is great- I don't think I've ever read thru 6 pages of posts with so much fun. Here's my little trick, thanks to a working electrican: When pulling wires thru conduit (like when wiring a new shop from the house panel) you make a little ball using plastic bags and tape that just fits in the conduit- attach it to the pull string, and use a vacuum to suck it thru. Just make sure that any leftover fumes from the solvent are clear, or you can have a catastrophic failure of your vacuum motor- or so say those with more experience than me.

 

[Birdman253]

... Just make sure that any leftover fumes from the solvent are clear, or you can have a catastrophic failure of your vacuum motor- or so say those with more experience than me.

Guess I am slow today. What solvent fumes?

 

[MikeD74T]

Solvent from gluing PVC conduit. MikeD74T

 

[Soundguy]

This is great- I don't think I've ever read thru 6 pages of posts with so much fun. Here's my little trick, thanks to a working electrican: When pulling wires thru conduit (like when wiring a new shop from the house panel) you make a little ball using plastic bags and tape that just fits in the conduit- attach it to the pull string, and use a vacuum to suck it thru. Just make sure that any leftover fumes from the solvent are clear, or you can have a catastrophic failure of your vacuum motor- or so say those with more experience than me.

That works great in reverse to.. and safer.

In the audio industry, we 'blow strings' all the time. Generally we like to assemble chase pipes with strings in them.. occasionally a 'day labor' will pull the string leaving a naked chase.

Tat a big wad of string, make a ball of tape or plastic bag.. we call this a 'rat' shove the rat into the pipe and seat it in a few feet with a dowell.. insert enough loose string to make the run, and then retain the end on the outside of the pipe with gaff tape, then take a blow gun with a rubber tip ( rubber cork works great ), then give it 90-120 psi air. It makes space mountain look like a wimpy ride when the rat shoots out the other end of the pipe a mach 1...

Soundguy

 

[escavader]

Cut a notch in a large flat screwdriver side to remove springs such as in an atv exhaust etc
Earplugs prevent slag and sparks from painfully entering your ears when welding and cutting.
ALAN

 

[Soundguy]

I thgought that was what the welding helmet and beanie were for??

Soundguy

 

[JJT]

Use your brush cutters/pruner to cut heavy wire. My cheap lopper cuts thru 000 like butter.

Oil your air tools after you use them, they'll always be ready for next time.

Install a Fumoto drain valve, you'll never go back to a standard drain plug.

Always remove the fill plug before you remove a drain plug, (rear diff's, tranny's etc).

Always torque your lug nuts.

Use neverseize/antiseize when you have 2 different metals in contact, (like alloy wheels and a steel brake rotor).

Use locktite on anything you don't want coming apart.

Lube the rails/slides on your brake calipers.

Open the bleeder before you compress the brake caliper.

Start with the 1/2" impact before you try the 1".

Impact, heat, leverage and air are your friends.


I've never broken a cheap wrench but I've upsized a couple of open end wrenches, (for example I have a 7/16's that is now a 1/2", that doesn't happen when you have a quality tool).

 

[Mith]

Spray grease, such as motorbike chain lube is greal great for greasing tricky places, it come out liquid and sets after a short while into grease. While it is liquid it will run into small gaps.

 

[KJM]

Two tips I haven't seen mentioned yet:

Coarse or medium grade valve grinding paste can be used to stop a screwdriver (any pattern) from slipping (yes, I know there is a commercial product, but I have valve grinding paste!). Also works astoundingly well on small rounded nuts! Remember to clean it off - it is an abrasive!

An arc welder can heat up stuck metal parts simply. Apply earth clamp to one side, torch end to other. Switch on, switch off (you need to check the heat - my little welder takes about 5 seconds of on time to heat most things enough). Freed a few hopelessly stuck ball joints this way - one tap with a hammer and it just falls out.

 

[KICK]

if it aint broke, dont fix it.