sinmple post-- post little tricks that you can use to work on your car. im bored so here is a shit ton.
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pressure test a rad/coolant system. Cut a bike inner tube long enough so one end reaches the thermostat housing, and the other reaches the top inlet on the radiator make sure you leave the valve on it so you can put air in the tube. Hose clamp both securely, pump up the system with 20-25psi, and wait. re-check the pressure on the system. If there’s a leak, the psi will have dropped.
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to prime a motor, you can use the shaft from an old distributor to pressurize the oiling system. works w/ vw and chevy, dunno about fords…
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to remove a clutch pilot bearing-- Fill the hole behind the bearing with grease, then find something that fits pretty well in the hole. What you want to do is tap the dowel with a hammer, the pressure from the grease should push the bearing right out.
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set timing w/o a timing light-- All you need is a vacuum guage. Rotate the distributor until you find the highest vacuum reading. This will be the closest you can get to correct timing with out light. This also works for carb air/fuel mixture. Simply adjust the screws in the carb until you find your highest vacuum reading. used this on the bug.
to set timing w/o a light or a vacuum gauge, turn the distributor clockwise until it stumbles, then turn it counter clock wise until it stumbles, split the difference and drive the bitch to someone w/ a timing light.
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to remove window crank clips-- take a shop rag and slide it into the area between the door handle and door panel. Work the rag back and forth through the space and it should more than likely free the clip.
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to keep glass from being pitted while welding or grinding–mask it off w/ duct tape.
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to install spark plugs in a recessed valve cover or around headers-- use a piece of vacuum hose or rubber hose. will bend and flex, not drop the plug.
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to clean your hands, use coffe grinds and dish soap
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to prevent dirt form sticking to hands, rub shaving cream into your hands before working
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to take stains out fo carpets-- use shaving cream and old tooth brush
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to degrease/clean an engine-- aersol easy-off oven cleaner does wonders
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to grind down the diameter of the head on a socket head cap screw-- chuck the threaded side into a drill and use the drill to spin the cap head side against the grinder. this will make the grind even.
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to fill up diffs or trannys-- The PULL UP to OPEN … PUSH DOWN to CLOSE tops on dishwashing soap bottles have the same thread as plastic oil/tranny bottles … eliminates the need for a funnel in most applications. use this on my vw where previously i would use a long ass funnel and over fill/run out of the tranny and still have shit in the funnel.
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clean vinyl interior, soak it w/ gojo for 24 hours. then wipe/wash off. the gojo cleans the stains and puts some elasticity back into the vinyl.
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use vasoline to mask off areas that you dont want paint on–be it wheels or valve cover.
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quick cheack of gear ratio-- jack up one of the rear tires and make a line on it. next on your yoke make a line and have a helper turn the wheel 2 times, count how many times the yoke turns, if it turns 3 and a half times. you have 3.5 gears. will get you in the ball park but on some models you wll still need to pull th epig or drop the cover (thank you toyota for making a million fucking rear end ratios so damn close…)
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cheap clean-up for dusty drum brakes-- put winshield washer fluid in a spray bottle and squirt down the brakes. let it sit then hose off w/ warm water. then use brake cleaner to dry up the water and finish cleaning the brakes. cuts down on the use of brake cleaner drasticaly.
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to clean up carbon build up in a engine-- warm engine up, and hold it at like 2500 rpm. hook a hose from a vacuum port on the intake to a bottle of distilled water (will have no minerals in the water that will get left behind during combustion). the intake drawing vacuum will suck in the water. wont hurt to have a valve to control how much water you let get sucked in too!! The water will clean up the carbon and let it get run through the motor and out the exhaust. The water entering the combustion chamber gets heated enough to become steam, and this cleans carbon really well.
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yellowed plastic headlights can be cleaned 2 ways–if yellowed on outside fine sand paper then buff out. if on inside, try putting rubbing alchohal inside the lights, let it sit, then blow it out.
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remove an ignition switch on cars w/ tamperproof switch (i.e. headless bolts that when torqed from the factory the head shears off and leaves a rounded head w/ no provisions for a socket or torx bit), use a cut off wheel or dremel to make a groove in the head, then use a flat head screwdriver to remove.
