Post your "Home-Brewed How To's" here ...

[Jackal2k9]

crazy L you are crazy.... but when i need to rebuild my trans im gonna call you for more tips.

[O'l Buck]

Rounded or stripped out phillips head screws....Take a hack saw or cutoff wheel and cut a slot in the head so you can use a straight screwdriver on it.

[O'l Buck]

Lazy drive pin for the fuel pump keeps falling down when you try to install the pump. Use a cut off hacksaw blade to hold it in place while you slide the pump in.

[67cst]

RIVET REMOVAL PART #2

I have found that this method im about to explain is hands down the fastest and easiest way to remove a rivet, the way ive been shown from my dad is to center punch the rivet in the center of it or close as possible, then drill a pilot hole through it then get a bit that is roughly the size of the hole the rivet is going through, then drill the rivet just enough ( bout half way though ) you will know when you have achieved this because the mushroomed or top part of the rivet starts spinning, once this happens stop drilling, get your punch and a hammer and tap the bottom half of the rivet out the opposite side you drilled from

sounds complicated but try it, its awesome and doesnt require a cold chisel and swolen fingers

DEREK

[bobs409]

Great post!

I actually added a tips/tricks page to my site. Check out my collection here---> http://www.348-409.com/tips.html

You guys mind if I add a few of yours to my page? There are some good ones here.

[weasel29gm]

Use the cardboard packin' out of stove,fridge,tv etc. They are thick and good to use for sandin' in a bed,on floor etc. I got em' from the air compressor, and just got done usein'em' on my bed floor. Worked great!!!!!

[sgtjed]

here is one for ya. when you change the thermostat out and dont have a gasket. use the the cardboard box of a 12 pack of coke.

its thin enough and works in a pinch,i also have used spent ammo brass as gasket cutters for the bolt holes.

[pissonNOS]

asbestos also works great for gaskets.

[jimfulco]

Another good thing for carb gaskets is Permatex Super 300 (formerly Aviation Permatex #3). Brushes on, gas won't eat it, alcohol cleans it up, & old cheap gaskets peel away unharmed even after several years.

And chamfer that spent brass first, it will cut better.

[jimfulco]

Use a refrigerator box under the car instead of a creeper. More ground clearance and you can slide around instead of fighting those weird creeper wheels.

[Figment412]

Cheap hockey pucks make a good spacer for increasing body lift.

[COBALT]

Hah! That last one is funny.

Here's one. If you don't have a .019 90 degree feeler guage to set the appropriate gap in your new points use a match book cover. The cardboard is roughly the right thickness, and will allow you to get in the right ballpark. Then start the motor, open that little door, and set the dwell angle (if no dwell meter, set it to the best sounding RPM).

[COBALT]

Here's the way I do it (requires an external Tach):

1. Get the truck running to operating temp.
2. Set the idle screw on the driver's side accel. linkage to the appropriate RPM (800-1000 RPM).
3. Start with one side. Start to screw the mixture screw in until the RPM starts to drop enough to run rough. That's your min. Screw it out until the RPM is at max.
4. Do the same on the opposite side.
5. Reset your idle screw on the accel linkage back to the right range.

That's it! You're done.

[COBALT]

When yanking the distributor for whatever reason if you want to put it back in later, or you're simply replacing it with another distributor of the same type here's an easy way to make sure you put it back in exactly the way it came out so timing and adjustment is EASY.

1. Take the #1 plug wire in your hand. Follow it up to the distributor cap, and mark the cap with a piece of tape, a file, or some white paint.
2. Take the plug wires off the distributor.
3. Remove the Neg. wire off the coil from the distributor.
4. Remove the distributor cap and set it aside.
5. Take a ruler, and lay it edge down along the contact on the rotor. Point it to the firewall until the ruler touches the wall in the hump. Use a black marker, piece of thin tape, or something else that will leave a removable impression on the firewall exactly where the edge of the ruler is pointing.
6. Double-check to make sure the contact on the rotor (and it's orientation: toward the firewall or away from it), the ruler, and the mark all line up (take a picture of the setup if necessary - use a piece of string to hold the ruler to the rotor if necessary).
7. Remove the distributor hold-down, and slide the distributor out while turning it.

...now when putting the distributor in.

1. Slide the distributor into the engine until it's obstructed.
2. Turn the rotor until the contact on the rotor is roughly 45 degrees from your mark counter-clockwise.
3. Turn the distributor and continue to slide it down until the contact on the rotor is pointing at your mark on the firewall (you may have to pull the distributor out a bit, turn the rotor, and reinsert until you get this right!).
4. Use your ruler to verify that the contact on the rotor is pointing EXACTLY at the mark you made on the firewall. If it's not pull the distributor out, turn it, and keep putting it in until it is.
5. Reinstall the hold-down, and only tighten enough so you can turn the distributor for timing.

That's it! Once it's aligned put your distributor cap back on, put on your #1 plug wire. Install the rest of the wires in the right firing order, and it should start right up. Time the motor and you're done.

[Mike Culpepper]

Just replaced the "CHEVROLET" letters on my tailgate trim, those push nuts were a bugger to get on the letter posts.
I ended up using a C-clamp with a 4" throat depth. I hot glued a 1/4" drive socket onto the thread end of the clamp ( I forget the size -but the socket rim should just ride on the rim of the push nut) . I put the nut onto the socket and held it up to the post. I protected the letters on the other side of the trim piece with a thick rubber pad off a woodworking clamp I have. Makes a quick and easy "press fit", and went alot faster than the grunt method I started with.
Mike.

[SEVEND2]

OK First get a Large Tarp or Plasic sheet, line the inside of your bed of your truck (as shown below) then fill with water (as shown below) then jump in!!

This is Called

Shown Below

[SEVEND2]

PS. THAT IS NOT ME IN THE BED, Just thought it Fit in this POST!!!

[PanelDeland]

Two twists on the tips listed.

(1) Spring loaded chuck keys.They push themselves out with spring pressure to keep you from turning the drill on with the key in the chuck.

(2) Push nuts are easy to put on with worn out nutdrivers.Use the one that fits the outer edges of the nut.

New tip; when trying to remove a broken bolt use a nut and weld thru the center of it to the bolt.The nut will give you a place to put a wrench and the heat will release most siezed bolts(unless crossthreaded).Works well on bolts broken off too short to grip with vise grips.Also works well when you don't have room to get the drill in to drill and easy-out the broken bolt.

Brake cleaner works well as a pre paint prep for small parts.

[casey]

Originally posted by SEVEND2
OK First get a Large Tarp or Plasic sheet, line the inside of your bed of your truck (as shown below) then fill with water (as shown below) then jump in!!

This is Called

Shown Below

on a real hot day why not

[SEVEND2]

I did that last summer for my 2 girls, just cause they heard about it at school, I ended up with about 10 kids in the back of my 81 longbed chevy,

Empting it i drove out to the road and slit the plastic at the Gate and drove off, washed down the road as i went!!

[72addict]

replace the original pitcock on the radiator with a pitcock that has a threaded fitting on the output side also. When it is time to drain the radiator, screw a hose on the fitting, and neatly drain the radiator without it running all over. This also works with the drain plugs in the block. May want to put caps on the pitcocks so they dont leak when not in use.

Also, on draining fluid from tranny's with stock pans (w/o drainplug) put a hose down the dipstick tube and syphon the fluid out. This helps eliminate the mess of removing the pan when the tranny is full.

[jimfulco]

Siphon idea sounds cool. Less ATF in the mouth too, I bet.

[Shane]

I had forgotten about this post ... ran up on it while looking under my UserCP page.

If anyone has any neat tricks, short cuts or other ideas, please add them.

Anywhoo ... TTT

[Eddie H.]

To keep from stripping out tight, hard to remove phillips head screws.
dip the screwdriver tip in fine valve lapping compound first.
The grit helps keep the screwdriver tip from slipping.

[lukecp]

Inside the cab of your truck, just above where the passenger side seat belt bolts to the floor, there is a little round hostler thing just below the back glass

It is a perfect fit for holding a 4D Maglite! Easy to get to, so if your truck dies in the night, you can easily feel to get for it. Also easy to get to if you need to use it as a weapon