Tool tips

[MetalManiacAZ]

Since we're talking about draining anti-freeze, it can be a real mess to remove a heater core. If you take the hoses off, there is still quite a bit of anti-freeze in the core that will spill all over anything that you don't want anti-freeze on (like the carpet).

What I do is empty my little shop-vac and remove the filter. I put the hose over one of the hose nipples sticking out of the firewall and it sucks the anti-freeze out. Most of the time it will seal well enough to the firewall, but if it doesn't, a little duct tape around the nozzle and nipple will take care of it.

This also comes in handy when trying to make a copper plumbing repair near the slab. Way cheaper on MAP gas than trying to boil out the residual water.

 

[thrashingcows]

This also comes in handy when trying to make a copper plumbing repair near the slab. Way cheaper on MAP gas than trying to boil out the residual water.

I've used a chunk of cheap white bread stuffed in the line to hold the water back while getting the fittings soldered, once done the white bread just disintegrates in the water line and all is well. ;)

 

[MetalManiacAZ]

I've used a chunk of cheap white bread stuffed in the line to hold the water back while getting the fittings soldered, once done the white bread just disintegrates in the water line and all is well. ;)

I've had mixed results with that trick. You're more likely to find a shop vac in my house than a loaf white bread though.

 

[Big_John]

I started this job today... I want to change the rear axle bearings and was looking for a good way to protect the seal areas on the axle while I take a cut off disk to the bearing and retainer. .

I came up with this... 2 hose clamps.

 

[Big_John]

I started using a needle scaler a while back. This is one of those tools that I've only ever seen one other guy use, and that was on a cruise ship. One of the crew was repairing a railing and using the scaler to clean up the area.

These aren't made for use on sheet metal, but it works great on things like this rear end. It knocks the heavy scale off and generally cleans up the area. Using a wire wheel does the same, but there's no flying wire bits or a big cloud of dust. I knock all the scale off with the scaler and then finish it with a cup wire wheel in my angle grinder. It's probably the same amount of time, maybe a little less to do it this way. It does save the mess though.

They have a couple different models at Harbor Freight.
Compact Air Needle Scaler

I didn't get a good pic, but you get the idea... The big hunks of scale and rust are chipped off and ready for a few minutes with the wire wheel.

 

[Big_John]

In the ongoing axle project, I decided that given a little bit of junk I found in the housing, that I would clean it out. My "go to" products are brake cleaner, cheap oven spray and a pressure washer. The oven spray works well for nasty oil stained parts, so I figured it would work well with this. Problem is with the oven cleaner, it comes out in a fan spray and I couldn't get it to spray down the axle tubes. I was tossing an empty can of CRC brake spray in the trash and the idea hit me to swap the nozzle with the tube onto the oven cleaner. This worked even better than I hoped and I could direct the spray all the way down the axle tube easily.

CRC and whoever makes the oven cleaner for Walmart use the same spray can! I wouldn't be surprised if they came out of the same factory.

 

[thrashingcows]

Was working on my son-in-laws 1st gen cummins truck with him a week or so ago and we were trying to get the front 4wd manual locking hubs off, there are 6 small allen head bolts counter sunk to be flush with the surface used to secure them, I got 5 of them out and of course the last one fought me. Lots of heat, tapping with a small punch and still would not move, eventually the head stripped and I was not sure how to get it out, thats when he mentioned to me to use a torx bit. I had never heard of this but was more than willing to give it a try, so we found a #27 Torx bit was just a hair larger than the stripped allen head so we tapped it in with a hammer and used a 1/4" drive ratchet and socket on the bit and wouldn't you know it spun out no problem!

See even an old dog and learn something new from a young pup!

 

[Big_John]

This was something I read while checking on what I needed to do to change the pinion bearings in my 8 3/4 center section. The front bearing race comes out easy enough, there's a couple notches to get a punch into. Putting the new race in was a little more problematic. I didn't have a socket or anything I could use to push the race down the bore. I read that by cutting a slit in the old race, it would fit down into the bore and push the new one in, and then be able to get it out easily. I cut the slit with my angle grinder with a cut off disc.

It worked great... A piece of steel across the new race (I should have taken pics) until it's flush with the end of the housing, then put the old race in place with the steel across it. When done, I just knocked the old one out really easy.

The bore with a new race.

The old race with a slot cut in it.

 

[3175375]

I just received this FLIR camera that works with iPhones or Android models.

FLIR One Pro LT iOS Pro-Grade Thermal Camera for Smartphones https://a.co/d/1DzmDNS
I snapped a couple of pictures with it while watching the Chefs game last night.
I will be using it for cooling system diagnostic purposes as well as just curiosity.

 

[3175375]

I have used this wheel bearing packing tool and it works great:

https://a.co/d/2O3jfiN

 

[edbods]

I've had mixed results with that trick. You're more likely to find a shop vac in my house than a loaf white bread though.

There is another reason to use white bread though...it's far less messy than using grease to push out a pilot bearing, and a lot cheaper than a slide hammer too

not for eating though. for that, wholemeal or multigrain is best.

 

[3175375]

I didn’t and don’t go to Ulta, but I did lift this from Facebook.

 

[bnz84]

We all have drip pans but this water heater drain pan is really big..unfortunately can catch multiple different fluids at the same time. Also good for oil catch pan on a low car or a water catch pan under a drain that doesnt allow a high edge pan but still needs some volume. Plastic - Water Heater Pans - The Home Depot

and kind of related if you need not too expensive sheet metal and all you can easily get is flimsy HD stuff you can try restaurant supply cookie sheet pans. Especially if you need aluminum and would like an edge to keep its shape. 18x26 aluminum for $6. Even after shipping still better than HD. Other cake, loaf and form/molds pans can be used as project boxes or just source of pre-bent aluminum, stainless steel or even silicone. Sheet Pans
And they make for a cheap fan shroud mount.

 

[live4theking]

We all have drip pans but this water heater drain pan is really big..unfortunately can catch multiple different fluids at the same time. Also good for oil catch pan on a low car or a water catch pan under a drain that doesnt allow a high edge pan but still needs some volume. Plastic - Water Heater Pans - The Home Depot

and kind of related if you need not too expensive sheet metal and all you can easily get is flimsy HD stuff you can try restaurant supply cookie sheet pans. Especially if you need aluminum and would like an edge to keep its shape. 18x26 aluminum for $6. Even after shipping still better than HD. Other cake, loaf and form/molds pans can be used as project boxes or just source of pre-bent aluminum, stainless steel or even silicone. Sheet Pans
And they make for a cheap fan shroud mount.

Those are some interesting and resourceful repurposing of everyday items. I've used old galvanized gutter to patch the rocker panel on cars, it's really close shapewise.