garage tool tricks and tips

[George H]

I have also done the baggies and sharpie. But I also wrote down step by step procedure in a note book with bolt nut and washer orientation. Make sure you put all your baggies in rodent proof container. I didn't and they chewed through most of my baggies and it became a box of bolts.

[tjp]

What tricks do you all use to keep track of nuts/bolts/washers/small parts when you are doing a project and taking something apart or off the car? I seem to lose something important every time; mostly because I start multiple projects I think.

I use empty prescription bottles with a slip of paper inside when I am taking nuts and bolts off of part cars. You can see through the bottle and they are durable for long term storage. And as we get older, these bottles seem to be too plentiful.

tim

[fixitman04]

just be sure not to take a datsun pill tim

[tjp]

lol. too late!

[notoptoy]

What tricks do you all use to keep track of nuts/bolts/washers/small parts when you are doing a project and taking something apart or off the car? I seem to lose something important every time; mostly because I start multiple projects I think.

I use empty prescription bottles with a slip of paper inside when I am taking nuts and bolts off of part cars. You can see through the bottle and they are durable for long term storage. And as we get older, these bottles seem to be too plentiful.

tim

It can be FUN trying to empty enough bottles to use for this!

[dbrick]

Those red pills that come with the points are the best. After Rehab, I had to go with electronic ignition.

[pebbles]

If one opts not to remove the windshield for paint, A wire or twine tucked under the rubber can help lift it away from the body. After paint pull the wire.

[fixitman04]

its also a good way to install the high window windshields... put a waxed rope in the gasket groove, seat one side ov the gasket to the body(bottom is easiest)apply pressure to the outside of the window glass and pull the gasket to the body from the inside using the rope... easily done(hard for me to describe)

[jrusso07]

A great tool is a head light - one that actually straps to YOUR head. Great for working under the dash in the contorsionist position...
I use this one http://www.amazon.com/Energizer-LED-Wor ... B001C1DO9U" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Screwdrivers with magnetic tips are a joy as are those extendable magnetic pick up tools!

[jrusso07]

Two other great tools are 1) a bench grinder fitted with a wire wheel to clean rust off of nuts and bolts, and 2) a parts tumbler to clean rust off small parts or to polish parts (depends on the media used).

And who can do anything without a well mounted and positioned bench vise?

[Mike Unger]

Take an old roadster U20 exhaust valve and bend it at 90 degrees half way down the stem (heat with torch). You can now insert the end of stem in the bolt holes in back of the engine block when your working on the engine out of the car and the valve will rotate down and the head will drop into the teeth of the flywheel and lock it in place so you can torque the clutch, flywheel bolts or front crank bolt.

[fj20spl311]

its also a good way to install the high window windshields... put a waxed rope in the gasket groove, seat one side ov the gasket to the body(bottom is easiest)apply pressure to the outside of the window glass and pull the gasket to the body from the inside using the rope... easily done(hard for me to describe)

I spray the groove with lube and use a plastic clothes line. I always double the line at the bottom...go slowly almost no pressure from the outside (just hold in place) and it pulls right in.

[mraitch]

Undoing rusty nuts and bolts that are not seized (like the bottom one in the pump, or the two in the thermostat tower)?? Actually TIGHTEN them about one flat (perhaps after adding all the usual additives) and then slowly untighten/tighten etc (like tapping a hole, but in MUCH smaller increments). Very rarely fails and if it does, it was going to fail anyway.
Tightening introduces clean metal to the bolt/nut and breaks the rust bond which stresses the metal.

[Linda]

A Dremel and attachments work for lots of jobs.
I also like the Colortune

Linda

[DanR]

My basement is my workshop, and here's a tip I learned from my father to organize screws etc for storage.

Save glass jars with a metal lid, screw or nail the lid to a board wide enough for the lid and nail the board to a solid, reachable part of the ceiling (In my case floor joists). Put the screws in the jar and screw it to the cap and you have simple overhead storage.