Terrys87

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A spin off of Junkyard Mods, but am looking for other ideas of getting things done for Fixing, Restoring, and ways of getting things done in the shop that is not necessarily in any manuals.

I have used Hair Spray for a protective covering over battery terminals.

Use a football or soccer ball to push out dents, when you can get one in between some panels with a hand air pump.

Dawn Dish Detergent is the best hand cleaner I have found. Tried all of the others.

A wad of aluminum foil soaked in water to shine chrome.

A tire that wont seal on the bead of a rim, I remove valve stem, build air tank to maximum pressure. Then I wet a shop towel and ring it out as well as I can and place between tire and rim and fill with air hose until it seals. After bead is on rim, I deflate tire just enough to remove shop towel that is pinched between tire and rim.

Baking Soda and Water or Coke Cola for a battery cleaner and neutralizer for battery terminals.

I have used rattle can clear coat to brighten up dull blinker and tail light lenses.

Have cleaned my heater cores with CLR. I soak for 30 minutes to an hour and then flush it with water hose.

I use white vinegar for cleaning fuel tanks and other rusty items. Can take up to a few days for cleaning.

When I cant get a breaker bar on a nut or bolt, I put the box end over a combination wrench on the nut or bolt and another box end on the end of the open end of the wrench for more leverage.


A cleaning can made up of a palm sander that no longer had the padding on it. Screwed the bottom can to the palm sander, clamped in a vise and put another can into first can. Secured it with foam between the two cans. Works great for cleaning carburetors, nuts and bolts or other small items. I use Simple Green as a cleaning agent. Contraption made up of things just laying around shop. A mini sonic cleaner. Lid not shown, but have a lid to keep from splashing on electric motor. Suggest using a coffee can.


After suspecting my Injectors not firing. I tried to find a noid light for Toyotas. My local parts store didnt sell or rent a tester. I hear some do but not in my area from my experience. This worked for me and I seen a question recently about someone else asking. Hope this works for them as well.

I disconnected my fuel pump at its electric connection by the fuel tank. I was also checking for fuel flow problems and didnt want fuel everywhere, if fuel lines are connected, you wouldnt need to do this step. I then stuck each lead into the injector connection and while cranking the motor was able to observe the LED flashing.

Edited: Scope103 has a great point in the post below. The LEDs are polarized. If it does not work one way, switch the polarity or the leads the opposite way around. Thanks for Catching that Scope 103.

My $3 noid light. I was not able to find one anywhere and this worked great. It flickered each time I cranked it. I just could not get any pictures of it lighted.


I used the 12 Volt red one. Radio Shack Part Number #276-0270

Slit the sides of a aerosol can and use it to hold wires while soldering. (Picture is for demonstrating, I can wire better)

BigBluePile

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Awesome!

Terrys87

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Thanks BigBlue Pile..I know there are more out there and some I have forgotten. I will post a picture of my Electrolis Tank that I made from Cyberhorn suggestion for cleaning parts when it gets warmer. I bought a utility trailer tire at Wal-Mart and they could not get the tire to seal on the bead. I showed them the rag trick and got my tire mounted for free. 3 of their guys could not get it mounted and really appreciated my tip. They had to send customers away before because they could not get tires on.

Terrys87

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Not truck related but to show my manli-LESS-ness I use Skin So Soft for mosquito repellant while fishing.

To mask your human scent and Skin So Soft when handling bait and lures, I take a rock or log that is covered with moss and scum and rub it in my hands real well and then rinse my hands in the lake water. Then I handle baits and lures.

I have used rattle can clear coat to seal up a cracked lense or a light assembly that goes into water, like my boat trailer.

Terrys87

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I use to work on Fords all of the time and havent tried it on Toyotas, but on a Ford Power Steering Pump, I have added one or two ounces of brake fluid to the resivoir. It will soften the seals and seal up leaks. It takes a little bit of time to work its way thru. I fixed a truck like that and was not leaking 5 years later when I sold it.

I will drain half of the oil out of a motor and fill back up with diesel and let it idle for 20- 30 minutes to flush out a dirty neglected motor and then drain all oil/diesel out and refill with new oil and filter. Some nasty stuff comes out. I dont do it on a newer motor.

Red Diesel is cheaper then Kerosene and has less smell then normal diesel when used as fuel for a torpedo heater.

This works about 10-20% of the time. On an exhaust or O2 sensor bolt or nut that is exposed to heat and you are worried about breaking it. I wait til the metal is cool, I put on my wrench or socket and start the motor and then get to the tool as fast as I can and keep a firm steady pressure on it. Same principal as using a heating torch for flywheel ring gears and such.

On a bolt with the head broke off, weld a nut to it. In some cases, you may need to put a washer in between the body of what the bolt is broke into and the nut itself.

In days before Seafoam and on Carbed motors, use to slowly pour Automatic Trans Fluid thru the carburator to clean carbon out of the cylinders while idling. Smoke storm!!!

Turtle Wax Headlight Lense Restorer works great on Cluster Guage Lense. Just follow the directions. You scuff up the lense and it will get blurry. The sealer is what makes the lense clear.
I used a lense cleaner to clean it up. (Before)


I am quite happy with the results. The label says to allow up to 24 hours for the lense coating to dry. (After)


My impact wrench stopped working. It comes apart easily enough. A good cleaning got it working again.


How I clean some parts using air and water. I have even used a 5 gallon bucket before. Works great. Giving it a good scrubbing. Submerge part and air hose in water.


I number my head bolts as per the manual for tightening sequence with a magic marker. I really think this little trick will save you some time and keep you from forgetting where you are at. It is easy to "get lost" when torqing in my opinion. Using the "Clicker" type torque wrench is 10 times nicer then the needle type style.


I used VHT Exhaust paint. By manipulating the instructions where it said to put the exhaust manifold in an oven, I painted the manifold and would run the engine for 5-10 minutes to bake the paint on. I masked around the motor then would reapply paint. Has held up for over 30k miles.


I will not seperate the "Y"pipe from the manifold if it has a good seal. A big chance of getting a leak. Instead I will cut the pipe further down stream and it cost me $25 to get it welded backup. Once the studs strip or get loose in the manifold, even with new Toyota studs, they will not stay. I wrap it with a can and some hose clamps to get me to the exhaust shop.

Terrys87

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When helping jason in tn, we did not have a stud gun to pull dents. We used a wire feed welder and welded the nail head to the dents and was able to use Vise Grips to pull the dents.



Stacey David Separating Ball Joints.
I have used hose clamps before on cutting round pipe. He suggest tape.

Bead Roller
Here is a cheap Electrolis Cleaner that makes life so much easier. Works Great!!! Got the idea from Cyberhorn. Will post more info on setting it up. Does a great jop in removing rust, paint, grease and other contaminates. Electrolis tank with small power supply from computer, battery charger...


Quick tips from StaceY David. https://www.staceydavid.com/quick-tips

Magnitize sockets. One I am going to do.

Splitting hose. Works great. I have used this trick.



Keep your car from getting stolen.

I was working with fiberglass this week and the threads kept coming off of the edges. I just seared the edges with a lighter and that made a great difference in keeping the fiberglass mat together.


This works great as well. Depth gauge for drilling.

Would work for filling gear oil as well.

Terrys87

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Always looking for more ideas. Dont have to be high tech or expensive tools. Just what gets the job done. You got some, list them.

When the concrete shop floor is cold, I lay or stand on cardboard. It will keep you from getting cold.

When cutting rubber hoses, I put a metal hose clamp on each side of the cut, just big enough for the razor knife or hacksaw to cut a straight cut.

I put tape around the top of paint cans with a "V" notch to help pour without gettting paint every where.

An old speaker makes a great magnet for magnitizing screw drivers. I always keep a couple of screwdrivers laying on it on bench.

I find alot of tools at Flea Markets, pawn shops, garage sales...

An old ice pick with a 90 degree bend works great for getting rusted/frozen/corroded rubber hoses off of metal pipes. Slip it between the metal pipe and hose and just start working it around.

When putting a hose on a metal pipe and it is tight, I use a little WD-40 on the inside of the hose to help get it on.

I use Phillip screw drivers in similar size as tranny bolts as dowel pins when I get a motor and tranny about 4 or so inches away from each other to hook them up. You can get an idea of which way tranny needs to go and alighns better.

I use a one gallon bottle (bleach,windshield fluid bottle..) as a pillow or neck support when working under cars.

When looking for an exhaust leak, I put a couple of onces of diesel fuel or tranny fluid in the Plenum then start the truck. You will see smoke coming out of leaks. May help to have someone to block off the exhaust pipe a little at a time but not so much to stop the motor from running.

A plain wire brush will get the shine on the Plenum and Intake. You can make it shine more with some effort, then rattle can clear coat.

Terrys87

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A dab of grease on the end of a screw driver will help keep a screw on long enough to get it started in tight places.

When assembling or disassembling hubs, I do so in a 5 gallon bucket. The ball bearing can go flying out if you are not expecting it to. Never lost one this way. I hear if you have to replace the ball bearing that a ball bearing out of a socket extention or ratchet will work. I have never had to replace one but understand finding the correct ball bearing can be diffiult.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-asq..._embedded#t=20

rustED

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Nice job on the tips/tricks write up Terry, there's alot of good info listed here! I figured if I chimed in, I better leave a cheap trick, lol. Heres mine:
On my 83' Toyota it came with some aluminum wheels that had the lug nuts sunk deep into the wheel and required a thin wall socket to fit in there to loosen. I didn't have a lug wrench or metric thin wall socket, so I ended up using a 13/16" spark plug thin wall socket. Fits perfectly, ( i have'nt had it slip or strip out a lugnut yet) in fact that's what I'm still using, lol... keep up the good work Terry!

RustBucket

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I've got one better than cardboard -- I keep a small stack of moving blankets and put those down whenever I lay or kneel under the truck. Less fatigue and less drips on the floor. Harbor Freight usually has coupons so you can get them for $5. I usually toss them every couple years, or when I spill a gallon of something on it, whichever comes first!

I use the box end over open end wrench leverage trick all the time!

Invest in some small-angle ratchets (like GearWrench 120XP). There are times when a 3 degree swing angle is very helpful.

Put a small coating of silicone grease of Sil-Gylde on the inside sealing surface of the intake tubes. This helps them slide on and off the intake and AFM and helps them seal a little better.

Terrys87

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Thanks ED... I never thought of the Spark Plug Socket and it would work great and I ran into a situation one time where it was a tight clearance between the lug nut and hub.

Thanks RustBucket... Some reason I never thought of moving blankets and you could get a lot of use out of them. Most of the fluid would dry as well. A cold shop floor will get to your feet and it has stopped me from working in the past. I am going to give the silicone trick a try. I will be doing some work in the next few days and need to pull the intake tube off and it can be stubborn at times.

I know we all have some sort of ways of getting things done and there are more out there that you just don't think of and just need a few ideas. Keep them coming guys.

Terrys87

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Chuckarhunt used the 1/4 socket extention ball for a replacement in the manual Aisin hub. This ball is basically non existent in the market, but you probably have a socket extention that could be a donor. If nothing else, your local pawn shop will have one for a $1.



You were correct about the socket sized ball. I bought a $3 1/4" drive small extension, and ground out the ball there. It is, a perfect, fit! So, for anyone who has lost that ball inside the spring on the manual hubs dial, this is the solution

Terrys87

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I had a flat on the road side today and I keep a 4 way in the well of the spare tire. I also keep a spare jack wrapped in a trash bag to keep it protected and out of the way. Luckily I did have my 4 way as I was unable to break a nut loose with the factory lug wrench.
Where I stow a jack and 4 way.


The lug wrench Toyota uses is not long enough for some leverage. You can get a smaller 4 way to fit inside the tire well a little better and still get some better leverage. It just takes a little work to make it fit under there and not rattle. Glad I had my 4 with me today. I mentioned this to another member and he liked the idea.

85sr5excab

When I have bolts or nuts I can't break loose with my breaker bar I will take a long 1/2" drive extension and deep socket that fits over the end of my breaker bar to get more leverage. Typically switch back to a ratchet after its broke loose. Sometimes still have to use the extension with the ratchet on really stubborn bolts.

broncotoyo

need to clean metal flakes from magnetized drain plugs use a telescopic magnet to draw metal from plugs.

89hilux1

make a t with a small bar or screw driver with the boxed end helped me out a lot with some tight places that i cant get the boxed end on.

i've used a pair of pliers on hoses but don't grip to tight you will tare the hose up or bend the pipe.

desile with gas mix put about a 5050 mix with about a quart of aci-ton and karsen in a five gallon bucket best cleaner i use with parts for my truck takes a couple of minutes to dry out on a hot day but a couple of days when cold out.

most of what people posted i know from my father but a lot i have forgotten and thanks for these types of forums they come in handy like all of the tricks and tips posted they help a lot of people out and helps figure out what a person can do to get something done.

Deathvalleypaul

The thread that mentions hair spray as a terminal protection - How often does that need renewal?

Terrys87

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Hello Deathvalleypaul... I seen that tip on a car show. I tried it on my truck and it is 2 months now. It did not mention how often to apply it. So far mine is still looking great.

Terrys87

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I have tried every cleaner under the sun. Purple Power, aersol can degreasers, high pressure car wash sprayers, and some industrial cleaners. Recently I had a transmission that had mud and grease build up on it and just really did not want to spend the hours to get it clean. I had take it to the car wash to clean it and that did not do much for getting the transmission clean.

Did some looking around and seen Easy Off oven cleaner and thought I would give it a try. Got the transmission wet and let the Easy Off set on for about five minutes and with some steel wool it cleaned up QUICK. It is now my new cleaning agent. I used it on some drive shaft yokes and with a stiff bristle paint brush and cleaned them up quick.

I would use caution on what you use it on and not on a motor that is in the engine bay, but for parts outside the truck, this is my new all time favorite cleaner in some cases.

I am getting ready to rebuild the knuckles on my 85. After trying to get the knuckles cleaned at the car wash and getting soaked from the back spray. I am looking forward to seeing how it does on my knuckles. I will post those reuslts at a later time.


Easy Off Oven Cleaner. I had this transmission cleaned in an hour.

Terrys87

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I see some new ideas out there. Great ones, and keep them coming.