When you did not have the right tool, but still had to get the job done…

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When you did not have the right tool, but still had to get the job done…

Your reply can be self-effacing where you are the hero or someone you know… but how was an everyday situation solved in particularly unique way…

Back in the '60s, I and my friends often hung out at a neighborhood garage and they had to improvise a way to find a slow leak in a tire. The tire tub had gotten driven over and it was useless. So the mechanic mounted the tire on the tire machine and only broke the bead on top. He then poured a lot of water into the tire, and then re-inflated it with a lot of water inside. He then blew the tire dry with an air hose and then slowly rolled the tire looking for water leaking/squirting out. When he found it, he marked the tire, broke it down, drained the water out and then patched it with one of those Hot Volcanizing Tire Patches…

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I used to just inspect the tread area carefully and spit on whatever looked like it could create a slow leak. See a bubble, there was the trouble. Same with the valve stem.

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To break a tire bead from the rim I used to set the tire on the ground underneath my truck, then I’d place the foot of a screw-jack on the bead area, and jack it up against the truck’s frame. Worked every time, pushed the bead right off. Had to be careful though b/c at first the truck would move up a bit as the jack raised, then it would suddenly fall when the bead broke.

I now use an inexpensive tire-changing machine, considerably easier.

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If you use sealant you’ll see it come out the hole.

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I suppose too many times to remember. Make or usually buy the tool after the horse has left the barn.

I do remember my garage addition and pondering getting the sheathing up on the rafters. I rigged a rope and clamp and used the mower to hoist them up. The kid was always to quick with the clutch though so they came up pretty fast. I’d say just ease up on the clutch but then zip, another sheet on the roof. Shingles not so easy.

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A paintbrush and a cup of dish detergent in some water can be used to find tire leaks. Brush the tire and watch for bubbles.

When I had my race car I needed to make two different spark plug wrenches by welding a 3/8 rod to a modified socket. The headers got in the way of conventional sockets and wrenches. Both were cheap 1/2 drive standard sockets. The insulator would stick out the drive hole. One was lefty, one was righty.

When I needed new axle bearings on Suburban, I made a custom plate to slide hammer them out and used a looong 1/2 threaded rod and big washers to press them in.

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Different job and I didn’t have the right tool.

I was changing the spark plugs in my Chevy Corsica V6. The aluminum a heads were cold and all of the plugs were easy to get out but the rear right one as you face the engine. I had to put an extension on the plug socket, then a universal joint, then another extension and finally the 1/2” socket wrench. Or so I hoped. The spark plug wouldn’t move. I got a 18” pipe from the basement, slipped it over the wrench handle and tried again. No dice, even after standing on the engine while crouched under to hood. Back to the basement and this time I had a 5 foot TV antenna pole. I slipped it over the wrench and while standing on the engine I eventually managed to break it loose. There was also a liberal application of word lube, and maybe that helped too.

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Possibly inventing a few new swear words or phrases?

Been there, done that, especially in the presence of my blood.

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Remember, this was the 1960s, and the tire had a slow leak, and I am guessing a really slow leak. I remember him running water over it with a hose, but as they say, “No Joy…”

I do not think tire sealant was around then, a lot of cars still ran tubes in their tires… And this was a "commercial garage, but an old one, they did not have a lift, they had a pit and an air powered bumper jack (or as I think they were also called and end lift. I doubt they had any dish soap handy and probably all the brushes were in the parts tank…

I am not looking for a better, modern solution to a slow leak, I am only reminiscing the “good, old days” when if you could not make do, you did without… And this was done by a man whose father probably fought in World War I, he lived through the depression, had arm tattoos and he probably also fought in World War II and he had more “Get up and Go Gumption” than most of us ever will…

Once again, this Topic is looking for odd solutions to problems and hopefully the solutions are humorous too…

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Back in June of 2020, my buddy was over one night and we were working on the RR and his CRX, he was wanting to replace the valve stem seals and I said OK, start tearing it down, well the valve spring compressor was too big to grab the tiny springs and the valvetrain was already off the head, so at 2AM, I found some scrape metal and started cutting, grinding and drilling until I made one… It will fit a 4 valve head and is adjustable to different depths, it worked and the guy I was helping just sat back amazed and it worked like a charm, I have since added a back bone brace for better rigidity, cleaned it up and painted it… The side notches are to clear the other spring on the 4 valve head…
We also adjusted the valves and a few other things, as we were finishing up, I looked outside and saw the Sun coming up… lol

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Like others, I could tell more than one story. So just one from a couple of weeks ago, where there’s probably no “right” or “proper” tool - '03 Prius (Gen 1 - looked more like an Echo than the '04+ prius wedges). I replaced the upstream O2 sensor. The sensor itself was pretty easy (once you remove the whole wiper assy and tray to get access to it). But the plug was AYFKM - crammed deep into oblivion between the ICE and tranny and deep down under the inverter.

With some degree of arm and back torture I was able to get 2 fingers and a thumb to the plug, but there was no way to undo the retainer to unplug it. Even my smallest little screwdriver was too long to maneuver in the space to get under the retainer tab and free it. I could get all sorts of things in there, but couldn’t get it to do anything but hop over the top of the retainer tab.

So, the pic is a short pc of 14AWG electrical wire (12 or 10 would have been better/less flex, but I couldn’t find any around the garage). I pounded the end flat, bent it down, and after a few tries found the right “curl” for length and some degree of 3 finger control. It still took some patience and a few attempts but I got it. (The annotations were there for a post to a Prius board).

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How many beers in was it by sunrise dave?

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Come along and a tree branch to pull engine from a ranchero, put it in the trunk of the cougar, then pull the cougar engine to put in a ranchero. Remembering a 17/32 socket working as a missing 14mm socket.

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None, I can’t drink with the meds I’m on, and he had to work that day… lol
I texted the boss and said, you might have to wake him, he may be asleep in his car when you get there… :rofl:

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Great improvisation! I made something similar to unlock tie-wraps. Has to be sized to fit opening, very thin, yet still stiff. I used a street sweeping machine broom blade (presumably steel) found laying in the street, filed/pounded on one end, the other end inserted into the end of a stick, for a wooden handle. Next time I run into a stubborn electrical connector I’ll give it a try.

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This is not really a tool, but I did make it so I could see the screen at a shop I was temporally stuck working at, while the store manager was recovering from a fall on ice, pulled something in his leg, don’t remember the details…
Well, my eyes are slow to focus and I have a hard time using computer screens unless they are close to me and angled just right, well ALL the monitors were mounted to the wall or up high and I hard a very hard time using them, btw you did not sit, only could stand while using them…
So I removed one from the wall one night (told the area manager 1st) and took it home and made stands for it so I could see it better… I used parts of an old bed frame and headboard and scrap metal I had and made this… It was for an auto shop so auto related… lol

I cleaned them up and painted them and customers and employees loved it, including the area manager…
Except the store manager when he came back (he is about 4" taller then me), but I didn’t care cause nobody liked him very much, he even complained to the area manager (his Boss) but the area manager said you shouldn’t have fallen, it stayed that way (for a few months) until covid lock down hit and I went back to my shop at the time… lol

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Like I said I’m a big fan of the square telescoping steel tubing. I always have some on hand. Drill a hole, weld a nut, and use a bolt to clamp to the smaller tube. Some angle, flats, etc. and you can raise or lower or right left, whatever you want. Use for tool stand and even my utility shelving in the basement. I haven’t been to the steel supplier for a while but used to be pretty cheap in ten foot lengths.

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This posting is not a car oriented tool but it does feature my WorkMate 425, which we “WorkMaters” have posted about recently…

I’ve mentioned that I was also a “hobbyist” knifemaker, And I was good and my knives have sold internationally and I had my own distributer selling my knives, some upwards of a $1,000… Since my eyes are shot, I haven’t been doing much lately with my knives.

I like to make what it called a “Flat Ground” verses a Hollow Ground edge, it looks so much more like the facets of a diamond… To create the flat ground, I hand file each and every flat… If I had to put meat on the table, we would probably starve since some of my knives and sheaths take upwards of a month to make.

This is the setup for my Flat Filing. The knife blank is clamped between a pair of Parallel Bars (they are hardened and the file can’t harm them), the Parallel Bars are clamped in my vice, and the vice is clamped onto the WorkMate.

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A 12" Machine File is fastened onto a 1/4" drill rod and the Drill Rod runs through a 1/4" ball Joint end and that is mounted on a 3/4" threaded shaft that can be adjusted up and down 12"… the Bronse Ball in that Ball joint allows the rod to slide back and forth to stroke the file.

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These photos are from the days when I was very active teaching knifemaking (Pima Community College where I also taught Blacksmithing – Metal Art, not shoeing horses…) I was also very active on three web sites: KnifeForum, BladeForum, and BritishBlades…

West Texas Bowie with Cocobolo and Convertable Sheath 1

This is the finished knife that is shown in the other photos. Besides making the knife, I also make an exact duplicate in wood. I use the wood model when working the leather sheath and you never leave a knife in a leather sheath. The leather may slowly absorb dampness and even Stainless Steel is not impervious to the Tannic Acid that is used to tan the leather…

This knife is a West Texas Style Bowie with a “convertible” design to be a “Belt Hanger” or hang from a “Waist Band.” The Blade is 7" long, and the knife is 12" long overall. The Blade width is 1-1/2" and 1/2" thick with a total weight of 13 ounces.

The Blade is 440C stainless steel, hardened to Rc59-60, double tempered and cryogenically heat-treated. The Bolster is Nickel Silver and Silver Soldered, the Handle is Select Cocobolo Scales with Nickel Silver and Mosaic pins. The Sheath was hand tooled and hand stitched by me.

I know, I apologize for going off on a “grandiose field trip.”

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I’ve never been much good at sharpening knives, bits, router bits etc.

I bought my hunting knife in Canada when I was about nine years old. Still have it but can’t seem to get it very sharp. Paid $3.50 us back in 1957. Broke the tip off throwing it at a tree but fixed that. Lost the sheaf. Still have the knife my dad made which was similar with a cast aluminum handle. What do you do with this stuff? Put a note on it so at least people will know the history?

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Yes, you need to notate it somehow. Anything that stirs a memory of times long ago, any keepsake that means something to you, you need to somehow let those that follow you know that a particular item is not a piece of garage sale collectable.

I have gone through all our photographs, even the ones from years gone by, from the relatives that my family never knew and marked the backs with the time (year) and place (approximate location, ie: camping in the Adirondacks, 1938 World’s Fair, Disneyland - 1973, etc…).

Of my military memorabilia, I’ve laid it all out, photographed it, edited the photo like I did above with a photo editor (Windows Paint…) with a number next to it and then wrote up a document with the meaning of each item.

One final note, about marking photos… My son was looking at an old photo of a man holding a fish and the photo “Grandpa with a large mouth bass” and he asked, Which Grandpa, didn’t you have two and Mom had two, so which of the four was it?" L :roll_eyes: L . . .

So, when you mark the photo, “My first car.” Be sure to write, “Mr. Bing’s first car, a 1962 Ford Cortina.” Or Mrs. Bing’s first car, a 1975 Ferrari 308 GTS…" L :smile: L . . .

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