Cableguy
05-09-2007, 08:30 PM
With both standard and metric hardware on so many trucks these days, it's easy to find yourself wasting time searching for a smaller wrench that doesn't seem to be at hand. A quick solution may be in your pocket. A few pieces of change can often be used to take-up the space between the ends of an open end wrench and the nut.
Have you ever mixed up your ignition wires when changing distributer caps? To be sure of preserving the correct firing order, collect 4, 6, or 8 of the little plastic bread wrapper clips. Write the cylinder number on both sides of clip. Then simply snap them on the distributer cap ends. They can be left in place and are really handy for tune-ups and spark plug changes.
If rust is a big problem where you live try this. When you first spot the rust, spray on some Easy-Off oven cleaner, wait five minutes then rub it off with a damp cloth.
When changing the axle, transfer case and transmission fluids, use an angle spark plug boot, clamp, and a fuel line hose to get the oil in difficult to reach fill holes. The angle spark plug boot keeps the line from kinking.
When replacing radiator or heater hoses, cut the old ones into short sections and split them lengthwise to make protective sleeves for the new hoses. This will protect the hoses from any sources of abrasion or heat. The sleeves can be tie-wrapped or clamped in place.
Don't find out the hard way that a few years of dusty offroading can deposit enough dirt in the brake (or clutch) fluid reservoirs to ruin the entire system. To keep the dust out, remove the vent hole cover and insert a piece of foam covering the hole. You may have a different vent system butthe foam filter works great.
If you have a problem with worn out door seals take some 1/2"x3/4"x1/4" foam weatherstrip and place it over the old worn out seal. The adhesive foam sticks to any clean surface and makes for a cheap and easy way to beat the cold. It also does wonders for wind noise.
When working with plexiglas for headlight covers, windshields etc., I found that it often cracks when drilled. The solution is to heat up a nail with a torch or (or by other means) and use it to melt through the plexiglas. If you want to make a larger hole use a threaded bolt after starting the hole with a nail.
To keep from making a big mess when changing your motor oil, slip a plastic bag over the filter after breaking it loose with the filter wrench. Then with one hand hold the neck of the bag tight against the engine block use the other to unscrew the filter. The mess will be contained within the plastic bag.
If you have offroad lights mounted to your truck and are worried about them being stolen, here's an easy way to keep them theft resistant. After mounting your lights and tightening them down with the origanal hardware install a second nut and spot weld so that the bottom of the nut is flush with the mounting shaft. This arrangement makes the light still adjustable but very hard to steal. To remove just grind off the weld.
If you use your reciever hitch as an anchor point for your tow-strap the edges will quickly cut and ruin the strap. To help prevent this damage cut an old bicycle tube and put it over the end of the reciever.
A quick and easy way to protect any electrical connection is to coat the connection with a liberal amount of hot glue. It holds insulates and seals the connection.
A nice and clean way to store your chains. Take an empty gallon jug of antifreeze and cut the top off around the spout. It's an easy way to keep the interior of your 4x4 clean. The handle makes it easy to carry.
When working on fuel lines siphoning is a major problem. To cure this keep a box of golf tees handy. To prevent spillage, simply install the tee into the fuel line after disconnecting it.
A good way to keep your spare keys secured under your vehicle is to drill a hole in your frame, drill a hole in your key the same size. By using a bolt a lockwasher and a wingnut you can secure your spare keys to the frame knowing you won't lose them.
If your wiper arms aren't doing the job like they used to even after you replaced the blades. Check your wiper arms for an extra hole in which to put the tension spring. If you can move the spring it will put more tension on the blade.
If you want to build an inexpensive heat shield for your starter. Cut a coffee can to fit your starter and drill some holes for air to escape. You can attach it with cable ties or hose clamps.
If you need an add-on tow hook but don't have room to drill any holes in the back of your rig. Purchase an 8" to 10" piece of 2" square tubing to fit in the back of your reciever hitch. Drill a hole for your hitch pin and then two more holes to bolt on the tow hook. It's fast and cheap!
For a quick and easy way to air down your tires. Try cutting off the end of a "Fix-a-Flat" can. To air down screw the end on to the valve stem until the desired pressure is acheived.
If you ever break a accelerator cable while your out four wheeling (or anywhere) and you need a quick fix. Cut back the cable housing to expose the broken cable end, then using locking pliers attache a piece of electrical wire. By pulling on the wire you can control the throttle. Make permanent repairs ASAP.
When descending a steep hill and you want to take advantage of your gearing and engine compression, but it doesn't seem to be enough. Try turning on your Air Conditioning. The drag of the compressor assists the engine braking power.
A 3/4" PVC tee makes for a cheap wrench for your old manual locking hubs. Simply cut two notches in the short side of the tee to fit over the hub lock. It also works great when wearing gloves.
If you ever blow a radiator hose or heater hose fix it and find the only water available is in the mud hole next to you, you can use a rag to filter the dirt out of the water. Place the rag over the open radiator and pour the dirty water through the rag. Be sure to change the water as soon as possible.
If you have a puncture in your gas tank, take a bar of soap and shove it up against the hole. It will stop the leak so you can get back and have it fixed properly.
If you have a tube bumper on your truck, you can store tow straps, axles etc. in the tubes by removing the plastic caps on the ends. It's easily accessed and safely out of sight.
When making your own gaskets you can pierce the gasket with an empty bullet casing. To create a clean bolt hole, .22 caliber = 1/4" 9mm = 5/16" .38caliber = 3/8" .45 caliber = 7/16" .50 caliber = 1/2".
If you have a rollbar in your vehicles bed and would like to have tie-downs but don't want to drill any holes in your trucks bed. Replace one of the bolts rollbar bolts with an eye bolt. It's a cheap and easy way to have convenient tie-downs.
If you are trying to jockey a stack of washers and a nut in a tight or out of sight place, try putting a light coat of grease on the washers and stick them together. The grease is usually strong enough to keep the pieces together while you install them.
If you don't want to get dirty while doing a bearing pack... place the bearing in a Zip-Lock bag and fill it with grease. Seal the bag and squish it around until the bearing is packed. When done you can use the bag for future bearing packs or keep spare bearings in the bag for field repairs.
If you do any desert pre-running use spray silicon on your tires sidewalls so the rocks don't rip the sidewalls.
If your battery goes dead in the middle of nowhere and no one is there to jump you and you just happen to have a chainsaw, you can charge your own battery. Take the belt off your alternator, remove the arbor from the chainsaw and you can now wrap the belt around the sprocket on the chainsaw to charge your battery.
If you are offroad and need to break a bead on a tire you can use your Hi-Lift jack Place the tire flat on the ground and put the Hi-Lift on your bumper with the base on the tire close to the rim. As you work the jack, the weight of the vehicle will pop the bead so you can complete the repair.
After changing your motor oil, transmission, transfer case, and differential fluids what should you do with the used oil? Recycle it. Most of your local automotive parts stores will take the old oil and dispose of it properly.
When rebuilding something involved such as transfer cases, transmissions and engines for the first time it's hard to remember where everything goes. To help you remember where the parts go, get some Ziploc baggies with labels and a black marker and label the bolts and nuts as you take them off. Such as transfer case tailshaft bolts or engine cylinder head bolts. You can also spray some WD-40 into the bag to help prevent rust.
Have you ever mixed up your ignition wires when changing distributer caps? To be sure of preserving the correct firing order, collect 4, 6, or 8 of the little plastic bread wrapper clips. Write the cylinder number on both sides of clip. Then simply snap them on the distributer cap ends. They can be left in place and are really handy for tune-ups and spark plug changes.
If rust is a big problem where you live try this. When you first spot the rust, spray on some Easy-Off oven cleaner, wait five minutes then rub it off with a damp cloth.
When changing the axle, transfer case and transmission fluids, use an angle spark plug boot, clamp, and a fuel line hose to get the oil in difficult to reach fill holes. The angle spark plug boot keeps the line from kinking.
When replacing radiator or heater hoses, cut the old ones into short sections and split them lengthwise to make protective sleeves for the new hoses. This will protect the hoses from any sources of abrasion or heat. The sleeves can be tie-wrapped or clamped in place.
Don't find out the hard way that a few years of dusty offroading can deposit enough dirt in the brake (or clutch) fluid reservoirs to ruin the entire system. To keep the dust out, remove the vent hole cover and insert a piece of foam covering the hole. You may have a different vent system butthe foam filter works great.
If you have a problem with worn out door seals take some 1/2"x3/4"x1/4" foam weatherstrip and place it over the old worn out seal. The adhesive foam sticks to any clean surface and makes for a cheap and easy way to beat the cold. It also does wonders for wind noise.
When working with plexiglas for headlight covers, windshields etc., I found that it often cracks when drilled. The solution is to heat up a nail with a torch or (or by other means) and use it to melt through the plexiglas. If you want to make a larger hole use a threaded bolt after starting the hole with a nail.
To keep from making a big mess when changing your motor oil, slip a plastic bag over the filter after breaking it loose with the filter wrench. Then with one hand hold the neck of the bag tight against the engine block use the other to unscrew the filter. The mess will be contained within the plastic bag.
If you have offroad lights mounted to your truck and are worried about them being stolen, here's an easy way to keep them theft resistant. After mounting your lights and tightening them down with the origanal hardware install a second nut and spot weld so that the bottom of the nut is flush with the mounting shaft. This arrangement makes the light still adjustable but very hard to steal. To remove just grind off the weld.
If you use your reciever hitch as an anchor point for your tow-strap the edges will quickly cut and ruin the strap. To help prevent this damage cut an old bicycle tube and put it over the end of the reciever.
A quick and easy way to protect any electrical connection is to coat the connection with a liberal amount of hot glue. It holds insulates and seals the connection.
A nice and clean way to store your chains. Take an empty gallon jug of antifreeze and cut the top off around the spout. It's an easy way to keep the interior of your 4x4 clean. The handle makes it easy to carry.
When working on fuel lines siphoning is a major problem. To cure this keep a box of golf tees handy. To prevent spillage, simply install the tee into the fuel line after disconnecting it.
A good way to keep your spare keys secured under your vehicle is to drill a hole in your frame, drill a hole in your key the same size. By using a bolt a lockwasher and a wingnut you can secure your spare keys to the frame knowing you won't lose them.
If your wiper arms aren't doing the job like they used to even after you replaced the blades. Check your wiper arms for an extra hole in which to put the tension spring. If you can move the spring it will put more tension on the blade.
If you want to build an inexpensive heat shield for your starter. Cut a coffee can to fit your starter and drill some holes for air to escape. You can attach it with cable ties or hose clamps.
If you need an add-on tow hook but don't have room to drill any holes in the back of your rig. Purchase an 8" to 10" piece of 2" square tubing to fit in the back of your reciever hitch. Drill a hole for your hitch pin and then two more holes to bolt on the tow hook. It's fast and cheap!
For a quick and easy way to air down your tires. Try cutting off the end of a "Fix-a-Flat" can. To air down screw the end on to the valve stem until the desired pressure is acheived.
If you ever break a accelerator cable while your out four wheeling (or anywhere) and you need a quick fix. Cut back the cable housing to expose the broken cable end, then using locking pliers attache a piece of electrical wire. By pulling on the wire you can control the throttle. Make permanent repairs ASAP.
When descending a steep hill and you want to take advantage of your gearing and engine compression, but it doesn't seem to be enough. Try turning on your Air Conditioning. The drag of the compressor assists the engine braking power.
A 3/4" PVC tee makes for a cheap wrench for your old manual locking hubs. Simply cut two notches in the short side of the tee to fit over the hub lock. It also works great when wearing gloves.
If you ever blow a radiator hose or heater hose fix it and find the only water available is in the mud hole next to you, you can use a rag to filter the dirt out of the water. Place the rag over the open radiator and pour the dirty water through the rag. Be sure to change the water as soon as possible.
If you have a puncture in your gas tank, take a bar of soap and shove it up against the hole. It will stop the leak so you can get back and have it fixed properly.
If you have a tube bumper on your truck, you can store tow straps, axles etc. in the tubes by removing the plastic caps on the ends. It's easily accessed and safely out of sight.
When making your own gaskets you can pierce the gasket with an empty bullet casing. To create a clean bolt hole, .22 caliber = 1/4" 9mm = 5/16" .38caliber = 3/8" .45 caliber = 7/16" .50 caliber = 1/2".
If you have a rollbar in your vehicles bed and would like to have tie-downs but don't want to drill any holes in your trucks bed. Replace one of the bolts rollbar bolts with an eye bolt. It's a cheap and easy way to have convenient tie-downs.
If you are trying to jockey a stack of washers and a nut in a tight or out of sight place, try putting a light coat of grease on the washers and stick them together. The grease is usually strong enough to keep the pieces together while you install them.
If you don't want to get dirty while doing a bearing pack... place the bearing in a Zip-Lock bag and fill it with grease. Seal the bag and squish it around until the bearing is packed. When done you can use the bag for future bearing packs or keep spare bearings in the bag for field repairs.
If you do any desert pre-running use spray silicon on your tires sidewalls so the rocks don't rip the sidewalls.
If your battery goes dead in the middle of nowhere and no one is there to jump you and you just happen to have a chainsaw, you can charge your own battery. Take the belt off your alternator, remove the arbor from the chainsaw and you can now wrap the belt around the sprocket on the chainsaw to charge your battery.
If you are offroad and need to break a bead on a tire you can use your Hi-Lift jack Place the tire flat on the ground and put the Hi-Lift on your bumper with the base on the tire close to the rim. As you work the jack, the weight of the vehicle will pop the bead so you can complete the repair.
After changing your motor oil, transmission, transfer case, and differential fluids what should you do with the used oil? Recycle it. Most of your local automotive parts stores will take the old oil and dispose of it properly.
When rebuilding something involved such as transfer cases, transmissions and engines for the first time it's hard to remember where everything goes. To help you remember where the parts go, get some Ziploc baggies with labels and a black marker and label the bolts and nuts as you take them off. Such as transfer case tailshaft bolts or engine cylinder head bolts. You can also spray some WD-40 into the bag to help prevent rust.