The Tips and Tricks thread

[jeffro ra28]

petrol from the bowser has a shelf life of 2 weeks. I herd that from the mouth of a chemist.

Got new headers? want to give your headers a nice look? If u have them off, pull out the oxy torch and heat them till they are nerly red, somehow or another apply auto transmission oil all over them whilst they are hot, the hotter the better. They will turn a dark blue colour, almost looks like u have anodized them black. Looks better then HPC to me! dont be afraid to apply inox or the likes to your exhaust pipes to stop them going rusty. Doing them whilst hot is the best.

A 50/50 mix of Castrol LMM grease and engine oil mixed together is great for bolt lubing. Is a good cheap altenative to the ARP moly lube. I personally lube just about every bolt i do up, except for when using loctite. Always lube spark plug threads.

Aluminium threads and stainless to stainless threads are bad, stainless has a high chance of galling. be sure to lube the threads everytime.

Brass nuts on exhaust studs are superior to any other nut!

Silicon will dry quicker in moist conditions. So if its a super muggy day dont muck around when you are putting on your Head gaset.

Do not sand blast body panels, most of the time the pressure is to high and it gives excessive heat, warping or deforming the panels.

When installing spark plugs or removing them it is easy to crack the porcallin. Sometimes the only way to see if this happens is to listen for a "crack". So turn the radio of when ur doing this. If they are cracked they may still spark but its highly possible its weak. ultimately make sure u have the socket on the plugs straight.

A stetheoscope is great for locating vacum leaks.

[Rinmax]

To remove a stubborn spigot bearing pack behind it with grease then using a punch the same size as the hole, hit it with a hammer compressing the grease and pushing the bearing out.

One way of removing rounded off bolts is the use a hacksaw accross the head of the bolt tuning it into a screw, then just get a screwdriver.

Screwdrivers with a square shaft are better than those with a round shaft as you can lock a shifter onto the shaft for more leverage, much better than vice grips on a round shaft.

Invest in one of those magnets on a stick, makes it easier to pick up those nuts and bolts you dropped into tight spots. These are also awesome for putting the locking pins on camsshaft gears for a 2tg.

If you havn't got an oil filter wrench then a belt does the trick, you know those things that hold your pants up.

Note: I'm a little worried with the level of interest in hand cleaning just go and buy some hand cleaner it's worth the money, if it wasn't then wouldn't every profesional workshop be using these remedies.

[takai]

Oh yeah, if you paint your exhaust manifold with VHT high temp paint then dont get worried when it smokes like all hell. Its just the paint sealing onto the manifold.

[Spode]

prob common knowledge but when your putting spark plugs back in make sure to put in the plug and tighten the with your hand first before using a socket wrench or shifter as you might be crossthreading and not even know it.

[myne]

^^On that note

When doing bolts/sparkplugs, always drop them in and turn them backwards till you feel the thread click. Then tighten them.

[takai]

Just remembered this one: Skateboard paper is really good for adding grip to specific things. Stuff like metal pedals, footwells and even stuff like trolley jack handles, and oil filter wrenches.
Its coarse like sandpaper on one side, but is sticky so you can peel the backing off like a sticker.

Cheap too. Just go to your local skate shop and they will sell you a entire sheet for a skateboard (maybe 600-700 long 200 wide) for $10-15. Whatever you do, dont go to a marine shop. I know a guy who bought a 3m roll of 5cm wide grip tape for $30

[bathurst-91]

Clutch Alignment with a t50/4age>
-Socket Extension from most sets fit perfectly.
-Put pressureplate over clutch, insert socket extension into clutchplate through pp.
-Tigthen pp ever so slightly, move socket around to line up clutch

A screwdriver is also handy for leverage sometimes.

[Stomp86]

When doing back yard spraypainting, and the area is not totaly clean, run a wire from whatever your painting to a drain pipe or something that can be used to ground it. You will get a much better finish with less contaminants as the static charge created by painting wont attract all the dust that floats around because its grounded.
Of course this only works on metal panels not fiberglass bodykits
But to get a decent job you should be painting in a clean environment in the first place.

Also if you dont have a long enough cable tie or a big enough worm/screw clamp you can join them together


Adam

[Kebin]

[QUOTE=gearb0x]

Not sure if anyone mentioned it yet, but a Spark plug socket with the sides cut out, a G clamp and duct tape make a geat valve spring compressor
QUOTE]
Your da man! i dont have an old spark plug socket so ill just use some steel pipe n get the hacksaw/grinder out. SST my arse

[oldcorollas]

There's the good old crank pulley bolt trick too.

If you're having trouble getting the crank pulley bolt undone, then attach the socket and breaker bar to the bolt, and brace it under the chassis rail. Then jump in the car and crank the starter motor. Just make sure you brace the breaker bar on the correct side!

do not EVER do this for a FWD Honduh... it broke my sidchrome socket first socket death

[Draven]

Screwdrivers with a square shaft are better than those with a round shaft as you can lock a shifter onto the shaft for more leverage, much better than vice grips on a round shaft.

dude, best idea ever (which I have never thought of!)

[smt_007]

WD40 is fantastic for removing road tar or other gooey stuff from both paint and mag wheels. The stuff just melts right off and does not affect paint in my experience.

Nice tip, you will be held accountable if my rims peel .

[takai]

Cut and polish is the only thing i can find to remove permanent marker from knob jockeys grafitti on your car.
CRC/RP7 and Degreaser fade it somewhat but dont remove what has "soaked" in

[jeffro ra28]

WD-40 and a hair dryer remove stickers reall good!
An oven scraper handle(handle with rasorblade) is great for cleaning windows and scraping stickers also. Also super for removing cheap window tinting

Pure acetone is great for cleaning just about anything(be carefull it does not rot or eat watever ur cleaning).

Vinegar and water is a very effective window cleaner.

[xolent]

not really a trick, pretty stupid actually.

i fixed a part of my headlight when i guy did a hit and run on my car. The headlight shattered (the plastic ofcourse!) and using a soldering ion+pieces of plastic I joined them together forming the headlight thingy again so it could actually sit right.
I fixed bumpers, lips and smoothed out really rough edges/holes with the soldering ion. Make sure you use the right pieces of plastic coz some plastics once you melt them they're shagged fo' lyfe