Jump to content
Fishfiles

Mechanic tricks

Recommended Posts

I seen this video , really like the homemade centering bolts for drilling out a broken bolt ,thought I would share 

 

 

  • Like 6

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

great video, fish, i bet you come across so really bad ones ?  interesting drill bit bolt guide, I've done those before but not for the same purpose as here, but sure looks very handy, with removing the  snapped off ive had to do, just used a prick punch, (sometimes heat) with a left or right handed drill bit depending on if bolts were left handed threads, or right handed, and  irwin rh,or lh extractors some cases (cast iron) with thread holes going all the way through just blew the bolts out out with a liquid wrench, and used a threader to chase the (clean) threads, i can't say I've ever had dealings with a steal bolt twisted off in an aluminum housing, most these ive seen pull the aluminum housing threads out, before the head twist off,  but, counter sunk allen head set screws,  well, now those were fun, lol. 

image.jpg

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

I have this blue point set, my issue is when broken off near flush, getting a straight run when drilling.  Love left handed drill bits.

 

20201205_101549.jpg

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

Cam , I have a few loose one like your set , I bet that set was VERY expensive ---- 

 

I had to buy a set of broken tap extractors before , it worked one time and didn't a few times , you break a tap in a hole and you are messed up 

 

image.png

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

Not too bad if I remember correctly, bought on eBay a few years ago.  Thought I had a metric set also, but seems to have hidden it's self, now I will most likely need it very soon. lol.  Break that hardened stuff off, a whole new world of frustration, and if it's small hard/impossible to tack without damage.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

blue point that's snap on isn't it ?  I've had extractors snap off in a twisted bolt, with not enough of the extractor to grab, lol just  couple of times lucky!!  i managed  jar the broken end of the extractor enough with a narrow punch to get the broken extractor out and try again. if i had say where I've into more issues with bad stuck bolts,water pumps on  johndeer 404 and 566 CID engines it's a must to cover the threads with ant seize because some pass right through the pump housing into the water jacket, silage un loaders were just as bad with the acid that corrodes the threads, manure spreaders , and pond slurry pumps were also bad...  some of those  i swopped to grade 8, or stainless bolts. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

I have heard, that anti-seize is some what water soluble, I have been trying to use Merc 2-4-C where things are exposed to the elements.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

what kinda tricks you talking about? i used a tire iron as a stethoscope, to listen to internal engine sound.

also gas line hose will do, rubber hose.

from plumbers, i learned to tighten a bolt or fitting 1st, before ya loosen it, if its been sitting long. maybe even if it aint.

to get a clutch bearing out, you use fresh bread, comes out easy.

i got more.

Edited by LedFTed

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
1 hour ago, CamKnouff said:

I have heard, that anti-seize is some what water soluble, I have been trying to use Merc 2-4-C where things are exposed to the elements.

 

 some could be water soluble,  i use permatex, they have high temp,  copper, nickle, all kinds, i just use the advance formula, most of the time. never had an issue with bolts snapping sence off, unless some torque happy  idiot came along and had already over torqued them, but i always break them loose with just a quick tighten, or hit with an air impact or hammer impact driver kind of like this one, but it's not really handy depending on where  the location of  the bolt is, lol exhaust manifold bolts for an example, and turbo housing bolts. but now fish being a heavy equipment tech, no telling what sizes He's had to deal with. 

 

plus one Ted, a shop rag, or paper towels socket with a bolt and hammer  i have a grease tool for also pushing out clutch pilot shaft bearings , a shop rag is much cleaner then the grease pusher, lol. i also made a puller to get those out and also disk mower top rotor bearing but the trick to those is, you have pop out the seal, and take a torch and carefully blow out a couple balls, for this to work, harmonic balancer  / steering wheel puller. and grade eight bolts with the heads ground down on each side to where  they just fit where balls were, then turn them to lock in place, and your good to go. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
16 hours ago, CamKnouff said:

I have heard, that anti-seize is some what water soluble, I have been trying to use Merc 2-4-C where things are exposed to the elements.

I been liking Lucas Red and Tacky grease where water is involved , like in  pumping my differentials and transfer cases on my ATVs , which a lot of people frown upon , I will say to that , I have never blown a gear set since I have started pumping  grease and the bearings last 3 times longer 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
16 hours ago, LedFTed said:

what kinda tricks you talking about? i used a tire iron as a stethoscope, to listen to internal engine sound.

also gas line hose will do, rubber hose.

from plumbers, i learned to tighten a bolt or fitting 1st, before ya loosen it, if its been sitting long. maybe even if it aint.

to get a clutch bearing out, you use fresh bread, comes out easy.

i got more.

A wooden stick like a cut off broom stick makes a fine stethoscope 

 

Tightening a tight nut of bolt does sometimes help getting it to break , hitting it with a hammer helps too  --- 

 

I have done the wet bread in the blind hole  bearing trick and it does work 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

A good saying I learned from a old pipeline mechanic named Wilton Shaw , this guy was the McGiver of heavy mechanics and I learned a lot from him in the 70s , he said " Son work the tools , don't let the tools work you " another was " Imagination is the best tool in your box " 

 

I worked with a crane mechanic named Roger Newton , this guy was a good guy , he lost a few feet of his intestines in Viet Nam and he could drink you under the table  and he would never get drunk , didn't absorb into him , he was the number one mechanic at our company , me and him flew out  to a Chevron platform to meet the boats and assembly a new crane onto the platform , load test and certify it for personal lift ------- working offshore you had gang boxes full of heavy tools sent by boat with the crane , but you carried your personal tool box of small and special tools , well Roger had the cheapest set of tools you ever seen  , he did that cause it was easy to lose them ,  the company gave us $100 every pay check for tools , if I gave them $100 worth of  receipts  , so I had nice tools ---well anyways , the Production Foreman for Chevron , Leslie Greer who I knew very well as years later he offered me to run Chevron's offshore crane department , which by that time I was burnt out on offshore living , Leslie walks over and looks down in Roger's box and says " we getting a 2.5 million dollar crane ( 80s prices), is that the best you'll can do ,  that is the worst looking box of tools I ever seen in the Gulf " , Roger told him , " Leslie you can call the office and they can send you out a $25 dollar an hour mechanic with a $2,500 dollar tool box and two bits ( 25 cents )  of knowledge , or you can have me with my $25 tool box and 25 years of experience , Leslie told him "Carry on " 

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

that sounds very interesting fish, my buddy Gus was a very wise wrecher  that, never did drink but he sure tought me alot about working on trucks, he told me one time about him changing a clutch in the semi (cab over) on the side of the big road with just his load binding tools, and few hand tools he had with him, right off hand i don't know what a 13 speed transmission weighs I'd say 500 + lbs but he did it with no clutch line up shaft, also told me when he first started driving , he was working for a dump truck hauling muck (phosphate) the trucks had the old detriot engines 6-71 (not the turbo silvers) inline six , anyways.... he backed up to dump his his load, and hit the brake before the clutching next thing he knew he had just a couple forward gears, and 13 reverse gears smoke an oil coming from the side air filter housing so he pull the air shut off, no dice, then stuck in high reverse and let out on the clutch, shut the engine down, no damage, to engine happened just a mess of oil in the air  intake system, i had always heard a b model cat wouldn't run backwards, but I'm here to tell you they will! had this happen to me one day, but the engine had been turned up with a few mods done, by a man name Howard ship, still a top rated cat mechanic to this day. 

 

  • Like 2

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
2 hours ago, Fishfiles said:

A wooden stick like a cut off broom stick makes a fine stethoscope 

 

Tightening a tight nut of bolt does sometimes help getting it to break , hitting it with a hammer helps too  --- 

 

I have done the wet bread in the blind hole  bearing trick and it does work 

 

I don't believe I am familiar with the wet bread trick for blind holes.  Have used grease and a stick (sorry, I meant a non-marring specialized impacting tool - biodegradable)

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
1 hour ago, CamKnouff said:

 

I don't believe I am familiar with the wet bread trick for blind holes.  Have used grease and a stick (sorry, I meant a non-marring specialized impacting tool - biodegradable)

say the pilot bearing in a flywheel , you wet the bread and push the mushed bread into the shaft hole of the bearing , when it is full you put a shaft ( bolt or wooden rod ) into the hole of the bearing and pack the bread in , then fill the hole again , when it is full you hit the rod with a hammer an it will force the bearing out 

 

Why biodegradable ,  tree huggin' ?  Where exactly you plan to put that grease 

 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

You wouldn't believe the restrictions here of what the dump will take, and if it's not household they will have a look. One can not remove anything one could recycle- (just about want to stop someone before the dump, some great material (new) is wasted.  Pay for all that wrapping on a product and then have to pay to get ride of it.  My rant.  I burn as much as I can-no plastics.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

wow, thats restricted for sure! trash inspectors ? for old metal parts that can't be used, can't y'all keep those as scrap ? that's what most here do, then after enough is collected make a trip to the salvage yard, you might get enough to pay for the trip there and back, or maybe more depending on what you have. here, they go by weight, (which i think is th standard) sorting defrent types of materials for recycling here is on a volunteer choice, subject to change anytime. as for paper products ... i burn those, now if you were  to burn a tire of heavy rubber, yeah, you'd get nailed if caught, but some people still do, sadly. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

No, metal is free to dump, drywall, minimum charge $8.00 (like a square foot), form needs to be filled out. I am very conscious of what I burn.  It is just a shame to see some things not being able to be reused.  I am more of the mind that dumps (for many things) should be like a free Can. Tire store.  Was like that in the far north.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

it is $4 a yard to get rid of construction debree at the landfill now days , there is a big no dump list , tires , asbestos roofing , etc --- dry wall is ok to dump 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

I was in shock, for construction here, I believe it $160 a ton- used to have a free dump day (one pickup) they have done away with that.

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
13 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

it is $4 a yard to get rid of construction debree at the landfill now days , there is a big no dump list , tires , asbestos roofing , etc --- dry wall is ok to dump 

 

i figured it would have been more limits on yaw with all the houses / building, cars etc with that latest bad huricain. and flooding that went on. 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

Just a quick little trick to add to the thread...

 

When installing a battery the screws can be just a tad too short. You end up needing to hold the fastener and it is just a pain.

Take a bit of sticky backed foam and cut a small square. No more nut falling into the bike and getting lost. Some battery brands include these type of fasteners but one sheet of foam can make hundreds.

 

Thanks for looking!

 

20201206_115154.jpg

20201206_115245.jpg

  • Like 3

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

That is a good idea , I usually use a pick and hold the square nut up to catch a thread ----only thing about the foam , will it hold moisture and you never know it might actually promote corrosion ,  every action can have an opposite reaction , I wouldn't worry about corrosion , I'd give it a try 

  • Like 1

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

another handy deal is freezing bearings, I've used this many times on kinze planter closing wheels,  the bushings keeps from destroying the closing wheels, when the bearing fails just press the out race from the bushing save the wheel, and bushing, freeze a new bearing replace, simple, fish ... i bet you know about freezing bearings, I've also done this on certain water pumps etc,  comes in handy when don't have to pay $300 plus for a water pump, but just press in  new bearings / seals done deal for under $50 

image.jpg

image.jpg

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 
32 minutes ago, Fishfiles said:

That is a good idea , I usually use a pick and hold the square nut up to catch a thread ----only thing about the foam , will it hold moisture and you never know it might actually promote corrosion ,  every action can have an opposite reaction , I wouldn't worry about corrosion , I'd give it a try 

 

I one found by accident, desperately looking for something to hold that nut.  I found the perfect use for those millions of thrown away popsicle sticks, fits perfectly.  Grab one ever time I deal with the battery nuts now. 

  • Like 4

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
 

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now

×
×
  • Create New...