improvised tools

[GreaseDog]

just wondering what kind of tools you guys have improvised...

we came up with one today that saved the purchase of a $30+ tool that would have probably got used once.

working on a bare bones 350 TBI "rebuild", and found the rear of the crank scored where the rear main seal rides. the solution? a speedy sleeve. after destroying one attempting to tap it on carefully with a small brass hammer, we decided to use a steel plate. put the plate over the sleeve after lining the sleeve up, and tapped it on slowly. the centering hub for the flexplate on the crank stopped us ~1/4" short of where we needed to be. i snatched up the flexplate and 3 of the bolts. it was JUST close enough to get the bolts started. then tightening the bolts a little at a time drove the sleeve onto the crank the rest of the way using the flexplate. $30 saved, 1 less specialty tool wasting space in the shop. what have you guys come up with?

[$ilverado8405]

Many years ago my grandpa turned a hammer handle into a clutch alignment tool for his 54 Fsomehundred flatbed. My dad dug it out of my grandma's garage to use when I put the new clutch in my 51 F1 a couple years ago.

[trickedout420]

made a set of the fan clutch tools (for ford) with the plasma cutter and 3/8 plate worked good only used it twice putting the new motor in and pulling the old one out

also my peice of pvc pipe with 4 notches cut out works really good for a trail axle nut removers

[someotherguy]

Used to use a hockey puck for driving in wheel bearing oil seals. Someone stole the puck so now I just use a clean block of wood...

Richard

[Drisco Z71]

i made a tool to separate my tie rod from the idler arm out of a couple of u-bolts and a piece of flat stock.

[Bob T]

Not really a tool, but long, long ago the fuel pump crapped out on the '63 jeep I had. We were way the hell up in the mountains in Idaho fishing. I fixed it using my girlfriend's diaphragm. Had to buy her a new one.

[Texsbluethunder]

I've made a few on the go for my cabinetmaking stuff...
as for mechanics, used a piece of heavywall exhaust pipe to make a socket for puting bearing rerainer nuts on the fourwheeler trailing arm, looks much like a hub nut tool. Also made a coild pring compressor put of 1/4" plate and 4 threaded rods, again for the fourwheelers coilover shocks. Around the farm we have countless homemade tools.

[byrd]

i make new tools almost daily. i am an equipment mechanic, so i have alot of "special circumstance" tools in my box. whenever i drive by harbor freight i pick up some wrenches and sockets to weld/heat and bend etc.

[bhookxen]

byrd - very nice. harbor freight is good for that kind of stuff.

[sbrumley]

I have a 97 Z71. I noticed the rear output shaft is leaking on the transfer case.

[AntiBling]

Improvised positioner for cutting down bag cups.

http://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs007.snc1/4168_179655285583_779265583_6882700_7557410_n.jpg

http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc1/hs007.snc1/4168_179655295583_779265583_6882701_3405565_n.jpg

[Bob T]

Woman's tool set:

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_rXF4Q8OqAHg/ScmxPh67FGI/AAAAAAAABTE/KwtSrn4jCro/s400/Women_rule_tool_set.jpg

[Speedrye]

I'm not saying I haven't done this before (says the guy who just made some round 3/4" oak plugs to drive in wheel bearing races) but I have to wonder how much more these improvised tools cost then the actual tools if we factor in our labor time?

[Dubyagee]

Torch cut wrenches, Homemade slide hammers (gimbal bearing remover for boats), welded a nut to the end of a socket to remove big allen head bolts, chunk of flat sided brass to weld holes in sheet metal etc.

[Atomic]

The BFH takes care of most of my needs :thumbup:

[kirk]

We made a tool at work to take apart 2 hydraulic cylinders that are on the grapple of a skidder. The way they're on there, with steel plates protecting it, you have to have something that fits inside there to take the cylinder apart. I think it may have cost around $5 to make.

[beachrog]

I have to wonder how much more these improvised tools cost then the actual tools if we factor in our labor time?

Not to go off on a tangent, but I used to have a crew come mow my lawn as I had more money than time. I live in Michigan, so now, like most, it's the reverse, I got more time than money and I mow it myself.

This type of stuff is cool. I need to do a fuel pressure test on my '97 Chevy K1500 5.7. I've never done a fuel pressure test before and was toying with the idea of making my own fuel pressure gauge.

Found this for a Dodge Caravan:

http://www.knizefamily.net/minimopar/quickfpg.html

Not sure how I'd have to change it to make it work on my truck, but seems like something you could have a good time doing and putting the effort into it would help me understand it better.

[Honey Bear]

Putting the transmission back in a buddies Mazda MPV ( will never do that again) there was a linkage that refused to go back in place. I took a 4 inch piece of 1/2 inch copper pipe drilled a hole through the side and cut a notch in the opposite end. Stuck a screw driver through the hole I cut and used the notch to guide the linkage in. Still have it in my tool box as a reminder to never do that again.

I have a pile of custom bent wrenches.

[jimmy_dong]

Not really a tool, but long, long ago the fuel pump crapped out on the '63 jeep I had. We were way the hell up in the mountains in Idaho fishing. I fixed it using my girlfriend's diaphragm. Had to buy her a new one.

alright, i give up. bob t wins this hands down. i laughed so hard, people were looking at me funny. well...funnier than normal. having worked in the oil field i have a drawer dedicated to one time, in a pinch, tools.

[$ilverado8405]

At work we have a couple of homemade punches that we use to drive the pins and bushings out of our flasks and molding tables. Basically it's a used stub pin with the flange ground down and a big bolt through it. Was looking at some stuff on the machines the other day and found that in the 80's BMM (British Molding Machines) wanted to sell us a punch similar to what we made for $225.00. Compared to a $12.00 stub pin and a $2.00 bolt I think we got the better end of the deal on that one.

[Rays4x4]

My torsion bar Key remover. Cost $0. It works for me great because I came up with it. You use my idea at your own risk.

http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k270/razvan76/Remove%20Torsion%20keys/DSCI0600.jpg
http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k270/razvan76/Remove%20Torsion%20keys/DSCI0601.jpg

[88GMCtruck]

I busted a timing chain bolt off a crank and drilled the bolt and hammered a torx bit in there and extracted it with an electric impact.

[Chev-350]

I've cut/welded/bent/ground down too manny cheap and in a pinch good wrenches too count and made a balljoint/tierod end fork out of 3/4 plate by cuting the shape out with a torch and ground down the point. Dad has alot of hame made wrenches from thing's too pull drive clutches on Kawasaki snowmobiles too bug special offset wrenches for working on skidder's.

[GreaseDog]

i just found a few more of my homemade tools...

2 pieces of 1x1 .125" wall tubing with properly spaced 5/16" bolts through them. one offset to the one end, and the other the bolts are centered... closet flange removal tools. :D and for those of you who dont know, a closet flange gets a toilet mounted on top of it.

found a piece of 3/4" flat stock with a 3/8" bolt welded through it, and 2 roll pins on either side of it. used to remove holding tank sensors from RV holding tanks.

in case you guys didnt already figure it out or know, i work as a repair technician in the RV industry.

[GreaseDog]

I'm not saying I haven't done this before (says the guy who just made some round 3/4" oak plugs to drive in wheel bearing races) but I have to wonder how much more these improvised tools cost then the actual tools if we factor in our labor time?

my labor is free when i'm making useful thingsh for no money. i actually enjoy it.