Little tips and tricks

[82sbshortbed]

I was thinking this thread could be for little tricks you figured out that others might like to know. That way when they run into that problem or job it's going to be easier knowing that.

This one is no big deal and some might already do this but, when I shine up chrome I like to use #0000 steel wool for it. Works great! I don't even spray any cleaner or anything. Just get on it if it's not all greasy and too dirty. If so I'll wash it first.

This is the alternator bracket I shined up.

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Comes out nice and Shiney

I'm sure a lot of people can post things like this that maybe you didn't know. Even if it's something simple as this.

It works great for getting bugs off windshields, chrome bumpers, rims and other chrome stuff.

 

[Camar068]

First one to mind is the Coca-Cola on battery terminals to eliminate corrosion if she won't crank while on the road.

 

[FireTruck1984]

Here’s a tip, Change out the 3 bolts that fasten the center caps to Rally wheels.
They always rust and are asymmetrical…
5 polished stainless button heads look a lot better.
probably what GM should have done,

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[Ellie Niner]

Here’s a tip, Change out the 3 bolts that fasten the center caps to Rally wheels.
They always rust and are asymmetrical…
5 polished stainless button heads look a lot better.
probably what GM should have done

Holy crap. I never noticed that they did that with the 5 lug wheels... I'm used to looking at the ones on my 4wd, which are symmetrical. Your implementation *does* look far better.

 

[Grit dog]

The Pex door latch fix.
Find the button on the back of the headlight switch to release the headlight knob when replacing headlight switch.

 

[Mr Clean]

Turn any nut and bolt into a Nylock. Cut a small piece of fishing line. Put it through the nut, tighten down the bolt. Works great on Nut Certs, when you don't want the bolt to back out.

 

[FireTruck1984]

Loose and floppy Air Conditioning vents are a common problem
and in my opinion… a GM design flaw.
I always put a Rubber Washer on one of the pivot pegs before snapping
the vent into the dash trim or gauge bezel.
The vents now stay exactly where I aim them and never “flop”

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[FireTruck1984]

When installing new outside door handles,..
The instructions will tell you to stick the gaskets to the Door, even the LMC video shows this.
No matter how careful and precise you are, you will never get a perfect alignment


The Trick is to use the gasket for the opposite side and stick the gaskets directly to the handle…now you will have perfect alignment of gasket and handle. It’s the little details !

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[Ken B]

great idea. will be following this and adding when might be helpful

 

[Grit dog]

Turn any nut and bolt into a Nylock. Cut a small piece of fishing line. Put it through the nut, tighten down the bolt. Works great on Nut Certs, when you don't want the bolt to back out.

Nice one! Never heard of that.
Also get a nut or bolt with stripped threads to grab by inserting a piece or 3 of stranded copper wire into the bolt hole before threading in.
Depending on how bad and how big of diameter depends size of wire or bare wires vs insulation intact.

 

[Grit dog]

Antiseize on anything you want to come apart again easily. Loctite on anything that comes apart when you don’t want it to!
Actually I rarely use thread locker unless specifically called for or is a problem bolt and an ad hoc repair. Generally one should find the cause of a fastener that repeatedly comes loose on its own.
Antiseize , growing up in the rust belt, is the ultimate mechanics helper!
I’m certain there are many people I don’t even know who have thanked me, indirectly, after disassembling something on a vehicle I used to own!
Guy who bought our old Ram truck last year, I still talk to him (we actually traded trucks so we have his “old” 2016 because he wanted a 5.9 6 speed), got new wheels and tires and the tire shop told him “someone anti seized the wheel lugs. Cleaned all that off. Could make the wheel come loose”.
He said wtf? Truck has 200k on it. Don’t you think they would have come loose by now if it was a problem?

 

[Grit dog]

Heat to break loose rusted nuts and bolts. If one hasn’t followed my previous tip, or it’s exhaust bolts, heat the nut or whatever the bolt is threaded into. Not the piece with the male threads.
Mapp gas works ok but slow and not as good on large fasteners.
Acytlene torch is mo better

 

[Blue Ox]

Stretch an O-ring around your universals. It's like Vi-agra for them.

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**** I can't believe this forum censors the name of a pharmaceutical.

 

[Bruce Wingate]

Antiseize on anything you want to come apart again easily. Loctite on anything that comes apart when you don’t want it to!
Actually I rarely use thread locker unless specifically called for or is a problem bolt and an ad hoc repair. Generally one should find the cause of a fastener that repeatedly comes loose on its own.
Antiseize , growing up in the rust belt, is the ultimate mechanics helper!
I’m certain there are many people I don’t even know who have thanked me, indirectly, after disassembling something on a vehicle I used to own!
Guy who bought our old Ram truck last year, I still talk to him (we actually traded trucks so we have his “old” 2016 because he wanted a 5.9 6 speed), got new wheels and tires and the tire shop told him “someone anti seized the wheel lugs. Cleaned all that off. Could make the wheel come loose”.
He said wtf? Truck has 200k on it. Don’t you think they would have come loose by now if it was a problem?

I've kept a jar of copper antisieze in my toolbox ever since I started working on airhead BMW's. Pretty much every fastener going in gets a dab.

 

[Grit dog]

I've kept a jar of copper antisieze in my toolbox ever since I started working on airhead BMW's. Pretty much every fastener going in gets a dab.

Copper stuff is good for high temp too. Never used it much but anyone on here with a 4.6 Ford V8 (and maybe some of the others I don’t have memorized which engines spit out spark plugs from not enough threads and which ones stick and break off).
Bought an 06 cream puff Mustang GT a couple years ago. 30k miles never seen rain, in Portland, lol. One of the first things I did was replace the spark plugs, they are known to stick, bad.
Even on a car that effectively was only a couple years old based on mileage and condition, they were squeaky and difficult to remove.
Copper antiseize on the threads and the shank portion that is the actual problem with this design. Removed a spark plug recently just to see if they were getting sticky at all after almost 2 years. Came out like butter!