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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2014: Leave your helpful tip here.
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tyrone Thomas - Topeka KS on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 09:38 am:

For the benefit of all of us.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Zachary Dillinger on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 09:41 am:

Don't use ferrous wire to tie your transmission band ears together for reassembly.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Noel D. Chicoine, MD, Pierre, SD on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 11:27 am:

Use zip ties instead for holding tranny bands


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Burger in Spokane on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 12:35 pm:

Never eat blue food.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chris Olsen on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 12:56 pm:

There is no such thing as blue food.

Keep a couple of old spokes around. They are durable and can transfer power from a hammer into tight spots when needed.

Epoxy comes off with enough heat, so does locktite.

Having a small pringles can full of kitty litter is useful.

Use Whitworth taps on your projects if you hate people.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Chad Marchees on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 01:05 pm:

MAP gas torch.

You can get them at most home improvement stores complete with self igniting torch heads for about $60. The best compact thing to loosen stubborn nuts and bolts without having to breaking out the big oxy acetelene torches--if you have them, which I don't


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By john kuehn on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 01:05 pm:

Use a float or trickle charger to keep your battery charged.
If you don't drive your T all that much they will help you battery last a lot longer.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 04:03 pm:

Bring an umbrella to Hershey.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Eric Sole - Castelldefels (Spain) on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 05:54 pm:

If you have to tighten or loosen a fastener in a tight place or it's dark or you just can't quite identify if it's a Philip's head, slotted head, torx, hex (allen) or whatever; just push your fingertip onto the top of it for a moment and the impression will stay for a few seconds. That's long enough to see what kind of driver you need to bring over to the car from the tool box. You might not see the exact size of a torx or hex but it will put you in the ball park.
I've been doing this for years and never gave a thought about it until someone saw me do it and just thought it was the neatest thing.
Hope someone else finds it useful. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 05:58 pm:

Well,....! I sure wouldn't have thought of it! Great tip!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kevin Whelihan on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 06:03 pm:

Don't trust your memory in getting mechanical things reassembled correctly. Take lots of pictures BEFORE taking stuff apart.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 06:10 pm:

I bought one of those cheap Chinese bench-top drill presses like Harbor Freight sells, and made a pretty powerfull machine out of it with a pretty cheap & and simple modification:

Such drill presses have a step cone pulley on the motor, and an identical cone pulley on the spindle. I just installed another cone pulley in the middle on a spring loaded swing arm for tension, and two short belts instead of the one original long belt. Several more belt combinations for slower speed now, and lots more power,....just right for drilling metal.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Harold Schwendeman - Sumner,WA on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 06:18 pm:

I should have said what I used for bearings for the center step-cone pulley that I added:

I found a discarded pair of inline skates on one of my trips to the dump and used a couple of the ball bearings from the skate wheels. They're a pretty good bearing, in fact, they're handy for lots of things. To hold the bearing in the big end of the cone pulley, I just cut out a round disc from a sheet of plexiglass and cemented it in the pulley with JB Weld.

If nothing else, I'll bet "Mr. Thrifty" would like my "free sealed ball bearing" idea from inline skates (or skateboard) at the dump,.....ha,ha,......harold


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Darren J Wallace on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 06:22 pm:

When cranking your T, always watch your spark lever.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 06:33 pm:

To expand on Darren's tip, right after you shut the T off, set the spark lever fully up and the throttle lever a few notches down in preparation for the next start. That way, even if you forget to look at the levers before the next start, odds are in your favor that they will be in a safe position. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robert Poane on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 07:27 pm:

Tip#1: When putting a nut on a bolt in a tight spot, like under the starter motor and fire wall area of the frame, wrap tape (any tape) around your finger of choice sticky side up. Stick nut to tape on finger and hold it in place while you screw down with other hand.

Tip #2: Put all you got on Blue Bonnet in the third race!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Wrenn on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 07:28 pm:

Kevin: "UH-OHHHHH"!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dick Lodge - St Louis MO on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 07:35 pm:

Does "Never draw to an inside straight" qualify? :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 07:37 pm:

If your timer is like mine, it needs to be cleaned fairly often, and if not for the need of two-hands to unbend and remove the tiny cotter-pin in a space where there's only room for one hand, I could sleep through this simple bit of routine maintenance.

I've used pointy awls, diagonal-cutters and needle-nosed pliers to straighten out the cotter-pin and one way or another, getting the stupid little thing unbent and out of there takes ten or fifteen minutes.



Okay, so I'm a pathetic spazz. -Anyway, the answer to this problem is a simple little hitch-pin clip. -You can pluck it off with a long-nose pliers and put it back on the same way. -Simple. -Is using a cotter-pin really all that difficult? -Nah, but why do it any way other than the easiest?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Gary H. White - Sheridan, MI on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 08:36 pm:

Never test for high voltage with a wet finger.

Seriously: Keep a log of what paints, glues, hardware, materials, methods, etc. that are used on a long term project. Trying to remember which black paint was used on a part so it can be matched on a later added part can be frustrating.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Norman T. Kling on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 08:57 pm:

Bob,
Just use diagonal cutting pliars and cut the head off the cotter pin. Then pull the bent ends out. When you are ready, replace with a new cotter pin.
Norm


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Rodney Aspenson on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 09:10 pm:

I like your idea Bob... did the same thing on my T.. works like a charm!!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Shirley on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 09:16 pm:

Use a hacksaw to clean and reshape the slot in screws. If a cotter pin is too hard to remove, back the nut off with the pin in place, it will shear right off, and then you can punch it out without the nut in the way. Set drill bits and taps up in an index so that the proper bit and tap are together, drill a hardwood block in pairs of holes, do this one time and you won't spend time looking every time you need to drill and tap a hole.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Strange on Friday, October 10, 2014 - 09:33 pm:

Norm, great tip, now why didn't I think of that? I have spent way too much time straightening out bent cotter pins so that they can be extracted. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By michael grady on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 01:07 am:

No such thing as blue food??

What about blue m&ms??


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 01:40 am:

The long, brass cotter-pins that secure the hinges of 2-man tops can snag and rip clothing—not to mention skin—and brother, I'm very, very glad it happened to me before it happened to some car-show spectator who would have had every right to become furious over it.



After a little beard-stroking, I came up with the idea of covering the ends of the cotter-pins with flexible rubber tubing (the kind available at hobby shops that sell it as fuel line for model airplane engines). -Leave about 3/8ths of an inch of rubber tubing hanging off the end of the cotter-pins. -It's easier and looks neater than some kind of adhesive tape.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dale Peterson College Place, WA on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 01:48 am:

Or blueberries


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By David Chantrell - Adelaide, Australia on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 05:13 am:

Always drive on the left hand side of the road in Australia & New Zealand.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Will Copeland - Trenton, New Jersey on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 07:22 am:

When storing coils for the winter put them in a freezer bag with a couple of cup of dry rice and seal. It will stop any corrosion of the points. When its time to use them just pull them out and blow off any rice dust.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Shirley on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 10:06 am:

Cut the head of the rivet off with a cold chisel and use a punch to drive it out. Old school, but less danger messing up with a drill. Those little pins on brake cams- very carefully grind them flat then use a torch to heat the area just enough to discolor the pin or the area around it highlighting the pin. Works on the control rods too.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Todd on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 11:44 am:

Use key rings instead of cotter pins on things that have to be dis-assembled and re-assembled frequently.

When installing heavy parts that use cap screws (bolts) to hold them on, install a couple of headless studs first, the studs will hold the part in place while you install some of the bolts, then remove the headless studs and install the remainder of the cap screws.

Don't eat yellow snow.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Burger in Spokane on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 11:45 am:

Just before he died, Grandad said "Never eat blue food".

I think he was referring to hams and spaghetti.

I didn't read anything more into it. :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tim Eyssen - Abilene TX on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 01:37 pm:

Bob: I do the same thing with "Thread Protectors" from a hardware store. They are sealed on one end and work good.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Robert Poane on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 01:56 pm:

Bob S. - I pulled the cotter pin out enough to cut off the head then pulled out the strips with pliers. Great Tip!!!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Keith Townsend ; ^ ) Gresham, Orygun on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 03:50 pm:

Cut big rubber bands out of old 30 x 3" inner tubes or bicycle inner tubes to secure folded tops bows that rattle.

: ^ )

Keith


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Burger in Spokane on Saturday, October 11, 2014 - 04:17 pm:

Oh yeah, ... he said "Don't eat inner tubes" too.

ESPECIALLY the blue ones ! :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Ken Todd on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 11:16 am:

When pressing axle gears down to remove the keepers, some of them gears are so tight that the axle wants to bow out in the middle. I use a piece of 1-1/2" square tubing w/3/16" wall over the axle to keep it straight.

Talk slow, think fast.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By G.R.Cheshire on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 11:41 am:

Invest in sweat bands for your forehead on high humidity days...having sweat go in your eyes just before you get that cotter pin in that small hole leads to prolific use of sailor vocabulary.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Burger in Spokane on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 02:18 pm:

Keep your fingers out of the spokes of moving cars.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bill in Adelaida Calif on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 04:18 pm:

Never ever get behind an old Volkswagen bus going up a steep hill. I saw that message on a bumper sticker on the rear bumper of an old Volkswagen bus going up a steep hill many years ago.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joseph Geisler on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 06:11 pm:

If you park your old T in a small garage like I did when going to college in the early 60's. Which IS the usual way to park one and I had been doing this for a while. But one morning it was cold and my other car wouldn't start so I took the T! Upon hand cranking it it crept forward pinning me to the wall except for the fenders. Thank God the crank was not caught in its chuck or I would have really been injured!!!! You cannot shut off the engine either. Hand break was ON! Doesn't hold all the time I found. I got out by climbing over the front fender but very, very shaken!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Joseph Geisler on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 06:15 pm:

Concerning the joke about blue food. When I was in College and working in the cafeteria. We had meat that had some mold on it and a bluish tint. The head adults running it had us scrape the mold or blue off of it and were told to cook it real good (hot). I kid you not!!!!! We did throw some of it away. But I had never heard of doing that. I would not do it now (45 years later).


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Val Soupios on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 06:27 pm:

Joe, if it has a choke ring up front pull that and it will stop it.
Along those lines, in the winter up north if you run 30 weight oil like I do, it helps to jack up one rear wheel to start when cold. Block a front wheel and you won't have to worry about it creeping forward and there will be much less resistance for cranking. I even do it for cold starting in the summer because I often get a free start that way.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Shirley on Sunday, October 12, 2014 - 08:07 pm:

The donut magnets from speakers are great around the shop. I use one on the drill press to hold the chuck key. They are also great for holding the oil can on the mill or lathe.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By G.R.Cheshire on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 12:33 pm:

for those of you who have forgotten
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eXQf0JG8Uj8


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Nicholas Lingg - Tarboro, NC on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 02:51 pm:

"Life is too short to use worn out sand paper"


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John H. Nichols on Tuesday, October 14, 2014 - 02:56 pm:

In case I missed it,

Never eat the yellow snow.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Michael R Beary on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - 02:10 pm:

For years I have been using a small air hammer with a tool that holds diff screw driver bits. Give the rusted screw some vibration, start working it back and forth and more often than not, the screw will come right out. Used it this morning on the four screws holding the glass clamps on 26-27 roadster windshield. I will be able to reuse all the screws.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By justin cox on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - 04:44 pm:

That slot in the top of the cap on your rattle cans is to hold the small red straw when it is not being used.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Will Copeland - Trenton, New Jersey on Wednesday, October 15, 2014 - 04:49 pm:

Use a paint can opener to pull out your Hayet bearings.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Borland. Bathurst. NSW. Australia. on Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 12:36 am:

Be kind to you mother and don't bet on the horses.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warwick Landy on Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 05:28 am:

Always take the key out of your coilbox ignition switch before removing the band inspection cover


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mike Kossor on Thursday, October 16, 2014 - 05:44 pm:

If your tired of cleaning your timer fairly often or sending your coils out for adjustment, it may bE timer to consider a maintenance free electronic timer. :-)


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