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Let's see your custom tools - the ones you can't live without...

HT413

Semi Pro Bowler
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Alright fellas, time to breakout those customized tools - you know, for that bolt that no tool could reach, those spark plugs that *almost* had you tossing those headers in the bin.

Here's mine - after installing my Stealth heads and Flotech ceramic coated headers, I realized my tried and true spark plug wrenches just won't work anymore. In fact, nothing would, so I had to get creative...

Had to modify the socket to clear the headers so I could slip it onto the plug. Then had to cut down a wrench so it would clear the header pipes as well. Now a once impossible job is actually pretty easy - I can swap all 8 plugs in minutes and all from the topside.


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I use this for screwing around corners. :sideways tongue:

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Actually designed it to remove my front speakers originally.
Nowadays it gets used for knocking out door hinge pins around the house. :hello2:

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Don't have a picture of it but I used a Craftsman standard screwdriver, the biggest one, to make a tool to get the center caps off my 04 3500 Dodge [ of course!!!] dually. What I did was heat it up and bend about 3/4" of the tip 90* to make an L. This allowed me to get the caps off. The factory tire tools don't have anything to pop the caps off. Go figure! Another custom tool, or actually no tool needed, is for taking out torsion bars. I'm working on a 74 e-body right now so I'm going to verify that what I did to get some bars out of a car in the salvage yard was not a fluke. If it works again, prepare for some video.
 
Here's another dandy I came up with after a rash of cursing... front and rear trans seal puller offer courtesy of a piece of rebar and a few minutes on a bench grinder.

On the front, work it around the seal between seal and shaft kinda like a can opener and the seal just pops right off. The rear might have worked great too with the rear shaft still in place, but it worked well enough without.

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Don't have a picture of it but I used a Craftsman standard screwdriver, the biggest one, to make a tool to get the center caps off my 04 3500 Dodge [ of course!!!] dually. What I did was heat it up and bend about 3/4" of the tip 90* to make an L. This allowed me to get the caps off. The factory tire tools don't have anything to pop the caps off. Go figure! Another custom tool, or actually no tool needed, is for taking out torsion bars. I'm working on a 74 e-body right now so I'm going to verify that what I did to get some bars out of a car in the salvage yard was not a fluke. If it works again, prepare for some video.

I use a brake adjusting tool to pop off the poverty hub caps on our B body cars. The end with the 45 degree angle works well.
 
Don't have a picture of it but I used a Craftsman standard screwdriver, the biggest one, to make a tool to get the center caps off my 04 3500 Dodge [ of course!!!] dually. What I did was heat it up and bend about 3/4" of the tip 90* to make an L. This allowed me to get the caps off. The factory tire tools don't have anything to pop the caps off. Go figure! Another custom tool, or actually no tool needed, is for taking out torsion bars. I'm working on a 74 e-body right now so I'm going to verify that what I did to get some bars out of a car in the salvage yard was not a fluke. If it works again, prepare for some video.

Can't wait for that video, I'd love to see something better than the ol' vice grips and hammer.
 
The old 7/16" header bolt wrench.

Alternator pulley adapter made from a couple scrap PM punch clamp rings. Enabled use of my 3 jaw puller.

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Hey 64post, what does the front of your dolly look like without the engine? I need to make something like that for when I drop out the innards on my 65.
 
Hey great idea! A modified engine stand could work....
 
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Not exactly a tool, but it's indispensable to me when pulling engines...

What the hell do you mean "not exactly a tool"??, that's exactly what it is and a fine one at that.
A tool is something that has a special function, the more functions it has the better tool it is.
That's why I don't mind when people call me a "tool".
 
Come on guys cranky just found out he's Japanese!

Did anyone get that ? From the other post !
 
Cool idea for a thread.

Here is my window fuzzie remover, made from a metal ruler. Prevents paint chipping. The business end is at the bottom.
 

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I like this thread idea. I don't have much to contribute yet but I do like the idea of making tools to get certain jobs done.

I wanted to see if I could make a cheap way to bend some relatively thin metal. Has 1/2 bolts on the right and left to tighten the bar down to the metal to be bent. This works for me and I plan to make a beefier version for thicker gauge stuff.

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