"custom tools"

[02camaro86]

what custom bent wrench or welded socket conglomerate have you guys used for one specific job?

i havent had the need yet to make any custom tool. i have probably been in a situation where a custom tool would have helped but i struggled away with regular equipment.

pics would be awesome. maybe i will copy an idea.

 

[G-Ram]

"custom tools"

Oh, there are times I wish I could bend, grind, weld something to get a job done. Sadly, we have a strict "no modified/non-engineered tools" policy at our site.

 

[J-R0d]

I have several. In most cases it is for automotive uses. I had to modify a distributor wrench significantly for one of my old cars. Ended up grinding the thickness of the wrench, etc...

I've had bolt issues where I had to grind sockets to clear (both shorter, and in some cases thinner)

 

[3dd13]

I've cut wrenches in half to get into tight places, also cut a slot almost the full length of a 7/8" socket to allow for the wires on oxygen sensors...this was before you could buy a socket already made for the job. This is just a few of the modifications I made back during the 80's and early 90's as a mechanic at Buick dealership.

 

[94_C/1500]

I have two. One is a 1/2 inch extension with the male end cut off and the OD for an inch or so turned down with a bench grinder by maybe a 1/32. It's for chevy v8 pilot bushing removal. Fill the hole of the bushing with grease and beat the extension in. You're basically using hydraulic pressure to remove the bushing. My other tool is just a smaller sized pickle fork with the inside ground down to for around the shaft for a pitman arm.

 

[shoggoth80]

Most of mine are at work, and they are predominantly bent wrenches of one variety or another. I have a 9/16" EGR wrench, but the stock bend of it allows ****-all for torque. It's been bent more in a vise to get better leverage. This is good for removal, and installation. Those bolts go through heat cycles, and can be a bit tough to get cracked loose. I ran into ONE once that used 10mm bolt heads (different year), and for that, I bent a 10mm wrench, and used another wrench through the open end as a t-handle. My box was issued to me, and I made sure to keep every odd, fabricated piece. It came from a guy who retired... I figured a lot of those were made for a reason.

Made my own holder for crank hubs. A pipe, squishing, and a couple bolts later... did its job. Also used an old crank pulley hub+ old bearing race to make a seal installer for the crank seal. Used some air line, and standard fittings to make an air supply line for measuring and cutting brake cans. Made my own test wires/test leads at work. Lots of modifications from need. I'm not sure how the guys who issue tools still think basic industrial standards (if that) actually cut it 100% of the time. Oh yeah... they guys who do that, don't wrench. Lol.

 

[four.cycle]

no "regular" wrenches or sockets, but I do have a couple screwdrivers that were slightly "modified" to fit down into the slots on metering jets on some oddball carburetors without distorting the soft brass jets, and I had John Wolf (Wolf's Welding) tweak a #2023 Indestro distributor wrench for me so that it would work on a 1.1L Opel Kadett.
my garden/trail work tools, on the other hand, are a different story. "customized" my D-ring by using heavier steel stock for the two arms that hold the blade, and replaced the OE (short) handle with a heavy hickory (longer) shovel handle. brush hook has had a couple modifications as well. replaced the short, D-ring handle on spading fork with a long shovel handle and pinned the tang with an iron rivet. outdoors, miles from the trailhead, bulletproof is better.

D-ring by four.cycle, on Flickr

 

[crewchief888]

slightly modified 1/2 X 9/16 matco half moon wrench.

bent and straightened to access 1 bolt in a JD crawler transmission...

 

[Milton Shaw]

I have a pair of channel lock type pliers that I modified the jaws on to hold a Briggs and Stratton condenser to install the kill wire in. That plastic clip that came with them was the pits when you did more than one a day. I worked in a mower shop when I was in high school back in the dark ages when I did this. I have also modified a few wrenches to reach things like Tarus motor mount bolts. Sometime nothing available commercial will do the job, but will be available in 6 months after you finish the job.

 

[Exceller8]

One idea that I got from here is to cut down an old pipe wrench. I haven't had a need to use it yet but I'm sure it will come in handy when I do.