shoggoth80
Well-known member
I think we may have all seen them. Necessity is the mother of invention. Lol.
My employer issues the mechanics their tools. My chest belonged to a guy who retired. I do not have a complete "by the list" set of tools yet, but it's an ongoing, slooooow process. It's ok, I mind, but not a whole lot. However, one little bit of gold... homemade and modified tools.
Examples:
A differential center pin with one end ground down to a cone/bevel, which makes lining the spiders back up easier when reinstalling axles. A 9/16" wrench bent at an angle for easier access to certain fasteners. Re-angled obstruction wrenches. Got a 9/16 box end wrench that was specially designed to get under EGR valves...with an extra bend put it in...which makes all the difference when actually attempting to put some torque to the bolts. I took about an hour the other week making a special bar for holding crank hubs so I could unbolt them, and reinstall without too much effort, as I would otherwise have to remove a too many other components to make the clearance needed. Ugly as can be, but functional. Also bent a longer 10mm off at an angle (again for EGR valves, but with older fasteners).
What bits and bobs have you modified or made to make life easier?
My employer issues the mechanics their tools. My chest belonged to a guy who retired. I do not have a complete "by the list" set of tools yet, but it's an ongoing, slooooow process. It's ok, I mind, but not a whole lot. However, one little bit of gold... homemade and modified tools.
Examples:
A differential center pin with one end ground down to a cone/bevel, which makes lining the spiders back up easier when reinstalling axles. A 9/16" wrench bent at an angle for easier access to certain fasteners. Re-angled obstruction wrenches. Got a 9/16 box end wrench that was specially designed to get under EGR valves...with an extra bend put it in...which makes all the difference when actually attempting to put some torque to the bolts. I took about an hour the other week making a special bar for holding crank hubs so I could unbolt them, and reinstall without too much effort, as I would otherwise have to remove a too many other components to make the clearance needed. Ugly as can be, but functional. Also bent a longer 10mm off at an angle (again for EGR valves, but with older fasteners).
What bits and bobs have you modified or made to make life easier?
