Another 5 Project Car Hacks

G'day kids, Workshop Manuel here again to drop some knowledge and keep you entertained as you attempt to dodge the Christmas season food coma. A bunch of people reached out to say they dug my blog post on 5 Project Car Hacks (see HERE) so here are 5 more...

HAMMER TIME

Got a screw that is stuck fast and you don't want to risk rounding it? Find a screwdriver which fits the head as tightly as possible, and then give the end a solid whack or 2 with a mallet. This is often enough to shock the threads and loosen it just enough to allow you to undo it.

This works on trim pieces exposed to the weather, as well as in heavy-use areas like door strikers on old cars.

DEEP CLEAN 

Oven cleaner and a cheap gasket scraper are a banger of a way to carve thick, oily, greasy sludge off parts you want to handle. BBQ cleaner is basically the same stuff, but costs a bit more.

Oven cleaner works best if you leave the object you're cleaning in the sun so it is warm to touch, then drag it into the shade while the foam detergents do their thing. Remember to wash it off thoroughly, especially on aluminium parts, as you want to stop the acidic process, and also remember to wear PPE while using it. 

Follow it up with a heavy duty degreaser to really deep-clean parts. CT20 Truck Wash is a great one, while there are industrial degreasers which can be heated to work even better than the cheap aerosol stuff.

BOG ROT

If your project has a section of thick body filler, don't try to grind or sand it off. I have done this and the mess is incredible and it's insanely slow. Instead, head down to your local hardware supply store for a Butane torch, a good mallet and a couple of cheap paint-scrapers. 

Heat the areas of filler with the torch until you hear a crack or a pop, then hold the paint scraper along the panel (do NOT hold it perpendicular to the panel) and gently chisel the filler off in big sheets. This will knock the bulk of the filler off in large, easy to clean chunks, and you can then go  over the remainder with sanding discs to get back to bare steel.

CUSTOM O-RINGS 

You can make custom O-rings at home, even for parts which need to be fuel- or oil-rated. Industrial supply stores sell a huge variety of O-ring cord diameters and materials, which you buy in a length and cut to the size you need. A drop of superglue on each end of the cut cord and you're good to go with a custom O-ring to seal any manner of projects (like the custom fuel pump cradle in my custom fuel tank above). 

You need to cut the cord dead-on square to give the best sealing surface when you join the ends together, so invest in a brand new knife or blade for the job.   

MARKED FOR CUT

If you need to mark a spot on metal to drill a hole then you need a centre-punch. However, what happens when you can't fit the punch in place? There are paint pens like the Marxmate GripIt which can fire a shot of paint up to 50mm which will show you the centre-point, which you can then punch and drill to precision.

For deeper holes a long Phillips-head screwdriver can also be used as a centre-punch in emergencies, or using the straw from a can of lubricating aerosol attached to a spray paint can to make the spot to drill.