Starting Out As A Poboy Mechanic

[68 Ford Stepside]

When I started out as a mechanic, I had enough wrenches & sockets etc. to get by on, but had to fabricate special tools to get the job done. I will post a few of them here with explanation. In the first photo you are looking at adaptors I made to screw into the spark plug holes of various engines.

If someone brought in a car or truck & it was skipping on one cylinder, the first thing I would check would be the spark plug & plug wire. If they were good, I would have to use my thumb as a compression tester. I would have someone turn the engine over while I held my thumb over the plug hole. If the compression didn't move my thumb away from the hole, I knew there were only three reasons it could be. A burnt intake valve, a burnt exhaust valve or a problem in the cylinder itself.

That's when I would screw in one of my adaptors & apply 90 psi of air to it after positioning the piston of that cylinder at top dead center on the compression stroke. If the air noise came from the carb, intake valve. If the air came from the tailpipe,exhaust valve. If the air noise came up through the oil fill tube or valvecover, piston,rings or cylinder problem.

It was a simple cheap way of finding the root of the problem. Have A Great Ford Day!

[68 Ford Stepside]

For pulling the steering wheel or even some motorcycle magneto covers, I made a heavy duty cheap puller.






For priming a rebuilt engine, I made several oil pump primers from old distributors.

[68 Ford Stepside]

Back in the sixties when I saved enough cash to buy this Penske tester, I thought I was in high cotton.

[sargentrs]

We had a thread going around earlier this year about home made tools. http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 14&t=65575 Peruse it at your leisure. Yours would have made a nice edition to the thread I wish I had one of those analyzers now. I had a friend give me an old dwell/tach that looked similar to that and I used it extensively on my bump. Thanks for bringing those to us!

[68 Ford Stepside]

We had a thread going around earlier this year about home made tools. http://www.fordification.com/forum/view ... 14&t=65575 Peruse it at your leisure. Yours would have made a nice edition to the thread I wish I had one of those analyzers now. I had a friend give me an old dwell/tach that looked similar to that and I used it extensively on my bump. Thanks for bringing those to us!

I might try that soda blaster tool. I buy soda at Sam's Wholesale in 2lb. bags all the time.

[sargentrs]

I actually made that one myself and used it to soda blast my carb. Worked like a charm and so cheap and easy, it's disposable. Or in my case, scavengeable for other needs, like when you lose your blowgun or need a siphoning hose

[fbomb100]

Back in the sixties when I saved enough cash to buy this Penske tester, I thought I was in high cotton.


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WO W I own one of them!!! that very one is in my garage on the shelf I bought it from my neighbor 15 yrs ago( he knew me from birth) along with many other tools he was selling at his garage sale!!
and as for the oil primer dizzi trick I made one for every make of motor I have built from old dizzi ..Its better than buying the oil primers..and I learned that for old time mechanics like you my friend

[Montana71-F100]

Those tools are amazing! Thanks for posting.

[68 Ford Stepside]

Can any old timers tell me what this wrench was used for ?






When I found out what a a/c service vacuum pump cost, i built my own. Couldn't tell you how many a/c systems i used with this unit. It will pull 28" vacuum all day. Cost me less than $20 to build.




Handy old time tool for finding electrical shorts.

[sargentrs]

Can any old timers tell me what this wrench was used for ?


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Turning a crank pulley? Or tensioning an alternator?


When I found out what a a/c service vacuum pump cost, i built my own. Couldn't tell you how many a/c systems i used with this unit. It will pull 28" vacuum all day. Cost me less than $20 to build.

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Now that's ingenious! I had a similar bench grinder made from an old washing machine motor.

Handy old time tool for finding electrical shorts.

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That looks handy.

[68 Ford Stepside]

[quote="sargentrs"][quote="68 Ford Stepside"]Can any old timers tell me what this wrench was used for ?


[ Image ]
Turning a crank pulley? Or tensioning an alternator?


I won't say just yet what that wrench is for. Let's see if anyone else knows.

[68 Ford Stepside]

I use to dislike very much using my little hand held vacuum tool to remove the heavy oil from a third member. While at a hospital auction one day i bought this little vacuum pump for $10.00. The best money i ever spent.



Another handy hand held meter i used way back.



Believe it or not what you are looking at is a valuable tool around the shop if you have young children. I use to tie a string on this toy i made & my son must have pulled it around at least a hundred miles. Kept him from getting into mischief like playing in the full oil drain pan.

[jamesrtw]

I am loving this thread! Useful ideas and tips to build your own tools. By putting it on the internet it keeps this good info from being lost.
I've been saving this stuff off for future use. Thank you 68 Stepside!

[68 Ford Stepside]

Can any old timers tell me what this wrench was used for ?


[ Image ]
Turning a crank pulley? Or tensioning an alternator?


I won't say just yet what that wrench is for. Let's see if anyone else knows.

Years ago not too many vehicles had a fan shroud & the fan was really close to the radiator. That wrench was designed to reach between the fan & radiator to loosen & tighten the bolts. In many cases it was easier to go ahead & remove the radiator.

[sargentrs]

Ingenious tool! I can't count how many times I've scraped my knuckles trying to reach around or inside the fan shroud to get those bolts out.