What trick tip's ya got?

[danny gabbard]

to help everybody out!! any trade!  Machineing, wood working, painting, welding,metalwork bodywork, assembly, cool story's that have saved your ass !!!!

[Jim Ratto]

how about cheating on homework?

[danny gabbard]

is there another way? this is a true story, I got a D in metal shop in highsckool the teacher wanted me to make an ash tray, and I didn't even smoke so I did not make it , Go figure, huh.. now I make big ash tray's for a liven.

[team97]

is there another way? this is a true story, I got a D in metal shop in highsckool the teacher wanted me to make an ash tray, and I didn't even smoke so I did not make it , Go figure, huh.. now I make big ash tray's for a liven.

What grade did you get in English?







Just kidding!

[danny gabbard]

here's something I do when fitting exaust tube's . I take a hose clamp, punch about 3 or4  3/16 hole's in clamp. then rap the two tube's I'm tacking together with hose clamp and tack tube's through the clamp. tack hose clamp off and weld tube. everything is nice and centered.

[Tony M]

cool trick - got an F in auto shop - was class forman and the teacher drove a 66 bus w/a reevco oil cooler on the side - i had my baja and was working at my dads vw shop for about 6 yrs allready - he would say something about a vw and i just had to correct him - must have really pissd him off - flunked me - but go t even - sliced his oil cooler hose just enough to get on the freeway going home to tracy from castro valley and boom - about 10 years later when working at buggy house he came in to buy some thing and revenge was soo sweet - that nice sign in every store that says we refuse to help any one - well it got used that day - kicked his ass right out of the store - he asked to see the manager - that was me  - sorry to get off topic - but had too

[Jim Ratto]

here's something I do sometimes, especially when helping a guy set up his own motor (this is for geometry)

We know that at half lift, the adjuster screw (if at valve end) should be inline with axis of valve stem. Sometimes it is hard to see that imaginary line, so I pull out adjacent valve from head, and take out spring and retainer and insert valve backwards, in through rocker side of guide, so the stem/head protrudes out towards valve cover...that way you have a reference point to judge by.

if it is a ratio rocker motor, with screws at pushrod end, I make sure pushrod and adj screw are in same axis at 1/2 lift.

the 8mm studs at case that pin the cam plug in, I use VW seal nuts (like oil pump), to help seal the stud and washer.

Let me think of other things.... it will be engine related....if that is ok.

[Bill Schwimmer]

Don't pee into the wind. Always worked for me

[stealth67vw]

Don't pee into the wind. Always worked for me

And don't eat the yellow snow. Learned that one from Frank Zappa. I wasn't smart enough to learn that on my own. 

[Zach Gomulka]

A simple upholstery related tip... before installing a headliner put in all of the screws that hold stuff into place (visors, visor clips, pull straps, coat hooks, pop outs, etc.). That way once the headliner is installed you can feel the screw heads (instead of guessing where the holes are) and screw them out through the headliner.

[Rick Meredith]

Don't pee into the wind. Always worked for me

Don't tug on Superman's cape either! 

[Rennsurfer]

I don't care what anyone says... but I always found that punting on the first down works excellent.

[John Rayburn]

I don't care what anyone says... but I always found that punting on the first down works excellent.

                                       I usually take a 9 iron.

[Rennsurfer]

I usually take a 9 iron.

I'm gonna be a gentleman and not touch that one.

 

[John Rayburn]

Chicken.

[Speed-Randy]

measure twice, cut once.

[Fastbrit]

Simple one – doing the valve clearances: if you start at TDC on #1, turn the engine backwards 180° to do #2, then pop that side's valve cover back on. Go to the other side, turn motor back another 180° and do #3, then repeat to do #4.

Alternatively, start with #4, turn forward by 180° then do #3, followed similarly by #2 then #1. Either way it means you're not crawling from one side of the car to the other and back again.

[stealth67vw]

Simple one – doing the valve clearances: if you start at TDC on #1, turn the engine backwards 180° to do #2, then pop that side's valve cover back on. Go to the other side, turn motor back another 180° and do #3, then repeat to do #4.

Alternatively, start with #4, turn forward by 180° then do #3, followed similarly by #2 then #1. Either way it means you're not crawling from one side of the car to the other and back again.

This whole time, I thought everybody did their valves like this. 

[Fastbrit]

Simple one – doing the valve clearances: if you start at TDC on #1, turn the engine backwards 180° to do #2, then pop that side's valve cover back on. Go to the other side, turn motor back another 180° and do #3, then repeat to do #4.

Alternatively, start with #4, turn forward by 180° then do #3, followed similarly by #2 then #1. Either way it means you're not crawling from one side of the car to the other and back again.

This whole time, I thought everybody did their valves like this. 

You'd be amazed...

[Rennsurfer]

Chicken.

B-GAWK!

[Neil Davies]

to help everybody out!! any trade!  Machineing, wood working, painting, welding,metalwork bodywork, assembly, cool story's that have saved your ass !!!!

Anything at all? Ok, a gallon of vinegar and a cup of salt makes really good weed killer! Apply only on a hot day when no rain is expected. 

[ian c]

ok , if werre giving stoopid tips , i'm pretty usefull !!!

you know when 2-ply toilet paper gets out of sync , and the perforations are no longer in line ??

simply seperate the 2 pieces , and give the top one 1 full turn .

this should bring the perforations back in sync .

nb : on very rare occasions , 2 full turns are needed !!

[Casey]

To keep it on track here, I used a small plastic mixing cup, and cut the bottom off to just fit over tubing to help with getting the right angle on my exaust.  Mocked it up and turned cup till it looked good, used a sharpy to out line and then cut it. It still took me 3 days to get it just the way I wanted it though.
What is your trick to this Danny? Trying to get a muffler and tube to meet up at a bend is a real bitch. Lets just say I had alot of practice bends left over!

[ian c]

if you dont have access to pipe-fitting tools , angle cutter , or even an angle-finder ,

cut both square , hold to correct angle , and measure gap .

divide by 2 .

this is how much you will be losing on one side of the cut .....

mark pipe at 0 , 90 , 180 , and 270 degress .
0 will allways stay at your zero reference point , and 180 will be the figure you worked out earlier .  the others will be half the figure ....

mark on the 4 points and cut to angle ... 

HEY VOILA !!!

its basically like cutting angle iron/timber/doorframes etc ....  if you want a 90* angle , you cut the 2 pieces at 45*

[Casey]

After reading my post I realize I should have gave more info. I did this on pre-bent "U" bends. When you cut these on the "bend" the angle and size of the cut (oval on the bend) are difficult to line up on a "straight" pipe from the muffler. The cup helped me match up to the straight better. This also was helpfull in marking how I wanted my end pipe cut to look.

[ian c]

mmmm

even some of the highest spec elbows are made oval due to stretch in the bend .

i have the forumula writ down somewhere , but i have not had to use it for years .

if no proper tools are available , we sometimes have to make a butt-clamp by welding pieces of angle onto a g-clamp .
this icould also be usefull for "making" the pipe fit the out-of-shape fitting !!

but i dont condone that sort of thing .

[Rennsurfer]

ok , if werre giving stoopid tips , i'm pretty usefull !!!

you know when 2-ply toilet paper gets out of sync , and the perforations are no longer in line ??

simply seperate the 2 pieces , and give the top one 1 full turn .

this should bring the perforations back in sync .

nb : on very rare occasions , 2 full turns are needed !!

Finally! Some worthwhile information. All I'm worried about is eating food and making sure the sewer pickles all end up in the toilet. Thanks, Ian. You are truly a gentleman. I shall carry forth this newfound knowledge should the situation avail itself.

[ian c]

no probs !!

i busted my ancle drunk whilst working in ireland a couple of years ago and because of the injury i couldnt fly home .
spent a week trapped in the house ...... mainly playing guitar and watching discovery channel .

if you need to know how things are made . ie : nails , beer barrels , jigsaw puzzels , false eyes ... i'm your man !!!

[Speed-Randy]

back to valve adjusting. with the car jacked  up and tires chocked, remove breast plate tin, put car in gear, to rotate engine simply rotate tire while watching bottom pulley until marks line up, never have to crawl out until finished with job.

[danny gabbard]

that,s the same way I use to adjust the valve's on my ole trials bike randy