On Sat, 5 Apr 2008 13:21:51 -0500, "Backlash"
wrote:
I have a vice I use for that kind of thing that is not bolted to
anything. Use it as a combination large vice-grips and anvil.
I bought it on the road one day to replace a "U" joint on my van that
let go on the side of the interstate just outside Gary Indianna one
labour day weekend. (we had to change the joint IN THE TRUCK because
the bolts would not come out on the rear diff flange - so my CHEST
ended up being the workbench.
The cost of a cheap vice is negligible, and becomes part of your
arsenal of tools to attack many other jobs in the future.
Best to learn how to do something right first - then when you need to
bodge something, you know what you need to "duplicate" to do the job.
Whew! that's about as ugly a road repair as it gets. You have some very good
points to consider. Sounds like the time at about 18, I pulled the
transmission out of my girlfriends MG midget, on the ground, then was later
told I should have pulled the engine to do the job. I had to rotate the
tranny over several times to get it out through the maze. It was a bitch.
As a side suggestion, beginners can start out with a small vise mounted
to a 2" receiver hitch tube if they have the a vehicle available with a
receiver hitch. This should cost about $35 for a setup, and will allow a lot
of work to be done with very little. Various attachments made to go into
these hitches can suffice for a lot of jobs. Control and rigidity is the
major part of mechanical endeavors.
RJ
Yea, I've had my fun over the years!!
Lost the engine mount on my '67 Peugot 204 wagon between Lusaka and
Livingstone Zambia - 4 in the tree shifter locked up so I only had 2
gears. No mount in the country at the time so I pulled the mount and
welded in a chunk of steel pipe to keep the engine up off the shift
linkage.
Then heading down a back road (again in Zambia) with my '49 VW I
stripped out the spline in the left rear brake drum. No drum for that
model available so I took one from a '62 and cut about 1/2 inch off
with a hammer, cold chisel, and a dull hack saw (mostly hammer and
chisel)
Had the hood latch let go on a VW 412 wagon (again in Zambia)at 75MPH
- went straight up and never touched the roof- had to weld the hinges
together and tie the hood down with rope until I could get a
replacement latch assy.
When I got to Lusaka on that trip I scrambled a drive shaft "U" joint
and had to change it on the side of the road - one wheel on the curb,
and me underneath in the gutter. Luckily there was a joint available!!
Then there was the "U" joint on the Aerostar that I mentioned
previously - and about a month ago I was to the International Auto
Show in Toronto and the rad drain plug on my '95 Pontiac TransSport
broke off, dumping all the antifreeze on a Saturday. I got a can of
spray foam insulation and blew a wad of it into the drain hole - it
held antifreeze long enough to get the 70 miles or so back home to
Kitchener.
Having spent many years as a mechanic I knew what COULD be done, and
what HAD TO BE DONE, and just did it.
"Freddie" wrote in message
...
I'm making a bracket for my racing seat. I'm trying to use the
original mounting holes in the car (a 96 Miata) which are angle away
from each other. My plan is to get a pair of 19" x 2" x 1/4" steel
strip to mount the seat on.
I need to bend the two ends of the metal strip about (20 and 30
degrees). My question is, how can I bend the metal strip with common
garage tools?
I was think to position the metal strip between 2 thick pieces of
metal and use my trailer and jack stand as a vice to hold it near
horizontal. Then use my car jack to bend the metal. I can use a
welding torch to heat the metal if necessary.
Thanks,
Freddie
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