OLD TIMER CAR TRICKS

[Bad B-rad]

OK so reading the Marvel mystery oil thread,it gave me this idea.
What old school automotive car tips or tricks have you learned from an old timer?
This may be a great, fun way to not only learn some "NEW" old school tricks, but to pass on some cool knowledge that was passed on to you!


This is JUST ONE my grand pop, POP Kelly, taught me.

When dealing with a rusted bolt, that is fighting you as you attempt to remove it, he would grab a stick of BEES WAX, heat up the bolt, or nut (application depending )and smear the bees wax on it. Then walk away.
The bee's wax would melt, become a liquid, and as a liquid it will flow down the threads, into the rusted area.
once it cools, it acts as a lubricant between the two threaded parts, and he would just back it out no issues, maybe sometime he would have to work it forward some, then back, and repeat.

Ok I get it,  most people don't have bee's wax laying around, but they do have WD-40, or some canned spray.  I am sure this was a technique popular well before wd 40 or PB blaster, or zep 45.

Point is for us to share cool tips.(some tips may not be as easy as the modern options)
Again my POP was born in 1919, so he was around wrenching on stuff before a lot of us were even thought of.


Any one have anything to share?

 



 

[XH29N0G]

My dad's father (1911) took me out for a drive before I turned 16 to show me how not to drive.  Lots of wheelspin, erratic swerving,  scared me, but was fun.  He wasn't super mechanically inclined, but was someone I really enjoyed knowing.  My mom's father said to accelerate around corners and stick to the line.  When he was moving through the mountains of Greece in his alfa, it was fast and a little scary. No mechanical stuff from him either.  That came from my dad and the places I worked. 

[mr. hemi]

I worked in a service station back in the mid-seventies, when a station actually did service. There was this very senior citizen dude, retired Canadian army came in all the time with his '63 or '64 Chevy for an oil change. He insisted that one quart of oil be substituted with ATF. Said he had done that from new to keep it clean. I saw that engine with the valve covers off when we were changing a leaking gasket. It looked like it had never been run before. It was spotless inside. So that old timer's trick appeared to work out.

[BSB67]

I worked in a service station back in the mid-seventies, when a station actually did service. There was this very senior citizen dude, retired Canadian army came in all the time with his '63 or '64 Chevy for an oil change. He insisted that one quart of oil be substituted with ATF. Said he had done that from new to keep it clean. I saw that engine with the valve covers off when we were changing a leaking gasket. It looked like it had never been run before. It was spotless inside. So that old timer's trick appeared to work out.

That was a common practice. 

[Bad B-rad]

Pop Kelly also showed me a great trick on how to make a "TAP" to clean up stripped threads, with just a bolt.
I still use it today when a proper tap isn't around.
He would take a bolt that was the correct size and thread pitch, over to a bench grinder and remove the first few threads creating a slight taper on the end, then he cut a slit in the threads at about a 45 degree angle (length wise, ) while turning the bolt.  (so the slit wrapped around the bolt one revolution, think barber pole or candy cane stripe) 
Works most every time!!!

The strange thing is my POP's hands had the shakes BAD, from Parkinson disease, but as soon as he went to the bench grinder to put an edge on any blade, the shakes went away and he went straight as an arrow, solid as a rock. He could put a RAZOR sharp edge on anything 100% free hand, and I cant even do it with the correct "GUIDE" on my knife sharpener.

[Aero426]

I worked in a service station back in the mid-seventies, when a station actually did service. There was this very senior citizen dude, retired Canadian army came in all the time with his '63 or '64 Chevy for an oil change. He insisted that one quart of oil be substituted with ATF. Said he had done that from new to keep it clean. I saw that engine with the valve covers off when we were changing a leaking gasket. It looked like it had never been run before. It was spotless inside. So that old timer's trick appeared to work out.

Old school oils did not have the level of detergency that we have today.

[c00nhunterjoe]

Atf in diesel fuel was an old trick and still works good today for cleaning injectors. Used to fill the fuel filter with straight atf and run it through. Seafoam is another good one to use as a detergent in both oil and atf.

Then there is the brakefluid in the trans to swell hardened seals. Seen that one work 1st hand a few times. Temporary fix there for sure.

[HANDM]

I put a capful of brake fluid into a 79 camaro power steering pump once and sure enough it worked and stopped it from leaking.

Might just do it in the Charger PSP 

[Bad B-rad]

Atf in diesel fuel was an old trick and still works good today for cleaning injectors. Used to fill the fuel filter with straight atf and run it through. Seafoam is another good one to use as a detergent in both oil and atf.

Then there is the brakefluid in the trans to swell hardened seals. Seen that one work 1st hand a few times. Temporary fix there for sure.

YES SIR!!!
I also have used the ATF in the fuel filter trick!!!
Great minds think alike!!!
I will have to remember the brake fluid thing.

I have never done this, but heard about an old sleazy used car salesman trick, about putting saw dust in slipping automatic transmissions.
I guess it works to help slipping clutches, grab, and make the sale.

[Bad B-rad]

This is one I bet most of us have done, but I am sure it hasn't been nearly as common as it once was.
The old WD-40 on wet ignition wires.
I had a 74 Duster, with the leaning tower of power in 198CI!!!!!
If you drove it in down pour or hit a puddle just right, it would splash water on the distributer, and she run like shit.
Shut her down, spray with the WD-40 and good to go.
It is a wonder it didn't ignite, lol


 

[HANDM]

Water Displacement formula 40 For the win!

[Bad B-rad]

Water Displacement formula 40 For the win!

UPON further review, you didn't put your answer in the form of a question.

OH wait, the judges are gonna give it to you!!!!

[Kern Dog]

Yeah...If the 39th formula would have been a success, do you think that they would have used the name WD-39 ?

[Bad B-rad]

Well KD,
You know that the guy who invented it, worked for the government, because were else could you f%^K it up 39 times in a row, and still have a job to get it right on try # 40.

[HANDM]

Well KD,
You know that the guy who invented it, worked for the government, because were else could you f%^K it up 39 times in a row, and still have a job to get it right on try # 40.

You've never heard the quote "the road to sucess is paved with failure"?

[DownZero]

Old sneaky trick that was used when selling an oil burner with bad rings. Pour a tablespoon of comet ar Ajax cleanser down the cylinders. Lasted long enough to complete the sale

[Bad B-rad]

Well KD,
You know that the guy who invented it, worked for the government, because were else could you f%^K it up 39 times in a row, and still have a job to get it right on try # 40.

You've never heard the quote "the road to sucess is paved with failure"?

I can not argue with you, as you are 100% correct.
Most people, myself included, have learned a lot from failure.    

That being said, a guy who has a can of turn polish as a profile pic, MUST know a joke when he sees it, even if it wasn't a very good one!!LOL




Now the question I have to ask myself is, what can I learned from, my joke failure? LOL




I never heard of the Ajax one, but I know a bunch of old timers swear by a product called SANI FLUSH to clean/flush out a dirty cooling system.

[Bronzedodge]

Old sneaky trick that was used when selling an oil burner with bad rings. Pour a tablespoon of comet ar Ajax cleanser down the cylinders. Lasted long enough to complete the sale

I knew of this used car gur up in the country.  He'd wash a car with Ajax then paint it.  Lasted long enough for a sale, then the new paint would fall off.   

[Back N Black]

Using a screw driver as a listening device to diagnose noise in the engine.

[Bad B-rad]

Using a screw driver as a listening device to diagnose noise in the engine.

That is a GREAT one!!!!


Funny, I totally forgot that one!

[DownZero]

I've done that many times.

[timmycharger]

Never did this one myself but did people adjust points on a distributor with a matchbook cover or was that one of those stories that existed along with a car with a 3/4 race cam and the try to grab the dollar off the dash BS..  

[DownZero]

Never did this one myself but did people adjust points on a distributor with a matchbook cover or was that one of those stories that existed along with a car with a 3/4 race cam and the try to grab the dollar off the dash BS..  

It's real. Did it often back in the day. Good luck finding matchbooks now.

[HANDM]

Never did this one myself but did people adjust points on a distributor with a matchbook cover or was that one of those stories that existed along with a car with a 3/4 race cam and the try to grab the dollar off the dash BS..  

It's real. Did it often back in the day. Good luck finding matchbooks now.

And don't forget to "sand" the points first with the striker on the matchbook!

[dual fours]

Starting fluid to set/pop the beads on a tire. Then add the required air.