Modified and fabricated tools - Show & Tell

[RogerH]

Hi Alan,

simple answer - No.

Obviously they have a fixed diameter. I had to open this one out from 86mm (my first engine in the 90's) to 87mm (my present engine set up).

 

If you wanted one making then I could do that. I would need to know the bore size and if the top of the bore is flush or chamfered.

The one shown is some fancy aerospace stainless material but a decent cast iron (similar to model making stuff) would do perfectly.

 

Roger

[littlejim]

 

Same idea as my bent spanners, post 1, jim!

 

Bit rich for Merc to nick it!

John

That's not a bend! THAT'S a BEND!!!

Merc din't supply it, my gas/oxy torch did.

Edited July 1, 2017 by littlejim

[john.r.davies]

OK, Jim! Pace!

He's steals ideas, you copy others, I do research!

 

Roger,

I regret that such superb turning work may be beyond me, but I will store the idea for future use, and claim it to be my own!

Could the introducer (that seems to compress the pistons rings with merely a light push in the Bentley video! Does yours do that?) be made in aluminium? Or is it too soft to compress the rings?

 

And, there is a large chamfer at the top of the bore (of TR4s?)? I always though the bore and chamber edges should be as sharp as possible, compatible with strength. menaing the lightest of a bevel to take the ultimate edge off, or else a seal failure is more likely. Wrong?

And if - IF - you don't have a chamfer for location, would such a flat fit, located by the studs (if they are all symmetrical about the bore), allow the rings to pass?

The conventional hand ring compressor, spring steel and a ratchet, is so clumsy! I want to be able to use yours!

 

John

[RogerH]

OK, Jim! Pace!

He's steals ideas, you copy others, I do research!

 

Roger,

I regret that such superb turning work may be beyond me, but I will store the idea for future use, and claim it to be my own! Sadly it is not a money maker just a convenience

 

Could the introducer (that seems to compress the pistons rings with merely a light push in the Bentley video! Does yours do that?) be made in aluminium? Or is it too soft to compress the rings? Ali is too soft.

The sharp edges of the ring would scrape Ali into the bores. Probably a decent T6 Ali Alloy may work.

For mine you need to gently tap it down the tool with a wooden hammer

 

And, there is a large chamfer at the top of the bore (of TR4s?)? I always though the bore and chamber edges should be as sharp as possible, compatible with strength. meaning the lightest of a bevel to take the ultimate edge off, or else a seal failure is more likely. Wrong?

My 86mm liner had no chamfer

The 87mm liner have a chamfer - apprx 0.5mm or so may be a tad larger.

I thnk this is too small to worry about failures.

 

And if - IF - you don't have a chamfer for location, would such a flat fit, located by the studs (if they are all symmetrical about the bore), allow the rings to pass?

The tool for 86mm liners was free to float around to gain its centre - it worked well.

 

The conventional hand ring compressor, spring steel and a ratchet, is so clumsy! I want to be able to use yours!

The standard compressor had a problem with the chamfer. It could work but also not work.

 

John

 

Alan, above, may be interested in one.

If you want one I would be happy to turn one up for you but I would need to know the sizes and with/without chamfer and size of chamfer

As mentioned, cast iron used for model steam engine wheels has got a self lubricating softness to it that would work.

 

Roger

[Drewmotty]

Modified chuck key to fit surrey top rear thumbscrews.

[stillp]

Old Flymo blade repurposed as an overdrive drain plug C-spanner.

 

Pete

[Hamish]

IMG_20170701_1451442611.jpg

Old Flymo blade repurposed as an overdrive drain plug C-spanner.

 

Pete

That made think if a motorcycle shock absorber c spanner would work ? Have a few of them somewhere ?!?

[harlequin]

I do like the mower blade c spanner. I have a tea chest in the the corner of the garage full of assorted crap (never throw anything away) including I am sure an old mower blade, it is an endless source of raw material.

 

George

[john.r.davies]

When installing the gearbox and getting tht input shaft to mate with clutch plate and crank, it's useful to put the 'box into top gear and wiggle the output flange.

But that needs a vice-like grip on the round flange.

 

I just did this job and used a tool I'd made earlier. Two bolts in the flange holes joined together by a piece of scrap plate.

 

 

It's worked before but this time the job was a b*gg%r, and the edge of the plate wore into my hand. So I made up another one, again from scrap bits.

Much more confortable!

 

 

John

[Fireman049]

Great idea John ~

 

Tom.

[john.r.davies]

And another - am I boring you?

 

The front, lower stud on the exhaust manifold leaves little room to swing a spanner. The cast-in engine mount is only 120mm from the stud. Don't know what it's like with an OE manifold, but with a tubular, it allows a full length one to turn the nut only half a flat at a time, and that's by turning the spanner over every time.

 

A cut down spanner does the trick. I've added a length of copper tube over it, as you are expected to apply 20lb-ft to this fasteners, and it's easier on the hands. The spanner and tube are drilled and wired togther, covered with tape to spare the fingers from the wire end. AND, a length of steel rod fits right inside the tube, so that the final tightening can be with a longer lever.

 

John

Edited August 2, 2017 by john.r.davies

[Richard71]

Idea came up in another thread - tools you have modified or even fabricated yourself, that may be useful to others.

 

Here's two of mine:

 

Angled spanners. I have Malcolm Jones's 'overhead' Pi throttle linkage, that has droplinks down to the butterfly spindles, between the throttle bodies. They need to be adjusted for length, and have small spherical bearing at each end, with opposite threads, so the link bar can be turned to do that. But the lock nut at the bottom is inaccessible without these 8 and 10mm spanners, whose open ends have been cut off and welded back on at an angle.

 

angled spanners 001.jpg

 

Limited access puller. The radiator is right in front of the engine on a Vitesse, no space to use a convenional tripod puller. I made this to do the job. It's a bar with short 'jaws' at each end, bolted on so that the distance from the jaw tip to the bar can be adjusted by spacer washers, for different thicknesses of pulley. Place it across the pulley and undo the pulley bolt. As the bolt comes out, the pressure on the bar pulls the pulley off. A useful trick is to place a small bead of weld exactly where the bolt head centre presses on the bar, which stops it wandering off centre.

 

Limited Access Sprocket Puller (2).JPG

 

What have you got?

JOhn

 

 

When John started this topic I got in touch and asked him to make a pair of these spanners for myself (my metal joining skills leave a lot to be desired),

I sent him an 8 & 10mm spanner and he replicated what's in the pic. Fit perfectly with the angle spot on!

 

Richard.

[RogerH]

Hi John,

yesterday I modified an aging set of leather punch pliers (the ones with 6 punches on a wheel).

 

I needed the two side frames (that held the wheel) to press on a Lift the Dot fastener and force the legs through the fabric.

This also had a solid base to work against.

 

 

 

 

Roger

Edited August 7, 2017 by RogerH

[Fireman049]

Nice one Roger ~

 

Thanks for the tip!

 

Tom.

Edited August 7, 2017 by Fireman049

[Lebro]

Just made this:

 

Following a conversion from Lift the dot to Tenax fastening along the top of the screen.

This was in the hope that it might hold the hood tighter to the screen rubber, & prevent wet knees when driving over 40 MPH !

 

It seems the Tenax fasteners are much more critical on being in exactly the right place. I removed the LTD's, & used a 5/8" punch to open up the centre hole for the Tenax. Then fitted the Tenax , using some clear silicone underneath to seal the 4 tiny slits required for the LTD. After a large struggle have just managed to get all 10 fasteners popped down. but now exhausted !

 

I also found it very hard to grip the buttons enough to pull them off again, so made the tool.

 

Next step is to slacken the locking ring on all but the end ones, re-fit, & mark the exact center required on the hood, then remove & shift the fasteners to those positions & re-tighten.

 

Nothing is easy is it

 

Bob.

[Fireman049]

Give me the hood arrangements on the Big Healey '100' and the MGA!

 

These cars have the hoods fitted permanently to the hood frames and are secured at the front by two over-centre clips.

 

Very easy to erect in a Force 10 Gale!! No need to faff around with a million Lift-a-Dot fasteners!

 

Tom.

[Lebro]

Have now opened up the holes a bit, & shifted the fasteners sideways. did you know they are exactly 5" apart (except the end ones).

 

Got fed up with using the fiddley tool supplied, so made my own from an old screwdriver, & a bit of blacksmithing to spread the end.

 

 

Bob.

Edited August 9, 2017 by Lebro

[Geko]

Home-made bonnet release handle TR4-6. From under the dash push the grommet located under the bonnet latch bracket out of the way, insert the handle with the hook oriented upwards, catch the bonnet release lever with the hook from underneath and pull the handle to release the bonnet springy pin. The bend in the rod does matter.

Edited August 17, 2017 by Geko

[barkerwilliams]

Dare I mention one that is so blindingly obvious, but I have never seen documented.

 

If you need a 1/4" square drive for the brake adjusters take an allen key of suitable strength, eg 8mm, fit the hex side of a 1/4" drive 8mm socket onto the allen key and you have a 1/4" square drive socket

 

Similarly a 3/8 drive socket onto an allen key gives a 3/8 square socket, and yes you've guessed it a 1/2" drive socket gives a 1/2" square drive socket.

 

 

If allen keys are too amateur and you want the "pro" range of dodgy tools you can use a coupling nut (the long nuts used to couple two rods together) between two sockets back to back and then use your standard extension, ratchet wrenches etc.

 

Apologies if it is too basic.

 

Alan

Edited August 10, 2017 by barkerwilliams

[Dave Larnder]

Alan

 

Yes I have done that before but can´t remember what for, not for the brake adjuster as I have a 1/4" spanner for that.

I do you a similar method to get at the G/B filler/level plug through the tunnel using a straight piece of old allen key cut to length and into a standard 3/8" drive socket.

 

Bob

Your first picture looks like an old picture hanger from years ago. Your second one is too complicated o make for me so I just use that little tenax key in a mole grip to get them undone or tightened.

 

Dave

[JohnG]

Can I add one?

 

The diaphragm on my '6' drivers seat gave way at a very inoportune moment and when i came to repair it, I was struggling with pliers, trying to get the clips out of the frame.

 

I made this out of a surplus 5" long screwdriver.

To be fair, it could do with being an inch or so longer, but, it serves the purpose.

Took about 5 minutes to remove the diaphragm from the passenger seat.

 

It made fitting the new diaphragms a doddle, even with the additional foam I added.

Edited August 11, 2017 by wjgco

[john.r.davies]

There are a number of Shiney Little Tools (SLT)on sale, as piston stops. See below.

Such a tool is very useful when finding true TDC, because the dial gauge shows how long the piston dithers at the top of its stroke. Thanks to the accumulated tolerances, it can be several degrees between a discernable up and down movements, so where is TDC? The stop finds out, by halting the piston in midstroke, when its movement is greatest per angle moved by the crank. As a stop does so in both directions, at the same point, TDC is exactly halfway between these two positions. (Further details in TRaction, 290, p.47-49, "Equal LIft on Overlap")

 

But the SLTs only stop the piston a few millimeters below TDC, and so are not as useful. This tool does the job if you are rebuilding the engine, and still have to install the head:

 

 

It bolts onto the block over No.1 bore:

 

 

But if the head is already on, the a stop that goes down the spark plug hole is all you can use - that's what the SLTs do. But this is better:

 

 

An old spark plug, with the porcelain insulation beaten out of it, together with the central electrode. I threaded the inner bore of the body to take a length of 10mm threaded rod, with a nut welded to the top end, and the bottom where it will contact the piston rounded and smoothed. A lock nut on the rod completes it. Now I can insert this into a plug hole, and adjust it for length, so that the piston is stopped where I want it to. As the plug faces across the bore, this is limited by the rod hitting the bore wall on the opposite side, but the range includes mid stroke, where it needs to be.

 

John

[Dave Larnder]

John

With the head off, why not use a DTI?

 

Dave

[john.r.davies]

As I posted, Dave, "because the dial gauge shows how long the piston dithers at the top of its stroke.". There is a distinct arc of crank movement in which even a DTI will show no movement at all. OK, take the middle of that, but that's subjective. The stop does the same, objectively and in a part of the cycle where piston movement per degree is much greater.

 

John

[Richard71]

I've just dropped a similar post on the TR6 sub-forum.

 

6" long brass rod, 12mm diameter with a 4mm slot for priming oil pumps on 5s & 6s (not sure about the other engines in the TR range).