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Custom Tools... What Have You Made To Make Your Life Easier?


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I made these out of old screwdriver handles and new brake lines.   I use them to fish electrical wire through fire walls and other tight places.

 

Remove the handle from the driver, drill a hole in the handle that provides for a friction fit for the brake line when you press it through.   Boiling the handle before you press the line makes for a nice tight fit.  

 

These are cheap and easy to make so I don't hesitate to bend, shorten, replace, etc. the brake line when I have to. 

 

Wire Threaders.jpg

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This is a "hose hooker" that I use for loosening up rad and heater hoses that are "stuck" and you can't get off after removing the hose clamp.   Not always but I can usually get the hose off without damaging it. 

 

It's a pick/awl that I just heated up with my O/A torch and curled the end.

Hose Hooker (800x531).jpg

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My aim isn't all that good so I built this punch/chisel holder out of scraps that I had laying around the garage.    The brass "holder" part is part of an electrical ground rod/strap. 

Punch Chisel Holder 2 (800x531).jpg

Punch Chisel Holder 1 (800x531).jpg

Punch Chisel Holder 4 (800x531).jpg

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46 minutes ago, PCO6 said:

This is a "hose hooker" that I use for loosening up rad and heater hoses that are "stuck" and you can't get off after removing the hose clamp.   Not always but I can usually get the hose off without damaging it. 

Hose Hooker (800x531).jpg

It's a pick/awl that I just heated up with my O/A torch and curled the end.

 

Your "hose hooker" tool reminded me of another tool I use for pulling spark plugs wires. To remove the stubborn boots you can get this handy Lisle "boot hooker" tool that makes the job easy. And no, I didn't make it, but for $9 I figured it wasn't worth it.  :laugh:

 

51bK1yd19fL._SL1164_.jpg

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13 minutes ago, johnj92131 said:

PC06:

 

I like the punch/chisel holder.  Good safety tool.  Don't forget gloves when you hold the tool.  Helps reduce the shock to the hands.

Thanks John.   I wear gloves for 2 reasons - vibration and as mentioned my aim isn't very good ... even with the holder! 

 

That's not me in the picture btw.   I hired a hand model for that.   :roflmao:

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2 hours ago, HOrnbrod said:

 

Your "hose hooker" tool reminded me of another tool I use for pulling spark plugs wires. To remove the stubborn boots you can get this handy Lisle "boot hooker" tool that makes the job easy. And no, I didn't make it, but for $9 I figured it wasn't worth it.  :laugh:

 

51bK1yd19fL._SL1164_.jpg

Don - I pulled the spark plug wires off of my parts XJ on the weekend and you're right ... they're stubborn.   I used a pair of wire puller pliers that I think were also made by Lisle.   I've never seen one like the tool you posted but I can definitely see how it works and that it can probably get in to pretty tight places. 

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  • 3 years later...

Not really a permanent tool here, but more of a tip in that this one is now in the scrap metal bin.5793363C-ED2D-45C2-9EE2-035DECA2C890.jpeg.241cf0f6f9b33788341f1b8a17309a15.jpeg

I was changing a tierod end on one of our trucks and wanted to clean up the threads inside the tie rod, but didn’t have the right size thread chase. I honestly don’t know what the right size even is. So I wire wheeled the old tierod end, and used a cutoff wheel to put some grooves down the length of the threads. Worked a treat.

I’ve also done this with bolts when I knew there was a good chance I’d damage a “real” thread chaser. The flat tip on a normal thread chaser isn’t great for especially crusty threaded holes, and the grooves often are small and get packed full pretty quickly, so I’ve cut wedge shapes into the tips of bolts along with much wider grooves for chiseling through bolt holes particularly full of junk and evacuating more of it. 

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