Looking for tools and tips to make working on my car easier and faster

[Michael_]

build one or two of these:

View attachment 1305088

I really don't get why so many people disagree that it severely sucks to change motor mounts in a working environment like mine.
If you did it you must know that it sucks. Even if you can do it in under 1 hour. (Which i can't at this point and i have no idea how someone else could with my environment and tools.)

 

[sam dupont]

then one of these:

Revell 85-8883 1/4 scale Visible V8 model kit Open box/sealed bags 2005 edition | eBay

Revell 1/4 scale visible V8, 2005 issue. Many are new/sealed, and others have been opened with parts added or removed. All kits are sold as-is.

www.ebay.com

 

[Michael_]

then one of these:

Revell 85-8883 1/4 scale Visible V8 model kit Open box/sealed bags 2005 edition | eBay

Revell 1/4 scale visible V8, 2005 issue. Many are new/sealed, and others have been opened with parts added or removed. All kits are sold as-is.

www.ebay.com

Did you ever change motor mounts on a real car or are you only building those scale models?

 

[Michael_]

@sam dupont Wait a minute are you making fun of me or is this really as detailed as the real car and this was real advice?

 

[sam dupont]

I really don't get why so many people disagree that it severely sucks to change motor mounts in a working environment like mine.
If you did it you must know that it sucks. Even if you can do it in under 1 hour. (Which i can't at this point and i have no idea how someone else could with my environment and tools.)

I have done most of my wrenching outside just like that. Outside and most of the time on gravel. In my profession and hobbies. I now have a 3 stall shop, but still do all of my welding and cutting outside to prevent a fire or damaging my cars with hot sparks that can travel a long way and settle into glass or paint.
I like the outdoor light, I can see better. I also like that paint or chemical sprays drift away and don't stink up my shop.
Make sure you have good jack stands and that they are on a firm base. I have 3/4 inch plywood cut to 16 inch squares to put under the stands when on rough ground. Cinders blocks are not advised as they can crack and crumble.

 

[PeteyDaMan]

The only thing I might suggest is a bottle jack, other than that you have the basics.
What I've always found is buying the correct tools as you need them.
Doing front end work, then maybe a pickle fork or ball joint separator.
Doing axle bearings maybe get a slide hammer.
Getting old and can't be bothered to crawl under the car any more, get a lift (FYI, best tool ever but you need a garage to fit it)

 

[sam dupont]

Models are very detailed without being too complicated. I built at least 50 models as a kid before I ever wrenched on a real car.
I would never make fun of a novice. After all these years, I'm still learning.

 

[Brandy]

You learn by working on your car as you are now.
You will add tools to your set as needs come up.
Good Jack's and jack stands are a must have. Stay safe.
I understand working outside and in a small garage is not fun.
We all at one point have been there. With experience you will start to see problems ahead of time, bolts that will twist off , ect.
Have you checked into car clubs in your area ,? Many times club members will pool their resources and rent a decent size shop building for working on their cars. Your doing fine , keep asking questions , pay no mind to the crap replies. Lots of good help here on this forum.
As time goes by sooner or later you will be able to help someone else and thats the way it is supposed to work.

If you read my project thread you'll be amazed to find out I did the whole thing in a one car garage. lol.

 

[Ron H]

Looks like nice Charger you have. As you ponder on your working environment limitations, what is it that you want to do with your ride? Remove the engine, or parts of it, rear-end, trans, re-do the suspension, brakes? What do you think you can do and not do – considering the resto or repair work? Bringing it up as folks posting have offered good tips for jacking up or elevating the car depending on the work to be done. Suspension hung free or under load? On a gravel surface, as posted, create a solid base such as ¾” plywood under the jack, stands, or lift. Ever notice the outrigger platforms crane truck use? Prepping the work area as well as planning the work to be done – yep, disadvantage without a paved surface; but options to get around this as posted. As well, if you're not experienced, reading the how to texts, FSM, etc is huge so ya know what you're getting into. If you're ride lived its life in a climate unfriendly to metal, count on hassles removing bolts/screws - soaking them generously with oil penetrants and shocking them a day or more before trying to remove them might help - some but no guarantees. Lol, could be the difference though getting a few more bolts out without having to cut or torch them.

 

[Virg464]

I see. Well then, it seems you are at the bottom of the ladder, and looking up. One way many guys get the experience they end up with is through jumping in and getting dirty. If not on your own car then on someone else's. Join a club and volunteer to help others with their repairs to gain experience. Buy a wreck and take it apart, down to the frame. Knowledge will be gained about many things to do with how the car was built and how things go together and come apart. Buy one that has parts on it that you can sell to your club members and to others here. Use the funds to work on your Charger. Do what I did and strip your car down to a bare shell and then build it into what you want it to be. heh,heh.....Yankee Express RestoMod Project
Also read the build threads here and elsewhere to get a feel for the pitfalls and solutions that others have found and overcome and shared. Get and read the owners manual, the shop manual and the part manual for your car. Go here; MyMopar and download all of them plus the wiring manuals too.

Couldn't agree more with finding a good car club, wealth of knowledge, skill, and the old timers know stuff that you can't find in books! Case in point: one way to get a pilot bearing out of the end of the crankshaft? Fill the void with bearing grease and insert a piece of round bar stock in the bearing hole, wack it with a hammer and hydraulically drive the bearing out!

 

[eldubb440]

you're lacking experience more than anything, and no amount of money can fix that...... you will learn something new every single time you work on your car

none of us had the internet back in the day, so you already have a head start....... as I mentioned in the other thread' "If it were easy; everyone would do it"

biggest issue is safety, it's very easy to lose an eye or a finger......pay attention!

 

[Michael_]

Looks like nice Charger you have.

Thanks
Yes thankfully it's a really solid car that just has some neglected maintenance to take care of.
Someone with experience and a nice garage would probably be able to fix the whole car in 1 week.

what is it that you want to do with your ride?

As of now i just want to get everything working so i can drive it around, no more than that.

Right now on my list
- Changing Driver Side Engine Mount
- Changing Transmission Mount
- Installing new fan and make sure its not making contact with the radiator anymore
- Changing Radiator
- Fix brakes pulling to one side
- Install new heater core, fix a/c (requires at least charging) & hook everything back up as currently bypassed
- Fix Clock (not working)
- Fix temperature and oil pressure gauge (Sometimes working, sometimes not | 99% sure the problem is inside the cabin/under the dash)
- Install new mufflers

After that i call it done and will start driving it around unless something else breaks which i do not hope.

Well i'm sure i will get it done eventually.
Of course more space and better equipment would help getting there faster & easier but at this point i'm confident i can get it done with what i have aswell.
(I probably would not attempt to pull the engine out in my driveway but the list above i hope i can manage to get done)

I will casually see if i might find someone willing & capable to help but if in doubt i will rather do it myself in my driveway. (The hard way)
Often the hard way is the best way as is widely known.
You know i feel like i have to protect this car. It's to original and nice so i can't risk getting it messed up by someone else. Better safe than sorry.

you're lacking experience more than anything, and no amount of money can fix that......

Very well said, 100% agree.

biggest issue is safety, it's very easy to lose an eye or a finger......pay attention!

Yes i just bought safety glasses because of that.
The idea of loosing a finger frightens me (i just thought of that yesterday). Because i'm a bit scared the engine oil pan might dents in while i have my finger at the engine mount.
I really hope that does not happen and that i do not have to be scared of that.

 

[eldubb440]

the fact that you are "hell bent" on working on your own car will go a long way......persistence pays...... good luck

 

[Michael_]

the fact that you are "hell bent" on working on your own car will go a long way......persistence pays...... good luck

Well as long as i do not blow up the engine or something like that i think i have a pretty good chance of getting the problems under control without external help.

 

[eldubb440]

keep asking questions...... this place is a gold mine of knowledge

 

[Ron H]

Thanks
Yes thankfully it's a really solid car that just has some neglected maintenance to take care of.
Someone with experience and a nice garage would probably be able to fix the whole car in 1 week.



As of now i just want to get everything working so i can drive it around, no more than that.

Right now on my list
- Changing Driver Side Engine Mount
- Changing Transmission Mount
- Installing new fan and make sure its not making contact with the radiator anymore
- Changing Radiator
- Fix brakes pulling to one side
- Install new heater core, fix a/c (requires at least charging) & hook everything back up as currently bypassed
- Fix Clock (not working)
- Fix temperature and oil pressure gauge (Sometimes working, sometimes not | 99% sure the problem is inside the cabin/under the dash)
- Install new mufflers

After that i call it done and will start driving it around unless something else breaks which i do not hope.

Well i'm sure i will get it done eventually.
Of course more space and better equipment would help getting there faster & easier but at this point i'm confident i can get it done with what i have aswell.
(I probably would not attempt to pull the engine out in my driveway but the list above i hope i can manage to get done)

I will casually see if i might find someone willing & capable to help but if in doubt i will rather do it myself in my driveway. (The hard way)
Often the hard way is the best way as is widely known.
You know i feel like i have to protect this car. It's to original and nice so i can't risk getting it messed up by someone else. Better safe than sorry.



Very well said, 100% agree.



Yes i just bought safety glasses because of that.
The idea of loosing a finger frightens me (i just thought of that yesterday). Because i'm a bit scared the engine oil pan might dents in while i have my finger at the engine mount.
I really hope that does not happen and that i do not have to be scared of that.

When wrenching consider what if’s: If my hand slips off the wrench, or bolt breaks…where is my hand going to end up? Whenever possible use a longer wrench or a pipe extension to increase leverage and thereby, less effort at least when trying to crack the bolt free. Look at possible options pushing vs pulling; got a lesson eons ago loosening bolts on a mill vice with greasy hands pushing rather than pulling (when direction is an option). Lucky I had safety glasses on as my eye struck a knob on the mill so hard it popped the lens out. I say lucky as my dear old boss back then would get on my case when forgetting to wear them. Sometimes I wear a pair of tight-fitting work gloves – mechanic gloves to save skin.

 

[4406bbl]

Most of us that do this work do not have the defeatist attitude you seem to have. I always know I can fix something, no question, a little research before any job helps. I changed motor mounts, and the auto transmission in a b-body on a gravel driveway when I was 18, all I had was a cheap floor jack, stands and a Craftsman 49 dollar tool set. My first snap-on tools were snap ring pliers so I could rebuild my auto trans....age 18 with a shop manual, and asking questions at the parts store that stocked trans parts. I can change those motor mounts in 2 hours on the floor no lift including drilling tapping and welding them for a bolt so they never break again. And I am in my 60s. Impact wobble sockets are the key, and attitude. You keep saying it needs more room, that is never going to happen. What you can change is attitude, you could also work out a little so it does not bother you so much. To be honest after 2 hernias, and a pinched sciatic nerve laying under a car feels better than standing up. No drugs, no beer, no aspirin, you just deal with it, my father would have kicked me in the *** if I ever complained like you.

 

[Ron H]

Most of us that do this work do not have the defeatist attitude you seem to have. I always know I can fix something, no question, a little research before any job helps. I changed motor mounts, and the auto transmission in a b-body on a gravel driveway when I was 18, all I had was a cheap floor jack, stands and a Craftsman 49 dollar tool set. My first snap-on tools were snap ring pliers so I could rebuild my auto trans....age 18 with a shop manual, and asking questions at the parts store that stocked trans parts. I can change those motor mounts in 2 hours on the floor no lift including drilling tapping and welding them for a bolt so they never break again. And I am in my 60s. Impact wobble sockets are the key, and attitude. You keep saying it needs more room, that is never going to happen. What you can change is attitude, you could also work out a little so it does not bother you so much. To be honest after 2 hernias, and a pinched sciatic nerve laying under a car feels better than standing up. No drugs, no beer, no aspirin, you just deal with it, my father would have kicked me in the *** if I ever complained like you.

Good advice. Though when I’ve encountered hassles where some serious thinking is necessary for some way out of my dilemma…I shout some expletives, maybe throw a wrench (in a safe direction) piss & moan some more, depending on how much deep-**** I’m in to get out, and then it usually comes to me on a fix it, sometimes after a night’s sleep, or ask members here, or car buds. One a those usually has worked sometimes with a beer or two in the mix.

 

[66Satellite47]

Michael, you talk about having a pit or a lift. I never had those, although I normally have a concrete floor and floor jacks and jack stands. You learn as you go, acquire the tools as you need/afford them. Good Luck!

 

[eldubb440]

there isn't any repair on these cars that cannot be done on the floor......I did manage to dump trans fluid all over Pop's driveway once, He wasn't happy