Repair And Fix it

Antique auto body tools recount the early days of car manufacturing. Henry Ford, the great industrial giant, according to Eye Witness to History, was an example of early 20th-century entrepreneurs who made automobiles affordable for the average working person. The Ford Company established factories with assembly lines of workmen who manufactured cars on a daily basis. Many of the tools these early workers used to construct and repair automobiles are now modernized and remain in use today.

Deluxe Tool Box

The deluxe tool box was initially designed for the 1928 and 1929 Model A Ford, according to Snyders Antique Auto. This tool box mounted under the radiator, between the front fenders. The deluxe box is situated best when the radiator apron is removed. Its locking lid is ribbed and is curved identically to the shape of the fenders. This box was an accessory and when it was installed it would block the crank hole.

Basic Tool Kits

Basic Model A and Model T Ford auto body tools kits included an array of gadgets, many of which were modernized and still used today. Tire irons were usually unpainted and stretched 10 inches long for maximum gripping, according to Model T Restore. Oiling cans were common as were wheel jacks, air pumps and adjustable wrenches. Antique pliers often included a screwdriver blade attached at the bottom of the handle. The heads of pliers opened a maximum of 1 1/4 inches. All pliers were branded with the Ford insignia and remained unpainted.

Accessory Tools

Grease guns were plated with solid nickel and gasoline sticks were fashioned long and lean for easy measurements. Antique tire gauges were attached with iron hexagon bolts. Once tightened, air pressure would trigger the needle in a handheld gauge, which would display the reading. According to ValveLock, Balloon Standard Tire pressure gauges read pressures from 0 to 80 psi.

An auto body repair or restoration project can often come to a sudden halt if welding is required. Welding requires extensive specialist knowledge and expensive equipment that many enthusiasts might not have. There are also instances where auto body panels cannot be repaired by welding because of fire risks. This leaves car enthusiasts with little choice but to find an alternative method to execute the repair and there are some simple fabrication techniques that provide excellent results with the need for welding.

Instructions

1

Take a P80 sanding disc and place it onto the pad of a random orbital sander. Sand the damaged area thoroughly until a surface of bare metal has been exposed around the repair. Ensure that an additional two to three inches of additional exposed metal is sanded back beyond the area to be repaired. Paint edges should be feathered out to assist with the priming process at a later stage.

2

Mark a square two inches outside the damaged area with a metal scribe. Drill a half-inch hole into the middle of the square to allow access and use an air-fed nibbling tool to cut out the square, making sure that the guide stays just within the confines of the scribed line.

3

Take a panel flanging tool and create a flange around the cut area of the auto body panel. The flange needs to be deep so that the addition of a metal patch will produce a flush surface. Apply a light coating of zinc spray to all bare metal as a means of protecting against corrosion and while this is drying, find a suitable piece of scrap metal in the same gauge as the auto body panel and cut out a patch that will fit exactly into the flanged recess. Use a piece of cardboard to act as a template if required.

4

Lay the metal patch into the flanged hole and secure into place on the corners with masking tape. Take the drill and make a series of holes through the patch and the flanged area, making sure the patch stays in place. Two to three holes on each of the four edges of the square will be sufficient. The holes need to be big enough to accommodate the rivets you will be using in the next stage.

5

With the patch still held in place, insert rivets into the holes and activate the rivet gun so the metal patch is secured to the flanged recess. Complete all the way around the square until every hole has a rivet attached to keep the patch in place. Use a panel hammer to tap down any high spots and to ensure the heads of the rivets sit below the surface of the auto body panel.

6

Apply a coat of galvanized body fill over the repaired area. Leave the filler to dry then sand down with a flat block and P80 grit sanding paper. Several applications of body filler may be required before a completely flat surface is assured.

Changing the valve body in your 1994 Ford Bronco with automatic transmission can give you more control over the shift points of your transmission as well as fix valve body-related transmission problems. With the right tools, this is a job that can be accomplished in around three to four hours.

Instructions

1

Place wheel chocks in front of and behind one rear wheel. These can be 4-by-4-in. blocks. Jack the front end of the Bronco up enough that you can comfortably slide under the transmission area. Place the jackstands under both sides and caully lower the vehicle onto them.

2

Push the drain pan with the umbrella over it under the rear portion of the transmission where you can reach it from under the transmission pan. Bringing the tools, slide under the truck inline with the transmission pan.

3

Verify the correct socket size for the transmission pan bolts. Attach the correct socket to the end of the extension and the extension to the ratchet. It will be either the 7/16 or 1/2-in. socket.

4

Remove the three bolts from one corner by rotating them counterclockwise. Loosen the rest of the pan bolts halfway.

5

Slide the drain pan and umbrella under the transmission pan.

6

Insert the tip of the screwdriver between the pan and transmission case in the corner with the removed bolts and twist, breaking the seal of the gasket. Hold the pan umbrella and center the drain pan under the fluid flow. Wait for the flow to significantly slacken.

7

Remove the remaining bolts, slowly allowing the rest of the transmission fluid to flow out of the pan. Set the pan aside.

8

Remove the three screws holding the transmission filter in place and remove the filter, setting it into the pan umbrella.

9

Verify the size of the bolts securing the valve body and attach the correct socket to the extension. Rotate the bolts counter-clockwise to remove them. Set the bolts aside within easy reach. Set the valve body in the umbrella also.

10

Slide out from under the truck and clean the transmission pan with the parts cleaner and rags. Use the scraper to remove the gasket and through this away. Slide the pan and replacement parts and scraper under the truck and caully remove the drain pan.

11

Slide under the truck and use the gasket scraper to remove the gasket from the transmission case to pan mating surface.

12

Align the new valve body correctly and insert the bolts into the corresponding holes and start them by twisting them clockwise.

13

Attach the socket and ratchet to each bolt and tighten them to approximately 30 pounds per square inch of torque.

14

Align the new transmission with the bolts and fluid holes and insert the three retaining bolts. Twist these clockwise to start and tighten with the screwdriver.

15

Align the pan gasket with the bolt holes in the transmission pan. Use four to six bolts to hold the gasket in place and place the gasket and pan against the transmission case. Start the four or six bolts sufficiently to hold the pan in place by turning them clockwise.

16

Insert and start the remaining bolts. Run them all down to finger tight.

17

Tighten the bolts, moving from the center of each side of the pan to the corners. Torque the bolts to between 30 and 40 foot-pounds of torque. Slide out, bringing the tools with you.

18

Lift the truck off the jack stands and pull them out. Slowly lower the truck completely and pull the jack out.

19

Remove the transmission dipstick and insert the funnel in the opening. Caully pour four to five quarts in. Start the engine and allow the transmission to warm up. Shift gears every 10 to 15 seconds.

20

Place the transmission in park and check the fluid level. Pour enough fluid in for the reading to be full. Shift gears every minute or so again to ensure proper fluid flow.

Replacing an exhaust system with a body mount exhaust system is something that anyone with the right tools and a little know-how can accomplish. Many people take on this task to save money in labor costs, but if you dont have the right tools and knowledge you could end up doing more harm than good. Installing a body mount exhaust system is different from installing a typical exhaust system in the end, but they all start the same.

Remove the Existing System First

To be able to install a new exhaust system, the old one must first be properly removed. Tools ranging from a common wrench to a powered angle or disc grinder will be needed, as rust and corrosion of the metal parts and bolts that hold the old system in place may prevent removal with wrenches alone. Its typically much quicker, in cases where the old exhaust will be thrown out as scrap metal, to use a grinder wheel and cut the entire exhaust system into sections and remove them piece by piece, cutting the heads off of the connecting bolts if they wont turn out. Removing the old rubber bushings that stabilize the exhaust system is a priority as well, as newer exhaust systems, especially upgraded stainless steel systems, weigh more than mild steel stock exhausts.

Dry Fit the Body Mount Exhaust System

Once everything has been removed from the exhaust manifold back, the new system may be installed. To ensure that all the sections and pieces are the correct length and fit, a dry fitting, or "mock fit," should be performed before any sections are permanently attached or sealed. To do this, all sections and seams are put together without any seam sealant or bolts, and the entire exhaust system is put in place to make sure the end of the exhaust protrudes from the desired location on the vehicle. If it does, installation can continue. If there are any undesired angles or bends in the sections or layout of the system, they should be corrected before final installation.

Final Steps

When the body mount exhaust is ready to be installed, make sure that each joint or union between two sections is sealed properly and secured with the correct hardware. Newer bushings that are rated for the weight of the new system should be installed, and there should be the proper amount of the recommended sealant for the type of metal the exhaust is made of. Once the system is fully in place, the final tightening of all the support bolts and union ties can be done. But be sure that no twisting occurs in the piping system as its tightened.