Archive for the 'OTC Tools' Category

Strut Tamer: The SAFE Way to Remove Coil-Overs

Sunday, March 25th, 2007
springcompressor1.jpg

Once (in my youth) a friend and I were assembling a strut with a coil-over spring with one of those crappy five-dollar compressor tools.  I looked away for a second and there was a bang followed by silence.  The spring had come loose and knocked my friend’s hat off while blowing by his face.  Since then I lean towards stronger and more stable spring compressors — like the Strut Tamer from OTC.  It’s large, heavy-duty, and not going to lose its grip at an inopportune moment.

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Posted in Automotive, OTC Tools | 5 Comments »

Finds: Power Train Lifts

Friday, January 26th, 2007
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While pondering upcoming Toolmonger automotive projects today, our thoughts turned to tools we wish we could afford but can’t — specifically a power train lift.  If you’ve never used one of these, let me introduce you: Power train lift, these are Toolmongers.  Toolmongers, this is a device that significantly simplifies an engine swap — especially if the engine you’re swapping in doesn’t fit.  (And what better reason is there to do a swap in the first place?) 

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Posted in Automotive, OTC Tools | No Comments »

Finds: A Hammer-Powered 1/2″ Impact Wrench

Wednesday, January 17th, 2007
otcimpactdriver.jpg

Sure, your gagillion-volt cordless uber-hammer-driver can make a lot of torque, but this “old school” method of freeing stuck fasteners really works. 

When you strike the top of the driver with a hammer, you not only drive the bit into the fastener, but also turn it as the wrench converts some of that downward force into rotational force — giving you the best possible chance of freeing the fastener without camming it out.

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Posted in Hand Tools, OTC Tools | 1 Comment »