Whoever that anonymous wrencher who originated the phrase "the right tool for the job" sure said a mouthful. Here are some of my favorites:

24", 1/2"-drive and 18", 3/4"-drive breaker bars: "resistance is FUTILE"!



Tie rod end puller for popping loose tie rod ends and ball joints during those disc brake upgrades or front suspension rebuilds (no more torn seals, buggered metal parts or injured hands from poorly aimed hammer blows). Have also found this useful when removing some oil pump drive gears:



Homemade torsion bar puller (disassembled):



Homemade torsion bar puller (mounted snugly on breaker bar masquerading as a T-bar...rubber handle would be control arm end of T-bar...hammer head is addressing face of puller which is struck to break T-bar loose). Don't forget to take all weight off front suspension, remove T-bar C-clips and unload T-bar anchor bolts in lower control arms before swinging the hammer!



Slant 6 distributor hold-down wrench...makes an otherwise-almost-impossible job easy:




Here's another good one for pulling oil pump drive gears (scroll down page):


http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5434


---Red

Hey Red! Nice tools. I especially wanted to see your distributor wrench. I use a shorty 7/16" wrench to adjust the distributor...could never find a real 7/16" distributor wrench to use

Pat

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'68 Dodge Dart 4dr Sedan

Patrick...

Ask your local parts guy to get you a VIM V-103 (the wrench in my PIC). It's 7/16", 12 point---a PERFECT tool for that hard to reach space where Mother Mopar stuck the slant distributor holdown bolt.

With this wrench, your hand gets to stay up above the distributor cap instead of groping around under the distributor.

It's the best (and only) one I've found...most of the rest seem to be 9/16".

---Red

Red,

The photos are great but you need to reduce them! They take forever to download!

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster

Chuck...

Sorry 'bout that---just got my mitts on a digital camera and am trying to learn how to use the darn thing. These were my first ever shots. Up 'til now, I've been scanning photos on a flatbed to post PICs. I'll have to play around with the software...do you suggest cropping or reduced resolution? Pity the technologically-impaired! Any suggestions on how to best format for this site appreciated.


---Red

I paid 2 bucks for a 12" Craftsman breaker bar at a pawn shop. Got a Proto 1/2 drive socket wrench for the same price! Did I need them? Oh, yes! I love my 8# short mallot.... My "V" shaped brake bleeder tool (3/8", 5/16") is also pretty handy. How about tools you buy for the job, only to use once (like my big block oil pressure sending unit socket)?

Red,

Try doing a "Save As", then look for a "More" button or a slider to change image quality. You can usually reduce JPG images to about 40% of original (60% reduction) without any noticable loss in quality.

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster

OK, Chuck...

Figured it out: there's actually an easy way to reduce the resolution in my camera before you transfer the PIC it to the computer...how cool is that? You're right---they load alot quicker without appreciable degradation of the image. They'll also take up less room on my hard drive at this res. Thanks for the heads up.

---Red

Red,

That will reduce the overall photo size, but you can still make them smaller using the compression feature of your photo editing software. Your final photo size should be under 20k for each photo. You should also play with "cropping". This original photo was 25,745 bytes. Using cropping and compression, the photo below is only 6,453 bytes. Can you tell the difference (except for physical size)?

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Chuck Rivers, Webmaster

One of my fav tools is a mity-vac. Another is my Souix vacuum checker for checking valve stem/guide and valve face/seat seal, etc. I also like doing my own valves and heads with my Souix valve facer/seat grinder set.

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'66 Cuda 225/4spd
'66 Dart GT convertible 225/auto
'64 Dart GT 340/4spd

Whats your address again Bud.....?