tricks you guys use

[rollout240]

ratcheting wrenches work miracles.
pb blaster is the ishhh
zipties work wonders
extra hands is always great
working on your car early always helps with time of day incase of darkness creeping in
music makes the job go by easier.
have fun!! its your car your working on!!!

[miravete]

when removing the ka24de injectors, twist them so the little side grove is facing the head gasket. put a flat head in it, and another screwdriver between the head gasket and the injector and push down using the screwdriver thats inside the grove for leverage.

injectors pop out like pop corn

[D C]

Originally Posted by apex

this=stupid, zip ties get brittle in the sun esp. black ones so when ur on the freeway and a hard wind hits oh later bumper seeya fender

if u try this use the big white ones not black

You have that backwards, the white ones are cheapies, the black ones are the weather resistant ones.

[xs042lol]

3 i have

1. dont use the pipe/ jack handle on your good breaker bar or socket wrench. Mine broke the male part of the socket, twisted the male part on the breaker bar

2. Snap-on open end wrenches warp when too much force is put on, just a FYI so you don't strip anything with it

3. Put a thick block of wood between a jack stand and the subframe. this allows a greater weight distribution, larger coverage, and doesnt expose bare metal so your subframe wont rust out

[xs042lol]

Originally Posted by PeaceOnesxWai

Zip ties to replace every bolt holding your Fenders, bumper and any other exterior pieces...

i use all my bolts. Yeah its a huge pain in the ass removing 20 little damn bolts every time i want to take my bumper off, but i have the security of knowing it wont fly off.

A good thing to do, if u like zipties, but 4 bolts on it, all corners, then ziptie the remaining gaps left. Reinforcement.

[xs042lol]

Originally Posted by KoukiMonsta

PB Blaster is the shit for this. break anything loose....almost

i like this thread

thank you

i find PB Blaster, slightly heated (like in boiling water or microwaved water) and 10 hard taps helps it flow much easier. Or the Freeze Off stuff, it gets cold when its applied so it really helps break stuff loose

i use the warm pb blaster light its nothing, drench everything with it and then some more, smack it with a normal nail-driving hammer, 10 times, give it a few minutes to sit. then pull out the breaker bar



ANOTHER TIP! lol soo many tips i remember

when a bolt is siezed, instead of countering the threads, it helps if you SLIGHTLY, and i mean like 1-2 mm, tighten it. This will allow it to break off the threading thats "locked up" and then you can loosen it. be careful, this should only be done on heavy duty bolts like suspension. Small 10 max torque bolts will snap with this

[g00se]

buy quality parts, don't skimp and have to end up shelling out more later down the line

[prodigyJJ]

(for unorganized people) When removing parts with a lot of screws/bolts, put the bolts back in the same holes as or after the part is removed so you don't have a shit ton of bolts and wonder which ones go where.

[Deviousjet]

That is a good suggestion I try to do that as much as I can.

[94_240sx]

I have some tricks that I've learned with my s13. You might know most of them already.

- When you install KA24DE injector, place the injector, put the cap on and tighten both screws a little by little to push it in.

- When you remove radio trim, remove ashtray and pop the clips from underneath.

- When you bleed cooling system, jack up the front as high as you can, run the car and undo bleed bolt and remove radiator cap.

- I put bolts and nuts in zip lock bag and mark them. Putting those back to original holes are good idea too.

- When you change oil, if you have time remove the drain plug and leave it over night. If you remove oil filter next day, no oil will come out. Very clean...

- Use torque wrench and FSM for wheels and suspension parts.

- Put the car down on the ground when you tighten suspension parts. Rubber bushings will crack otherwise.

- Large towels come in handy when you install/uninstall newly painted bumpers. Put the rear bumper on a tool box covered with a towel to connect the wires and install.

- When hood won't pop up when you pull the lever, don't mess with locking mechanism. Simply replace rubber stoppers on each side.

Well, that's about it.

[ManoNegra]

Don't make your daily driver your project car.
Always use the right tool for the job, will avoid stripped bolts/nuts, smashed fingers, etc.
Get a compressor, nothing beats air tools for working on cars.
Get a cordless impact gun for junkyard trips. Can't get the good shit without.
Have friends that are smarter then you so they can help you when you get stuck.
Don't be a know-it-all, you'll piss people off and will loose out on learning new things
Don't try to live up to the hype, make rational decisions.
It's not a race, it's ok to take you time with your car build. Do it once, do it right.

[DDB240sx]

+ 1 for nuts in the ziplock baggy

[Choku_Dorian]

search Zilvia before ever attempting ANYTHING for the first time on your s-chassis.

I would personally like to thank Zilvia for helping me build my car.

[redline240sx]

Awesome thread!!! picked up 3 more tricks that amazed me...

[dtfdanyo]

Originally Posted by rollout240

ratcheting wrenches work miracles.
pb blaster is the ishhh

freaking word to both of these. I love pb blaster

oh and the low profile jack from harbor freight should be in everyone's garage

[fckillerbee]

removing tire marks after drifting-wd40

[1on1]

-use a cardboard box just in case it drips on the ground.

-if you don't have cardboard, use Simple Green and spray it on the oil and wipe it down with a towel or rag.

-if you have any open electrical wire, make sure you tape them up.

-if you use a toyota shift knob and have a nissan adapter, screw the adapter on first and then the shift knob.

great list, keep it coming!

[conrad_s13.5]

From a few of my recent experiences.

-Always stay organized!
the ziplock baggies is perfect! no such thing as overkill when it comes to this.

-invest in a torque wrench.
sounds silly but even the smallest things like torquing lug nuts will save you in the end (warped rotors,broken studs,.etc)

-make double checking routine,.. sometimes you just put bolts in places so you dnt lose them, and come back later and think theyve been torqued down, when they havent

-always have some tools in your car

-RESEARCH always makes things easier, with for your current problem or the future,..plus chances are,.. someones ran into the same problem at some point in time, and its been covered somewhere

[NINJAS14]

grease everything.
Every bolt thread should be greased and the suspension arms, comes right off when you need to take them apart again. For bolts that are around heat use antiseize. Also grease up water pump gaskets and diff cover gaskets, it prevents leaking and the gasket comes right off when you take them apart.

anything touching rubber (swaybar bushing, or any rubber or poly bushing) use silicone based.

Metal to metal use lithium.

[prodigyJJ]

buy your own tool set. Your friends/dad/relatives WILL get tired of you using and or losing their shit.

[undesiredshoe]

Dont put anti seize on your wheel studs...unless you like having wheels come off.

[Matej]

Originally Posted by DALAZ_68

if you dont have an impact gun and need to remove a flywheel (whether motor is in or out of the car)

withe trans removed and clutch press plate removed...take an upper trans bolt and re install into blockon the side..reinstall on of the press plate bolts to the FW...

As for me, I just wedge a jack under the flywheel teeth, so it cannot spin.

Originally Posted by NINJAS14

grease everything.

Especially coilover threads. Even when they are new, before you install them, and every time you have them taken out. They will never rust or seize up.

[SixMachine]

1. Diff service - tools-14mm box wrench, 12mm box wrench and prybar of decent size (everyone is not the same strength, the weaker you are the bigger the pry bar)
Stick a prybar in the Universal Joint in the driveshaft when you remove the 4 14mm bolts & nuts from the diff. Use the pry bar as the opposing force as you hold the wrench to the nut on the differential side. (For locking differntials)You can unbolt your 2 axles the same way with a buddy holding the u joint with a prybar and rotating the driveshaft accordingly! -Happy Wrenching!

2. Tooling! cordless impact! 3/8 and 1/2 inch Universal Joint Sockets! (the ball joint type) best sockets for everything on an impact (ratchet not so much)

[heavenboundkevin]

for stuff like radiator hoses etc.

if there is a rubber hose stuck that wont come off by pulling straight out, grab pliers and twist the hose(while its still on the fitting -clockwise/counterclockwise. it breaks the seal and the hose should be easier to pull off.

[racepar1]

Trans. fill plug removal:
IF your fill plug isn't too boogered up a 19mm 12-point box-end wrench grabs that 17mm square head quite nicely.

Engine removal:
When you remove an s-13 engine NEVER un-plug the harness from the engine. It's too much of a PITA. INSTEAD un-plug it from the ecu and route the harness back into the engine bay. Clearing the brake lines is a PITA, but other then that it's easy. On ABS equipped cars this does not necessarily apply though because you have to remove the ABS unit to remove the harness...

Broken bolt removal:
Throw away every easy-out or similar tool you have out and go buy a welder. All you do is weld a nut to the broken bolt and it comes right out. The heat hepls to break it loose as well. Even if the stud is sunk into an aluminum head you can still weld it, I've done it. It turned an impossible to remove broken bolt into a 10 minute job.

[BMXer91331]

Another one for hoses... if you have a a hose that whont go in such as a radiator hose not going in get a little grease with your finger and lube it up on the inside it will slip in so fast youl hit yourself in the head for not ever doing that before.

[sviellvoicae]

I always get a slightly smaller size for my intercooler couplers and use a heat gun to make em flex more. It just helps make the piping stay together under boost.

O and the idea about the radiator and bottle to release the air is amazing!

[jspecusa]

Originally Posted by sviellvoicae

I always get a slightly smaller size for my intercooler couplers and use a heat gun to make em flex more. It just helps make the piping stay together under boost.

O and the idea about the radiator and bottle to release the air is amazing!

you can use an extra hose clamp in the middle of the 2 hose clamp so it won't flex as much under high boost, the quality of the couplers also makes a difference in holding it(no ebay crap).

the idea from the bottle on top of radiator is from the snapon bleeder kit, same idea just cost way less.

[nismolvr]

Bench bleed master cylinder with fittings and lines from wrecking yard.Make sure you cut the front and rear lines from donor car ,long enough to curl upwards and into brake fluid reservoir ,so you can see air bubbles escaping as you bench bleed it.There are some cheap plastic kits ,but i prefer this method better.

When bleeding brakes, always begin with the wheel furthest from MC ,On US Cars RR,LR.FR,FL ,Use a see through hose and an empty plastic water bottle . and take your six point closed end ,8 or 10mm wrench put it on bleeder fitting first and take the clear hose and install it on bleeder fitting ,make sure its on tight ,if loose use a zip tie.Bleed calipers and make sure the other end of hose is in the water bottle below fluid level, so you can see all air escape the line.

[!Zar!]

Speaking of hose clamps...


Better than aftermarket.