Home Made Tools

[Skybolt]

After seeing Cliff's tubing straightener, in post #10 http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.c...ubing-fittings, I wondered how many of us make tools, of whatever aesthetic and end result, but purposeful and functional for our intended task. Some are not only functional but look like professional store bought tools.

So, let's see some pictures and maybe even some plans/designs on how to do it ourselves. This way we can hopefully have them all in one spot.

Please keep these to Studebaker specialty tools and mechanical shop tools for use on our Studebakers. If we run out of ideas then we can move onto other areas.

I will start the ball rolling with my rear hub/drum puller as featured on Bob's site. http://www.studebaker-info.org/tech/...skyboltdp.html

Len

P.S. To Moderator, If this post is in the wrong forum area then please move it, thanks.

[345 DeSoto]

That Tubing Straightener is AMAZING!

[Blue 15G]

Maybe not homemade, but modified: years ago I had a '60 Lark and I had trouble reaching one of the hold down screws on the distributor cap because it was up close to the firewall. (Delco distributor). I took a very old screwdriver I found from my grandfather's old tool collection and was able to bend the shaft at a fairly sharp angle without breaking it. Then it was easier to reach in and turn the screw. I don't recall the exact details of why I needed it that way, but I still have the screwdriver hanging on my tool board, though I haven't used it in years.

[sweetolbob]

Couldn't find a metal beader heavy enough to do the floors on the 54K that I could afford so I built my own. It was heavy enough.



Bob

[Skybolt]

Here is a crank hub installer I made a few months back.

[wlfrench]

I put this together to reach the heads of the bolts holding the front motor mounts on my 62 GT. The bolts heads are way up inside the hollow cross member that goes from one side to the other and I didn't have anything that was long enough to reach up in there. Also, every time I started to loosen the nuts on the other side the wrench would fall off the bolt head so I had to epoxy a strong magnet to one side of the box end wrench to hold on. It ain't pretty but it did the job.

[cliffh]

Here is my tubing straightener mentioned in post #1.

[wlfrench]

[Mike Van Veghten]

While not exactly "home made", they were custom made by my design for me.
I have a fixture to machine Stude rocker arm stands.
I have a fixture to check the valve stem heights on as assembled Stude heads.
I have a tool to machine the cylinder wall to clear the oversize, moved over intake valves (heavily worked heads). Could also be used to cut valve clearance in pistons.

Mike

[garyash]

Here's the quick-and-dirty CASO solution to the tube straightener: about 24 inches of a 2x8. Straighten the tubing as much as possible by hand, then lay it on a smooth, flat concrete floor. Place a piece of a 2x8 at a 45 degree angle across it, and gently roll the wood back and forth with your foot. Hold on to something with one hand so you don't go flying. Gradually move the 2x8 along the tube and slowly increase the pressure. You'll be amazed how straight the tube comes out once you get the hang of it. I've used this to straighten 1/4" to 1/2" copper tube, might work on stainless, too, if it hasn't hardened up too much. You can always anneal the stainless with a torch. On larger tube, I've had to stand on the opposite ends of the board, grab onto my workbench, and use my whole body weight to straighten things out - but you can also flatten the tube if you apply too much weight.

[Skybolt]

While not exactly "home made", they were custom made by my design for me.
I have a fixture to machine Stude rocker arm stands.
I have a fixture to check the valve stem heights on as assembled Stude heads.
I have a tool to machine the cylinder wall to clear the oversize, moved over intake valves (heavily worked heads). Could also be used to cut valve clearance in pistons.

Mike

With your rocker arm stand fixture how is it set up?

I had mine machined shorter by supplying the set on a rocker shaft, so they were all at the same center, then had them machined to my specs. Then I made some spacers/plates for the top to take up the distance machined off so I could use stock bolts.

Is this any different?

Just a question as this post is meant to allow us to probe further, if warranted, so in due course the poster, if willing, might elaborate on the procedure. I have more tools and photos with accompanying notes.

Len

[Mike Van Veghten]

Hey Len -

The tool works much the same as the way you did it. Only made to machine one at a time.
We measured the i.d. of a "bunch" of stands with a five digit (battery powered) inside mic. They were all within just a coupla/few ten thousandths. So the "block" is meant to clamp in a mill vice, squeezing the stand tightly into the fixture. It's held level with 123 blocks, then machined.

Since I only had about .030" removed to correct the pushrod/aluminum rocker position adjustment, I gave the cap screws a quick measurement along with the head and the stands and found that I still had about a thread and a half/two threads while using the shim head gasket, so I didn't use any other shims under the head cap screws.

Mike

[Jeff_H]

I posted some time ago about some home made studebaker tools I made when rebuilding the front end:

http://forum.studebakerdriversclub.com/showthread.php?61021-Home-made-Kingpin-bushing-amp-A-arm-spreader-tools

[GinettaG12P]

Here are a couple that I've made, but one of the simplest tools is a length of 10-gauge copper wire that you thread through disc brake calipers to keep from stressing brake lines when you change pads. Corvair pushrod tube removal tool and Rube Goldberg impeller puller.

[PackardV8]

With your rocker arm stand fixture how is it set up?

I had mine machined shorter by supplying the set on a rocker shaft, so they were all at the same center, then had them machined to my specs. Then I made some spacers/plates for the top to take up the distance machined off so I could use stock bolts.

Is this any different?

Just a question as this post is meant to allow us to probe further, if warranted, so in due course the poster, if willing, might elaborate on the procedure. I have more tools and photos with accompanying notes.

Len

For those who may not be familiar with this procedure, it's necessary to mill the bottom of the rocker stands when installing shorter stem length Chev/Ford valves in Studebaker heads. Then, shorter custom pushrods are required or stock pushrods shortened, but that's another story.

What you'll find when clamping up rocker stands is Studebaker allows .001"-.002" diameter variance in the shaft diameter and shaft hole diameter in the rocker stand, but the main problem is they also did not control the hole-center-line-to-top surface. If one just puts a set or two of rocker stands on a shaft and clamps them upside-down on a mill table, there will be too much variation. Some will be clamped tight while others are loose. To do it correctly, it's necessary to clamp them right-side-up, mill the tops all the same and then upside down and mill the bottom.

I've made a jig to do sixteen at a time.

jack vines