DIY Suspension / Timing Tools

[Ashley Burton]

Always interested to hear how people tackle any sort of job!

But interested to hear peoples stories relating to the subject title. Pictures always welcome!

Some of the tools on the market are very expensive for one off jobs. Out the box thinking is great to solve these challenges with solutions!

Tipp-ex & Drill bits are one thing I sometimes use on timing jobs.

I like the idea of a press & pull bush tool kit, But I'm sure you could throw something together with some tube, plate & threaded rod.

Lets hear your experiences/thoughts...

 

[Ruffian]

I personally make a lot of tools/ tooling to help out.

Gearbox spinners and mounting plates are handy if the layout would work for the gearbox. (Cut up old casing and clutch friction plate spines to spin over by hand)

Some weird and random cut up 1/2 extension bars for fwd transit and mondeo 2.2 tdci aux belt tensioners.

M6 threaded bar always is handy as use it quite a bit on vauxhall timing tools.

 

[Ashley Burton]

I personally make a lot of tools/ tooling to help out.

Gearbox spinners and mounting plates are handy if the layout would work for the gearbox. (Cut up old casing and clutch friction plate spines to spin over by hand)

Some weird and random cut up 1/2 extension bars for fwd transit and mondeo 2.2 tdci aux belt tensioners.

M6 threaded bar always is handy as use it quite a bit on vauxhall timing tools.

This exactly the sort of thing I like to see!

 

[8ob]

I make a fair few drifts, pullers and bush installers. This lot I made below are only for one type of ROR artic trailer axle, seal installers, hub remover, bush installers and drifts. If you bought that lot from ROR it would run into at least 1k , only took a few hours of an evening using a few offcuts of plate and ram rods.

Bob

 

[zzr1200]

Totally agree with 8ob, the scrap bin is the first place to look for special tools material, then off to the lathe, mill, n welder. Most oem tools arent that hard to make, just time consuming to make.

I've loads of one off bush installers/removers for machines/vehicles, that have been made to make the job easier.

The price of specialist service tools is a rip off at times, especially oem gear.

 

[Fazerruss]

Same here. One example is I made a camshaft locking jig, chain pretensioner and cam sprocket locking tool for the wife's bmw n42 engine after the timing slipped 180 degrees.
The proper tool at the time was about 350 quid.
I'll get some pic uploaded when I find it.
Made other stuff for similar jobs too for engine timing.

 

[Turbo]

I've made adapters for greasing rear hub bearings. Clio & 406 bearings are part of the rear drum & can't be replaced separately. I made a tool that lets me pump grease into the bearings, extending their life. I cured 2 cars with noisy bearings using it.

I made a tool that allowed me to change the rear hub bushings on a 406 in situ, a job the local 406 specialist told me could only be done with the hub removed from the car, a real pig of a job. I used a combo of threaded bar, heavy wall tubing & sockets to make the tool, maybe an hours work but it saved me several hours changing the bushings.

 

[RonA]

Made this up a while ago to refit those annoying cup shaped retaining clips on brake shoes, the ones that have a spring behind them & you lock with a 1/4 turn. It started of as a HT cylinder head bolt.
It works brilliantly & have never had a spring & cup fly off since.
Also have an imperial clutch aligning tool that I bought cheap because the motor factors thought everything was going metric. Made numerous new adapters on lathe & still in constant use.

 

[Cobbler]

Made this up over Easter to fit brake lining retaining springs on a Porsche Boxter. I guess we all make bits & pieces as required. The correct replacement springs are £19 each believe it or not & they have a nasty habit of unclipping themselves. The spring shown is off an earlier model & is far more secure (& they were free)

 

[cianh91]

Iv endless amounts of sockets made for the lorrys in work..
benefits of the laser are one off socket takes bout 10 mins to make .
Most of my tools iv made is nothing to do with money more time needed a 105mm socket took 10-15 mins to draw cut and make woulda took minimum an hours drive to get.. iv made loads a bending and twisting jigs for steel saving time and money

 

[Ashley Burton]

My general thoughts are if a tool is cheap enough to purchase & then I will wait if I can. Otherwise I will fabricate it!

 

[Nomad]

For DIY removal of front coil springs on McPherson struts - leave the car on the ground - undo the top nut with the spring compressed - jack up the car to remove the spring/shock - no need for spring compressors

 

[Cobbler]

For DIY removal of front coil springs on McPherson struts - leave the car on the ground - undo the top nut with the spring compressed - jack up the car to remove the spring/shock - no need for spring compressors

I've changed struts in a similar way, but while compressed under the vehicles weight I've wrapped rope around the spring coils to keep them compressed in the same way as a string compressor does.

 

[Ashley Burton]

I've changed struts in a similar way, but while compressed under the vehicles weight I've wrapped rope around the spring coils to keep them compressed in the same way as a string compressor does.

I would probably go for chains personally

 

[citizen kane]

What to do with a milling cutter too large for your machine.

Make a bicycle bottom bracket facing tool. This I may have used it once or twice in the last 5 years. Immensely satisfying.

 

[8ob]

This proved useful for renewing coreplugs on V8 diesels, one of those jobs where there is no room to swing a hammer/dolly. A cut down air chisel with a stepped mandrel pressed on which I knocked up on the lathe, does two sizes and the steps set the plugs at the correct depth stopping you knocking the new core plugs into water jacket.

Bob

 

[RonA]

What to do with a milling cutter too large for your machine.
Make a bicycle bottom bracket facing tool. This I may have used it once or twice in the last 5 years. Immensely satisfying.

A qualty diy tool, very well made, presumably the spindle goes through the bottom bracket & the hand oparated nut pulls the cutter onto thr surface to be refaced?
RonA

 

[indy4x]

Have a few homemade gizmos, most are pretty rough tho and certainly don't warrant a picture

Favourite one was 3 heavy duty jubilee clips opened up and joined together to make one big jubilee clip for compressing Rotaflex couplings on the Triumph GT6 and Vitesse. I could change the coupling on the car without stripping the shaft off the car or removing the outer half shaft from the hub. Could also remove the inner shaft to do the UJ without unbolting the leaf spring

 

[RonA]

Have a few homemade gizmos, most are pretty rough tho and certainly don't warrant a picture

Favourite one was 3 heavy duty jubilee clips opened up and joined together to make one big jubilee clip for compressing Rotaflex couplings on the Triumph GT6 and Vitesse. I could change the coupling on the car without stripping the shaft off the car or removing the outer half shaft from the hub. Could also remove the inner shaft to do the UJ without unbolting the leaf spring

Used to use the same jubilee clip when I owned first a Sunbeam stiletto & then a lotus elan +2. The new CV joints you can get to replace the rotaflexes are a whole leap forward in reliability
RonA

 

[8ob]

Where would we be without the good old Hubert lee clip? ( thats what my mate calls them) He joined dozens of them together to hold down the seat to the frame on his motocrosser, saw the day out

Bob