Tips: In a Tight Spot

In a Tight Spot

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
admin

For fine detail work, I found that using a large, rectangular eraser (like the ones you had in elementary school) worked very nicely to clean and polish the chrome. The eraser edges worked especially well in the sharp, inside corners that are hard to get to with a polishing cloth and compound. These erasers can be found in various grades of hardness and different abrasive levels. I use the pink ones made by Eberhard Faber. I have even chucked a pencil in my electric drill and used the pencil eraser to polish small areas. If you do that, though, remember to watch the size of the eraser as it wears. You don?t want the metal head of the pencil coming in contact with the area being polished.

It's difficult to apply paint in spots that are inaccessible with a brush or spray can. A great technique is to place the spray cap and thin applicator tube from a WD-40 can on a can of spray paint. The thin paint moves very easily through the rube and can travel several feet. Great for inside a frame rail. Always pre-spray a shot of paint to remove any WD-40 form the applicator tube and when finished painting replace the cap and give it a shot of WD-40 to clean the paint out of the tube. Be conservative when painting because a lot of paint moves through the tube very quickly and could cause runs. Also be certain the tube is seated tightly in the cap, or it can blow off and not only make a mess but be very difficult to find.

Login or register to post comments

More Tips

Quick Tip - Take A Few Extra Minutes & Do Things Right: Stacey talks about the importance of taking the time to do things right the first time and not settling for, "it works fine." Especially
Quick Tip - Separating Ball Joints and Tie Rod Ends: When working on suspensions, you are going to have to separate the ball joints and tie rod ends. Stacey shows you a few tricks on how to do
Quick Tip - Bandsaw Straight Cuts On Round Pipe: Stacey shows you a quick, cheap, and easy way to cut a straight and square cut on round pipe with your band or hacksaw.
Quick Tip - Get A Helping Hand With That Transmission Fluid: Stacey shows you an easy way to stop all of that transmission fluid from spilling all over the place when you pull it out of the car.
Quick Tip - Drilling Holes In Painted Panels: Stacey shows you an easy way to drill holes in painted panels without chipping that nice paint job you have!
Quick Tip - Bead The End Of Pipes Fast and Easy: Stacey shows you a quick and easy way to bead roll the end of your hard lines without needing to invest tons of money in a bead roller.
Quick Tip - Smooth Edges Of Cut Metal: Having the right tool makes all the difference. Stacey shows you the best way to smooth those edges on your metal pipes after you cut it to
Quick Tip - Threading Bolts Into Soft Metal: Stacey shows you a great way to thread bolts into soft metals like aluminum or sheet metal as many times as you would like without the
Quick Tip: Hooking Up 2 Batteries: Stacey walks you through different ways you can wire dual batteries in your vehicle and talks about what is the BEST way.
Quick Tip: Magnetize Any Socket: Stacey shows you a simple way to keep from losing your grip on those nuts and bolts while you work a tight space.
Quick Tip: Keep Your Car From Getting Stolen: Stacey walks you through several ways to foil those who are looking to steal your ride. They range from simple free ways to some that are a
Quick Tip - Project Build Book: Stacey shows you a great way to keep your project builds organized with all of the info in one easy place with this project build book.
Quick Tip - Wire Grommet and Boot From Daystar: Wanna easy way to wire up your tail lights without letting a bunch of dirt and debris into the lens? Check out this Quick Tip from our
Quick Tip - Replacing Rubber Grommets: Stacey shows you a simple way to add or replace rubber grommets to your project.
Quick Tip - Custom Clamping: Stacey shows you a way to make a custom clamp you help you with all of those odd shaped pieces from your project.
Quick Tip - Cutting Round Tubing: Stacey shows you a simple way to make a straight cut in round tubing.