Most unsual household item used whilst working on a lotus

[handi_andi]

Evening all

I thought I would start a fun and hopefully amusing topic for a change on the basis that my twincam is in my kitchen and to do this I had to remove the kitchen table and four stools. The table has since been converted into a trolley to move the engine on and a ramp to get it in and out of the front door Plus at the weekend one of the stools is going to be converted into a gearbox stand given that the trolley jack that is meant to be supporting the front of it whilst the engine is out keeps going down.

So what is the most unusual household item anyone has used?

Cheers

Andy

[twincamman]

are you trying to get me killed? Uber Fraue gets huffy If I use the kitchen table to rebuild a carb after she found out about the dish washer being used as a a parts cleaner and the oven to shape perspex --ed

[garyeanderson]

Beau doesn't complain about much, Not even when I put his dish out side. If it raining he just won't go out to eat.

[JJDraper]

May not be unusual, but it needs to be praised - the wire coathanger. I've lost count of the uses to which they can be put; general pokey thing, long distance hook thing, third hand for stretching steering rack boot over joints, general heat resistant fastener.... Always keep one in your toolkit. You never know, you may even need it to hang things up.

The modern trend is for plastic hangers, so this indespensible item is becoming rare - stock up now!

Jeremy

[elanman999]

Like every one else I suppose I've used:-
Dishwasher - clean parts before welding.
Oven - heating the ring gear before fitting.
Freezer - cooling valve guides and seats before installation.
John

[Shiny_kit]

Drinking straw - couldn't for the life of me get the "coat hook" back in, when I refitted the rear trim, in the end I put a drinking straw through from the outside, through the hole in the air vent of my +2, and then I could get the stud located into the hole.

[RichC]

that would be the right angled bend piece of white plastic drainpipe from an old sink trap that was just the right size to fit in beween my inline synchrometer and weber pipes by the pedal box..... or would it be the leftover brass harpsichord string i used to keep manifold downpipe ceramic wrap in place? I've already told you about the neat replacement for knackered plus 2 sidelight gaskets is the narrow white self adhesive foam draught excluder you can buy from B&Q for windows & doors....
I'll stop there then.

[handi_andi]

There was me thinking the drinking straw was the best one so far until the mention of one of my favourite musical insturements. Was this left over wire, or is your harpischord now minus a note or two?
Andy

[elanern]

Great question, the responses should be fun to read.

Related to the oven trick, I've used a hot plate from a crock pot to heat up crankshaft gears.

In addition to the aforementioned uses for coathangers , I use them as welding rods all the time. I also hang a lot of parts to be spray painted on hangers.

Turkey basters work great to siphon brake fluid out of master cylinder reservoirs.

I keep my Zymol wax in the fridge per manufacturer instructions. Smells a lot like coconut so it kind of fits in.

Barbecue tongs work great to handle hot items like hot crankshaft gears recently heated on crock pot hot plates..

I did try to cure freshly VHT'ed headers once (and only once) in the oven. Never really did get all the smell out.

Long, long ago I used the barbecue pit to boil water so I could "boil out" the two carbs from my Sunbeam Rapier. Yep, boiling water to boil out carbs (I was 17 at the time). Oh yeah, used one of my mom's pots (never really did get all the taste out).

[stuartgb100]

An ultrasonic cleaner is useful (the sort used to clean jewellry etc).

Cleans nuts, bolts, washers, plastic etc.
Even does the plugs !

Regards,
Stuart.

[reb53]

Everyone has had their head in the oven at least once in their life haven't they ...?

Ralph.

[curly type 26]

And i can still hear my mothers shriek when she discovered that the chest of drawers in my bedroom, now contained my freshly dismantled & cleaned engine, all laid out in order of course. Who needs cloathes anyway! She just didnt understand, Mothers! Curly

[garyeanderson]

In the above photo there are three flat headed screws used to secure the window frame to the door. The bottom screws are easy as they go into bobbins, the top screw does not, it has a washer that you hang on the screw and then attempt to start the nut though an opening that allows only a couple of fingers in at a time. I use a box wrench (ring spanner) with a bit of plastic bag (bread bag) and push the nut in through the plastic and then insert the the box wrench and turn the screw until it catches. that way I avoid droping the nut countless times before I get it started on the screw.

Gary

[69S4]

Great tip Gary, sure beats supergluing the nut to the end of my finger while I try to get the bolt started.

Stuart

[garyeanderson]

Great tip Gary, sure beats supergluing the nut to the end of my finger while I try to get the bolt started.

Stuart

You are welcome, I burned on this a lot of times and got lucky.

Gary