Seeing DP's post about his splined tool for the Sierra head made me think about tools you have that had a one off use....but are still in your toolbox.
In my case, hanging on my peg-board at the back of the bench is a large, flat, one ended ring spanner.
Not used anymore, or likely to be...by me.....it was for fitting and shimming suspension ball joints on old Minis......ought to chuck it, really !
Ted
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Not quite a one-off, but I have a Snap-on 'screwdriver' to turn the hex fasteners on hose clips.
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You can still buy those new!
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I had an extractor specialy made to grip underneath the cams of a Lucas distributor for when the critters siezed up, you can also free em orf with lashings of WD40 and a spanner to & fro on the cam.
Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end!
I've also got an Irish screwdriver :)
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>> I've also got an Irish screwdriver :)
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Would that be a ball pein screwdriver?
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>>Would that be a ball pein screwdriver?<<
You've got one two then me ole Son :)
The first time I saw an Irish screwdriver being used was when I had to tune a chaps car who was 'working' on some new 'luxury' flats in Tower Hamlets, I had to enter the building to find the geezer, like,
and there he was hammering in the screws for the door hinges!
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Several spanners and sockets grinded to fit a particular job.
Threw out lots of A/F sockets and spanners some time back, Now im looking at a winter project were im going to need them.!! Doh..................
The pop rivet gun gets used about never last used it to repair the hinge on the BBQ and thats it.
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>>> Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end!
Ahhh... 1968... Mary Hopkin....
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I came across a bloke doing that to a staircase in a new house years ago. I can tell you where the Taunton house is, if you're afraid you might be living in it. He worked for a respected local firm, too.
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>>I came across a bloke doing that to a staircase in a new house years ago<<
I couldn't believe what I was actually seeing at the time, the image has never left my mind,
One wonders just what does go on with new-builds, think I'll stay in my 1930's jobbie.
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I hope he cut it in two before hammering it in. No point wasting effort.
John
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>>I hope he cut it in two before hammering it in. No point wasting effort.<<
I suppose I'm 'talking' about pre cordless leccie screwdrivers,
but even then an Irish screwdriver would be quicker, wooden tit.
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Not single use though, if my memory hasn't completly claped out mine fitted my Mini and Austin, or was it a Morris, 1100.
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Rose joint extractor and fitter for the (helluva complex) rear suspension on a BMW 7 series. Made from PVC downpipe, steel end cap, threaded rod (it wears out doing one side!), a big socket, some washers and 3 nuts.
I love the internet. Except when you're expecting the PVC pipe to shatter and send splinters into your eyes any second from the amount of force you're applying to it...
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I've still got the 'U' shaped spanner needed to fit round the camshaft to undo the valve locknuts on a Capri engine.
It was useless as the jaws just opened and rounded the corners of the nut.
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>I've still got the 'U' shaped spanner needed to fit round the camshaft to undo the valve locknuts on a Capri engine<
I had one of those, but it was a Snap-on, and used with an arf inch drive ext. worked well,
I had one for the Bluebird as well.
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I've got a piston ring compresser that i used to rebuild an engine on a Talbot Horizon.
I know it seemed a good idea at the time - I should have put that lump with gearbox straight into the car in question. The engine had done 70k miles and I was convinced it needed a rebuild.
Actually when I stripped it down it was fine. The engine that came out had suffered a blocked oil ring on the piston and melted the side of the piston and ruined the liner.
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I've got a 'square' brake-adjuster spanner for a Rover Metro. I used it for one service before the headgasket went. I bought Micra's after that.
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Alongside my valve grinding paste there's still a piston wind back tool for the hard to reach inboard rear discs on P6 Rovers.
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My Dad's got a 42mm socket, used once to remove the fan on a Citroen GS so that we could change the boot on the hydraulic pump that was behind the front air ducting. That was in about 1985....
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As well as my Pinto head bolt splined socket, I also have a slide hammer with Vauxhall input shaft adaptor, and a set of clutch clips for changing an 80's and early 90's FWD Vauxhall clutch without disturbing the transmission. Used once.
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I have a large open ended spanner for taking the viscous coupled fan off my Mk V Cortina.
It had to be much thinner than was normal for a jaw size of about 32mm.
I couldn't bring myself to spend so much on a special tool that would be used only once so made myself one from 6mm steel plate and half an hour on a bandsaw.
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I have an OHV spring compressor. Bought to overhall my 1600E engine in the very early 1970s.
Took the valves out of the head butit needed a new engine so this fine tool was only half used :-)
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If I dug deep enough in the unused box I think that I have a side valve spring compressor. However I cannot remember what the difference is to an ohv version!
I suspect that there is also a home made rubber donut compressor - Imp not Elan.
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Just collected a Jowett engine today from a pal in Runcorn.
Seized, of course, only piston rings rusted to bores. I need to split the crankcase to stand each bit up with leaded Coca Cola in the bores.
So, used a very interesting tool which I don't recommend you use on an engine. A cold chisel and a 3 lb lump hammer. Chiselled the bellhousing in half so I could undo all the clutch bolts, so I could take the clutch off in order to remove the flywheel which stops you getting at..guess what.....the bell housing bolts !
Now I can undo the main bearing bolts, about a foot long, remove the big end caps and pull the two halves apart. The crankshaft can go in the bin, it's broken in half !
It never stops !
Ted
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One off tools. - Iffy
