Daily Slideshow: 6 Tools it's Okay to Use Wrong

Big Fat Disclaimers

Big Fat Disclaimer #1: Using tools in a way not recommended by their manufacturers may be dangerous and can result in serious injury. It can also (and often does) result in damage to the tool. The following information is for entertainment purposes only and we are not recommending any of these procedures be put into use... except maybe the dead blow hammer one. Do not try this at home and all that stuff. And when in doubt, always, always wear eye protection, seriously.

Big Fat Disclaimer #2: Yes, not all of these tools fit the definition of 'tool', though as soon as you make them do work they become a tool. Hence the title.

Now on to the tools...

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

1. Screwdrivers

Gasket scrapers are great tools—nothing works better for scraping unwanted material from delicate surfaces. But good gasket scrapers aren't inexpensive and only come in a limited range of sizes, many are too wide or the handles are too long to reach areas you really want to reach. In addition, especially after a little use, the corners get dull and ineffective for scraping around items like studs. Enter sharpened flat-blade screwdrivers. They already have hard tips that hold an edge well, are cheaper than proper scrapers, and come in a multitude of sizes and shapes. They are most effective when you sharpen only one side, just like a scraper. Nothing cleans stubborn, aged, and burnt-on gasket material from a tight corner or around a stud better. Of course, screwdrivers are typically narrower than a gasket scraper and so are harder to keep flush to your part's surface, so be extra careful not to dig into and score the surface you are trying to prepare.

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

2. Razor Blades

Utility razor blades, the kind with a grip on one side, also work well for cleaning up flat surfaces—but that's an intended use, so it doesn't fit our scope. Recently we were re-watching an old episode of Roadkill and the boys were trying to remove an oil pan that had its gasket fully and completely silicone-ed on. We found ourselves instinctively reaching for a razor blade. It takes a huge amount of force to pry off an oil pan or cam cover that's been glued on with silicone sealant—it's possible to crack or dent the cover, or whatever you happen to be levering against. It's best to break the seal just a bit, after which it's a million times easier to pry off the part in question. That's where razor blades come in. Wear eye protection for this one. In many cases a razor blade can be carefully tapped into the gasket, splitting it like an Oreo, without scratching delicate mounting surfaces. it's easy to crack or snap the blade if any side load is put on it, so be careful. Once the seal is broken in one spot, the mated surfaces will separate much much easier.

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

3. Linked Combination Wrenches

This is another one that can result in snapped-off bits—so wear safety glasses. Breaker bars are great for removing stubborn nuts and bolts, and a hunk of pipe on the end of a wrench works wonders to amplify torque. But sometimes there's no room for either of those and sometimes a smaller size fastener needs more force than can be generated with the short wrenches meant for it. The time-tested solution is to link a second combination or double-box wrench to the combination wrench already on the fastener. For instance: you have the box wrench half of a combo wrench on a nut, but you can't generate enough force to loosen it—hook the box side of a second combo wrench into the open end of the first wrench and your force is doubled. It's possible to snap one of the wrenches this way, but usually, they will unlink first and fly apart unexpectedly—so proceed with caution.

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

4. Chunk of Hose on Spark Plug

This one is just what it says, a chunk of rubber hose pushed over the end of a spark plug. This works great to start spark plugs in hard-to-reach locations, and it makes it very difficult to cross-thread the plug. The hose should be pushed over the porcelain portion of the plug and can be however long you need it to be. Once the plug is started you can spin it down quickly before removing the hose to properly torque it with a socket.

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

5. Grease or Glue

Magnets work great for grabbing loose nuts and bolts and can even help to start a fastener that's located in a hard to get at spot. But magnets need to be grabbed, and a fist often won't fit in the gap you have for access. Long flexible-handled magnets work in some instances, but take away almost all your feel, making it very difficult to use them to start a nut you can't get to, and even harder to start a nut you can't see. The solution is a small dollop of thick bearing grease, or in even harder to reach spots (or applications where grease would wash away a chemical threadlocker), a bit of glue. The grease or glue will hold the fastener to your finger, in whatever position is best, long enough to get the fastener to contact the threads and turn it that oh-so-crucial first 1/6 of a turn.

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

6. Dead Blow Hammer on Knock-Offs

Not many cars and trucks today have old-school wheels with knock-off spinners holding them on, but they are still being manufactured today—from Daytonas on lowriders and rods, to Halibrand replicas, to Borranis for vintage sports cars. Most of the vehicles that came with knock-offs provided either weighted leather or lead hammers to tighten and remove them. The heads of both of those hammers mushroom over time, revealing hard metal that can chip the chrome on a knock-off spinner. A  lead hammer in good condition can even chip chrome if swung hard enough. Worse yet, one slip and you have a huge, unsightly dent in your soft aluminum rim. We recommend (yes, you can do this one) the use of a large plastic dead blow hammer instead. They are heavy enough to both tighten and loosen knock-offs, and when you swing and miss, as you will if you do enough of these, the damage is either minimal or nonexistent. Not the intended use of a dead blow hammer, but one that we can suggest disclaimer-free.

>>Join the conversation about tools it's OK to use wrong right here in Club Lexus.

For help with your repair and maintenance projects, please visit our how-to section in the forum.