Cheap tricks in off-roading you've learned along the way...

[sabatoa1]

When your fuel pump goes out use your spare tire pressure to pressurize your tank and get you home.

Use a chain to hold your engine in place after you brake an engine mount.

Use a highlift jack handle and ratchet strap to hold your axle in the housing after braking a c-clip.

 

[Rogerwh0]

I have used a piece of a pop can and a hose clamp to repair a hole in a radiator hose. Works suprisingly well.

 

[jinxspot]

Homemade anti theft shifter:
Weld a chain link to your rig so you can put a padlock thru it to lock your shifter... makes it fairly safe considering you had nothing in there to lock it in the beginning. (did this in my sammy, but don't have a pic)


Use cardboard to make templates for custom gussets or metal work on your rig: If you've ever hear the phrase measure twice, cut once thats a real good practice, but i've been making templates our of spare cardboard around the shop so I have an idea of what the exact prototype will look like.

Plugging a broken brake line:
If you ever run into a situaiton where you break a brake line you can always fold over the line and pinch it with a set of vice grips or if its a solid metal line fold it over and smash it closed with a hammer. This should stop the leak enough to get off the trail with 3 brakes instead of zero when ya have no pedal left due to the massive leak.

 

[ghetto]

I slammed my tcase into a rock climbing a ledge in Moab and the drain plug fell off. It managed to strip out the treads when it did. I had a wine cork in my glove box and I knocked into the hole. It held for a year while I got around to swapping out the case. I try to keep one or 2 with me now

 

['03_RUBI]

In a pinch if you run out of brake fluid don't dump any other fluids into the master cylinder as it will damage the brake system, the next best thing is WATER! Obviously flush it out after you make your permanent repair but it is easier on the system than any other fluids you may be tempted to dump in.

 

[Skylinerider]

Ride shotgun in a friends rig and you will never break anything.

 

[neagtea]

-If you trailer always carry a set of extra wheel bearings, this has saved me south of the border and in BFE parts of NV.
-3.00 harbor freight pry bar the big one, break off the plastic handle and use for tie rod repair and other places.
No working myth,
Down at the dunes jumping a stock CJ, fan chews up radiator, drink pot of coffee next morning pour grounds in rad. The leak is sealed, take off for home with a range of about 3 miles between overheat's.

 

[sixstringsteve]

3. Ive seen expanding boat plugs fix a stripped, missing or broken Tcase, Engine, Differential fill/drian plug holes.... I carry a couple in my small parts tacke boxes now.

This pic isn't working for me. I'd love to have a few of these around for trail fixes. Got any other pics/info?

 

[Herzog]

OEM JK jounce bumps on coilovers for bumpstops. You can cut them down to get the desired bump capacity and they are smooth bumps! The only pain is that you have to twist off your lower mount to slide them onto the coilover. (If I can find a pic I'll post up) Cheap and very effective (thanks for the idea Bryson).

So many others I can think of have been mentioned. Great thread!!

 

[Herzog]

Aluminum duct tape from the hardware store. Use it to wrap around misc lines and electrical that come close to heat. It's nearly the same stuff you can get from the race shops but it's cheaper and works just as well. I used a lot of this on my last build.

Edit: only ~$6 here: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-Aluminum-Duct-Tape-10Yds/dp/B0055F6JKA

 

[Bart]

Cool thread. I've used a cut out piece of plastic from a pringles can lid and a self tapping screw to fix a pin hole leak in my oil pan after bashing into a rock.

 

[jinxspot]

I've def been known to use wire coat hangers for hanging and mending a broken exhaust... or around engine hoses to keep things secure away from a fan. The wire seems be be thick enough to keep the parts fixed and withstand good amounts of exhaust heat.


Noticed a super slick mod at WOTR, and thought I would pass it on... endless cool possibilities. Use an old metal jerry can like a tool box or vehicle storage compartment.... simply line it with your favorite noise dampening material, make drawers or customize it to carry what ever you want put on some latch's... then load her up in original fuel can holders.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f37/jerry-can-toolbox-writeup-827134/

 

[Kevin B.]

I've been wanting to make one of those. Somebody sells one, but they want stupid money for it.

Sent from RIGHT BEHIND YOU (so pls excuse typos)

 

[mesha]

I've been wanting to make one of those. Somebody sells one, but they want stupid money for it.

Sent from RIGHT BEHIND YOU (so pls excuse typos)

I will give you two cans. You make two. Return one can. Done

 

[sixstringsteve]

Those are slick.

 

[Kevin B.]

I will give you two cans. You make two. Return one can. Done

If you've got cans, I'd be more than willing to screw around with the idea. No guarantee I won't ruin them both though .

 

[SpeedyVic]

-If you trailer always carry a set of extra wheel bearings, this has saved me south of the border and in BFE parts of NV.
-3.00 harbor freight pry bar the big one, break off the plastic handle and use for tie rod repair and other places.
No working myth,
Down at the dunes jumping a stock CJ, fan chews up radiator, drink pot of coffee next morning pour grounds in rad. The leak is sealed, take off for home with a range of about 3 miles between overheat's.

I've heard that a raw egg will do the same. Just crack it into your radiator and drive. The egg will flow to the leak and cook and turn solid to plug the hole as the fluid heats up.

Not sure if eggs or coffee is better in your cooling system though. Need to figure out what to do with the bacon.


Sent from the Outer Limits via Android.

 

[bryson]

OEM JK jounce bumps on coilovers for bumpstops. You can cut them down to get the desired bump capacity and they are smooth bumps! The only pain is that you have to twist off your lower mount to slide them onto the coilover. (If I can find a pic I'll post up) Cheap and very effective (thanks for the idea Bryson).

I wish I could claim the idea, but it came to me from Dlux Fab... I do really like it though - no need for fancy air bumps (especially since I can't fit air bumps on my front end.)

In this pic, you can see them inside the coil at the bottom of the shaft. Cheap and easy!

 

[Goose]

For anyone that likes to take their wife, or kids with.
I mounted a power inverter under my seat,
So that both my kids can plug in a heating pad, it works awesome!!
It also allows me to Cary an electric die grinder for fixes...

 

[Jinx]

I've heard that a raw egg will do the same. Just crack it into your radiator and drive. The egg will flow to the leak and cook and turn solid to plug the hole as the fluid heats up.

Not sure if eggs or coffee is better in your cooling system though. Need to figure out what to do with the bacon.


Sent from the Outer Limits via Android.

ok just to build on the radiator fix.

On a three core radiator I put my fan thru the inner core. So we pulled the radiator saved the antifreeze in a cooler, pulled the fins around the damaged core, pinched the cores over, replaced the antifreeze and drove out.

When we got back to town put some stop leak in and I think I am still running this radiator.

If you don't have eggs, or coffee grounds, pepper or cigarette tobacco in the radiator will seal it as well too. (I learned that via Don Campbell, Shannon Campbell's dad.)