The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Creative ideas

Not long ago, I read a post where someone used a water heater blanket for floor insulation on their truck. Very cost effective and a great idea. Farmers and others who used these trucks did'nt always have the time or money to keep them going and used good o'l Yankee ingenuity. I would bet that there are lots more of these creative ideas out there. Someone care to go first?

I had a chunk of truck tire tread as a transmission mount insulator and a spray paint cap as a grease cap on one of my front hubs.

I have a category on my truck blog dedicated to all the "farm fixes" I come across on my truck.
http://rustyfiftyone.com/category/shade-tree/

well, i always liked using a rag for a gas cap and of course there is always baling wire for a variety of uses.

In a rainy environment, for a truck parked outdoors, a rag for a gas cap might allow water dilution/contamination in the gas tank.

in that situation i use a nylon rag as it tends to shed moisture and not absorb moisture; just a feeble attempt to add a bit of humor.

I keep baling wire and duct tape in my "travel kit".

In that kit are also "rubber" gloves (latex and/or nitrile, in case my truck has allergies) - they would serve well as a temporary gas cap.

To the original mention of the water heater blanket, I don't use the blanket-type water heater insulation, but the bubble-wrap style water heater insulation, with foil on the outside. When siliconed to all hidden surfaces of the cab it insulates very very well.

Creative ideas??? Well, I keep this little number on the wall in my office. A little invention of mine.

Tim , I think he is kidding...I hope

46gmcpu, that is the one I'm referring to. Any more ideas?

I think he is kidding, too. But, I have had a gas cap stolen at a show and the latex glove came in handy (duct tape was plan B).

Actually, in the old days you would occasionally see a rag stuffed in the gas filler neck. Not saying it was a good idea, but it was done.

Vice grips, ahhh vice grips. Inside door handles, repair throttle, hold a radiator bracket together, and everything else.

for patch panels
License plates

i was.

I once used a park bench for the seat in my old 49 Ford truck. Same truck had a corvair instrument cluster bailing wired in above the steering column. Corvair fuel tank was bolted in the bed.

This is starting to get interesting.

Maybe it's becoming a Greasey Spoon topic?

It's moving that way.

ok, so the rag in the fuel tank inlet didn't go so well, heck no one had enough gas in the tank to wet the rag anyway; however, here's a few more;
old piece of carpet on the seat to cover the exposed springs.
old metal garbage can lids to cover rusted out floor boards.
wooden wedge in door glass opening to keep the window up;
or if no glass, piece of cardboard mounted in window opening with a small square cutout in order to see out.
did i mention a rag, a red one to cover the tail light when the cover it broken.
did i mention a rag, one wrapped around the wiper blade when the rubber is gone.
did i mention i'm 66 years old, from the south were creative ideas ruled.
oh, i once saw a tin can taped to the outside mirror and used as a cup holder.
did i mention, i'm from the south.
have fun.

One time I was struggling to get the truck started, long story. When it finally lit off, the fuel air mix that had been pumped through and subsequently filled the exhaust system exploded. The muffler couldn't take the pressure and split at the seams. (The driveway was covered with soot).

The hole was patched with aluminum duct tape, backed up with a large coffee can, held in place with large hose clamps.

We were expecting our first and spending the money on a new muffler for daddy's toy was not in the budget. The coffee can has worked so well that it has not been replaced yet (but the new muffler is in the garage moving up the punch list).

My gas pedal is an old belt buckle. The line to my coolant overflow tank is a piece of copper tubing coiled up (think moonshine still).

now that's creative, anybody remember asbestos cloth sold? Wrapped that around mufflers a few times. I've seen; 2x4's for bumpers, coat hangers for antennas and on one occasion a screwdriver for a shift lever. Anything to keep them going.

I preferred pressure-treated 2x6 or 2x8 as a bumper back in the early seventies.

Is that an inspection sticker on it?

Inspection sticker on the window.
Parking sticker on the bumper.
It was street-legal in VA and in NY.

The original license plate holder nicely bolted on the top of the bumper. The screws were non-original wood screws. As you can see, I tried to keep it stock-looking.

told by original owner that my 52 Korean war era truck came from factory with a 2x4 as a rear bumper.

A wood rear bumper was not listed as an option in 1952 (a curved, painted, spring-type steel bumper was the option in 1952). The dealer might have put on a wood rear bumper (original-style bumper brackets would have needed to be bent, too).

Junction box cover used to cover enlarged hole for master cylinder

Master cylinder cover

I think he meant wood for transit only with metal bumper dealer installed. however, the installed bumper sounds like what is described. thanks.

.... back when house trailer tires would fit a car I would buy them up when I could for Cheap. They were 6 ply and when the tread was gone they made good racing slicks for my 56 Chevy. I could run them a month after the first site of the thread showing

...used black electrical tape to black out part of the grille on my 59 impala.

This has very entertaining, but I do'nt think I can use any of these C.I's Thanks anyway guys.

I have a quart mason jar for an overflow bottle.

Of course there's the ever popular valley tin with pop rivets and roofing tar to fix rust holes in the floorboards.
And bungee straps to hold the hood shut.

Was doing Vintage Air in a customer's car, it had the cowl panel repaired with a piece of road sign.

My truck has a ratchet strap for the hood safety catch, wood wedge in the window to keep it from rattling, and the ever-popular bungee strap battery hold down.

In my old '66 Chevy truck, I had a hose clamp around the 3 speed linkage at the bottom to convert it to shift an automatic trans. Had to count the detents in the tranny to shift, but it worked.

The wood bumpers would outlast any plastic bumper on today's vehicles. A whole lot cheaper to replace too!!! Two or three vertical wood bars on it and you had a great pusher. You could dress the bumper up and give it character with strips of tire tread nailed to it. A tin can and 2 hose clamps repaired many a hole in exhaust pipes.

I had forgotten about the tire tread trick.