Push-On Clip Installer
 John Johnson of Johnson Cycle & Mower in Atlanta, Ga., sent in one of his handy “tech tip” tools for installing the push-on clip for Honda BBC and transmission cables.
According to Johnson, “Using a ‘ziz wheel,’ I ground slots into a pair of ordinary pliers. The slot on one side needs to be such that it will just fit over the cable conduit, but will not go over the metal end of the cable. With just a simple squeeze, the clip is installed. Works every time, is easy to make and saves time and money!”
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Socket Notch Saves Time, Effort
Longtime service technician Rodney Rom of Rom’s Reworks in Butler, Mo. sent several tech tips, including this handy modified socket:
Removing and installing those 90º crankcase-breather and fuel-pump-pulse fittings can be frustrating. Anytime a short block is replaced, the fitting must be removed from the old block and installed into the new. Open-end wrenches, vise-grips and crescent wrenches somehow just never quite accomplished the task satisfactorily. Now, there is a better, faster, easier—and much safer—way.
This tool is easy to make. Aside from the socket itself, I used two other tools already in use in most small-engine shops—a 41⁄2 in. angle-head electric hand grinder and a 3⁄16 in. wheel chain saw chain grinder.
One photo shows the side view of this knuckle-saver. The basic socket itself is a 3⁄8 in. drive, 7⁄16 in. 8-point square socket—you know, the one you use to remove oil-drain plugs. After marking the outside face of the socket to show where the outermost “V” of one of the eight inner notches was located, I clamped the socket into my vise’s soft jaws and used the angle-head grinder to make the basic notch contour.
Aligning the notch grind with one of the Vs is critical or the socket will not fit the elbow fitting after the socket is slotted. Also note the depth of the finished notch—it must be deep enough to completely cover the square part of the fitting for effective gripping: Mine finished at 3⁄8 in.
With the basic notch contour done, I then moved over to the saw chain grinder and “fine-tuned” the final shape of the slot. It helps to keep a spare fitting handy while doing the finish grinding to make sure the finished fit will be acceptable. I recommend grinding from the inside out to prevent flashing burrs inside the socket when you’re finished. Aside from the necessary 3⁄8 in. depth, my finished slot is 5⁄16 in. wide at the top, tapering to 9⁄32 in. at the bottom.
The second photo shows the socket installed onto the fitting on a V-twin crankcase cover. You can use whatever socket driver the situation calls for—speed wrench, 3⁄8 in. ratchet, etc.
If you’re concerned about “destroying” your socket for other stout work such as its original purpose of removing oil-drain plugs, don’t be. I’ve been using my modified Craftsman socket for more than six years now on every square plug and fitting I encounter, and I haven’t so much as cracked it yet.
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