Tools You Can Build at Home

The key to making any welding job easier is to properly configure thewelder for each task. There are two controls on the front; one is thevoltage setting and the other is the wire-speed control. Higher voltagesand a faster wire speed are for thicker metals.

We also bought one of these new Craftsman Twin Cutters. This baby blaststhrough steel like it was wood. We used it for trimming 1/4-inch plate,and with its counter-rotating carbide-tipped blades, it performed thecut in a matter of seconds! The Twin Cutter slices through steel,aluminum, plastic, copper, wood, and just about anything else you canthink to cut, and it creates a smooth finish when the cut is completed.It shoots some serious hot sparks, but this cutter is amazingly fast.

For our first welding job, we chose something simple. To set up a GM 10-or 12-bolt rearend, we needed something to hold the pinion flange whiletightening the pinion nut. So we drilled holes in this flat 1/8-inchplate to match the four small holes in the pinion flange and a largehole in the center for the pinion-nut socket. Then we welded this plateto a 5-foot length of 1-inch square tubing. Now we have a solid lever tohold the pinion when torquing the pinion nut.

For our engine perch, we started with a 10-foot length of 1-inch squaretubing and cut four lengths to create the base that measures 16x24inches as shown. We squared the corners by duplicating the diagonaldistances inside the rectangle and tacked it together.

The rear horizontal legs are 103/4 inches long and bolt to the bottombellhousing bolts. Next, we cut the two front legs with the upperportion at 45-degree angles and welded short lengths of 3/16-inch plateto them with 3/8-inch holes for the bolts.

After tacking the whole stand together and rechecking that it all boltsup, we welded one edge at a time, moving around the perch to preventheat buildup that could cause it to warp. When we were all done, we shotsome black paint to prevent rust and it was ready to use. This perchwill bolt up to big-block Chevys as well.

Our pal Tim Moore built this perch with wheels for his small-block Fordalso using 1-inch square tubing and surplus casters.

Here's the schematic for the Chevy engine perch design. The specs shouldbe self explanatory. Note that the front and rear cross bars for thebase are placed on the ends of the 22-inch long base legs. This perchwill mount either a small-block or big-block Chevy. If you have anengine with a deep-sump pan, you might consider increasing the height ofthe four legs to create more room.

The disadvantage to these large rectangular perches is that they take upspace when not in use. Moto-Feet makes these slick individual legs forboth small-block Chevys and Fords that are very space efficient. We gotours from Jim Grubbs Motorsports in Valencia, California.