| Here are some basic safety tips when working on | | | | hand on the engine block? |
| your car or motorcycle in the garage or | | | | 3. Use the right tools It is very tempting to just |
| automotive shop. | | | | improvise with what you have on hand in your |
| 1. Support the vehicle properly Dont go cheap and | | | | garage. Beg, borrow or purchase the right tools |
| use some homemade jack to raise your car up | | | | for your auto project. A good example, is not |
| off the ground and dont use the bottle jack that | | | | using a good torque wrench. You can easily |
| comes with your car to lift it up and then crawl | | | | damage an expensive cylinder head on your |
| under it. First use a good floor jack that can | | | | engine if they are not torqued properly. Also, use |
| support at least 1 tons. Once your car is in the air, | | | | a good transmission jack. Transmissions are made |
| use some good jack stands to keep it there. | | | | of soft aluminum and can be easily damaged. |
| Never crawl under a raised automobile weighing | | | | 4. Buy a good manual This one will save you a lot |
| several tons without the proper support. | | | | of headaches, frustration and money. The old |
| 2. Wear proper safety gear This one seems | | | | adage when all else fails, read the instructions |
| obvious, but most mechanics just grab some air | | | | definitely applies to the automotive shop and |
| tools and go to work. Safety glasses are cheap | | | | garage mechanic. Chiltons produces great manuals |
| and will save your eyes from falling debris. It only | | | | and will more than pay for itself |
| takes a little metal shaving to stick in your eye | | | | 5. Common sense is not that common Use your |
| and cause a lot of damage. Mechanics gloves are | | | | brain too. It is all too common to see people |
| also becoming very popular. They are thin enough | | | | working a gas tank on their car with a cigarette |
| to allow a mechanic to feel bolts and tools and | | | | hanging in their mouth or working on a running |
| they still provide protection. How many bloody | | | | engine with their neck tie hanging down over the |
| knuckles have you gotten from smashing your | | | | fan blade. |