BAG OF TRICKS

IF YOU'RE JUST GETTING STARTED WITH WORKING ON CARS, HERE ARE SOME TOP WORKSHOP HACKS TO HELP YOU OVERCOME THE COMMON PROBLEMS YOU MIGHT STRIKE

- IAIN KELLY

IF YOU weren't lucky enough to have been raised in a hands-on gearhead family, tearing into your first project car can be a daunting task. So, on the back of our Young Street Machine of the Year competition (see page 92 for more!), we thought we'd compile some quick and easy workshop tips that novices may find useful when spinning spanners on their rides.

One bloke who has more projects on the go than most is Scott Barter, whose '56 Chevy pick-up featured in the SM 2020 Yearbook. Here, he shares some of his greatest hacks for newbies, and we'll also add a few of our own.

1 HANG IT UP

KEEPING your work area organised is a key part of a successful build. A clear workspace means you're not tripping over stuff while trying to cut some metal to fit a doohickey to a whatsit. Having measuring and marking tools and your personal protective equipment (PPE) in one close-at-hand spot is also a great idea.

If you have a workbench where most of your jobs will be done, you'll want to hang all the stuff there that you'll need to grab in a pinch. Attaching welding mesh to your workbench is a great, cheap way to sort this out, as it offers versatile mounting options.

If you've got a solid spot above your workbench that you can bolt a timber 4x2 into, it can be a great place to hang jars to hold screws, nails, staples and other small fittings. These jars in Scotty's shed are kept within easy reach for when he needs to make a tool or quickly fasten something.

2 FULLY PRIMED