39. Press small, cylindrical magnets into 1/4-inch bars of aluminum or wood and you can use them as soft jaws for your bench vise when clamping fragile items.
40. Magnetize your screwdrivers to help them hold onto fasteners while you're starting them.
41. A drinking straw and some epoxy can be substituted for a broken plastic stud on old interior trim. Tape the straw where the broken stud used to be, cut it to the required length, and fill with two-part epoxy. The epoxy will hold onto threads, but drill a pilot hole first, and go easy on the torque.
42. When you're installing carpet in your truck, lay the carpet in the sun so it can warm up. It will help it contour to your floorboards.
43. Heat spray-paint cans under a hot faucet. Warm paint flows out better and won't splatter on its way out of the nozzle.
44. Here's one we have trouble following: Follow the directions on the can when spray painting. Thin coats are the way to go for a good-looking paint job with no runs. This goes for primer too.
45. Don't use newspaper for masking paper; it won't work. Again, trust us on this one.
46. Use aluminum foil for masking odd-shaped parts. It fits to contours and won't blow loose.
47. Bolt the part you need to paint in an engine stand if you've got one. You can paint the part and rotate it to get the under side without touching the fresh paint.
48. Keep any extra body panels from your truck to use as patch panels when filling stake pockets or shaving door handles. The metal will be the same gauge, making welding easier.
49. Trace a line around door hinges prior to removing them. When you reinstall the door you'll save time aligning panels.
50. There's no use sliding dirt around on your truck, buy a wash bucket with grating at the bottom, or cut one out of a plastic door mat to fit the bucket you normally use. This will let the grit fall to the bottom of the bucket and stay there.
51. Even better, have a bucket for your car wash and another bucket with clean water just for rinsing. The grate at the bottom will still keep the gritty particles from staying suspended in the water.
52. Your car should be cool when you wash it, and not just the surface. Let your car cool down before you give any hot parts, like the brake rotors, an icy bath that could cause warping.
53. Before washing your car, remove your watch, belt, jewelry, or anything that might cause scratches. The same goes for wrenching under the hood, since rivets on jeans can easily scratch paint.