Topic: Simple Fix Thread - For a Challenge or Problem

[J_Speegle]

Was doing some picture stuff     and ran across a few pictures I though I would share showing some challenges I've had in the past and how I addressed them. Not sure if each of these should be in the same thread or separate but we'll let this thread possibly grow and see what the results are. Then adjust 

Maybe we should post some rules about this thread and submitted challenges and fixes.

- One problem and fix per post
- Fix should be low cost or free and likely something designed for some other purpose.
- ALL DYI No sending it out, taking it to a shop,........

[J_Speegle]

Looking at a car and I need to take some pictures of what I found. Since there is a multitude of small dents in this car (bicycle's, lawn mowers, garden tools and such) the challenge is that they don't show up in the pictures I'm taking for myself or to share with a possible purchaser.

Solution I found was some small refrigerator magnets. Simply place one over a small dent (larger magnet - larger dent) or in a line along a body ripple and snap a picture from just about any angle that shows the area. To be careful don't slide the magnet across the paint work and buy ones with magnets with rounded exposed edges. This makes it easier to remember the damage and/or makes communicating it to others over a distance.

If you had enough you could always color code the magnets to the damage. Example: Orange = dent  Blue = scratch or something like that





Couple of other uses for the magnets during an inspection but will save those for later

[J_Speegle]

Those tight spaces. So you checking to see if the car is "matching numbers". What that means to someone is a subject for another thread.

You don't have a small mirror (I tend to break them    Or you can't get a light and/or camera/phone in a good location

If you can reach it and touch it you can use some your kids or grandkids Play-Doh   

Well not really I've purchased my own over the years just for this purpose. For best results you need to wipe or even clean off the surface as best you can before. You don't have to use the whole jar. If you can and the Play-Doh has been used before lay the cleanest part or side against the area and work it into the surface then from one end pull it off slowly and in most cases you have a readable copy of the area. Taking pictures of your findings will require a number of attempts from different angles and likely in a location where the sun can be used to highlight the stamping using the shadows from the sun.  Here is an example from one car - two attempts.

Have used this on VINs on engine blocks or heads, VINs on transmission, more difficult to read were finely stamped tags on transmissions but can be used for casting dates in those hard to see locations. Sure there are more that I'm not recalling in the moment





I've found, for me, that it works best if I buy a set of the smallest cans so that once they are dirty I can just toss them. Remember not to mix what is left from one car into another since an uneven color will make reading the results more challenging. Was for me.