A note from Joe Lambert: One of Mike's endearing qualities his personal thriftiness, Mike's motto is "Why buy it when you can go out to the garage and find enough stuff laying around and make it!!!". Some might call him cheap, but I like to refer to it this way, "Ya know, Mike throws nickels around like they're manhole covers". Well, when he needed the elusive AC valve tool he headed for the garage. If you don't have Mike's advances skills, and want to take the easy way out try your local dealer, if he looks at you like your from another planet an says "a what" you will need to seek one out on the web.

If you are an Autococker owner, chances are you do not have a tool you will need to remove the air (turbo) valve. You may not need to remove this valve for years, and then you can take it to an airsmith. Are you are a "do it yourselfer"? Have an uncomfortable feeling in the back of you mind that if your valve leaks, there is nothing you can do about it? Like to tinker with your Autococker? Hesitant about spending twenty bucks or more on a specialized tool that you may use once a year?

If you answered yes to all of these questions, here is a recipe to make your own Valve Tool you may want to try. Required: 1) A trip to the local hardware store 2) Two or three hours time (with breaks), 3) "Basic" tools (basic for most "do it yourself " types) a) You will probably need a hacksaw and a file. b) You will defiantly need a 9/32 inch dril.l c) and, for best results, a drill press or a lathe. You can get by with a hand held drill, but, you will need to be able to drill perpendicular. If you are using a drill you will also need a vise. (if you do not have a table vise, you can make a holding fixture with a piece of scrap lumber long enough to clamp to the drill table. Clamp it down. Drill a 5/16 inch hole about 3/4 inch deep. Chuck on 1/4 inch of the 5/16 hex piece and use the drill press to push the hex piece into the 5/16-inch hole. The hex corners should shear into the soft wood and hold the hex piece square and secure.) The stuff you will need depends on what's available at the hardware store and what tools you have to work with. What you need is a 5/16 " hex with a 9/32" clearance diameter about 3/8" deep and a way of applying torque to it (a handle).

A simple option: The ugly, functional valve tool.

What you need is a piece of 5/16-inch hex stock. This can be brass, steel, or aluminum, but it must be 5/16 inch (.312") across the flats. Fortunately, most self-respecting hardware stores carry the three items you can use to easily and cheaply make a valve tool. (#1) Usually called a "coupling" this simple fastener is about an inch long, has a #10-24 thread through its center, and, most importantly, made from 5/16-inch steel hex stock. This important item can usually be found with the fasteners where you may find item (#2) at least three #10-24 hex nuts. Couplings are so named because they are designed to "couple" two pieces of threaded rod together. They may sometimes be found with item (#3), a length of #10-24 threaded rod. You'll need about four inches. Threaded rod is usually available in 3-ft lengths for a couple of dollars. If you can make the unlikely find of a #10-24 hex head bolt, four inches long, so much the better. Substitute it for the threaded rod and two out of three hex nuts.

Figure 1: A simple option. This tool needs a few hacksaw strokes to remove the excess treaded rod. Don't use too much force when you turn the nuts against each other to lock them in place. You can easily strip these small treads.

Recipe for the simple option:

Step1. Clamp the coupling squarely and securely in a vise and carefully drill a 9/32 diameter, 3/8" deep. I suggest you drill a 1/4" first. This will help the 9/32 drill to stay concentric. You only have .015" on each side to play with.

Step 2: Screw the hex nut onto the #10-24 rod. Run two of them about four inches down the rod then tighten together with wrench or pliers. Screw the coupling on until the thread just starts into the 9/32 diameter. Run the remaining nut down to the coupling and with a pair of wrenched, gently tighten nut against coupling.

Step 3. Cut off the excess rod just above the two hex nuts.

Left: Coupling with threads Right: Finished coupling with 9/32" diameter drilled 3/8" deep.

Top: Made of 1/4" rod welded into a T-handle. The rod was tighten into the drill chuck (before welding) and the last 1/2" was filed down (with the rotating spindle doing most of the work) to .310 and then treaded with a #10-24 die nut.

2nd from top: Coupling that the 9/32 diameter broke out on the side. Usable. But non-discriminating tastes needed.

3rd from top: I used a flashlight to figure out what was needed to remove the valve. This is a combination of 1/4-20 hex head bolt and 3/8 inch hex coupling (comes with 1/4-20 threads) filed down until it fit (and worked). Very time consuming & not recommended.

Bottom: The required 9/32 inch drill bit.

Comment's?, email me at

Wild Lion