11/ you can use the ring end of one combination spanner to lock into the jaws of another combination spanner, with the long flat handle bit rotated 90 degrees, to get a nice solid extension for extra torque.
12/ shifting spanners / adjustable wrenches, they have their uses, but not many, you will never undo a tight nut by belting the end of an adjustable with a hammer, there's too much slack in the spanner, always always always use the correct size spanner, and not the nearest metric of AF equivalent, eg 13mm / 0.5" AF
13/ screw threads, nuts, studs, they are everything, every time you strip clean ALL threads, bolts, studs with a brass wire brush, clean all nuts with a tap (tap and die set to suit your engine, buy the best quality one you can possibly afford, that doesn't mean best brand, it means best quality, if in doubt ask your local machine shop what to buy) and above all make sure the hex is never ever damaged by anyone using the wrong spanner.... mole / vice clamps should be banned.... ANY damaged nuts / bolts / studs need to be replaced, NOT refitted, they WILL bite you in the ass sooner or later.
14/ cleanliness... sometime talk to a good builder about clean vs dirty building sites, sounds silly, but it isn't, clean tools, clean hands, clean parts and a clean enviornment, it simply cannot be stressed how much of a difference this will make to the longevity of your repairs, so always wash down the motor before stripping, wash each part, wash the work area, you get the picture.
15/ I've mentioned this elsewhere, but it is worth mentioning again, break your job up into sections, after each section sit down, have a coffee, have a cigarette, do whatever it is you do, but do it LOOKING AT THE WORK, I can't tell you how often this has saved my ass.
16/ DO NOT ever use things like screwdrivers, chisels or other "wedge" or "level" tools to split something, eg a cover from a block or a sump or head from a block, knock the part with a piece of wood if you like, but if something doesn't come by itself, DO NOT FORCE IT, by way of example, the number of people who used to buy hillman sump pans, all the same fault, they never noticed the "hidden" bolt, so took out the obvious ones and then levered it, breaking s chunk off the sump.
17/ nut / bolt torque, 95% of people who are not experienced will vastly overtighten everything, they do not understand the mechanical advantage the screw thread given them, so everything is a couple of flats short of stripping threads (this is BEFORE it heats up) and everything is hugely pre-loaded..... that little 5/16 bolt (1/2 AF spanner) can be done up tight enough by a 7 year old girl, and it will still carry a quarter ton with ease
18/ stripped parts, where are you going to put them when you strip? do you have a way of telling where they came from? esp those with twin cylinders or more... you can mark a lot of stuff that isn't already marked (cleanliness remember, if you wanna see those marks) with a LIGHT tap on a centre pop, one for cylinder #1, 2 for #2, etc, doesn't apply to listers but you can mark the position of things like injection pumps with a couple of strokes of a hacksaw blade
19/ be methodical and plan the job, number of times I've seen people do dumb things like lift a car cylinder head and then realise they didn't drain the coolant, or lose stuff down to the sump because they didn't stuff a rag in holes (or worse still LEAVE it there and hope for the best..), if you cock it up, or if you find a bigger problem than you expected, NEVER TAKE A SHORT CUT, that thing you go "oh no, I don't wanna do that!!" is probably what you will end up doing, after you wasted three hours trying to take a short cut and avoid it
20/ oilcan, grease, gasket paper, the odd O ring, all you need, unlike stick shit and all the other products you can buy they promote good working practices, cleanliness and thoroughness (eg grease and gasket paper may not be technically superior to Hylomar, but the discipline it requires will ensure the joint performs better and longer than the job done with Hylomar) , they are FAR cheaper and always to hand (you wouldn't believe how many motors are out there with A4 paper or Corn Flakes boxes as jointing material) but the real two killers are they NEVER block oil ways or pumps, and they ALWAYS burn off the excess on the first run under load.
21/ tools like the hacksaw and metal file, there is a knack to using them, LEARN IT... eg both do NOT require pressure to cut or speed to cut, so don't lean on the buggers and don't go as fast as you can, but DO move your arm as straight as you can, like a hydraulic ram, pool players will known what I mean, unless you swing your arm straight you can't shoot straight... a good set of files, used properly and cleaned when needed, will dress up anything, given enough time... I HAVE used files to get mating surfaced that were nothing short of buggered parallel, I HAVE used prussian blue, emery tape and kerosene to grind big ends by hand, and done a first class job, all it takes is patience and concentration..... yeah, NOW you can take it to the shop, or buy new, at sea and in god forsaken places you can't, and if the shit hits the fan you can't.... a shop full of power tools is no use if your power source is down.
22/ assemble everything with plenty of oil, drench bearing shells, both sides, before you assemble them, etc etc etc, don't worry it will burn off when she fires up, where do you get this oil from, your oil can, and you DID wipe that baby sugically clean and ONLY fill with _filtered_ brand new oil didn't you? (NEVER pour anything into an oil can without filtering it, NEVER NEVER NEVER)
23/ Diesel fuel, it doesn't like contaminants, I know it is all the rage nowadays to use copper fuel lines, but that's a good way to slowly kill your pump, the copper leeches off and wears the pump, yes, I know a new million dollar sunseeker boat with volvo penta engine will have copper diesel lines, they are easy and cheap to form, the coast guard vessel won't, because it doesn't pass inspection, seamless steel pipe is the ONLY thing to make fuel lines out of... plastic is fine, until the temperature drops, you won't be taking a blowtorch to them to thaw em out. (only things worse then copper is aluminium and then zinc eg galvanised)
24/ Diesel fuel, doesn't like water, but condendation will get it in there, so fit a water trap filter and never draw fuel from the bottom 5% of the tank.
25/ Diesel fuel, it has bugs in it, it will eat holes into "stainless" tanks and fittings, YOU are planning on kit with a 20+ year life yes? so no good comparing to what henry ford does.
26/ cotton overalls, long hair, scarves, etc, listers, gen heads and belts are ROTATING MACHINERY, get dragged into a running lister and it will rip you limb from fucking limb, cotton overalls if not too baggy will tend to tear, synthetic overalls are as strong as nylon rope and will drag you in, so will hair, so will scarves and shit, and don't under estimate the ability of the belts to drag you in.... TRUE STORY, an old boy who taught me a lot of stuff was time served in a shop driven by overhead fast and loose belts and shafting, one of the machines by one of the doorways was a guillotine, it went up and down real slow, maybe 4 seconds for a full stroke, thing is, it was mesmeric, most everyone in the shop used to put their finger in there...... he told be there were at least three guys in the shop with missing fingers, still didn't stop people (or him) from doing it... there is a moral there, do not be tempted by those slinning flywheels or belts, especially if something suprised you or gave you a jolt...
27/ electricity, never liked the shit cos you can't see it (that wire live or not) so always follow the electricians rule, rubber soled shoes, one hand in your pocket so no current path across your heart, and treat every wire like a live wire (gun owners should dig this, no such thing as an unloaded weapon)
28/ DC electricity, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous shit, especially when you get into higher voltages which those of you running banks of batteries for storage will be doing, I've worked on 110 VDC on ships, trip it and your muscles lock one way (DC see) and this is either to throw you off the contact or jam you on, if it is jam you on them 110 VDC starts cooking meat real fast, you _may_ live but you WILL lose limbs and flesh for ever, don't fuck with DC, not even 12 VDC if it comes to rings, metal framed spectacles or spanners.
enough for now