Impromptu cheater bar in a junkyard

I was at the pick and pull trying to get an exhaust manifold, and I couldn't get the EGR thing out. All I could get on it was a crescent wrench, but the cheater bar I keep in my travel toolkit isn't big enough to fit over the handle. I thought, hey, I'm in a junkyard surrounded by cool stuff, and yet, I couldn't think of any car part that could function as a makeshift cheater bar. I suppose I could have wandered around the pickup trucks looking for a length of pipe, but it wasn't worth it.

Am I missing something obvious? What other creative junkyard solutions do you have when tools are scarce?

Fence post:

I used a driveshaft once.

I usually use a second (and third) wrench if need be.

hose clamps and tire iron

I found a broken shock once and used the tube as a cheater.

Once i was a able to use a piece of exhaust that was laying around. But usually i just give up and go get my breaker bar/iron pipe combo. I live close enough to the yard that round trip takes less than a 1/2 hour.

Receiver hitch? Jack handle with hose clamps? Exhaust is a good one.

A lot of cars have a lug wrench that is hollow at one end.
I also like the idea of solid lug wrench and hose clamps.

Shotgun?

I used an entire catback once... a 10 foot breaker bar will break anything loose... or break anything.

Exhaust, lug wrench, random pieces of pipe, etc.

Never thought of tire iron and hose clamps.

Uh, just cut the egr tube with a hacksaw and worry about the nut at home?

I don't keep a hacksaw in my travel kit.

The tire iron/hose clamp idea is pretty awesome, I'm liking that.

Do hose clamps really handle the load?

I could see muffler clamps, but hose clamps seem a bit light for a cheater bar.

Hard to find nowadays, but the upright from bumper jacks are usually hollow.

I used a piece of exhaust tubing as a cheater bar to get my j30 diff from a junkyard.

Just big enough deep socket over handle of whatever tool will fit the part/space + all your extensions. I usually have 2-3 of varying lengths w/ me w/ my most used socket sizes attached for easy access from my jy backpack. That usually gets me enough length to break it loose, hit it w/ the deadblow, or stick something else on to extend it further (see other suggestions).

Mentally adding to my to-do list: make a telescoping cheater bar I can carry in my travel toolbox...

Also, I have a crappy but really tiny hacksaw I'm tossing in there, too... It might take a while to get through anything sizeable, but it takes up little space and will probably fit in places a proper hacksaw wouldn't...

I keep this HF telescoping 1/2" ratchet in my junkyard bag. It was $10. It's berkeleying AWESOME.

The jack handle I have fits over my ratchets......I cut seatbelts out of cars for lift straps though.

bluej wrote: Just big enough deep socket over handle of whatever tool will fit the part/space + all your extensions. I usually have 2-3 of varying lengths w/ me w/ my most used socket sizes attached for easy access from my jy backpack. That usually gets me enough length to break it loose, hit it w/ the deadblow, or stick something else on to extend it further (see other suggestions).

1+ done this lots of times, especially in spots where the breaker bar don't fit.

cdowd wrote: I found a broken shock once and used the tube as a cheater.

This

Hacksaw, or go back to the car and get the breaker bar.

Kenny_McCormic wrote: Hacksaw, or go back to the car and get the breaker bar.

The junkyard I frequent takes all of the tools from the trunk of the car. I second the extendable breaker bar, and eating your Wheaties

Exhaust. I keep a few lengths of random tubing around just in case of exactly this(at home).

Makes a quick bash-em up tool too.