The old 231's were bullet proof, I still have everyone that I ever owned, and they all still work, just worn out and abused.
They were, however, heavy, and do not have the snot the newer composite ones have .
That being said, they are a great gun for the $.

Speaking of this, I was actually looking at purchasing the Milwaukee M18 Fuel. I've heard really good things about it. Does anyone have one?
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-M18-18-Volt-Lithium-Ion-1-2-in-Brushless-Cordless-Mid-Torque-Impact-Wrench-W-Pin-Detent-Kit-W-1-5-0Ah-Battery-2860-21/304139246

If you want to test the theory, this will get your foot in the door.

I do, and I love it. In fact, I liked it so much, I also bought their cordless 3/8" ratchet. I know this kind of stuff is too modern for most of the Pelican dinosaurs, but I'll never go back to air.

https://www.northerntool.com/images/...80_700x700.jpg

I’ve got an electric 1/2” impact from Sears that I got in 1989.

Still works like a champ and it’s had a lot of work thrown at it.

If I was still working on the cars, I’d look at cordless

Damn. I haven’t seen my air ratchet in years. Hmmmm.

Yep, they make two in 3/8 inch, one 35 ft/lbs and the other 50. Use the 1/2 inch M18 almost everyday for awhile now as well.

I use a 1/4" drive air ratchet quite a bit. My 20 year old impact died back in March, it came from Northern Tool and it was great. They no longer have the same one. My Snap On battery impact got stolen in a car break in and I never replaced it. It was great but I do not use an impact much and did not want to spend big $$$ for a good one. Found a deal on a Delco air impact on Amazon. It had great specs so I bought it. Killer torque but there was one thing I did not think about. It is heavy. Something to think about when buying. Some times heavy sucks.

I have an air impact, and a DeWalt corded impact I bought maybe 20 years ago. I use the DeWalt quite a bit, and in fact used it last night to pop the wheels off of my truck. I'd love a cordless, but I just don't need one right now.

I don't expect that I will ever be able to break this tool.

Just reread your post.

If you have air, getting a lightweight air impact is a no brainer. Get torque sticks to help with the reinstall, and finish up with the torque wrench. Once you get a decent air tool, you will wonder why you didn't do this years ago. Less than 100 dollars will buy you a great air impact gun, and Harbor Freight happens to make good ones.

FWIW, if there is any physical therapy you can do around your recovery, that goes hand in hand with anything you can do to work smarter.

+1 on the Aircat

+2 on the Aircat

All good that except is a Milwaukee crap.. wait until the battery dies and then buy a replacement just to see it die a day after warranty is done, you'll understand...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1529526867.JPG
I was awarded this Rotunda wrench when I graduated from high school as part of a shared award for being one of two top auto shop students. My partner in the Plymouth Trouble Shooting contest won the other part, a scholarship to a Ford Mechanics school.
Our shop teacher knew I was going on to college but wanted to acknowledge the fact that I'd taken all the courses and that he appreciated having someone that wasn't your typical, for the time, goof off in his classes.
I use the wrench when rotating tires. Loosen lugs by hand, and zip them off with it. Put them on to the first ratcheting, then use the torque wrench. This wrench will be 50 yrs old next June. It was scratched when I got it (I actually think the local Ford dealer got caught short and took it right off the repair shop floor), so I knew it worked.

Thanks for all the great ideas. To DanielDudley- PT is a big part of it. That’s actually where I started having success with PT on my shoulder in the past.

mine is an old IR 231 definately not so strong anymore but thats kind of a good thing keeps me from snapping bolts. Actually i think its mostly due to air pressure. 100 psi isnt quite enough. My brother uses them at work with 200psi and they are plenty strong. It gets the job done. I use the 3/8 adapter more than i probably should. It would be nice to have a lighter 3/8 gun for most jobs.

M18 Fuel is a great system, and I believe many pro mechanics use it.
I have both the 3/8" and 1/2" impact.
Once you use it, you will never go back to corded or air.

Yes, there are people here who proudly refuse to use a cell phone because the NSA cares they just looked up the weather.

Just wondering, what is your current method?

They come off when the breaker bar and then back on by hand turning with extended socket, then hand torqued. So all manual and lots of twisting motions which can get me/got me into trouble.

I will admit I am old school I love my various air ratchets and impact guns . I have an old Black & Decker all metal 1/2 " impact and a newer Campbell Hausfeld . When driven by the proper amount of air volume/pressure they are tough to beat . I have a 60 gallon Ingersol Rand twin cylinder compressor so volume and pressure are not an issue . I never have to worry about a battery that is dead or won't charge .

Like many DIYers I have plenty of dead battery driven tools starting with old Makita 9 volts , then 12 volt Skil , then 18 volt Hitachi and Sears ALL needing new batteries ( $$$$ ) . Over Fathers Day weekend I purchased a Rigid brand " kit " which included a drill/mini torque driver , charger and two 1.4 amp/hour lithium batteries ALL with lifetime warranty ....... that's right even the batteries have lifetime warranty . As an added bonus it came with two additional 4.0 batteries which have a 3 year warranty . I have been using the mini driver in my man cave build driving lots of screws and I am impressed .

But when the man cave is done/completed for any car work I'm back to my trusty air tools , if nothing else they sound manly ! :D