Tool recommendations - car and home

MRM · 02-23-2003, 01:15 PM

Between spending too many years in school and living in a house with a tiny, unheated garage, I was never really able to do many home projects. Consequently I never gathered many usefull tools. We just moved into a house with a large heated garage, plenty of space to build a workshop and lots of room to work on the car. Much to my wife's dismay and my delight I am planning to become handy and start doing much more of my own work on the car and around the house.

The best part is that now I need to build my tool collection. I'm starting pretty much from scratch. Can you give me some recommendations, both for the car and for around the house? I would like to put together a fairly comlete set of decent quality tools; things I can use and be happy with for a long time.

Here is what I have: a set of screwdrivers, a 3/4 inch wrench set (English), and an Allen wrench set - all of good quality. I also have a decent socket set that my father in law probably now owns through adverse possession. I don't mind replacing the socket set completely, so that's no big loss. Beyond that I don't have any cordless tools or power tools that are worth keeping. Yeah, I know, pretty pathetic, but at least I am starting fresh and that gives me the freedom to do it right if I'm careful.

These are the things I have been looking at so far. For car tools I had my eye on a either the 150 or 170 piece mechanic's socket set from Sears and one of their one inch metric wrench sets. Am I missing anything else that is either a must-have or extremely usefull for an 84 Carrera?

For power tools I saw a two Ryobi 18 volt cordless tool kits at Home Depot. The larger one costs $400 and has a circular saw, a sawzall-type saw, a miter saw, a speed saw and a drill. Or for $200 I can get a smaller set that has only the circular saw, drill and sawzall. DeWalt offers kits that are comparable to the smaller Ryobi set but cost almost $500. I am leaning toward getting the larger Ryobi set. I'm not planning to get very fancy, is it worth the extra money to get the contractor quality, even if it takes a little longer to build the set?

Is there anything else that a decent starter home workshop should have? A drill press and jig saw come to mind, a grinder, a couple of vices, as many clamps as I can justify...What else?

Craftsman seems to offer the kind of cost and quality I am looking for, but I would buy from Wayne if he had something similar for about the same price. I just can't justify the extra cost of Snap On, for me it will be better to buy more Craftsman than fewer Snap Ons.

Any suggestions or recommendations? What do you consider your must-have tools? My car is an 84 Carrera. So far it's bone stock.

Thanks.

Mike

Jim Sims · 02-23-2003, 01:30 PM

Starters for your 911: large oil pan (14-16 quart capacity), oil filter wrench, soft socket for wheel lug nuts, 4 jack stands, wheel chocks, floor jack, adapter to use floor jack with 911 lifting tubes, ~15 to ~85 ft-lbs capacity 3/8" drive torque wrench, ~50 to 150 ft-lbs 1/2" drive torque wrench, valve adjuster tool, 13mm crows foot wrench, Porsche factory spark plug tool or spark plug socket with extension, fan pulley wrenches (should be in factory tool kit).
3/8" and 1/2" drive sockets are more useful for 911s and around the house. 3/4" drive tools are only rarely used and 1" drive is for tractors and heavy machinery. Six point sockets and wrenches are best (some of the Sears tools can be had in this configuration). Sears craftsman tools are a good compromise between cost and quality but I have now bent three 1/2" Craftsman breaker bars (they never broke) and all were replaced. The Craftsman torque wrenches do not have this kind of warranty. Others will have more advice for you. Cheers, Jim

yelcab1 · 02-23-2003, 01:35 PM

You rarely go wrong with a 400 piece set of Craftsman tools.

stomachmonkey · 02-23-2003, 01:47 PM

Get the Sears stuff. It will serve you well until you get a better taste of how much you are actually willing to do. They are a great value. Get a locking chest to keep them organized and clean. Don't mistreat your tools.

Compressor is a must have. Get some air tools but don't go nuts. Impact wrench, grinder, ratchet and various nozzles.

Cheap but necc. a good shop vac.

My personal recomendations if you want to go the extra mile. A small dormitory fridge to keep beer in and a TV in the corner, oh, if you have an extra old POS computer run some CAT5 out to the garage so you can access the forum.

Scott

Joeaksa · 02-23-2003, 01:58 PM

A descent digital volt ohm meter. Radio shack or the like will do fine.

Also, if you can, find a set of Snap On metric sockets in 1/4 inch drive that go from 5 or 6mm to 14 or 15mm. 1/4 inch drive tools are a lot better for working on a car in many areas than 3/8th's or 1/2 where you could overtorque things easily. Valve cover nuts are 60 inch pounds (i believe) and thats very easy to overdo even with a 3/8th socket wrench so 1/4 comes in handy much of the time.

Buy a good vise and mount it to a good workbench. Harbor Freight has them for a descent price. Also a grinder/wire wheel is nice to have as is a ball bearing model dremel tool.

I have found some deals on Snap On stuff on Ebay or at times in a pawn shop and they are guaranteed for life. Craftsman are as well but the quality is not the same (nor is the price) but on the important tools, its not the place to scrimp. They will repay you back by your giving them to your son many years down the road.

Joe

Randy Webb · 02-23-2003, 02:09 PM

Crapsman is fine. The Snap-Off stuff is a bit better on rusted nuts, etc. You don't need any cordless drills, but they are fun. I would NOT buy a set. I _would_ get the Crapsman tools from a pawnbroker or at garage sales, and I _would_ buy what I need and not waste $$ on the big sets. Just buy what you need for each job as it come up or gets close.

pwd72s · 03:37 PM

Looking on ebay is a good suggestion...here's a nice little starter set up for bid now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2404838891&category=35001

Wayne's "101 Projects" book (can be purchased here) has a nice section on suggested tools for P car work. Also, the next time you find yourself in a Sears, ask for a Craftsman tool catalog, they are free...

Zeke · 03:45 PM

Keep it simple, go slow. As a carpenter, I'm asked often what a good tool is. For daily use, I buy Milwaukee, Makita (mostly made in USA these days) Porter Cable and the like. But I keep these tools in my truck. In the shop, I have been experimenting with power tools from Harbor Freight. Awright, listen to this: My $100+ Makita 4" angle grinder has been with me since 1984. I just bought a 4" angle grinder from HF for $17.99. Does the same job. I dunno if it will be here 19 years later, but I probably won't be. So, who cares? I could buy three, four, even five of the HF units for the price of one Makita. But, I will admit some pride. I don't want to show up at a job and pull out a bunch of HF tools. So I just keep this little secret to myself and now to you guys.

In the first group of tools I would buy a decent reversing variable speed 3/8" drill motor and a very good set of drill bits and some accessories like rotary wire brushes, paint strippers and that kind of stuff. Oh. there's a whole bunch of tools high on the list, but you gotta start somewhere.

John Velasco · 02-23-2003, 03:44 PM

Aren’t toolbox condos fun! Hell you could live in that box.

I have been collecting tools for a long time and am a firm believer in buying the best you can afford. Tools will last your lifetime and then some and the best will never let you down, but inexpensive tools can leave you frustrated or worse; gravely injured.

If you feel the need to have power tools only buy the best, Dewalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Porter Cable. My Dewalt 18 volt hammer drill will drive a ¾ inch auger bit through a 6 inch piece of lumber, if you tried to do this with a Ryobe drill all you would see is smoke and a stalled drill.

jv

rfuerst911sc · 02-23-2003, 04:01 PM

I have been working on cars as a backyard mechanic for about 28 years now and I think for the quality/money Sears hand tools are tough to beat,I have a full compliment of 1/4,3/8 and 1/2 inch drive sockets in both english and metric,my advice on sockets is to by 6 point when ever possible,they grip much better.I also agree that a air compressor is a must,there are so many things you can do with one,I recommend a minimum of 20 gallon tank or larger and only by one that uses oil,not oilless.Then buy some decent air tools,its amazing how much easier it is to work on a car all day when useing air tools.A decent floor jack and 4 jack stands is a must,wheel chocks are a good safety item.You must have a work bench,the bigger the better,a bench grinder is nice along with a vice,you can buy a decent 5-6 inch vice from Harbor Freight for about $30.00.These items will get you off to a great start.Keep in mind many of these items do not have to be purchased new,garage sales and flea markets sometimes have good items cheap,also don't be afraid to make out Christmas wish lists for items you want or need,its great to be a gear head!!!

reed930 · 02-23-2003, 04:07 PM

I think it is also worthwhile to buy a Dremel tool starter kit, which comes with a large assortment of attachments. You will be amazed at what that little wonder, spinning at 35,000 RPM, can do.

John Velasco · 02-23-2003, 05:47 PM

I forgot about the Dremel tool. This is the tool that saves your neighbors from calling the police at 2 am when you can’t remove the frozen nut that will help finish the job and you start screaming obscenities at it.

jv

DavidPorter · 02-23-2003, 05:54 PM

If you're like me and have car projects that last for months, get a set of wheel dollies so you can roll the project into the corner of the garage when you aren't working on it.

targa88 · 02-23-2003, 06:14 PM

Ideally I would refer to Wayne book: 101 projects - good reference material.
Tools sets tend to be overkill- you get a mix of several things and not necessarily what you want. since it is a Pcar "metric" is the way to go. 3/8" sockets tend to be the most popular - progressive sizes up to 19mm (lugs= nuts on the wheels). Specialty items as required: flare nut wrenches for brake lines, crows feet socket, etc.
Craftsman work well- lifetime warranty.
Torque wrench is a must, but I would get some better quality item.
I personally don't believe in cordless tools. Since you will be working in a garage you have access to electricity. Corded variety tend to be "better bang for the $"- also I believe more torque and better reliability.
Finally a decent sized tool box to keep all these goodies....
Then you will be needing a sturdy hydraulic jack (minimum 3 ton) along with jack stands ( that have decent extension so that you can get comfortably under the car).

John Velasco · 02-23-2003, 06:32 PM

I agree that cordless aren’t always the best tools for the shop, but I believe that some of these tools will be used outside of the shop. I have all three types of tools (Air, Battery, AC) in the shop I would prefer air, but those battery tools are so convenient, but only if made of a high quality.

I was in Costco the other day and they had a very decent toolbox. It was all stainless top and bottom and a claimed 3000-pound capacity. I was told this would be a regular stock item. I’m thinking about one as an extra box. It was 675.00

jpachard · 02-23-2003, 06:39 PM

I have found ebay as a great way to aquire tools. I have purchased many socket sets and wrenches for a fraction of the cost and all hardly used or brand new. I would recommend that you purchase your torque wrenches new however since these items are easily abused in the wrong hands. Best of luck!!

Cheers, James

kstylianos · 08:19 PM

I bought a decent Sears starter kit and when I need something I dont have, I buy it, usually in a set (ie: offset wrenches). That way you wont get stuck with tools you wont use by bying the biggest set.

Also, if you decide to buy a Dremel, buy a DREMEL. Don't get stuck with a B&D Wizzard, as you cannot find a flexi shaft anywhere for it. Ask me how I know

. Don't get me wrong, I've had my wizzard for about 3 years and love it, but if I were to do it again..........

One last thing, Costco is your friend. They often have quality tools at very reasonable prices. Cresent wrenches, Vise Grip locking pliers. Watch out for the cheap stuff...they do sell that also. Stick with the names you know.

RoninLB · 02-23-2003, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Zeke
Keep it simple, go slow. .

the best words on this whole thread, IMO...
and some tool mfg. are more dialed into what your needs are than others.. I'd be more concerned about a good used lift.. oh yeah, a 60 gal/5hp/220v compressor is minimum for full car/house jobs

masraum · 02-23-2003, 09:04 PM

make sure you have the factory tool kit.

I have primarily Craftsman tools, but I hate their open end wrenches. Almost any other brand is better. THey should call them nut/bolt rounders.

Superman · 02-23-2003, 10:24 PM

Start with a big Craftsman starter kit. Cordless drills are nice, but don't get a big set. Just the drill. There are excellent, inexpensive circular saws out there with lots of power. More power is better. Dremels are very handy. I'm proud of my hammer collection, and I suggest you build one too, starting with a soft-faced hammer like Craftsman. And a dead blow hammer. Get a good breaker bar. And a HUGE slip joint plier like Channel Lock. Harbor Freight is great for cheap hardware-type tools. Get a floor jack that has at least a 19" max lift. And some good, oversized jack stands, like the HF 6-ton ones. Eventually a compressor and air tools.