What Kind of Tools to Start a DIY Garage? | Page 2 | FerrariChat

What Kind of Tools to Start a DIY Garage?

Discussion in '308/328' started by wildcat326, Sep 10, 2014.

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  1. justinwrock

    justinwrock Karting

    Nov 9, 2005
    91
    Sacramento
    Full Name:
    Justin
    My $.02, if you're going to spend anywhere, spend on ratchets.

    Seriously, a good set of fine tooth ratchets may/will save your ass when you have a very tight bolt in a very small space.
     
  2. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    Mike 996
    As far as specific tools - a set of flex-head ratchet wrenches down to 8mm is invaluable!
     
  3. Rich S

    Rich S Formula Junior

    Nov 30, 2013
    501
    Monterey, California
    Full Name:
    Rich Saylor
    Hi. Most everything that can be said on the topic has been, but I'll add to "the vote":

    Snap-on tools are good, or at least have been, due to the strength of their steel and the thinner walls that allow you to get into tight spaces. The rachets don't matter so much, Craftsman and such are OK, as usually various extensions take care of many if not all accessibility problems.

    Get a very good name-brand high power drill if you don't already have one, and a couple of extra batteries and charger.

    Power tools from Harbor Freight are to be avoided, unless a one-time use is what you want. However not everything they sell is "junk". Depends on use and frequency of use. Far, far cheaper than the tool truck stuff, so you can afford to replace them when they fail, but not recommended for tools you use a lot.

    I like HF's aluminum "racing jacks". Seem to be as well built as anything, and fairly inexpensive. Easy to carry around, too!

    Craftsman tool sets are a good deal if you need such a collection. Their guarantee used to be excellent but now....

    Did anyone mention an oxyacetylene torch set? If not check around; really it's the bottles, not the torches and hoses. Bottles- the medium "B" size- are practical; I gas weld a lot! A MIG or TIG welder is also good, IF you have the training to use either, and need it. Otherwise a good plan for serious welding would be to use the gas torch to tack weld stuff you make or repair, then take the assembly to a pro welding shop for a decent continuous weld. Cheaper and most likely better. Look around for someone selling their gas welding set; Craig's List, newspaper, whatever. Best local so you can make sure the bottles are owned, not rental. A welding shop can & will tell the difference when it's time to refill on an exchange basis at most welding shops. Don't forget to turn off the gas at the bottle when done, otherwise it'll probably leak away slowly. Expensive to refill! Also relieve the pressure on hoses when done.

    So much more but that's enough from me. Best of luck!

    Cheers, Rich
     
  4. ClydeM

    ClydeM F1 World Champ
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    Nov 4, 2003
    11,603
    Wayne, NJ
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    Clyde E. McMurdy
    With all these recommendations, he's gone from a shade tree mechanic to a fully equipped auto shop :)
     
  5. wildcat326

    wildcat326 Formula 3
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    Dec 10, 2012
    1,797
    Chicago, IL
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    Justin
    You took the words right out of my mouth. I'm truly flattered that everyone gives me that much credit, but I don't plan to do major engine and body work. Just want to be able to do the basics, like clutch, belts, SUSPENSION (bushings, CV boots, spring/shock upgrade) maybe some shift shaft reseal/re-alignment, and hose replacement. If I wreck a body panel or need an engine rebuild, it's heading to a Pro.
     
  6. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    "If I wreck a body panel or need an engine rebuild, it's heading to a Pro."

    Who doesn't care NEARLY as much about your car as you do! ;)
     
  7. ragtop1

    ragtop1 F1 Veteran
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    Nov 11, 2006
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    Larry Warren
    A great hot chick calendar and a few Ferrari posters
     
  8. scowman

    scowman F1 Rookie

    Mar 25, 2014
    2,547
    Scottsdale AZ
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    Stu Boogie
    Ahh.... I would pull the motor to do all that. You will learn how hard it is to work on these cars. I have a cut in half 17mm wrench to prove it.
     
  9. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

    Apr 29, 2002
    2,184
    Kingsport, TN
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    Lawrence A. Coppari
    Get an air compressor if you do not already have one. They have many uses.
     
  10. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2001
    13,392
    San Carlos, CA
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    Mitchell Le
    You will be surprised what tools are required for a mundane task on your car. My latest tool? Oxy Acetylene cutting torch.
     
  11. Glassman

    Glassman F1 World Champ
    Rossa Subscribed

    Check the Pawn Shops. I bought a complete set of Blue Point wrenches and sockets in the case, both standard and metric for 75 dollars.
     
  12. andyww

    andyww F1 Rookie

    Feb 7, 2011
    2,775
    London
    I always think that anyone who considers these cars hard to work on doesnt really work on cars much, at least not modern ones. These cars are easier to work on compared to others of their type and compared to most modern cars.
     
  13. Hannibal308

    Hannibal308 F1 Veteran

    Jan 3, 2012
    7,177
    Arizona / Hawai’i
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    Hannibal
    #38 Hannibal308, Sep 11, 2014
    Last edited by a moderator: Sep 7, 2017
    Craftsman tools...all of mine say made in USA...are a great value/quality balanced tool line. Check kmart for sales as they do sell craftsman sets. I looked at the 1000 piece type sets and said no to 700 or so of those pieces being only marginally useful. Consider opting for a 200 ish piece set that has all the ratchets and sockets that you want, then spend extra on box ends, extenders, pivot joints, Allen tip sockets, their screw driver set, and then a kobalt cabinet from Lowes (it's Chinese, but smooth as butter compared to craftsman cabinets). E bay for torque wrenches and other specialty items and you'll be off and running for way less than you think. That's what I did start intent years ago and after a couple years only rarely had to go out and get something special that I hadn't already purchased in advance of a specific planned job.

    Have fun...treat your tools like surgical instruments!

    Ciao!

    Hannibal
    Image Unavailable, Please Login
     
  14. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    Hmmm...Torque wrenches are on item that, IMO, are best NOT purchased at the local hardware store or second-hand. Unless you buy a GOOD torque wrench that comes WITH a calibration certificate, you have no idea if it is accurate at all. A used good quality wrench is no better than a new, cheap torque wrench because you have no idea if it is accurate unless it comes with a recent calibration cert.

    OTOH, torque readings at the same stretch point vary dramatically based on lubricated/unlubricated threads and with what they are lubricated. Many people pay no attention to whether the torque spec calls for lubed or not so whether they use an accurate wrench or a junk wrench won't matter anyway... ;)
     
  15. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2001
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    You can calibrate it at home.
     
  16. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

    Apr 29, 2002
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    I have a 1/2 inch drive torque wrench that has a needle and relies on bending the shaft. I have a 3/8 in torque wrench that is the set/click type. Before I use the click wrench, I attach them together and compare the values of the bending wrench to the click. I feel that is sufficient accuracy. The wrenches are pretty close to one another in readings.
     
  17. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    Click wrenches are vey convenient and good ones can be pretty accurate though beam/dial wrenches are my choice for internal engine work. I tend to think of clickers as "lug nut wrenches" but that's not to say I don't use my clickers for other stuff.

    As far as calibrating at home, sure, it can be done though IMO the hanging weight method is not really all that accurate though it's probably good enough. The problem with using weights is knowing the weights themselves are accurate and having the ability to add a pound at a time for a clicker to see if it releases at whatever weight. Dial/beams are easier to calibrate because you can just read the indication at any time. So if you hang an accurate 40 pounds on the beam/dial wrench and it doesn't read "40" you simply adjust it until it does.

    Of course, the wrench has to be checked at at several points in its range to know if it is within appropriate accuracy specs. Being exactly on at say 40, doesn't mean it will be within tolerance at say, 20 or 60 - that's a wrench quality issue and a cheap wrench may never be accurate across its range.
     
  18. yelcab

    yelcab F1 World Champ
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    Nov 29, 2001
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    All true. But, the adjusting method is a single adjustment, and you can only adjust it at one point in the scale. You choose where the point of accuracy is.
     
  19. mike996

    mike996 F1 Veteran

    Jun 14, 2008
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    #44 mike996, Sep 11, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2014
    I agree - the Adjustment point can only be at one place but you have to check the other areas to see if the wrench is accurate there as well or whether you have to mentally (or on a piece of paper) remember what the addition/subtraction factor is at other settings.

    IOW, if you calibrate accurately at 40 and then check it at 20 and find that it reads 25, and that at 60 it reads 57, you have to know that in order to be accurate at anything other than the calibration setting. Also, calibrating using 20lb of weight for a wrench that goes to, say 100+ pounds is not useful - the calibration point should be in the middle of the range and then other readings checked from there. Obviously, messing with real weights in this situation isn't very practical... ;)

    There are measuring devices for this purpose that will allow this to be done quite easily and at a very wide range of "weight." Of course, they cost a lot more than some weights you may have in the workout room.

    Quality wrenches are within 4% or less at all readings from around 20% of capacity to full capacity. So that means a wrench that is rated for say - 20-100 ft pounds would be no more than 4 lbs in error at 100, 2 pounds at 50, etc. I'd be surprised if a 35 dollar wrench from any supplier will be able to do that...

    FWIW, I just checked the calibration cert on one of my Snap-On wrenches and though the specs call for a max error of 4% from 20 percent of the wrench's rating to 100 percent of the rating, the actual cert shows the wrench at 2.8% max error in that range.
     
  20. Lawrence Coppari

    Lawrence Coppari Formula 3

    Apr 29, 2002
    2,184
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    Lawrence A. Coppari
    Accurate torque wrenches are fine but the least bit of contaminant/lubricant on either part causes havoc with the tightness of the joint relative to the torque applied. The surface roughness of the bolt and that which it enters also matter. Why do I say this? Chemical plants have large high pressure, high temperature vessels that have flanged joints and any leakage is a hazard and therefore unacceptable. The joints may have over 50 bolts securing the flanges to the gasket. The torque settings for bolt tightening are dependent on the surface roughness, the type of lubricant on the nuts and bolts, and the materials involved. The condition of the mating parts is as crucial as the accuracy of the torque wrench.
     
  21. Rich S

    Rich S Formula Junior

    Nov 30, 2013
    501
    Monterey, California
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    Rich Saylor
    #46 Rich S, Sep 11, 2014
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2014
    Another "few" items to consider are a good set of screwdrivers and allen wrenches. A set of small allen wrenches in both the small, l-shaped set (metric if you don't work on earlier British or American cars) and the longer, easier to use t-handle types; the screwdrivers come in both long and short handled versions; flat tipped, philips, and PosiDrive are all good to have. Never use the wrong size tip on any particular screw head, otherwise both screw and driver tip can be ruined. Some screws are hard to find replacements for, especially chromed ones on interior upholstery. I prefer the ones with rubber grips on part of the handle; easier to grab firmly without causing skin abrasion or blostering, especially on "frozen" screws, etc.

    Also fluids & other supplies: WD-40, penetrating oil (there are several brands & types available), brake cleaning fluid in spray cans, ordinary household lubricating oil (like 3-in-one), lithium grease, ordinary bearing grease, graphite powder in a spray tube (for lubricating locks), brake fluid, DOT 4 or better, I use Castrol LMA myself, or whatever your car's mfr. recommends, several gallons of distilled water on hand (for cooling systems), and always useful kitty litter for the occasional spill. Glue: 3M super weather strip adhesive, 2 part epoxy (5 minute Devcon or equal does a pretty good job without taking forever to set), JB Weld. Iif you do woodworking, Gorilla Glue, which is polyester based and expands to fill open spaces in joints; needs moisture on one piece to set/cure, and is terrific if used correctly! Some superglue (jell type, not the runny liquid type); trade name for alphacyanoacrylate- hope the spelling's correct. Paper or washable shop towels, to keep your spouse from going ballistic when you use the odd kitchen towel to clean up oil or grease. Orange waterless hand cleaner is ALWAYS useful. And so on. All of this is most useful for the home DIY mechanic, not to mention standard equipment for ANY shop. I'm sure I've forgotten some stuff but by now you've gotten the idea, I'm sure. The above comes from 50+ years of repairing/restoring cars in my own garage, so....

    Cheers,
    Rich

    PS don't forget a couple of cold 6-packs & some aspirin to go with it. Very, very important!
     
  22. scowman

    scowman F1 Rookie

    Mar 25, 2014
    2,547
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    Stu Boogie
    Lol!

    Spark plugs on my 308 vs passat or jeep gc?!?!?!

    Alternators on same? I wont have to drain the coolant fot later two.

    How about replacing the heater hose?

    Right modern cars are just as hard. Lol!
     
  23. wildcat326

    wildcat326 Formula 3
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    Dec 10, 2012
    1,797
    Chicago, IL
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    Justin
    What do you guys think of the high-end torque wrenches with the digital gauges? I'm not opposed to shelling out for a couple of the most-critical tools, but Matco, Snap-On, etc have many torque wrenches to pick from, some "electronic," some not. What's your call?
     
  24. mustardfj40

    mustardfj40 Formula 3

    Jun 17, 2004
    1,142
    Northen California
    Full Name:
    Ken
    I started out building my tool set about 20 years ago with all Craftman which was made in the US back then. My dad gave me all his tools he bought when he studied to be a professional mechanic in the early 80's, so I got all his Mac Tools and some Snap-on. For home mechanic, the Craftman should be good enough but I do love the Mac Tool wrenches, they are thinner and nicely polished.

    I started out with a small craftman tool box that I thought should be enough....20 years later I have 2 5"ft tall craftman tool cabinets...

    So my advice buy a basic set then keep adding on as you need them, buy good to high quality tools. Someone told me: "Pay peanuts get monkey", this is so true from my experience.
     
  25. NW328GTS

    NW328GTS Formula 3

    Nov 16, 2009
    2,191
    Washington
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    Hal
    this this this.
     

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