The 348/355 Shade-tree mechanic's essential tools list

wow awesome list guys!! keep 'em coming...

For an engine out - is there a 'universal stand' that fits all engines, or do we need a specific one for the 355... hopefully other people find this info useful as well

 

Note, i do not own a Ferrari, i own a couple BMW's and maintain/ restore them..1 is a 10 year old car, the other is a 20 year old car. Both are in a track ready condition i could take either car to the track and beat the crap out of either all day long and have no worries about the drive back to the house.


this is the wrench that i use 99% of the time, it has a long handle for a 3/8 drive wrench. i also use my 3' breaker bar with this thing to break loose 200ft/lb bolts... this is my single most used tool, also very helpful for working in tight spaces.
time.http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00944815000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1


Also a breaker bar, this is simple a 3 foot long 1 inch or so diameter steel pipe...

one may note that some of my links are to harbor freight, while others are sears. Harbor freight is good value for certain tools in my opinion, and i am very much of a value based person. All of the links below are of tools i currently have in my tool boxes.

1)http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-heavy-duty-jack-stands-38846.html
however, i also have 4 of these.
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-ton-jack-stand-set-38847.html
the 6 ton stands are nice to get the car nice and high in the air, so you can actually turn over while you are under the car.
2)http://www.harborfreight.com/rapid-pump-15-ton-lightweight-aluminum-racing-jack-68054.html
3) This is what i got when i was buying sockets, it actually saves you quite a bit of cash. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00935299000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
4) these are really nice to have for tight spaces.
http://www.amazon.com/Titan-2-Piece-4-Inch-Gearless-Ratchet/dp/B0009IQ2BE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314083337&sr=8-1
5) buy both standard and metric
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-piece-sae-professional-nut-driver-set-95207.html
6) these are what i bought. http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947417000P?prdNo=2&blockNo=2&blockType=G2
7) i dont have anything for this one...
8) buy lots, different lengths, i probably have 20 different ones... one of the nicest ones and most unusual is a 24" 1/4" drive extension.. When i found it i though "when will i EVER use this thing?" answer is much more often than i ever though i would.
9) see #5 for my solution.
10) These are a little expensive, but they are very comfortable in your hand, and due to the ergonomics of the tool worth it in my opinion.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00950479000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
I also have these
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00949302000P?prdNo=10&blockNo=10&blockType=G10
11) buy the 1lb 3lb and the 4lb
http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=dead+blow
and one of these
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-lb-drilling-hammer-with-hardwood-handle-67817.html
12) personal preference
13) got nothing for this one
14) in addition to a light you will want a magnetic retriever for when you drop and nut or bolt in a small hole that you can not get your hand into. buy one with a strong magnet, i have one similar to this one.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00946946000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1
15)these http://www.harborfreight.com/4-piece-tongue-and-groove-joint-pliers-set-43553.html
these http://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-precision-pliers-set-31675.html

Where to keep your tools???
i have 2 of these. http://www.harborfreight.com/13-drawer-red-industrial-quality-roller-cabinet-90320.html
one with all of the accessories shown in the second picture, and one base alone.

other random stuff,
http://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-38-drive-e-socket-set-68016.html

I did not see anyone mentioning torque wrenches..~!!!!!?????
i have both the 3/8 drive and the 1/2 drive of this style. It's a digital wrench, shows the running torque and the max value reached.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00947712000P?prdNo=15&blockNo=15&blockType=G15

I also have a 1/4" drive 40-200 inch/lb torque wrench, this is very handy for torquing nuts/bolts into aluminum, with out stripping and ruining the aluminum.
http://www.costplustools.com/Armstrong-64-031-14-Drive-Micrometer-Adjustable-Torque-Wrench-Ratchet-Head-5-50-Inlb_p_2957.html

other random stuff.
I use my drill all the time on my cars, these are the drills i have
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00911548000P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5
to use sockets on my drill i use the hex socket extension.
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-hex-drill-socket-extensions-42191.html

I use a drill because it does not have the torque of an impact wrench, i brake a bolt loose with my favorite 3/8 wrench above, then shoot it off with the drill, i will also use the drill to shoot nuts/bolts on without fear of over torquing something and cross threading the item i am putting back on, makes the work go much faster and still achieve great quality.

With that being said, i do have an air compressor as well as air tools.
This is the air compressor that i have, it's ok... good value at the price point that it is at..
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00916472000P?prdNo=1&blockNo=1&blockType=G1

I am not using the craftsman manafold/regulator however, i bought one of these.
it is a much better regulator, with a built in moisture separator, good for your tools, and if you choose to do other things like media blast, or soda blast.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200392579_200392579
This is the hose i have for garage use.
http://www.harborfreight.com/50-ft-retractable-air-water-hose-reel-with-3-8-eighth-inch-hose-93897.html


This is the impact that i have
http://www.amazon.com/Ingersoll-Rand-2130-2-Inch-Heavy-Duty-Impact/dp/B0002UNR6W/ref=sr_1_3?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1314085772&sr=1-3

I use the craftsman 1/2 sockets on it all the time, even though they are not "impact approved" however i have never broken one yet....


I have no idea how much i have spent on tools, but i would guess north of 10k$?

That should keep you buys for a while

 

Of course, torque wrenches.

1/4 inch to 20lbs-ft
3/8 inch to 100lbs-lft
1/2 inch to 250lbs-ft

Digital ones are best. But, I do confess to having both types.

 

2 post lift is the way to go on these bottom out engine removal cars......every time I use the 4 post lift(ramp type) with the sliding hydraulic scissor jacks my mind goes into full tilt trying to drop stuff out the bottom...lol

Don't forget the torque adapters.....they always come in handy if you want to properly torque those hard to reach nuts or bolts.

If you get a digital torque wrench might as well get one that has an angle reader built in for doing head work and other stuff reguiring torque+angle.

 

NOW its all starting to make sense to me!!!! I saw a commercial yesterday morning where there is a cream that can be put behind the ears to fix that.

To the OP......... a printed set of manuals in which you can make notes

 

HA HA HA....I bought some of that cream but didn't read the instructions....now that I know it's not a suppository it may actually work.

THANKS Dave

 

Bump

 

Scott, thank you for posting this. I have never seen this list before and it is very helpful. This should be a sticky! (Maybe it already is...)

 

Absolutely! .... and if that doesn't fix it ..... it would be an electrical problem .....