Need Advice Buy Tools

[Frank Lee]

Tools are one thing where you generally get what you pay for. The el cheapo sets will break/wear out quickly enough to make them a false economy. Craftsman strikes a good price/quality balance and the warranty is good. I like my 35 year old S-K socket set which has proven to be a great value. "Official" hand cleaner is nice but liquid laundry soap works just as well and it's already sitting there. Dawn dishsoap works on filthy hands too.

I thought I'd sample some premium tools once and bought some Snap-Ons. BUT, I have "friends" like Christ does and they absconded with them before I could determine what if anything makes Snap-On so great. They were pretty tho'.

Ryland, did you finally use "brake" in this instance just to **** me off?

[Rainh2o]

Allen, like the allen wrench brand are nice tools but a bit pricey...like frank lee says, you get what you pay for. One thing I finally did get is a nice quality set of 6 point sockets. Most cheap sets are 12 point and will strip the head of a bolt real fast. The 6 point sockets wont strip as fast or as easy because they grip the bolt head on all sides instead of just the corners of the bolt.

One thing that is nice are the new ratchet wrenches, they are like an open ended wrench only with a ratchet built in that are great in tight spots where a standard ratchet wont fit. Still have to get a set of those that are good quality.

[Frank Lee]

Yes that's a good point (pun!!!) re: 6 and 12 point sockets and wrenches. I have both but when the job is tough always reach for the 6 pointers; you are much less likely to then have to get out the vise grip, hammer and chisel, torch, colorful language, etc.

[some_other_dave]

One point: Get the jack-stands that have a pin that locks the extension in place. Do not use the ratchet-type ones; if you bump them wrong hard enough they will let go and drop the car on you. A friend of mine had to have his face re-built after such an incident a few years ago.

Electrical tools can come in handy. Most especially a multi-meter. A cheapo Rat Shack $20 one is more than good enough for most automotive use.

Feeler gauges are very necessary for some chores, but many of those chores are not needed on new cars. (E.g., many cars now have self-adjusting valve clearances, self-adjusting brake clearances, do not have points to set the gap on, etc.) Check through the maintenance procedures for your car and get a set if you need them.

Do you have a good manual? Chilton's seem most useful for catching oil drips under the car. Haynes is sometimes a little better. The factory manuals are generally the best, but can be costly. In some cases you can download copies of the factory manuals on line, but that may be illegal in many cases.

-soD

[Frank Lee]

Sometimes the local library has the manual you need.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by tim3058

Also CV nuts are gonna be bigger than the listed sizes above, my Civic takes an 1-1/4" socket (it'd be metric but the SAE fits).

Also note that if you get a socket for that, it'll probably be 1/2" drive, not the more common (and useful) 3/8". If the nuts are rusted/seized at all, you can easily break a 3/8 wrench trying to break it loose. (I've done this, on my old CRX. Finally wound up splitting the nut with a Dremel tool & carbide bit.)

[Bicycle Bob]

A top-quality adjustable wrench is far more useful than a cheap one. Socket sets on sale are a good value. I'd get a small set, and add specialty sockets and other tools as needed by haunting sales for used, name-brand tools. Often enough, tight access dictates the wrench type. Buying new singles is expensive. On older cars, rusted threads can be the major challenge. My favourite shade -tree mechanic is religious about using penetrating oil a day ahead, and putting anti-sieze on anything he replaces.

[markemmanuel]

Originally Posted by some_other_dave

Do you have a good manual? Chilton's seem most useful for catching oil drips under the car. Haynes is sometimes a little better. The factory manuals are generally the best, but can be costly. In some cases you can download copies of the factory manuals on line, but that may be illegal in many cases.

-soD

The Chilton's manual for my car was the first tool I invested in. I used it to bleed the clutch last spring/summer. I discovered that Autozone have repair manuals for many cars online.

Thanks everyone. Slowly but surely, I'll be assembling my tools for my car based on the advice on this forum.

[TheEnemy]

A timing light can also be very usefull. @$65

[CoastRider]

Safety safety safety! sorry to hear about your friends accident dave. I have used racheting stands for years and never had a problem even tried to lift the handle with just a little weight on them and the pin just snapped, the pawl never budged.

Ramps are Oh sooo convienent. Get a GOOD Jack! 13 years ago I picked up a well used Lincoln 2 ton floor jack, It's twice the size of those disposable 2 ton floor jacks, I'm sure it will outlast Me and whoever has it next. A $30 china special will need replaced every 2 years with reasonable use, they just aren't worth the trouble of replacing the seals.

No hassle replacment warranties are golden. I havent come across many ratchets, wrenches and sockets that don't break, buying the same thing twice sucks.

for storage a 4 dr box is a good place to start, most tool sets come in some sort of case but you still need a place to put misc tools.