TECH: Garage Survival Kit for Newbies

good basic set of air tools

Hammer and dolly set

magnetic tray for holding nuts and bolts

Magnetic extension wand for retrieving nuts and bolts dropped in tight spaces

br*** punches

Many of Carb Cleaner

Bucket of kitty litter for spills

 

All the tech to the top...

 

Yet another excuse to post this old list, again. I added to it, and polished it up for the occasion though - so enjoy.

Tools, this is a topic we’ve burned before. But, ***uming that you don’t own any tools, and want to stock up for the sort of work that a homebuilt hot rod requires, here’s my list. Note that for the most part I’m recommending purchasing new stuff. If you’ve got work to do, hunting around pawn shops, swap meets and such takes too long. If you do find a decent tool purchase on the used market, then sell the stuff you’ve already bought at the next swap meet. I’m gonna recommend Ebay for a few spe******t tools that are really expensive to buy new, but seem to have a regular presence on Ebay for less.

Hand tools. I’m gonna ***ume you’ve got a Sears to purchase Craftsman, web access and a phone to purchase Snap-On, a local jobshop to purchase inexpensive import tools, and a mega hardware store for other stuff.

General rule about Craftsman: Buy the pro Craftsman stuff instead of the garden-variety stuff. The exception is the sockets, go ahead and buy a multipiece set for the sockets. Expect to upgrade the rachets though.

Craftsman wrenches up to 1 inch combo
Craftsman wrenches – odds and ends to mutilate for custom tools
Cheap offshore-swap meet wrenches from 1 inch to 2+ inches

Craftsman or Snap-On or Bluepoint sockets get 6 pt short and deep 3/8 and ½ drive then later fill in the ¼ drive and 12 pt stuff. Get an ***ortment of swivels, extensions, thumbwheels, etc…Remember that the 6 pt sockets usually have a smaller overall diameter and are marginally stronger than 12 pts – smaller and stronger equals better.

Vintage Snap-On torque wrench off Ebay. Get it recalibrated by the local Snap-On guy. Make sure that you are buying one in the torque range you need. You may need to buy two. A sub 100 lb for engine and transmission ***embly (if you’re doing that sort of stuff) and another that can hit 250+ ft lbs for ch***is building. FWIW, the flexy-arm and stiff needle style of torque wrench might suffice for ch***is building, but I still prefer the gauge type on the Snap-On wrench.

Breaker bars and rachets? Buy TWO Craftsman 3/8 and ½ drive rachets and TWO ½ drive 18” breaker bars. You’ll break one; the other is backup for late Sunday evening. Buy the ratchet combo sets to save cash on the sockets, then fill in the holes as needed. When evaluating rachets, think about these factors: The co****r the teeth, the stronger they are. The finer the teeth, the less you have to turn the rachet to make progress. If you can remove the rachet mechanism from the head, you may be able to clean, lubricate, maintain, and replace it. If you can, try to find out if the mechanism is plastic or metal. Metal is prefered for our uses, but is more expensive if you can even find it. Don’t even think about buying a torque multiplying rachet, or a footed or toothless rachet. That sort of exotica is expensive and isn’t necessarily needed for hot rod building.

Snap-On screwdrivers. Craftsman pro series is a second best. Craftsman red and blue drivers are good for hospital visits or for use as a chisel-punch, avoid them if at all possible. Get two each of the medium size, and an ***ortment of the other sizes.

Pliers? Yes – Needlepoint and regular. Maybe a small set of each too. I really like Snap-On pliers, but you can get away with quality hardware variety (Husky), Channel Lock or Craftsman.

Magnets from speakers and on extension rods from cheapo tool store. Metal rulers from drafting supply. Framing square from hardware store. Carpenter squares, big ones, from hardware store. Tape measure from hardware store. Razor blades, china markers, soapstone, pencils, and tape from art supply and hardware store. This stuff is all for layout and mockup. You might also throw in a selection of foam core, chipboard, contact paper and some other easy to cut and form mockup supplies. Also, almost forgot, get an angle finder from a hardware store. I should be a small square with a rotating level that reads out angle from horozontal.

Hammers – could fill pages on this tool alone. Get a decent hardware store ball-peen hammer for use with punches. Get a hand sledge, a tap hammer, and a few different mallets (dead blow, rawhide, rubber) as needed from the hardware store. I don’t think Craftsman will warrantee hammers and that’s the only benefit from buying from Sears – ergo, no Craftsman hammers.

Hacksaw and blades – get the best one you can from the cheap tool store. Should cost much more that you thought you’d spend on a hacksaw.

Punches from cheap stool store. Vice-Grip pliers from cheap tool store. Get two that are big enough to use as clamps, and two that are general pliers size. Get two 6 inch “C” clamps while you’re there.

Other stuff like side cutters, specialized wiring tools, picks, brushes, prybars, and such – you’ll have to decide how much you use them and purchase them accordingly.

Pullers – at a minimum you’ll need a drum puller. Get the wide legged one off ebay. Get other pullers from the cheap-tool store.


Hand Power Tools

#1 A drill motor. Get something decent. A mid range DeWalt, or a good Milwaukee. If you can afford two, get an expensive one with a ½ inch chuck and a cheap one with a smaller chuck. Best price is probably from the mega-hardware store. Get a metal drill index from the cheap tool store. Get the best carbide drill bits you can afford from the mega-hardware store. If you find yourself doing a lot of drilling and going through drill bits, get a plastic box with lots of little drawers and stock it with bits from one of the professional tool shops like MSC. If you’re gonna buy a lot of bits, get high-speed steel bits and a sharpener.

Taps go with a drill. No need to buy them unless you’ve got a drill. Buy a complete but cheap set with a lot of sizes. Then, replace the stuff you use a lot with better quality taps from the mega-hardware or cheap-tool store. Dies? I’ve used so few that if I hadn’t bought a huge quality die set a few years ago; I’d buy them piecemeal as needed from the mega-hardware store.

If you ever plan on using safety wire, go ahead a buy a drilling jig from an online specialty store and safety wire pliers off ebay. Lots of used ones available cheap.

#2 A Jigsaw. I like the $100 Bosch, but others have their favorites. Again, the best place to buy it is either online, or at the mega-hardware store. Favorite blades – the Bosch Progressor blades. I use the X123 blades. Superior life, good cut and not too expensive. You can buy the blades in bulk on Ebay, or in smaller packages at the mega-hardware store.

#3 4-inch grinder. Go ahead and buy a Milwaukee or Makita. Get the 90 degree second handle. Get cutting blades, grinding wheels, sanding discs, etc… and experiment with what works for you. I’ve got three so I don’t have to swap wheels as much. If you can spend a little more, get a 6 inch instead.

Shop Tools

Welder. I can’t imagine building a traditional rod without it. You might be able to build one out of the So-Cal catalog with only hand tools, but if you really want to be the builder, buy and learn how to use a welder. Personal favorite for beginning ch***is builders? Miller EconoTig! Used welders aren’t discounted enough for the risk so go ahead and bite the bullet and fork over the $1200 for a setup with a bottle and regulators. Shop online for this. Lots of discount shops post Ebay auctions to funnel traffic to their websites. After that, buy the bottle and supplies at a local welding supply.

If you’re on a tight budget, get a modern MIG welder. If you’re buying cheap one, get a new machine. I personally think that MIGs are for body repair and you should stick with TIGs for ch***is work, but others are quite happy building frames with MIG welders.

Buffing wheels, bench grinders, lathes, etc….buy as needed and your experience requires.

Toolboxes – get a used, older and smaller Snap-On rollaround. Then get a pair of smaller canvas tool bags too.

Workbench with a real vice. A real vice – something you can put the biggest piece you expect to heat or hit with a hammer in and a workbench that can support it.

Oxy-Acetylene setup with a cutting tip, a rosebud, and if you’re handy, get a Dillon welding torch too. If you don’t plan on ever welding with it, use Propylene instead of Acetylene, it’s cheaper and much much hotter. You’ll be using this to make rough cuts and to bend parts. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll find yourself using it more and more. Bonus, use it to heat stuck parts for dis***embly.

-----later-----

Someone replied to this about Vices, workbenches, and files and I left off some other stuff that I should have mentioned.

I didn’t put a whole lot of emphesis on them because if you’re starting out, I don’t think they’re the most important things. Later on though, you’ll want to replace whatever workbench you had with a super sturdy workbench that’s elbow high and with a repairable, or replaceable covering. I think most people make their benches too shallow if they’re against a wall.

The vice, yeah, get as big of one as your space and pocketbook can afford. I can’t recommend buying a new one – they’re just too damn expensive and it seems like there are lots of good used ones around. Worst case, look at ebay before buying retail.

Files are an acquired taste. Lots of folks never use them, or use them sparingly. Frankly, I’d start with a medium quality combo set from the import tool place and see how they work for me and how I could make use of them. I ended up only using huge flat files and very small round files.

Jack, jackstands, engine hoist: Buy a jack, or two. Get a good rollaround shop jack. They come in models from cheapo to outrageous. On the low end are Chinese imports for $15 with odd fittings and cheap seals. Replace the super cheapo hydraulic fluid when new to prolong the short lifespan of the seals. High end is super fancy, single pump, high quality aluminum jacks that professional race teams use that cost from $600-$1500: these are not for us but don’t be fooled into buying one of the elcheapo knockoffs that mimic these race pumps. Average jack? Craftsman has a mediocre one, and most well stocked hardware type stores have one that isn’t total junk. Very good models are available from tool suppliers to professional garages – sorta expensive for us, but they are a lifetime purchase and use standard fittings and are rebuildable. Buy a bottle jack too. It’s usefull to spread parts, lift axles into place for mockups, etc…

Jackstands, get some heavy duty stands. Avoid the stands that look like a piece of muffler tubing split three ways – Danger Will Robinson! Good luck finding anything American made. Whoever caries good jacks probally has good jackstands. Buy four. Pick up more at swapmeets or garage sales as you find them. I think I’ve got five pair these days.

Engine hoist – this is a maybe purchase. If you can, borrow one, or go in with a couple guys then buy one to share. This is one of those purchases that you should haunt swapmeets, pawnshops, and garage sales for. Ask around. They always seem to be real expensive and of bad quality. Depending on your build schedule and what you’re starting with, you may need it only once or you may need it 50 times before you’re done. Evaluate your needs and purchase accordingly.

Along with all this stuff, make up a bunch of 2x4 blocks to stack under axles and such to get them the proper heigth for mockup. Add a couple packs of door frame shims from the hardware store. These are small wood wedges to use as shims when mocking up parts. I’ve made up a few stacks of thin chipboard shims too – the same stuff that clipboards or thin pegboard is made from. Stack them to achive the right dimension

------later------

Re-reading what I wrote, I’m gonna bring some attention to some things.

This was written on the asumption that the potential tool buyer had SOME experience and had NO tools – like if he lost them in a flood/divorce/theft/fire and wanted to replace them immediately.

I didn’t mention air tools for a reason. Most are very use specific and are expensive for the amount of use you’ll get. An air compressor is a PITA to have at home. Noisy and expensive for a decent one that can also be used for sandblasting/painting/ or running grinding tools. Eventually you’ll want one, but wait untill you’ve got some other projects under your belt. Untill then, use plain ole’ power tools. Also, good air tools require a lot less air and operate a lot quieter than cheap air tools. If you’re going to get into air tools, my recommendation is to see what is high priced in the McMaster Carr catalog and scan ebay for one. Good air tools can usually be rebuilt and are so much nicer to work with that you can almost justify the price. Me, I use air for sandblasting only – though I enjoy going to my neighbor’s carpentry shop and using his super-fine airtools. I just can’t make the financial commitment. Bonus to not using air tools, you can use them almost anywhere.

I’m still a fan of handheld power jigsaws. I still love my Bosch with the Progressor blades. I can’t express the variety of cutting jobs this tool had done that folks usually think need a bigger-better tool. Again, the blades make a huge difference. For the type of work that hot rod fabricators will do, try the Bosch Progressor X123 blades. If you’re going through a lot of them, look on ebay for someone selling a bulk lot of 100 or 200 blades – cheap!

Splurge on a good welder and a good grinder. If you’re fabricating you’ll be using them a lot. The difference of $150 for the welder, or $50 on the grinder and good consumables can change a frustrating experience into you being another superman. Get to know your friendly local welding supply (only one of the dozen around me is friendly to hobbyist) and rely on him for advice. Drag your junk to him for evaluation and recommendations. I’ve picked up many tips from having the owner of Lone Star Welding in Houston look at my mistakes or upcoming-work in the back of my pickup.

Safety gear. I still recommend a full face shield and ear protection. Sometimes I look like I’m ready for deep space exploration when I’m in the shop, but my hearing, eyes, fingers, and face are still intact. I’ll be glad to show anyone my “branding” on my forearm from not wearing a jacket when welding.


Oh yeah, safety equipment.

First – forget goggles for eye protection. Get one of those full-face masks. You’ll be surprised at how much better it is. You can get closer to your work without **** going up your nose, cutting your lips, or burning your beard. It also protects further around the sides of the eyes in additon to your forhead, chin and neck. Trust me, try it, you’ll like it. When you buy it, pick up a spare shield too.

Gloves. Some hate them, some love them. I like women, and women like my clean soft hands, so I use gloves. I buy these cheap knit cotton gloves with largish rubber bumps on them from a cheap-tool store. Cost me $9 for twelve pair. They aren’t left-right oriented, so I can wear out one side, then put it on the other hand and wear out the back. A pack used to last me a couple months when I was busy. Lots of guys swear by the Mechanix gloves or the derivitives but the combination of ¼ split hide, or synthetic leather and neoprene made them wear out way too fast. Additionally, I usually throw out gloves because they’re too dirty to use again, not because they’re completely worn out. You can wash the expensive gloves, but they’re never come completely clean, and suffer a lot of wear in a washing machine. Better to get slightly lower quality and an extremely lower price and treat them as disposables.

Buy some of those white calfskin gloves with super long cuffs for welding. Don’t use them for anything but welding. Make sure they fit tight enough to not wad up around your hand, but loose enough that you can ***ume the position you like for holding the torch. Remember that you can stretch them a little, but you can’t make them shrink worth a damn. If you do anything else with them except weld, they’ll get all black and manky and will contaminate your welding surface with grease or whatever. Keep them clean and replace when necessary. It really does make a difference.

Buy some mega thick long gloves for cutting and bending stuff. Don’t ask, just do it. These are the types that the welding supply store carries that make you feel like they’re part of a robot costume because you can’t move your fingers very well. BBQ gloves are similar and usually cheaper – on sale at Sears around July 4th. Anytime I break out the Oxy setup, I don these gloves.

Buy a box of nitril gloves from harbor freight for use with super greasy junk or solvent cleanup. These are like the rubber gloves that surgons use, but better. The nitril holds up much better than latex which disloves if exposed to marshmello fumes and the nitrils are offered in a few thicknesses, all thicker than latex. Paint stores carry these too, and the super cheap ones that are at my local import tool place are just too cheap. The Harbor Freight version seem to be a good medium.

Use hand lotion or made-for-purpose barrier cream on your hands BEFORE you start working. Makes cleanup a lot easier. Put it on your face too if you can’t keep from touching your face you oraly fixated child!

When you’re cutting, welding, grinding or doing anything that involves heat or fast moving stuff, wear a cap that contains your hair and covers your scalp. That means a leather, cotton or wool cap, not a foam rubber and plastic trucker cap. Buy a cheapo one from the welding supply store if you can’s scrounge one up. Think just because you don’t have long hair you don’t need a hat? You’ll change your mind when a hot spark lands on your scalp. Welding too – ever had your part sunburnt? Ouch – where’s my hat!

Cotton or leather welders jacket. I bought an old, used Eddie Bauer rip-off of a Carhart coat and ripped the too-warm lining out of it. I think I paid $2 at a thrift store so I don’t mind getting it filthy or marked up. I use it for welding and grinding or general laying down under greasy cars. I’ve already got too many scars on my hands and forearms to suffer any more. Remember, I gotta stay good looking if I’m ever gonna find another wife. Along with that I wear Levi’s or Carhart pants when doing anything but ***embly.

Real shoes. That means no plastic sneakers. I suppose cotton Chucks are OK, but I wear worn out cowboy boots or heavy but not-steel toe jump boots depending on the amount of time I expect to be kneeling. I try not to wear my engineer boots in the shop because the grease and filings are hard to clean out of the treads. I don’t have a beef against steel toe shoes. I think they’re great, but found out through experience that the Army surpluss jump boots I bought aren’t steel toed. Still, they’re easy to use when you’re going to be kneeling on your knees and toes.

Get some ear protection. I love music. Repeat for those that are hard of hearing, I love music. I wanna be able to enjoy it when I’m so old I can’t enjoy anything else. I wear the headphone – shooting range style ear protection so I can whip it off when I’m done making noise. I don’t like the little squishy foam ear plugs unless I’m at the races or on a motorcycle but some folks like those better than the heavy ear protection.

Breathing stuff. I tend to only wear a dust mask if I’m making dust. That means sanding or grinding, but not always when I’m grinding. Charcoal mask when I’m dealing with vapors other than the occasional lacquer thinner cleanup. My pal who welds all day wears a charcoal mask when welding because of the fumes. I don’t.

Welding shields: get a good one on the advice of your welding supplier. Replace the dark lens every year. Welding aluminum? Get one of the high-buck blue lenses, otherwise plan on eye surgery or worse. Wear long sleeves and a collar when welding or suffer sunburn on your arms and neck.

Yeah, that means that when I’m grinding, I’m wearing a canvas coat, a cotton goofy-hat, a plastic face shield, large ear muffs, rubber cleated cotton gloves and cowboy boots that should have been retired a few years ago. So what. I wear a helmet on a motorcycle too. It goes with the territory.

So, does this list of tools sound insurmountable? Sounds like you’ll need 1000 square feet just to store it? Need to be a millionare just to afford it? Sounds that way to me, but I stored all the hand and power tools, a workbench, welder and had leftover shop space in less space than a typical suburban garage. I didn’t buy all these tools at once either. This list was made as if you had an insurance settlement to go pick them all up at once – but reality says just purchase them as needed. The more tools you’re familiar with, the more solutions you have – believe it.

 

make sure you've got a 4.5 inch grinder with a bunch of different wheels for various purposes. I use mine all the time. a MIG welder is nice too but they're pretty expensive.

 

make sure you've got a 4.5 inch grinder with a bunch of different wheels for various purposes. I use mine all the time. a MIG welder is nice too but they're pretty expensive.

 

I actually have 5 or 6 4 1/2 inch grinders. Harour freight sells a knock off of the Dewalt. Make sure and get a 4 1/2 with a paddle switch and a 5/8 arbour.
The bast medium prices tachets ar S-K if you can find them. They are fine toothed and way tough. I personally dislike co**** toothed rachets as they don't work well in tight spaces and take more effort to back over the teeth necessitaing hold ing the extension to keep it from staying stationary in the back stroke. You will need a big hammer, and a bigger one and at least one big prybar.
Stay away from craftsman prybars and chisels, they are mushy junk.
In case nobody mentioned it you should have and learn how to use a good test light, A digital volt-ohm meter ( an ****og will do but the digital is much better most of the time) A hand held vacuum pump/guage, and a good timing light, preferrably a dial back type.

 

Modernbeat just reminded me of one of my most-used "tools" in my garage:

a can of Lacquer Thinner. I use it for all kinds of stuff from wiping grease off parts to spray gun cleanup to erasing sharpie marks. I also recommend getting a "ketchup bottle" to fill with the lacquer thinner so you can squirt it on stuff.

Oh, a big pack of sharpies is a great investment.

and a bucket full of old t-shirts, sweatshirts, baby diapers, etc. for rags.

 

I highly recommend two investments.

1. An Oxy-Acetylene torch outfit. This can be a small one, but it can be incredibly useful. You can weld, cut, and heat just about anything.

2. An air compressor. Unless you plan on painting, or doing some other job that requires a lot of air, a small compressor will work fine. The beauty of an air compressor is that it enables you to purchase a huge array of powerful air tools cheaply.

--Matt

 

I prefer the Mecco Midget over the dillion torch