Don't knock harbor freight shit if you are on a tight budget... granted, I use their impact sockets and extensions only with my hand ratchet... But for how little the stuff costs, its great. WHen you can later afford to get better stuff, the HF crap would make decent emergency tools for the trunk, etc. For instance, I got a set of ratcheting wrenches for like 8 bux, granted they're a bit chunky, but work the way I need them to. Stuff like basic pliers, side cutters, HF is the greatest. 2 or 3 bux, and once again, the worn out one comes in handy when you've misplaced the new one... Its all about how much you use the stuff, if you're a professionial mechanic, then its a waste and a quality of life issue, get the goodstuff. But for the rest of us hacks, having the crappy but appropriate tool is much better than no appropriate tool at all... [ QUOTE ] I throw all metric tools away as they appear. If you don't have the tools for it you can't work on it. [/ QUOTE ] the only time I hadda turn wrenches on my metric car, it was to make it go faster. Fill with gas, check the oil, drive... never been under it yet!
TWO fire extinguishers- One in the car, within reach of the driver and another mounted on the garage wall adjacent to the door.
Thanks guy's for the posts. I'm sure this will help out some of the younger guy's here. What are some of the home made tools you have used? later plmczy
first one comes to mind is a valve spring compresser for a Studebaker flat six- I'm sure it could be made for other flat motors. one piece with no moving parts, I took a short length of pipe just big enough to fit over the lifter and cut a stepped slot in it so it would slip in around the lifter between the retainer and block with the valve all the way up. when you turn the engine over by hand the spring will stay up, turn the motor over till the lifter is all the way down. if the valve stayed up I would tap it on the head. with the valve down reach in through the opening in the pipe and remove the locks and lift the valve out the top! bam! assemble in reverse order! Paul
Also made a valve spring removal tool for 8BA. a piece of 1 1/4 angle with notch cut out on the end, True Hamber style, it just happen to be layin on the floor, I think I'm going to market it and you can find it at neimen marcus next x-mas.
Home made tools.. Other then some custom hammers that are hand me downs... I havent found a need (well actually I have, I'm just not smert 'nuff ta build em... )
Here's my 2 cents. Get an air compressor. That way you can get almost any tool, and it's cheap. Drills, grinders, paint guns, impact wrenches, nibblers, and much much more. Get them from Harbor Reight, as Rogue suggested. Also get an oxy-acetylene setup. A small one will do. The heat alone is really helpful in loosening frozen parts, or bending stuff. You can also weld almost anything with it, and cut virtually any thickness of steel. And it doesn't cost a whole lot, relatively speaking. If a MIG does scare the hell out of you, then enroll in a course at a community college or vo-tech school. --Matt
"obviously a MIG welder is an important tool, but where do I learn to use one without losing body parts? Frankly, they scare the hell out of me". WHY???? Do you think MIG stands for MONSTER IN GARAGE.HAHAHA Patina
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