What was your most tool-hungry project?

[jlee]

We broke two 1/2" drive breaker bars on my driver's side axle nut- second time with heat (MAP torch). I had to buy a 3/4" to get it off.

The rather impressive pipe I found may have had something to do with it..

 

[joutlaw]

CV axles on my 2000 Millenia.

Royal PITA of a job. We had air tools at least, so the axle nuts weren't too bad, but they did require some massaging from the impact.

The biggest pain was getting the driver's side axle out. There was no point for leverage. We tried slide hammers, chissels, etc, but we were afraid it was going to crack the transaxle case and be out some serious $$. I ended up having to fabricate a chissel that could grab onto the axle... then use air chissel on it. It finally just popped out and the new one went right back in.

 

[BlackTigers]

Swapping my automatic to a standard shift in my Escort.

I killed:
A 1/2" Breaker bar.
two 3/8" ratchets (oops).
A 1/2" Ratchet
Rounded six sockets.
Snapped off three flat bladed screwdrivers.

Yay for Craftsman.

 

[sherwinz28]

I've had lots of projects and gone through a few tools but I tend not to break too many. On my second ratchet now and broke 3-5 sockets...they cracked somehow. Most likely applying too much torque with a torque bar+5ft pipe extention to break axle nut off. Was changing CV axles on my Eagle Talon TSI and went through a ratchet during heads/cam on my Z-28. I try to use the heavy duty sockets when I work now unless there's not enough space. Wish I had more time to finish the Talon project car.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: JLee
We broke two 1/2" drive breaker bars on my driver's side axle nut- second time with heat (MAP torch). I had to buy a 3/4" to get it off.

The rather impressive pipe I found may have had something to do with it..

Rear axle swap on a Range Rover.... 2 meter breaker bar and my brother holding the axle down to get trailing arms off it.

And I guess anytime I do anything on a german car I lose a tool somewhere under the firewall.

 

[Black88GTA]

Swapping the engine in my Trans Am a number of years ago, I trashed a number of 3/8" ratchets, assorted sockets, and extensions trying to break free parts that had been rusting in Michigan winters for the last 10+ years. These were all cheap ass chinese sets though, as I didn't have the money at the time for good tools...so maybe those don't count

 

[PlasmaBomb]

Originally posted by: BlackTigers
Swapping my automatic to a standard shift in my Escort.

I killed:
A 1/2" Breaker bar.
two 3/8" ratchets (oops).
A 1/2" Ratchet
Rounded six sockets.
Snapped off three flat bladed screwdrivers.

Yay for Craftsman.

om nom nom nom

 

[StageLeft]

Originally posted by: joutlaw
CV axles on my 2000 Millenia.

Royal PITA of a job. We had air tools at least, so the axle nuts weren't too bad, but they did require some massaging from the impact.

The biggest pain was getting the driver's side axle out. There was no point for leverage. We tried slide hammers, chissels, etc, but we were afraid it was going to crack the transaxle case and be out some serious $$. I ended up having to fabricate a chissel that could grab onto the axle... then use air chissel on it. It finally just popped out and the new one went right back in.

I fully appreciate how awful a job that is trying to pull it out when it won't come. I spent a few evenings last year on an axle on my maxima before getting it out. The axle nuts have not yet caused issues on two cars with my 1/2" breaker and a damned long pipe. I am always surprised how I've not yet destroyed that breaker bar.

Only tools I've broken so far are a ratchet (cheapy walmart that lasted for a long time, though), one or two sockets, one or two extensions, and a 1/2" -> 3/8" adapter.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Skoorb

Originally posted by: joutlaw
CV axles on my 2000 Millenia.

Royal PITA of a job. We had air tools at least, so the axle nuts weren't too bad, but they did require some massaging from the impact.

The biggest pain was getting the driver's side axle out. There was no point for leverage. We tried slide hammers, chissels, etc, but we were afraid it was going to crack the transaxle case and be out some serious $$. I ended up having to fabricate a chissel that could grab onto the axle... then use air chissel on it. It finally just popped out and the new one went right back in.

I fully appreciate how awful a job that is trying to pull it out when it won't come. I spent a few evenings last year on an axle on my maxima before getting it out. The axle nuts have not yet caused issues on two cars with my 1/2" breaker and a damned long pipe. I am always surprised how I've not yet destroyed that breaker bar.

Only tools I've broken so far are a ratchet (cheapy walmart that lasted for a long time, though), one or two sockets, one or two extensions, and a 1/2" -> 3/8" adapter.

I'm not sure an impact would've worked on mine - I tried my impact, but it's a crappy one. We ended up using this.

Might have had something to do with the broken breaker bars.

 

[Squisher]

Originally posted by: JLee
We broke two 1/2" drive breaker bars on my driver's side axle nut- second time with heat (MAP torch). I had to buy a 3/4" to get it off.

The rather impressive pipe I found may have had something to do with it..

I've found that slide bars will take more torque than a breaker bar. I've got a 3/4" one that I can put a six foot cheater pipe on and jump on it with all my girth.

 

[arcenite]

Don't recall breaking any tools... only bolts, but boy was it painful.

Bolt broke as I was using all of my body weight on the push side of a turn... punched the driveway ow.

 

[Titan]

Similarly, I break 4-ways, with no cheater bars. I broke 2 in one week once. The nut on the tire was on there so bad that I broke the 4-way, stripped thr nut, and had to torch the nut, hammer a smaller socket onto it, file out the drive for the socket, and then finally got it off.

WD the lugs people, and have hubcaps and/or capped lugs if possible!

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: JLee
We broke two 1/2" drive breaker bars on my driver's side axle nut- second time with heat (MAP torch). I had to buy a 3/4" to get it off.

The rather impressive pipe I found may have had something to do with it..

I've found that slide bars will take more torque than a breaker bar. I've got a 3/4" one that I can put a six foot cheater pipe on and jump on it with all my girth.

I twisted/snapped the drive portion right off of the head - the bar itself didn't break. Had to punch it out of the socket.

 

[JDub02]

Installed a lift kit on my cousin's Jeep. First year for the TJ, so it had coils all around. I think we broke 4 or 5 ratchets between the spring compressors and the shock mounts. Good thing they were all Craftsman. Got them all replaced.

 

[halik]

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: JLee
We broke two 1/2" drive breaker bars on my driver's side axle nut- second time with heat (MAP torch). I had to buy a 3/4" to get it off.

The rather impressive pipe I found may have had something to do with it..

I've found that slide bars will take more torque than a breaker bar. I've got a 3/4" one that I can put a six foot cheater pipe on and jump on it with all my girth.

I've got one of these for that purposes. It was really expensive (on sale and still ~30bucks), but you can shove a lead pipe over it and it will break anything lose.


That remind me I gotta take the craftsman 1/2 ratchet back, the direction switch came off.

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: halik

Originally posted by: Squisher

Originally posted by: JLee
We broke two 1/2" drive breaker bars on my driver's side axle nut- second time with heat (MAP torch). I had to buy a 3/4" to get it off.

The rather impressive pipe I found may have had something to do with it..

I've found that slide bars will take more torque than a breaker bar. I've got a 3/4" one that I can put a six foot cheater pipe on and jump on it with all my girth.

I've got one of these for that purposes. It was really expensive (on sale and still ~30bucks), but you can shove a lead pipe over it and it will break anything lose.


That remind me I gotta take the craftsman 1/2 ratchet back, the direction switch came off.

Yep, I ended up with something similar. I thought about buying one from Sears, but had already bought one from an auto parts place (lifetime warranty anyway) and didn't want to return it.

 

[Gillbot]

Trans swap in my buddies Trans Am. Numerous busted ratchets, breaker bars and missing sockets.

 

[Squisher]

You know the one tool that I've consistantly broken and wish anybody made one that was super beefy is a manual impact. I've even broken Snap-ons. There is nothing that would work better for breaking loose a Phillips, torx, allen, or regular socket than a manual impact (if you have room to swing a sledge). By striking it with a hammer you just about insure that the bit won't jump out and nothing works for breaking loose stuff better than a sudden application of torque. I always split the outside case (I'm sure they're not meant to be held with a 2 foot pipe wrench).

Now if they made one with like a 1/4" thick outer case that has accommodation to affix a two foot long cheater handle on the outside case and made it with a 3/4" driver I bet they'd sell a million of them (16 lb. sledge optional).


I often thought about making just such a sleeve to go on the case. Being a die repairman at a forge, breaking loose bolts that had welded themselves into dies and getting out broken bolts probably accounted for 30% of my day. I've had to literally clamp dies to the floor and pulled on a 15 foot cheater bar with a 30 ton crane while striking the back of an Allen wrench with a sledge hammer to shock the bolt and get a 2 1/2" Allen bolt to break free. You had to tie off the cheater bar to the crane hook because when it did break free it was a little scary.