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YACT: Tools

A

agnitrate

Diamond Member
Some of you remember I just purchased my first car recently and I definitely need to get some tools for general purpose work, etc. I was supposed to get some tools from my dad when I turned 18 as a 'becoming a man' inheritance kinda thing, but that never really happened.

Anyways, since I have no tools at all, what should I be looking at getting brand and parts-wise?

My uncle is a mechanic and says Snap-on and a few other brands are the best, but I checked their web site and their prices are really high! If I'm going to do this thing, I want to do it right. So what are the brands you guys recommend and what should I get as a basic startup kit?

-silver
 
Sears regularly runs sales on their tools. $150 will set you up very well with decent quality stuff that will take care of most of your needs. Snap-on is VERY expensive.
 
Originally posted by: minendo
Craftsman. I can get you a discount if you'd like. (Discount only applies to Brian.)
Click to expand...
Craftsman with a discount would be the deal of the week!

Take Minendo up on this!

 
Originally posted by: minendo
Craftsman. I can get you a discount if you'd like. (Discount only applies to Brian.)
Click to expand...

You suck😛 But yes, get Craftsman or Husky (Home Depot). Those are your best choices. I love my set of Craftsman tools.
 
To save some money, you might as well get some Craftsman tools over Snap-On tools. Despite costing less, the Craftsman tools are very high quality and guaranteed forever (ask the local Sears about all the screwdrivers I have exchanged which have never been used for their intended purpose, unless the intended purpose is prying or bracing/wedging).

I know several professional industrial mechanics that prefer Craftsman ratchets and combo wrenches to the Snap-On ratchets and wrenches. What Snap-On does offer that Craftsman doesn't is a boatload of specialty tools. I'm talking piston bore calipers, fitting wrenches and all kinds of other good stuff.

To start off, you'll need:
-a full set 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" drive metric and standard sockets, ratchets and extension bars
-a full set of combination wrenches
-a good set of screwdrivers (for prying and bracing)
-a good torque wrench (craftsman sells one for 70 bucks and it suits me fine, i used a $30 ACE hardware torque wrench for over year before it died)
-jackstands and a scissors jack (the bigger the better)

I cannot stress a torque wrench enough. It does not take much to overtorque your wheels and warp the rotors and in the very least it will makes sure you get them back on properly. It's also very good for the fastener to use a torque wrench instead of bolting it back down until it doesn't turn anymore (bolt stretch). It's also the difference between being a good shadetree mechanic and a white trash mechanic.
 
And if you wanna go cheap... there's always Harbor Freight... with their free shipping, some of the bigger stuff is a good deal. I used it to get my BFH... Big F*ing Hammer. Absolute necessity for a shadetree mechanic.
 
Originally posted by: KokomoGST
And if you wanna go cheap... there's always Harbor Freight... with their free shipping, some of the bigger stuff is a good deal. I used it to get my BFH... Big F*ing Hammer. Absolute necessity for a shadetree mechanic.
Click to expand...

OMG how could I have forgotten the sledge. You know you've become a good mechanic when you can recognize spline bolts and pound them out in 2 seconds.
 
Black omen dont forget to add to that always use 6 pts- (my opinion) , deep well and shortie sockets. Also some of those new plastic socket hangers by craftsman, they have a lil springloaded ball just like a rathet to hold on the sockets. Work great.
 
Originally posted by: Munchies
Black omen dont forget to add to that always use 6 pts- (my opinion) , deep well and shortie sockets.
Click to expand...

For getting started he can probably get away with just shorty sockets. I've done a lot of repairs on a lot of cars (not always mine) and I get by with my limited amount deep sockets. 6 point sockets are key. The only time you need to use 12 points are on 12 point bolts or if you need more angle selection for use with a breaker bar.

Speaking of, get a breaker bar at earliest possible convenience if you ever plan on doing hardcore work. Otherwise just find a good cheater pipe.

 
Like others have said, Craftsman is pretty much the standard for doing your own work. Relatively inexpensive, but still has the lifetime warranty that good tools come with.

As far as what you're going to need, it depends on what you're going to do to the car, some of the stuff I have is: 3 ton hydraulic jack, 4 jackstands, a sh!tload of various sockets and wrenches, 1/4, 3/8, 1/2" ratchets, A torque wrench, lots of allen wrenches, compression tester, fuel pressure gauge, feeler gauges, several screwdrivers, vice grips, oil filter wrench, timing light, code tester, um... I know there's more...
 
I got a ~72 piece Craftsman set. The main drawback to me is that the pieces won't stay in place. If you pick the set up, they all fall out of their holes.

That really annoys me.
 
Ditto Craftsman. Snap-On can provide you with the odd tools you can not find otherwise.
If you ever happen upon Stalwille wrenches buy em. There Germany's best.
If your climate is damp, never clean your tools dry, spray em w/WD40 then wipe them down.
 
I started off with a 181 piece Craftsman tool set and I've just had my parents add on to it every Christmas. They will last forever.
 
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