What kind of “big” tools are you guys sporting in your garages / shops to pull off some of these incredible looking cars?
Do all / most of you guys have an air compressor? A small sand/bead/media blaster box unit thing?
So once a part is stripped and prepped, what do you do for the painting process? Do you guys just set up a “clean” area in the garage / shop to hang the parts and just hit them with a rattle can? Do you have your own spray setup? Do you send them out for paint?
I’m not looking to create a super-concourse car, but I would like it to be clean and look nice for local shows.
Looks like somebody’s ready to pull the trigger! Show us some pics when you do. Mike, I’ve done it by shopping my big items out, no major tools and the small stuff was cleaned up with a wire wheel or a scrub pad and degreaser. Rattle caned most painted smalls. Cleaned up metal pieces and then clear coated. My method is expensive, watch where you spend your money because it adds up quickly. The next one that I do will be someones toy that they are tired of because it’s a lot cheaper to buy one thats done and needs to be tweaked than tearing apart and reassembling. Wish I could buy Mike’s 4 speed eliminator but can’t afford it at the time because this vert has cost waaaaaay toooooo much. Enjoyed building my own car but won’t do it again. That’s my advice, Sal Cougar GEEK
I imagine you’ll get a different answer from almost every member on this board. I could list all the tools that I have and plan to buy, but that isn’t necessarily relevant to what you may want. My goal is to do everything myself, though in the interest of time I may farm some things out. Everybody is different, evaluate what you can do or what you want to learn to do and go from there.
A compressor is good for lots of things- filling your tires, blowing debris off of stuff (though sometimes the last thing you want is debris flying all over near parts that would get ruined by it, like a vacuum motor with a broken boot or something), using a spray gun, whatnot. I haven’t gotten into body work yet so haven’t done any media blasting, but maybe some day. Even without blasting, a compressor is good to have, especially if you can get one for cheap.
Some of the first things I found myself buying were a good jack and four jack stands, a big catch-pan for draining the radiator (or other fluids), a timing light, a mityvac, a good torque wrench… I think that’s most of the stuff I found to be must-have that I didn’t have. Oh, and a huge breaker bar, I still don’t have one but need one… And the socket that fits the crankshaft to be able to manually turn the engine, I want one of those too and will buy one shortly.
General wrenches and screwdrivers and all that, goes without saying. Oh, and a socket appropriate for your spark plugs-- there are different sizes there. Something I already had but found I didn’t have enough of are extensions for socket wrenches, I had a couple short ones but found I needed a super short one and a longer one.
There are so many specialty tools too, but I’m trying to pick my battles there. I know a guy with a totally stocked garage, where if I need something crazy I can try and set up a weekend day over at his place and he’s probably got the tool I need. So get yourself a guy like that, too!
Although I have used a ton of wire wheels, there is nothing as good as a blasting cabinet for stripping parts. However, a compressor good enough to run a blasting cabinet is very expensive. For most cabinets, you need between 5 and 10 CFM @ 90PSI. That requires about a 5HP compressor which will run you close to $1000. Skimping on a compressor will make the blasting cabinet useless.
As for paint, I’ve been using Scott Drake Accumatch rattle can lacquer for the interior metal bits and powder coating the black stuff/natural stuff. I won’t be painting my own car which means I don’t need an HVLP gun or a compressor.
Priorities change with age and income. But I could not imagine functioning in my shop without the lift. The kind that has arms that swing under to the frame so you can do wheels and brakes and have lots of clearance.
I agree with Al, everyone will have a different answer. I would say start small with basics. Media blasting and sand blasting can be farmed out. In my area I used a monument company for my sand blasting. A bench grinder with a wire wheel and a polishing wheel can be handy to have. Just look at what part of the protect you plan to do first then go from there.
Steven
Yeah, someone should start that thread!!! Another forum I’m on has a thread like that and it’s gold. And with some of the goofballs around here, a thread like that is bound to be full of good stuff.
It depends, Id say a decent compressor, and spend the cash on a quality (snap on or craftsman IMO) socket set both SAE & Metric (never know if your PO was like mine and used whatever is handy), a small propane torch, a good volt meter and solder gun and crimper, vacume tester is a must, quality jack stands and jack.
For the one off stuff you can either pick it up a ACE/Lowels/ or Home Depot, some autopart stores will even let you rent for that really odd stuff that your only going to use once.
But the two most important things to have - 1# is a wife that doesnt mind you getting this stuff and kind of understands your sickness #2 a plan of attack and a “loose budget”. If you dont know what your going to be doing you don’t know what your gonna need.
I do believe you might just be on his short list, as well…
But, to answer the question:
Yup, everbody’s got different stuff…jack stands and floor jack, compressor, welder(inexpensive light duty Clarke unit, here), angle grinder and assorted wheels, borrowed a bench grinder for a while from the father in law, picked up a floor standing drill press from him, too. Built a blast cabinet for all my headlight bucket blasting/small parts. Farmed out the bigger items that wouldn’t fit.
I agree with one of the prior posts…#1 thing to have, is a supportive spouse!
Oh, and a shop to put it all in! (Scatter parts around the house, a good indicator of a “supportive” spouse, is when she throws her arms up, and says, “Build your shop and get this stuff outta here!!!” )
“Build your shop and get this stuff outta here!!!” )
Mine just wants the third bedroom back, around the Holidays she said," I just want to be able to use the closet space", My response was “You mean there are closets in that room?” Just a few more months. SalD Cougar Geek
Yeah, I have a bottle jack and ramps, but I need some good jackstands and floor jack. Have the various sockets and basic tools, but I’m sure I’ll need extensions and swivels/u-joints to supplement as needed. Why is it one swivel will never seem to do the trick?
I also have pans for catching goo, plus voltmeter, soldering set and crimper. I have a buffing wheel and wire wheel for my drill ~ not optimum, I know, but its a start.
Understanding Wife… where do I buy one of those? I’ve checked online and the closest ones are in China. Price + Shipping is kinda crazy! Not sure that I want to spend money on Chinese-made either. Looks like Oregon law frowns on multiple wife-units installed on one husband, too. So maybe someone out there makes a conversion kit for the Misunderstanding Wife?
It might be handy to have a compressor Mike. It depends on what and how much you’re going to do. If you don’t want to go that route, maybe look at a battery powered impact. They’re expensive, but they do the job.
I am probably not the right guy to suggest anything, since I am over the top sometimes. Afterall, how many people here have an Oxy/Acetylene setup and welder in the same garage as a wood lathe and planer? Just make sure the sawdust is cleaned up good before using the fire tools.
At any rate, I couldn’t live without my compressor and the various air tools I have. Then the multiple hand tools that you need on a regular basis. Cordless drills are handy too, I think I have 4 or 5 by now. I have a full array of paint and body tools as well, though I probably shouldn’t since they rarely get used. A good multimeter is a must, digital is best. Don’t forget the SAFETY GLASSES and GLOVES.
I’ve been accumulating tools and equipment more and more since the car has been “done.” I currently have a mig AND an oxy/acetylne set-up, bandsaw, chop saw, bench grinder, compressor with various air-tools including several spray guns etc, parts washer, the necessary hand tools, through the wall exhaust fan, a good industrial bench vice, two floor jacks, 8 jackstands, two steel drive-up ramps that I never drive up, and two shorter wooden ramps for the cars that are too low to fit the floor jack under. I also have the understanding wife AND the shop to put it all in.
You don’t 'NEED" all that stuff to pull off a successful restoration/car project. But most of it certainly makes the job easier and quicker. How much equipment you have depends on how much of the project you plan to do yourself. If you don’t plan to get into body and paint, right there is a HOST of specialized equipment that you don’t need.
I think the bare minimum should be: a good quality floor jack and 4 good quality jackstands. My car has only been on a lift ONCE in the 34 years I’ve been wrenching on it, and that wasn’t even by me. It was at the custom exhaust shop. I got by for a LONG time just with a hardware store bernz-o-matic propane torch to heat up rusted and stuck nuts and bolts. A basic set of hand tools with box wrenches, and sockets is a must. I used to clean up all my parts with the wire brush side of the bench grinder (wearing safety glasses of course) before rattle can spraying them and hanging them from the garage door tracks to dry. An angle grinder is very versatile since it can be used as a grinder and a cut-off tool depending on the disk, and it can also get a fitted with a spinning wire brush to clean parts that get held in the good bench vice. Probably the first “major” purchase should be a compressor.
I’ll continue to give this topic some thought and I might chime back in with some more info.
