What Kind of Tools to Start a DIY Garage?

I have found 2 post lifts to be far more helpful than 4 post lifts. As for quality of Craftsman tools, for a basic home garage where the tools aren't being used daily, they work just fine.

 

In personally like my craftsman tools and I have for work had to use cheap tools and even have had complete snap on tool sets.

For the money you can't beat craftsman and I personally don't like snap on.

But I have a hog pog of tools some snap on tools, craftsman, special tools it goes on and on.

When I built my tool box to work on aircraft in Afghanistan my tool box was built by me with craftsman tools. Worked just fine.

Snap on is nice but is it worth the price? I don't think so.

 

Grabber thing for getting parts dropped into inaccessible places
Set of stubby wrenches
Set of ratchet ring wrenches
Punch set
Set of deep sockets 1/4 in drive (I find I use 1/4 in drive sockets and ratchet more than any larger ones).
Automotive multimeter
Low ranging 1/4 in torque wrench for cam covers etc.

 

For wrenches and sockets, I'd highly recommend you buy a "flank drive" style that doesn't touch the corners of the fasteners. Snap-On now only sells flank drive style wrenches and sockets but I believe there's other brands that use the same system. In any case, don't cheap out on these tools. The first time you round off a fastener in an inaccessible location and realize you've just signed yourself up for half a day of pain and aggravation to get the fastener extracted you'll think that high-end wrench set was probably a bargain.

Note that the Craftsman hand tools currently selling at Sears are not the same as your grandfather's Craftsman, they're now made in China. That doesn't necessarily mean they're junk, and I have a lot of Craftsman tools myself, but I've been slowly changing over to wrenches made in the USA, especially my metric tools.

A few items I would recommend from Craftsman are:

Their 8' modular workbench system, really happy with this purchase, get the stainless steel top and a set of drawers on one side and you have a great place to bash things: 8' Red Workbench Frame: Build Your Perfect Custom Workbench with Sears

Their utility cart. This is actually a Rubbermaid product that Sears have rebadged and it quickly became a favourite item in my workshop. No more walking back and forth from my tool chest, I just put all the tools I need on the cart and put the cart next to the car while I work on it: 34-1/2'' 2-Shelf Utility Cart: Move Tools and Supplies at Sears

It turns out that there's still plenty of American companies making top end hand tools, but they cater to the industrial market and don't advertise, here's an article I dug up the other day, interesting reading:

10 Hand Tool Brands That Don?t Get The Love They Deserve | Tools In Action - Power Tools and Gear

For torque wrenches I use and like CDI. Made in the USA, and available from Amazon for not much coin. If you've decided that a fastener is important enough to use a torque wrench on, then it makes no sense to then go ahead and use a $9.99 torque wrench from Harbor Freight that's made from recycled dog food cans and whose scale may or may not have any relationship to reality: CDI Torque 2503MFRMH Torque Wrench, 1/2" Drive, Micrometer Adjustable, Metal Handle, Dual Scale, 30' - 250' Lbs. - - Amazon.com

For screwdrivers, I think Bahco Ergo is outstanding, and so very nice to use: Bahco 808512 Ergo Mixed Screwdriver Set, 12-Piece - Snap On Screwdriver Set - Amazon.com

Here's a thread from the GarageJournal forum that calls out a bunch of cheaper alternatives to the tools that are sold from the shiny truck but which (apparently) are the same part, rebadged: The Truck Tool Equivalents Thread - Gathering Data - The Garage Journal Board

As for tool chests, whichever one you buy... isn't big enough.

 

Sorry, but I would say Harbor Freight don't even qualify as tools, these will self-destruct with your first job. The Craftsman set is a good value, Mac and Snap-On you pay for the names.

Have fun with your new setup!

 

Oh, and you want one of these:

Amazon.com: TEKTON 1902 Round Magnetic Parts Tray: Automotive

And one of these:

OEM 25466 Heavy Duty Pickup Tool - Magnetic Sweepers - Amazon.com

I also recommend Torin jack stands, they don't destroy your floor and they're really nice to use, I have a couple of pairs of these:

Amazon.com: Torin T43004 3 Ton Aluminum Jack Stands (Sold in Pairs): Automotive

And I completely agree with what Andy wrote above, on these cars, access to anything in the engine bay is usually really tight, so your 1/4" sockets see by far the most use.

 

Go to Craigslist - for sale - tools.
Look for some one selling a tool box with tools. You can get a retiring mechanics whole set up for pennies on the dollar.

Get a real air compressor with big tank, like 60 gallon.

2 post lifts are a lot more useful than 4 post.

 

Don't forget that good shop lights are really important. The rechargeable LED handheld ones available are great, and a big improvement over the old "trouble lights" that got hot and always pointed the wrong way.

Jeff

 

Buy tools as you need them. Otherwise the initial investment is very high and you will end up buying things anyway as you didn't get everything.

Pay for quality of the things you use often (sockets, wrenches). You can drop on quality for things you won't use much. Don't let the harbor freight haters scare you. They have some decent stuff (wait for it). I have their engine hoist, parts tray, a wire welder, chop saw, sanders and a few other items. These things work fine for the rare occasions I use them.

You can get by on a smaller portable air compressor as well.

One tool that is really useful on a 308 is a magnetic telescoping pickup tool. I use it to get spark plugs out of the front bank among other things.

 

Get an aluminum floor jack. It makes life so much easier. And while I have no problem with the run-of-the-mill Craftsman stuff, consider the "Craftsman Professional" line for combination wrenches. They have thinner walls and allow you to get into tighter spaces. A set of gear-type ratcheting wrenches is also really nice to have. Finally, get a set of line wrenches if you ever intend to do any brake work at all.

 

Agreed. I have a pair of incredibly bright LED shop lights - bliss compared to those old style lights. Let's take this one step further and say that the overall lighting of your workspace is another big thing to consider. I've changed out all of my old flourescent lamps for new T8 LED lamps (requires a bit of rewiring) and the improvement is amazing - at half the wattage

And with any set of tools, organization is important as it's diffifult to use a tool you cannot find. Whether you've got a rolling chest, pegboard arrangement, or something else, you'll thank yourself many times over.

 

I prefer a 4 post lift because: it can easily be moved, no special concrete requirements, and for that reason it can easily be resold, much easier and faster to put a car on it without getting down on the floor to position arms, you can store a car or motorcycles or anything else on it (I have 2 lifts, one in a corner that I access from the side for motorcycle storage and roll it out to put a car on it, I stack a car on the other so both my lifts are working 24hrs/day), works as an elevator to put stuff in the overhead, the treads offer a working surface for tools and parts, I regularly use the optional sliding bridge jack on one end and the supplied pan for a 2nd jack on the other end to work all four tires/wheels/brakes simultaneously just as fast as on a 2 post. I used a friends 2 post and then bought a 4 post, then he bought a 4 post and I bought a 2nd 4 post, since my brother and several friends have gotten 4 post lifts for these and other reasons. I like to hear from others with different experiences.

 

Yep, I do the same thing on the 328. A strong magnetic pickup tool is sooo needed on these cars!

Oh, one other tool most will find handy: Small mirror on a stick. Got a Craftsman one that telescopes and can be angled. Borescope is nice yet unweildy - sometimes just a mirror to see around a blind corner is all you need.

At least with Craftsman tools, they still (mostly) have a no-quibble return/replace warranty. Broke a pair of angled cutters a week ago, but just went down to the local Sears and they handed me a new one off the shelf. Difficult to complain.

 

Tools - I use to be a craftsman person. But their warranty has gone to pot. Now they just exchange for a refurbished item. Somewhere there's a salesperson walking around with a broken refurbished ratchet up his butt.

Arena Motors had a phenomenal idea when putting in the lifts - build florescent lights recessed into the floor between the posts. You light up the whole underside of the car.
And one of those tube systems where you place it over the exhaust pipe & vent it outside.

If you do get a very large compressor, run several tapes off it so you can easily move air tools around without dragging the rubber hoses. Home Depot sells 90psi flexible plastic piping to do this.

Lots of lights, maybe waist high on the walls to help you see when detailing. interspersed power outlets too of the same height.

Epoxy the floor for easy clean up

 

I still use Craftsman.
I have been able to do everything I need with a 4 post lift.
Large compressor 60gal tank with 1/2 inch copper lines in the garage at 3 places.

 

You need 3 torque wrenches, 1/4 , 3/8 & 1/2" drive in order to cover everything from 6lbs to 150lb + with reasonable degree of accuracy.

 

I have enjoyed being a shadetree mechanic for many years doing everything from basic service all the way to full blown concours restorations. In that time I have built up a modest tool set that has served me well and has not cost a fortune either. Given the information so far I would recommend the following:

1. Buy a compliment of Craftsman premium quality tools. These will be the real meat and potatoes of your arsenal so you do not want to cheap out and buy low dollar wrench sets like those found at HF (just holding them will remind you that you cheaped out). Equally when it comes to wrenches, sockets, etc. there is very little if anything to be gained from Snap On and the other high end names. You can forget any thoughts of damaging your Ferrari with Craftsman tools. Where the Snap On and other high end tools really shine is in the really specialized tools but for wrenches and that there is no real advantage.

2. If your tool set does not have it buy every combination of extension and flex joint you can find. Ferrari's are terrible for access and after a job I always have a pile of adapters required to get at all the fasteners. Ferraris are ALL ABOUT getting access

3. Buy a nice tool chest and some organizing bits like wrench and socket holders. I have a stainless box from Costco bought for about $600 and it works great. Ball bearing sliders, big wheels, and large drawers give me all the storage space I need.

Outside of this, as already said, some low use HF tools are a great value and more than what is required. Things like a basic hydraulic press need not be fancy. With the basic tools bought you can then keep your eyes on the sales flyers to pick up some quality brand name tools as they come up.

 

A few years back, when I did SERIOUS daily work on cars/boats I bought only Snap-On tools and IF you were doing the same thing, I would say buy Snap On. But you are not and neither am I any more and I have found that for routine "normal" use, any tools you can buy at the major hardware stores work fine.

Don't get concerned/obsessed with tools UNLESS you do it for a living. Just go to Lowes, Home depot, Sears, True Value, Ace, or wherever and buy whatever brand of tools they are selling. I guarantee you they will work just fine on your Ferrari.

 

These are time savers, marriage savers, and mind savers:

A complete set of polished ratcheting wrenches
Set of stubby wrenches
Set of wobble extensions 1/4 to 1/2 inch
Set of flexible sockets
Ingersol Rand 1/2 impact driver
Complete set of impact socket from 13mm to 36mm
Large to very large wrenches
If you are working on Ferraris, a set of Ring Nut Sockets. Expensive but required.
Collect specialized tools as you go.

 

location, location, location... The biggest problem with wrenching on a Ferrari is as Nuvolari has pointed out is getting to and removing a fastner. Here's a list of some very useful tools aside from the usual sockets, screwdrivers and such:
Scrapers
Thin wrenches
swivel ball sockets
articulating head socket wrenches
universal joints & extensions, can't have enough of these- really you can't
looooooooong handle wrenches, esp for 10,11 & 13mm
32mm long handle single end open box end wrench, for oil fittings
at some point you may need a blind bearing puller, sir tools hands down the best for a collet bearing puller set.
stud extracter, Mac or snap-on
stud setter tool, I have a Japan tool set by Ko-Ken, very nice and inexpensive, but extremely useful on these cars where 99% of it held with studs, OK half, the other half is rivets
ratchet wrenches
BIG vise
copper and dead blow hammers
punches
dial indicators
micrometer
degree wheels

Honestly it takes time to build the tools you need, best option for saving money is to find a retiring or out of business shop and buy it for pennies on the dollar.

brand, that is going to be all over the map. cheap tools can do in a pinch and are useful for cutting up and welding together to make frankentool, we all have a drawer full of franken-tools! I might have a rolling cabinet full at this point!
I like, Stahlwille, SK, vintage Snap-op, bluepoint and craftsman, Sir Tools - great oddball stuff- a bit pricey but worth the money. Flank drive is better and really cuts down on rounding off and buggering up a fastener so you don't looking for a gas can and a match!

 

ahh good point, yelcab. There are a few Ferrari specific tools like the ring nut socket and for the 4V the cyl head tool.
allen head sockets and drives in all drive sizes 1/4, 3/8 & 1/2 are very helpful.

 

A good quality wall-mounted shop vac with a long hose and assorted attachments. Ya gotta clean up sometime!