Tools You Wish You Had

Non-EMS Automotive related discussions and projects in here please.
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Fred
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Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Fred »

Or tools you do have that I/everyone should have... :-)

I plan to post stuff I don't have here, on the basis that I want it. So that when I next have some funding I can look through and go "this one" and improve the situation a little.

What am I missing, off the top of my head, at least these:
  • Really good low profile jack, in particular: DK13HLQ http://www.ac-hydraulic.dk/en/products/ ... s/dk13hlq/ which is about 1knzd on http://www.sulco.co.nz/AC-1-3-TON-HYDRA ... -JACK.html
  • A good hydraulic press, whatever good is - 300+? DIY could be less. Volvo bonnet springs could be useful. EDIT: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2750
  • A nice set of quality kiwi drill bits and a drill press to go with them
  • A decent AC/HF TIG setup inc self-owned bottle
  • A decent light alloy jack for track day/mobile use - do *good* alloy jacks actually exist? Mostly junk, I think. EDIT: Found this Torin: http://torinjacksusa.com/bigred/bigred- ... -jack.html
  • Lithium cordless tool kit, including angle grinder, drill, 1/2" impact driver, and various other units
  • Bearing puller kits, stud remover kits, etc.
  • Deep reach 3/8 drive set from 8 to 21 or so.
  • Set of hex drive sockets, similar to my torx sets
  • Oil filter cup set
  • Leak down tester
  • Compression tester - what happened to my one??? :-p EDIT: Got one: viewtopic.php?p=43789#p43789
  • Brake power bleeder setup
  • A maximal single phase air compressor with NO leaks and a big vertical storage tank attached to it, 10CFM for spraying, 20 for die grinding, 15.5 seems maximal @ 1500 bucks or so
  • Bead blaster cabinet. EDIT: Going to get a gravity feed Ampro A3714 blaster, and try some soda and other stuff through it on various tasks.
  • Parts washer with pump/tank/filter
  • A real scope with decent functionality
  • Some dollys or wheel dollys to abuse/misuse
There's likely more, but I have a lot and I can't think of anything more right now, zzzz.

What do you wish you had?
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ivan141
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by ivan141 »

Garage tools are my fetish.

What I'd like to have:

-Hydraulic press
-Shrinker / Stretcher
-New sheet metal nibbler or shears (old nibbler recently croaked)
-Decent column drill
-Bead roller
-Lathe
-TIG welder / Plasma cutter
-Spot welder

If only I had money to burn...
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Fred
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Fred »

That's very sheet metal focused! :-)
  • Lathe, plus one, how could I forget this? Maybe 2, one smaller and one big enough for things like wheels and long enough for things like driveshafts. :-D
  • Plasma cutter. I never looked up how these work. Pretty cool, +1 there too.
Column drill = drill press? Image search says yes. And also calls it a pillar drill. They've always been "drill presses" to me.

I guess while I'm in here I'd better add something new myself. Hmmmm.
Oh, and the ultimate symbol of manliness in the garage:
  • A two post hoist :-D
I know two people locally who have this. Both on this forum. And another in the US with two! :-D

Keen to see Jeff and Sim post in here. Both have enviable collections already so it'll be very interesting to see what they don't have.
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ehb
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by ehb »

There's quite some stuff on the above lists I'd like to have too, but also some I already have.
I can say for sure: A lathe should belong to every household. Since I have mine, it's very frequently in use.

I've only rarely used the plasma cutter on the other hand.
A bead blaster cabinet is too labor-intensive to maintain, imho. I've gone back to giving those things to a professional.

A sturdy (old) belt sander has been on my wishlist for a while, but hasn't crossed my path yet.

I'm in the process of moving my stuff (partly private, partly from a subsidiary occupation) to another location and gave the (cheap) hydraulic press to my associate. Took me three days to realize I need it, so I ordered another one... but that's now mine forever. ;)

Of course, all sheet metal tools would be welcome too.
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Hentai
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Hentai »

Tools I want
DMC Crimpers - http://www.dmctools.com/Products/crimp_tools.html
Chassis Dyno
Engine Dyno
In-cylinder Pressure sensor setup
ivan141
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by ivan141 »

Forgot to add a decent induction heater, would be useful for getting out those stuck bolts with less drama.
And perhaps a power tool for installing rivnuts.
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Fred »

Fred wrote:
  1. A good hydraulic press, whatever good is - 300+? DIY could be less. Volvo bonnet springs could be useful. EDIT: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=2750
  2. A decent light alloy jack for track day/mobile use - do *good* alloy jacks actually exist? Mostly junk, I think. EDIT: Found this Torin: http://torinjacksusa.com/bigred/bigred- ... -jack.html
  3. Set of hex drive sockets, similar to my torx sets
  4. Bead blaster cabinet. EDIT: Going to get a gravity feed Ampro A3714 blaster, and try some soda and other stuff through it on various tasks.
1, added link to project
2, found one and added the link to the original post. 280aud + shipping/tax, 650nzd locally
3, bought a crappy set from SCA the other day in a rush, 20 bucks, will get a better one with more sizes and higher quality later, probably
4, going to pull trigger on the Ampro A3714 in a few weeks for several project purposes

The AC jack is still on the menu, but I'll probably hold off on that for a while as the current one got fixed up tonight, and might get another mod soon.
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Fred
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Fred »

Ticked off one of the big ticket items this morning:

Image





:-) Looking forward to doing some die grinding, sand blasting, spray painting, etc with this beast :-)
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Fred
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Fred »

Also got and used that ampro gravity sand blaster with some blasting soda, very effective, but you run out quite quickly, so not ideal for bigger jobs with longer continuous blasting sessions as you'd have to refill too often.
DIYEFI.org - where Open Source means Open Source, and Free means Freedom
FreeEMS.org - the open source engine management system
FreeEMS dev diary and its comments thread and my turbo truck!
n00bs, do NOT PM or email tech questions! Use the forum!
The ever growing list of FreeEMS success stories!
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Re: Tools You Wish You Had

Post by Fred »

Gave the compressor a good run tonight, blew out the diff housing, pumped up the 360 tyres, so nice to have a decent compressor :-)

And today, a compression tester entered the shed, to replace the absentee: https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 7514534912

Image
DIYEFI.org - where Open Source means Open Source, and Free means Freedom
FreeEMS.org - the open source engine management system
FreeEMS dev diary and its comments thread and my turbo truck!
n00bs, do NOT PM or email tech questions! Use the forum!
The ever growing list of FreeEMS success stories!
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