DARTLARRY
Well-Known Member
an old carpet remnant to lay on. You just roll it up and put away when your done.
Useful tools
- Thread starter clhyer
- Start date
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fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
2nd the chop saw. Mines saved me tremendous effort sawing stuff. Not to mention you can wack something off in nothing flat.
Plastic face dead blow hammer. Gets the job done and don't scar stuff up.
Dial indicator with magnetic base. Got it with my cam degree kit and I use it so much it rarely makes it back into the case.
Digital calipers. Keep one in the garage and one in the truck tool box.
20 ton press. Makes life allot easier.
Parts cleaner.
Cheap old bench grinder I bought for $20 at a discount parts house over 10 yrs. ago. I use it so much I can't believe it's lasted this long.
Not something that I actually touch often but the air compressor runs all my air tools so it's invaluable.
Plastic face dead blow hammer. Gets the job done and don't scar stuff up.
Dial indicator with magnetic base. Got it with my cam degree kit and I use it so much it rarely makes it back into the case.
Digital calipers. Keep one in the garage and one in the truck tool box.
20 ton press. Makes life allot easier.
Parts cleaner.
Cheap old bench grinder I bought for $20 at a discount parts house over 10 yrs. ago. I use it so much I can't believe it's lasted this long.
Not something that I actually touch often but the air compressor runs all my air tools so it's invaluable.
pharmboy
Well-Known Member
Dial calipers, or the cheap digital ones...can't live without them. One of those LED flashlights, about as big as a D-battery, wrapped the whole grip surface with a doubled over bike inner tube, and you can hold it in your mouth in confined areas and not chip a tooth. Those inspection mirrors...like a dental mirror that's 2' long and swivels. Oh...here's one not many of you know about...a three-safe file. It's a triangular file with cutting teeth on only two sides. It's good for dovetailing metal(I'm also a recreational gunsmith), and cutting off screw/bolt heads without damaging the surrounding area...try one, you'll love it
64dartwagon
Walking in Circles
My 12yr old gofer son!! He can reach into the small spaces, and he can reach the tools that I can't when I'm under or in those tiny places. And he knows how the tools work, and is big on safety. One of the first things he learned to do was work the floor jack, just incase of a jackstand failure etc..
Keith Mopar
Mopar Nut
One thing I'll say about tools I use all the time that we take for granted is the keyless chuck on the old drill gun! How many times did I misplace the dam key and then wasted time looking for it!!
Other than that I'd say the floor jack.
Other than that I'd say the floor jack.
Personally, I hate keyless chucks ... they never last long enough, and just don't crank down and stay that way. A small piece of electrical tape fastening the "T" on the chuck to the drill's cord about two feet from where it attaches to the drill keeps the chuck handy forever.
Now you getting into whats the proper tool. Keyless chucks are great for hand drills provided you have plenty of hex shank bits , etc..
(cant tie a key to the cord of a cordless)A keyed chuck is better on the workbench drill press as they will hold a runout tollerence of appox. .003 (you wont get there with hex shanks).
Still... "I just had that key so I know its on this workbench somewhere among all this crap" LOL
custom100
Well-Known Member
Well most useful tool that I have found is my led headlamp both at work and at home.
RedFish, as always, you're right doll! Point well taken on the cordless drills. Maybe it's time to invest in one of those lithium battery types over here. The 18 volt Ryobi is sometimes not enough for what needs to be done so I tend to grab the electric drill when it's needed for long term projects. You can always tie the chuck to a string around your neck. <duckin and runnin>
cuda65vpt
cuda65vpt
I got a 2 1/2 pound brass hammer that my brother made for me in 1980 in H.S. shop. Don't know what i'd do without that hammer.
clifftt
Well-Known Member
*Ditto on the pick set and cheap bench grinder -- great for cleaning stuff.
*My telescopic magnetic pick-up tool always saves my bacon.
*Get a vise, I have a cheap Taiwan 6" vise which has been wonderful.
*A box of neoprene gloves, under $10 from Harbor Freight. Clean hands make my wife happy.
*I bundle and tape up bubble and styrofoam wrap (used for new bumper and fender packaging) into flat pillows to lay and kneel on. Like WyKev says, you don't get cold laying on it and it's ez on the knees. And it's free, your friendly neighborhood body shop throws the stuff away everyday.
*My telescopic magnetic pick-up tool always saves my bacon.
*Get a vise, I have a cheap Taiwan 6" vise which has been wonderful.
*A box of neoprene gloves, under $10 from Harbor Freight. Clean hands make my wife happy.
*I bundle and tape up bubble and styrofoam wrap (used for new bumper and fender packaging) into flat pillows to lay and kneel on. Like WyKev says, you don't get cold laying on it and it's ez on the knees. And it's free, your friendly neighborhood body shop throws the stuff away everyday.
Clifftt, thanks for the heads up on the bubble wrap ... I always need that stuff to return customers' parts in. Now if I could just find a local body shop out here in BFE ............... :-D
pushrod
70dart 340
A pair of locking forceps like they use in the operating rooms, they will lock and hold things into small places and I am not down under the car looking for my last c-clip.
daredevil
Well-Known Member
and pushing and grunting saved
I gotta go with ramcharger and the bent screwdrivers. I've had a couple that I bent the tips on a while back and they are always my go-to tool to pry, get under trim, and get in places where other screwdrivers can't get to. Another "tool" that I use a lot is a short piece of oak flooring with the tongue part of the tongue and groove at the end, and the other end cut half flat and half at a bevel. With this simple piece, I can have a set of drip rail mouldings off of a car in under 2 minutes. Just hook the tongue end under the lip of the moulding and lever up and it comes right off. Where the space gets wider between the underside lip and the rain channel I just flip it around and use the flat/beveled end and continue to the back. Since it's wood it doesn't do any damage to the moulding, but because it's oak it is the perfect density to stand up to the trim. If you'vr ever tried to get these mouldings off, you'd appreciate this one. Just my 2 cents. Wrench on, Mates!!!
BigWhip
New to Mopar land
Hello
I am new to the site but enjoy the ideals.
Useful Tools.
Sawzaw!
12 goverment surplus file cabinets. (letter size, super neat lockable storage, cheaper than building shelfs)
2 goverment surplus file cabinets (Lateral type, on casters, lockable tool
cabinet, cover door slides up and the drawers slide out)
Rubbermade storage totes ( clean dust free storage, water prof and can hold liquids, and can be stacked on the filing cabinets)
Old tool boxes ( Paint the boxs different colors and store special type tool in the boxes, i.e. all brake type tools in their own box , vaccume pump, etc.etc.)
Pad of paper and several pens ( write down the great ideals before you forget, or data you need).
Box fan!!! oh yea!!
Thats if for now
BW
I am new to the site but enjoy the ideals.
Useful Tools.
Sawzaw!
12 goverment surplus file cabinets. (letter size, super neat lockable storage, cheaper than building shelfs)
2 goverment surplus file cabinets (Lateral type, on casters, lockable tool
cabinet, cover door slides up and the drawers slide out)
Rubbermade storage totes ( clean dust free storage, water prof and can hold liquids, and can be stacked on the filing cabinets)
Old tool boxes ( Paint the boxs different colors and store special type tool in the boxes, i.e. all brake type tools in their own box , vaccume pump, etc.etc.)
Pad of paper and several pens ( write down the great ideals before you forget, or data you need).
Box fan!!! oh yea!!
Thats if for now
BW
I want to see the oak flooring cosgig. I've got a lot of moulding and trim removal tools on my truck but this board thing sounds slick. Someday I'll need such a tool. There's lots of mouldings on a early Dart GT. toolmanmike
cudaspaz
Well-Known Member
Being a mobile benz mechanic, i have to work on some pretty expensive piles of junk so I have to make sure I don't kill myself in the xustomers driveway or hurt their prized posession so I use an old school, heavy duty floor jack that weighs about 80 LBs, jack stands and wheel chocks for safety.
I roll out a heavy duty, oil resistant vinyl tarp and lay on that while I drain fluids and things.
My 1/2 drive swivel head breaker bar ratchet comes in handy for wheel bolts, and my 90 degree angle nosed Mikita cordless drill comes in handy for taking belly pan panels, spark plug covers and small bolts and body panels.
Portable oil evacuators are helpful as well as sealable drain pans.
A plethora of every spray can substance known to man is a great assett.
Portable air tank and air tools are handy.
In my garage a small wire feed welder has made life so much easier many times when I had to fab something up or needed to modify a tool or a bracket.
Good quality Fire extinguishers should be a must for any garage.
I have a large parts washer that comes in handy from time to time.
One cool tool that is really handy is a push button ignite propane bottle which helps when you are heating small parts to prep for paint and comes in handy for many other things.
Heat guns come in handy from time to time.
I have a really trick ratchet that accepts a 3/8 extension for tight areas such as tight o2 sensors.
I have an exhaust pipe cutting chain plier that cuts large tubing with precision.
A remote bump starter button comes in handy when doing compression checks.
I got a set of ear muffs with a built in radio that makes noisy work pleasurable and I use them when I cut grass too.
I really want a blast cabinet, and a small powder coating oven.
I made a cool tool out of a piece of steel rod and a tab of steel stock that I use to apply foot brakes to check brake lights or to keep the brakes applied for safety reasons very similar to steering wheel centering rods the alignment shops use.
I bought a plastic welding kit which is cool for custom dash and interior work.
I have an air operated vacuum suction tool with a catch bag which is great for sucking debris out of air cleaner housings.
A cool tool I have used to push dents out of crappy cars that had their fenders pushed in is simply deflating a football or basketball and putting it on the inside of the body panel and inflating it till the dent pops out.
I roll out a heavy duty, oil resistant vinyl tarp and lay on that while I drain fluids and things.
My 1/2 drive swivel head breaker bar ratchet comes in handy for wheel bolts, and my 90 degree angle nosed Mikita cordless drill comes in handy for taking belly pan panels, spark plug covers and small bolts and body panels.
Portable oil evacuators are helpful as well as sealable drain pans.
A plethora of every spray can substance known to man is a great assett.
Portable air tank and air tools are handy.
In my garage a small wire feed welder has made life so much easier many times when I had to fab something up or needed to modify a tool or a bracket.
Good quality Fire extinguishers should be a must for any garage.
I have a large parts washer that comes in handy from time to time.
One cool tool that is really handy is a push button ignite propane bottle which helps when you are heating small parts to prep for paint and comes in handy for many other things.
Heat guns come in handy from time to time.
I have a really trick ratchet that accepts a 3/8 extension for tight areas such as tight o2 sensors.
I have an exhaust pipe cutting chain plier that cuts large tubing with precision.
A remote bump starter button comes in handy when doing compression checks.
I got a set of ear muffs with a built in radio that makes noisy work pleasurable and I use them when I cut grass too.
I really want a blast cabinet, and a small powder coating oven.
I made a cool tool out of a piece of steel rod and a tab of steel stock that I use to apply foot brakes to check brake lights or to keep the brakes applied for safety reasons very similar to steering wheel centering rods the alignment shops use.
I bought a plastic welding kit which is cool for custom dash and interior work.
I have an air operated vacuum suction tool with a catch bag which is great for sucking debris out of air cleaner housings.
A cool tool I have used to push dents out of crappy cars that had their fenders pushed in is simply deflating a football or basketball and putting it on the inside of the body panel and inflating it till the dent pops out.
74360duster
JEREMY
my 2 post 9000lbs lift and a refrigerator full of cold beer.
crows foot sockets, wratchet wrenches,90 deg. air drills and shorty bits
crows foot sockets, wratchet wrenches,90 deg. air drills and shorty bits
fishy68
Tyr Fryr's Inc.
Hanson left handed drill bit and extractor set. Most of the time the left hand drill bit bites into the screw/bolt and backs it out so I don't even need to use an extractor. Cost me about $30 for the set 10 yrs. ago and have saved countless hrs. of work.
I'll post a picture of the drip rail tool, but I have been working 2 hours from my home, the opposite way from my shop. I'll get there soon and send one along. I'll even get it in action as I have some drip rail to remove from my newest project 71 Dart.
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