Jims1988C4

So far anything IV been doing with a friend of mine have been with his tools, I really want my own, can anyone list a good set of tools and what is needed for my next few projects which are both front headlight motor rebuilds,fuel pump,fuel pressure regulator,EGR valve,EGR switch, oxygen sensor, My winter projects will be changing brakes and rotors and installing SS brake lines. Not everything needs replacing yet,but I want to be prepaired,Thanks in advance !

96polovette

I started with a good torque wrench and a multipurpose auto tool set you can buy at VIP or Advance Auto. You will use these for 90% of what you do. I buy the more specialized tools as I'm doing something specific that requires it, if its something I wish to tackle myself.

96polovette

You'll need a fuel pressure guage for your fuel work. There is a special socket you can purchase to make removal of your O2 sensors a lot easier. And don't forget to purchase the helm factory service book for your year.

94z07fx3

Ratcheting combination wrenches have been a big time saver for me. I have a nice compressor and air tools but I rarely use them and when I do it's only for removals not installs.

A set of Rhino ramps are nice.
An oil filter tool that grabs the bottom of the filter.
Deepwell sockets.
Various socket extensions.
Serpintine belt tool.
Good screw drivers.
A rubber hammer.
3' pipe or the handle of a floor jack.
Low profile floor jack.
A grease gun.
An over sized C-clamp.
Both digital and analog multi meters.
Mechanic's stethoscope.

eschoendorff

Start with this:



and this:



and this:



And eventually you will need these:



And when you get out from under the hood, this can come in handy:



And for screwdrivers, get these... you will not regret it!!!!!

jrzvette

And beer! Don't forget beer.

BTW, nice set.

cv67

Patience.

A 1/4 inch drive set,metric

Torx socket set for sure. I bought the 1/4" drive ones

3/8 to 1/4" drive adapter.

A telescoping magnet (I have two, one to retrive nuts and the other to terteive the other telescoping magnet when I drop it into the abyss. $2.00 at harbor freight

A flexible 1/4 drive extension. Craftsman sells it, awesome for getting to hard to reach places, dist. nuts, runner bolts, etc.

More patience.

Oh, and beer too for later. Drinking and working on cars never wound up well with me.

A multimeter and a paperclip.

All the specialty stuff you can get as you need if you need it. I have very few tools, in fact my collection is a joke and I get by just fine. Look for sales on Craftman kits, they are cheap.

C4boy

I've got one of those magnetizers so I can magnetize screwdrivers etc, to pick up the crap I drop.

Jims, you can't go wrong starting out with a Craftsman metric set. Spend what you want or can afford and start from there. It's always cheaper to buy a decent set than getting one too small and buying everything else 1 at a time.

vinnies87

4 rolling 4 level toolchests and still growing....
but get yourself a beginners auto tool set - chraftman and go from there...

LouisvilleLT4

Good set, don't be without a few other things too: A multimeter, and a soldering iron with some solder... Also about a thousand durable wire ties (I've used these for everything!!!), and a lot of plastic spark wire separators, which you will need to carefully place at key points every time you move around and unplug your wires. A tube of anti-seize and a tube of superglue, too. A big box of velcro, which can be cut into small pieces to hold certain things down and keep things from rattling.

Buy stuff as you need it, mostly.

runner140*

Jim, do you have any additional avatar pictures?

vetteblack

Buying tools is something you never stop doing. When I did my halfshaft bearings, it reqired buying a rachet wrench, other wise I would turn the wrench a 1/2" at a time. Your best bet is to get a tool box bigger than what you need, so you have pleanty of room for specialty/additional tools.

Leftoverture

And don't forget you can now buy Craftsman tools at K-Mart. . .a bit cheaper there for the basics. . .

rich653

As everybody says, start with a basic set of tools, Sears is great for having sales on these starter sets, then add as you go, I find for the specialty tools you can get cheap versions from Harbor freight (online) I'm lucky to have one a mile from my house, there not the best tools but they work and if your only using them once or twice why pay the big bucks for premium tools. just my thoughts...good luck.

Muffin

Let me throw some gas on the fire. Craftsman seems to be the tools of choice for most but before you spend the bucks for the Craftsman name look at the hand tools sold by Harbor Freight. For the DIY type guys their line is all you will ever need. The stuff they sell directly out of China is crap but hand tools are more than worth their cost.

Tommy T-Bone

One of these



One of these



And a set of these.

Hogan

Even if you don't know what the tool does, it still looks cool hang'en on the peg board.

dclafleur

They have a lot of what you need for cheap. Especially for the generic tools, I've got a handful of vice grips and pliers from there that work as well as any other vice grips or pliers. I also keep a small socket set and some other tools from there in my toolbox in my car. Not as big of a loss if it gets stolen and perfect for quick roadside repairs. I agree that picking up a mechanics set from Sears will get you a good start but if you're looking for items that you don't use a lot but you need for a specific project there isn't anything wrong with harbor freight.

rocco16

Good start.
Might I add

make those deep sockets both metric and SAE in 3/8" and 1/2" drive
standard sockets, both metric and SAE 3.8" and 1/2" drive
ratchets, both 3/8" and 1/2" drive
six-inch extensions, 3/8 and 1/2"
combo wrenches, metric and SAE
Allen wrenches, metric and SAE
set of Torx drivers
three torque wrenches to cover 10inch/lbs to 250ft/lbs
pliers
Vise-Grips
Flashlight

You can add all the specialty tools as you need them.

I love tools.


Larry
code5coupe

__________
not easily impressed....

CentralCoaster

Get one of those huge craftsman tool kits that comes with a little more than you think you'll ever need, for about $300+. The cost this way will be much less than if you buy everything seperately. And it will pay for itself after about 6 hours of working with em.

I wish I had done this. You end up paying double buying it in small sets.

Craftsman hand tools are by no means the best, but they're the best at that price IMO, and the ease of warranty/replacement can't be beat.