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Best Tools For The Job

Messiah

By Messiah,
in General Maintenance

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Messiah Mentor

Messiah

Posted
Posted

Hi all,

Nice easy one here. I'm looking at building up the tool box so i can get cracking on an engine build (first one ever).

A few things i already have, some i have on the shopping list others i have no idea.

Looking for peoples recommendations for various tools and manufacturers.

Some specific things i'm interested in are

Engine stands - who by, from where how heavy and how much?

Torque wrenches - same deal

And further to this, what other tools have you found indespensible? and where do you go to shop for them in general?

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https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/314584-best-tools-for-the-job/
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aerofocker Enthusiast

aerofocker

Posted
Posted

knippex for all the pliars and snips ect, some 3/8 universal joint sockets,snap on for the torque wrenches if you can if not britool next down the line! snap on for screwdrivers,nice 3/8 speedbrace,1/4 air ratchet die grinder(cheap as you like) snap on for sockets and 1/4 ratchets again if you can 1/2 '' breaker bar not too cheap but no need for strap on,and a good battery drill and a set of metric taps!

mad082 Grand Master

mad082

Posted
Posted

i have a stanley socket set. cost me a bit over $100 i think. has a breaker bar in it. it's been good to me so far (had it a few years and given it some punishment) and i have a stanley ratchet at work (had it about 8 years now) and it cops an absolute flogging at times and it's never given any sign of letting go, even with a bit of pipe on the end for more leverage.

as for spanners, repco spanners are good for the money. kingchrome, sidchrome or snap-on gear is also good gear.

Messiah Mentor

Messiah

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Nice :( I have some stanley kit at home already and its served well.

Anyone care to comment on engine stands??

How heavy is an rb30 with your average bells and whistles attached.

a 500kg one should be enough shouldnt it?

Duncan Grand Master

Duncan

Posted
Posted

medalist tools of course!

no point buying trade quality general tools unless you are on the tools all day. the prices of basic stuff from the top brands are crazy.

but do spend money on the torque wrench....warren and brown for me, much better than the light spring style wrenches that most brands use.

I mentioned elsewhere....go heavy duty stand not light, these motors are long, and heavy, and move around a terrifying amount even on a good stand.

other than that not a lot of specialist tools required for a one off build. piston ring compressor to get them into the block. ring expander to get them onto the piston. and lots of scotch brite pads and pipe cleaners and rags to clean everything

astrotristan Grand Master

astrotristan

Posted
Posted

i quite enjoy my sidchrome socket set :worship:

i just got some "force" spanners (sell them at trade tools - idk if they are interstate or just in qld)

ANYWAY all force stuff is pretty cheap (spanners were $6ish each) - and has the same warranty as snap-on, so i say good deal

XRATED Veteran

XRATED

Posted
Posted

Strap On... For life. (especially while I'm in the US... they're so cheap here!!!)

Especially power and air tools... Snap on drills and sawzall with the 18V 3.5Ah lithium batteries are the shizz!!!

But seriously, working on import engines. Lots and lots and lots of universal bits, extensions, rachet spanners, a good mirror and 2 elbow's. oh and telesopic magnets with led's.

If you have a welder, buy a cheap engine stand from supercheap, then extend the leags and renforce that sucker.

XRATED Veteran

XRATED

Posted
Posted

Strap On... For life. (especially while I'm in the US... they're so cheap here!!!)

Especially power and air tools... Snap on drills and sawzall with the 18V 3.5Ah lithium batteries are the shizz!!!

But seriously, working on import engines. Lots and lots and lots of universal bits, extensions, rachet spanners, a good mirror and 2 elbow's. oh and telesopic magnets with led's.

If you have a welder, buy a cheap engine stand from supercheap, then extend the leags and renforce that sucker.

chuckie Mentor

chuckie

Posted
Posted

Great to see a FEW with Taste, SNAP ON all the way,world`s Best by far will make it if they see it`s a good thing,few lad`s in UK sent them Request & out they come,my only worry is PEOPLE ASK TO USE then NEVER RETURN :D

The Bogan Grand Master

The Bogan

Posted
Posted

I LOL at the price of Snap On, the handy man doesnt need to spend up to big, for the price of a Snap On 1/4 drive socket set, I could get a couple of 1/4 and 3/8 drive from Repco

http://catalogues.repco.com.au/portal/offe...rce=productlist

260tech Proficient

260tech

Posted
Posted
Strap On... For life. (especially while I'm in the US... they're so cheap here!!!)

Especially power and air tools... Snap on drills and sawzall with the 18V 3.5Ah lithium batteries are the shizz!!!

But seriously, working on import engines. Lots and lots and lots of universal bits, extensions, rachet spanners, a good mirror and 2 elbow's. oh and telesopic magnets with led's.

If you have a welder, buy a cheap engine stand from supercheap, then extend the leags and renforce that sucker.

Strapon Schnapon........never heard of the brand. Snapon yes but super pricey. Snapon have some special tools (stud extractors, hss burrs for example) which are not available in the quality/durability from cheaper brands but I only ever go shopping there if I have a problem that cannot be solved by other suppliers.

I use Sidchrome, Minimax, Kinchrome, KCTools. Bottom line is if you skimp on quality in the tool dept., you could well damage bits (including knuckles) which you wish to re-use. Not to mention the time expended rectifying damage caused by inferior tools.

Some of my best/handiest gadgets are those ratchet ring & open-ender spanners (Kinchrome/KCtools) short & long versions. Maybe $130/set but sometimes they are on special. If you are using airtools for nuts/bolts I would be using the six sided sockets, saves destroying nuts/bolts/bits you want to re-use. A set of pipe spanners for remove/fit tube nuts has been very helpful to me. Saves a lot of damage & gnashing of teeth.

And.....I would not even entertain the thought of modifying cheap lifting equipment. Buy the right gear for the job, correctly rated & Aust approved. Much safer for you & visitors.

My 2c.

Cheers, GW

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