Our Favourite Workshop Equipment Thread.

[warren t claim]

Over the years we all seem to acquire all sorts or workshop tools that becomes part of our car owning life and I thought I'd start a thread so we can list our favourites.

 

Mine was a set of jump leads I made out of Mini starter cables in about 1987, sadly lost due to a house move about five years ago .

[Pete-M]

Kettle.

[Albert Ross]

When I rented a farm shed near Marlborough many years ago, I bought a 4 poster wheel-free beam style Bradbury ramp, made circa 1955, and the instruction pack had a pic of a Sunbeam Talbot 90 on it...... I bought it for a couple of hundred quid from an auction in Andover, and drove it behind a shortie Land Rover on a flat bed trailer. It overhung by about 2 feet each side.... the towers were tied up together in the centre...... It was dusk, and in the wee lanes heading into Wiltshire, I chanced upon a rather smart white car, bedecked with multi-coloured fluorescent stripes and a blue roof light. the general word was (not quoting here) to "Fuck off back into Wiltshire" before he finishes his shift, and if he heard anyone else pulled me up, he would be round to give me a bloody good talking to. I saw him a month later when I was taking a Forward control for MOT (which it passed) and he was smiling... his MGA also passed. He became a service customer! I left the ramp when I moved house..... to Chester. I hope it's still there!

[George-Roper]

For Luxobarge

[rml2345]

^Was wondering who would post that

[dollywobbler]

My old Halfords ratchet. Was bloody excellent. Took loads of punishment, had a very light ratchet so it'd work even when the bolt was fairly loose (a real boon in a tricky-to-get-to spot) and the thumb switch was ace. After about 15 years, it finally broke. Very badly indeed. It's currently in pieces...

 

I'd love another. I bought a newer Halfords ratchet and it's utterly shit. Really heavy and needs bolts to be f*cking tight before it'll deign to operate its ratchet. I hate it.

[HillmanImp]

I have a hammer I use for bodywork. No other hammer quite does the trick. This one is the right size and weighted just right for shaping the 0.6 gauge metal.

 

Like most of my tools, I have no idea where it came from. I buy tools and they morph into a different set of random tools over time. I don't seem to have any less, just different ones.

 

I am keeping hold of that hammer though.

[HillmanImp]

My old Halfords ratchet. Was bloody excellent. Took loads of punishment, had a very light ratchet so it'd work even when the bolt was fairly loose (a real boon in a tricky-to-get-to spot) and the thumb switch was ace. After about 15 years, it finally broke. Very badly indeed. It's currently in pieces...

 

I'd love another. I bought a newer Halfords ratchet and it's utterly shit. Really heavy and needs bolts to be f*cking tight before it'll deign to operate its ratchet. I hate it.

 

Ratchets are built like shit these days. Mine always fall to bits after a few weeks. Think its the Clarke ones which the screws fall out off after each time you use them. My old Ratchets are still going mainly, the newer ones just fall by the wayside. It's a pain getting new ones now.

[Guest]

SCTSH_ANDY.

[Shep Shepherd]

Epoxy resin.

[Rusty Pelican]

1/4 drive socket set , first tool i bought and still the most useful for getting at inaccessible bolts manufacturers are always fitting

[Shep Shepherd]

1/4 drive socket set , first tool i bought and still the most useful for getting at inaccessible bolts manufacturers are always fitting

 

I have a similar socket set that I bought from Halfords in 1991 for my bicycle. It has come in handy countless times when working on cars since then

[Cavcraft]

The 10mm spanner was probably my most used tool of ever after a few years piddling round with Japanese motorbikes.

Most useful tool (sadly now dead after a very good innings) is a battery boost pack thing I purchased from MachineMart. Lost count how many times that saved my bacon, absolutely brilliant device.

[Conrad D. Conelrad]

I bought a 1 tonne hydraulic engine hoist a couple of years ago, intending to sell it after I was done with it. I still have it, because it's awesome.

[eddyramrod]

The smallest ratchet I'd seen until I came here was 3/8 drive. However in the Euro Shop (where most things cost 2 euros...) I spotted one with a 1/4" drive, and obviously snapped it up. It's a lovely thing to use, and very handy in small spaces. The make is AmTech, which I'd never heard of, but Euro Shop carries a vast range of their stuff, and it's full of good ideas. And any item, 2 euros...

[The Moog]

Was my first halfords socket set. Cost £19 and lasted about 8 years of battering and abuse before finally going to the great tool chest in the sky ...

[warren t claim]

I note with interest that there's not been any Snap On fans contributing to this thread so far.

[simmo]

I love my 10 ton Porta-Power, not as neat as the regenerations in Stephen King's Christine but always a joy to use.

 

Used to buy Snap-On, Mac and Proto but it does go walkies, Most of mine now are Facom and Britool.

[Des]

The 1/4 ratchet I bought about 20 years ago is the only one I've ever seen with a slim head, bloody things are nearly as big headed as a 3/8 drive now. The most reliable thing I have is a mig, at least 20 years old and was only a cheap one, has had a hard life, shows it, and just won't die.

A lot of stuff has become very affordable, where it would cost about 20 for one decent screwdriver, you'll now get 2 or 3 sets, and just as good. I used to buy snap off stuff but then it went all silly overpriced and just brand marketing really, Britool FTW.

[simmo]

Years ago I worked with an old boy who had been a in REME and picked up some matt black (industrial grade) Snap-On tools off of some Yank fitters, when they got new kit. In banter he moaned that Snap-On was cack to one of the other techs and that his 40 year old extra long 7/16th combi spanner (special tool for something on a SPG/Tank Destroyer radial engine) had opened up on the open end. Next time the the Snap On agent was on site he took old Bob out and demanded a replacement, six week later he got a luvvly new chromed replacement as it was no longer avaliable in black, and as it was it had to come from the states. No quibbling at all from the Snap-On rep.

[ashmicro]

I only have a few Snap On things, one of which is a brilliant oil filter wrench which looks like a piston ring compressor with a handle. It comes with a rubber insert for grip, and you can use it to put filters ON. Got some BluePoint stuff inc a met/AF quarter inch drive set. My uncle gave me a Taskmaster 3/8" set which was his when he worked for the British Telecom rally team. Absolutely ace quality in a PROPA tin box, complete with wobble extensions which go full lock when you push down. The deep sockets are class too.

 

I recently got a Draper stubby socket extension that has an LED in it which shines through the socket so you can see in dark places.

 

 

A gift from East Antrim Motor Factors

 

Katie recently gave me one like this as an anniversary present (she's a complete petrolhead)

 

 

Most of my kit is in the "good quality for a hobbyist/DIY" class. It wouldn't last a month of everyday use I'd wager. It's nice to have a good selection of tools even if some are old and a bit knackered looking.

 

My father has my great-grandfather's spirit level, square, folding ruler and rivet hammer, all of which my great-grandfather made at Harland and Wolff, and subsequently used in the building of the Titanic.* All are still usable and accurate tools, over 100 years later.

 

 

*take note: The Titanic was OK when it left us in Belfast - some twunt crashed it.

[ashmicro]

Years ago I worked with an old boy who had been a in REME .

 

Ruin Everything, Mainly Engines!

 

 

(You should hear what the REME called my lot!)

[simmo]

Worked with another ex REME fitter later on who was an absolute engineering genius and top bloke, his team used to develop the swim/wade kits for various armour and then made able to be fitted in the field.

[simmo]

Duplicate deleted

[HBR]

My MIG welder has to be top of the list, 300A Migatronic, fantastic piece of kit. It was way overkill when I bought it but I'd ben spoilt with a good quality MIG at work & found the Clarke/SIP etc just wasn't anything like as nice to use. I make & repair stuff on the farm so needed something bigger than would do most folk on here!

I've a Tecalmit 2 post lift which I also like, bought second hand from a used car dealer that was relocating & fitting his new place out with new gear. Hadn't seen as much use as it would have in a garage & it's hydraulic/cable so no nuts & threads to wear out, already on single phase for £500. Had 2 cars on just this evening!

 

I do have a Snap-On tool chest, but no Snap-On tools in it, mainly Britool, Teng, CK, Facom.

[jakebullet]

A gordon ring spanner that came free in the boot of my first fiesta. Oddly it's 10mm one end, 13mm the other. So the most useful sizes in one spanner.

 

I've also got big love for my 1940's colchester lathe. It's slow, worn out and all the bloody bolts are whitworth, but it's infinitely more satisfying to make things with than my soulless modern chinky CNC lathe.

[Andrew353w]

Confession time.... Many years ago, in the late 1980's/early 1990's I drove HGVs for an agency & we picked up a lovely job delivering brand new Mercedes artic tractor units from the docks to a dealer outside St. Albans. At the time these truckes came with an encyclopedic tool box, one of which arrived at the dealer sans its tools... They never noticed and after 20+ years I don't expect they'll worry too much, BUT I STILL have most of those tools!

 

Mercedes Benz tools=QUALITY!!!

[Rusty Pelican]

Ive also got two of these Swindens swivel vices , one 6 inch from a junk shop and one 4 inch from a car boot ,

They cost a bankbusting price new , just check their website or ebay for a shock but both mine were well under £20 each

Keep an eye out for them.

 

[Angrydicky]

Rubber-handled molegrips from Maplin, never seen any others but they are seriously useful, much nicer to use than normal molegrips. The bullnose ones are especially handy!

[John F]

BOC spanner... for when nothing else will do the trick