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Machine Mart stuff is generally ok - the Clarke kit is alright, and seems to last decently, but the trick is to buy it on discount. Make sure you give them your contact details when you buy something, and every now and then you'll get a voucher for a ticket-admission sale day, with stuff either VAT free (Clarke brand) or 10% off (everything else). I'm a big fan of Halfords tools as well - again, but on offer (it's currently on their sale for many of the kits, so have a look). £100 on one of their half-price bigger sets is a good investment as a starter for your "proper" toolkit. I agree with Kozmo on the jack and axle stands, definitely the prime big items you need. There are a couple of specific things I'd say are worth having if you don't already: - A breaker bar. They're not expensive, and a good addition to a socket set (almost none of them come with one). - Stanley locking adjustable. The best parts of an adjustable spanner and a molegrip, doesn't come out that often when you have a reasonable selection of spanners, but unlike either of its parent tools, it won't gently caress up fastener heads.  - Hose clamping-off pliers. If you're working on brakes or fuel lines, these are great for stopping comedy "I tickled it and it spat in my eye" moments. Expecially as most of this stuff actually stings like gently caress.  - Kozmonaut suggested a rubber mallet, another alternative if a mallet with one nylon face and one copper face, which lets you twat things in a non-damaging manner. Get one with replaceable faces and you can have whatever you want on there. - A digital caliper. It's handy to be able to measure more accurately than a tape or rule - a 6" one isn't expensive, you largely don't need a micrometer a lot of the time, and I'm too drat lazy to peer at vernier markings when I can have a nice lcd display instead. - Cheap tap and die set for cleaning out threads. A liability if you're intending to cut fresh threads in anything except cheese, but perfectly ok to just run through cruddy mounting points etc and get the poo poo out. - Decent metal-bodied Stanley knife. They're like, what, a fiver for a pukka-gen Stanley 99E? Cheap ones always fall apart on me, and those plastic snap-blade things are loving horrible. - Jumbo tub of cable ties. Where the gently caress do they all go? Honestly, I don't know. Just that I keep needing them. - Duplicates of the poo poo that you keep stealing from the kitchen drawer - scissors, bin bags, kitchen towel, that sort of stuff. - Box of latex gloves. Just easier than having to really scrub your hands clean all the time, especially for "just need five minutes to do X" jobs. - Good hand cleaner - because you still get dirty anyway. Forget soap, Lidl's W5 brand hand cleaner is only a couple of quid and totally boss. - Something to kneel/lie on. Those foam kneeler pads for gardeners are quite useful, or the traditional carpet sample square.
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Jan 4, 2012 21:17
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InitialDave posted:- Decent metal-bodied Stanley knife. They're like, what, a fiver for a pukka-gen Stanley 99E? Cheap ones always fall apart on me, and those plastic snap-blade things are loving horrible Echoing this. Just quit being cheap on these and spend the cash on the knife. Oh and load up on those free HF flashlights. They get lost easily, but they are free and surprisingly, bright as gently caress for the cost of the flash light.
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Jan 4, 2012 21:31
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Oh and load up on those free HF flashlights. They get lost easily, but they are free and surprisingly, bright as gently caress for the cost of the flash light. YES. I keep one in my glovebox and another here at work. Perfect for finding fatigue stress fractures in steel tubing (much to the dismay of my coworkers).
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Jan 4, 2012 21:49
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Cheers for the advice. I do have a decent Stanley knife, and also plenty of cable ties. I will admit to being a bit of a whore for cable ties, often choosing to use them even when not entirely necessary, simply because they make things look much more hardcore. Guilty pleasure I guess. And yes, I have a nice 72 LED magnetic light on the way, and also picked up a nifty little gadget today - one of these, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rolson-Bright-Telescopic-Magnetic-Cushion/dp/B002UO8QBO , £3.99 at Halfords, has a suprisingly strong magnet and I can see it coming in rather useful. I am properly excited for the better weather now, can't wait to get her taxed and out on the road again.
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Jan 4, 2012 22:32
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InitialDave posted:Stanley locking adjustable. I've been looking on and off for something like 2 years and still haven't found these for sale in Canada.
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Jan 4, 2012 23:52
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Suniikaa posted:I've been looking on and off for something like 2 years and still haven't found these for sale in Canada. This looks like a wholesaler, though they say they do single item orders. http://www.amazon.ca/Stanley-85-610-10-Inch-Adjustable-Hardware/dp/B00009OYGZ Probably overpriced, but there. As a guide, they cost a little over £20 in the UK.
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Jan 5, 2012 00:09
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InitialDave posted:- Box of latex gloves. Just easier than having to really scrub your hands clean all the time, especially for "just need five minutes to do X" jobs. Definitely - but it's Swarfega all the way for me :]
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Jan 5, 2012 00:18
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meltie posted:Definitely - but it's Swarfega all the way for me :]
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Jan 5, 2012 00:24
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InitialDave posted:No, seriously, this W5 stuff is better. Really. I haven't touched my Swarfega since I got it. Really? Right, i'll remember that.
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Jan 5, 2012 00:24
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Spend the $100 or so to get the factory service manual for the cars you most work on too. They are incredibly handy to have, even if just for the peace of mind that you're doing something the right way.
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Jan 5, 2012 04:33
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InitialDave posted:- Stanley locking adjustable. The best parts of an adjustable spanner and a molegrip, doesn't come out that often when you have a reasonable selection of spanners, but unlike either of its parent tools, it won't gently caress up fastener heads. drat I need one of these. I abuse the hell out of my adjustable wrench and am always wishing someone made a better one. Looks like Stanley does.
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Jan 5, 2012 04:34
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grover posted:If this is your only power saw, the most important is a tilting base, and every circular saw on the market has one. Honestly, the $31 craftsman looks just fine for what you need. Thanks for the advice, I went to Sears looking to buy the cheaper one, but due to online pricing vs store pricing and some kind of sale going on, I got the more powerful circular saw with laser guide for less than the saw that was cheaper online. I'm not sure how that worked out, but no complaints here. The next step will be not cutting my fingers off with it.
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Jan 5, 2012 06:00
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I received $150 in HF gift cards for Christmas. I went there today and left empty handed. 
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Jan 5, 2012 08:05
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Couldn't find something that would fit in your purse?
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Jan 5, 2012 12:40
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Rhyno posted:I received $150 in HF gift cards for Christmas. I went there today and left empty handed. You already purchased everything in the store beforehand, right? Otherwise I'm certain this isn't possible.
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Jan 5, 2012 14:33
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InitialDave posted:- Stanley locking adjustable. The best parts of an adjustable spanner and a molegrip, doesn't come out that often when you have a reasonable selection of spanners, but unlike either of its parent tools, it won't gently caress up fastener heads. Question: can I beat the gently caress out of this with a sledgehammer while it's on a bolt? That's one of the primary jobs for my Vice-Grip tools (especially for alignments). Either way, looks good and I want one.
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Jan 5, 2012 14:54
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CornHolio posted:You already purchased everything in the store beforehand, right? Otherwise I'm certain this isn't possible. I couldn't find anything I needed. I haven't put a wrench to a car since I bought my Mazda last spring. The perils of owning a reliable and somewhat new car I guess.
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Jan 5, 2012 16:09
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Rhyno posted:I couldn't find anything I needed. I haven't put a wrench to a car since I bought my Mazda last spring. The perils of owning a reliable and somewhat new car I guess. Don't think of it as looking for stuff you need, think of it as looking for new toys!
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Jan 5, 2012 16:43
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Rhyno posted:I couldn't find anything I needed. I haven't put a wrench to a car since I bought my Mazda last spring. The perils of owning a reliable and somewhat new car I guess. Clearly this means you need to either upgrade the 6 or find something awesome to wrench on 
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Jan 5, 2012 19:33
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Nodoze posted:Clearly this means you need to either upgrade the 6 or find something awesome to wrench on I want to sell the Lightning and get either another XJ or a Miata but it's the wrong time of year to be selling a supercharged truck.
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Jan 5, 2012 20:45
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Ever since I purchased my G35 my tools sit. My F350 is perfect now, and American trucks really need very little attention. Maybe I need to purchase that E32 735i, give me something to do...
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Jan 5, 2012 21:26
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Rhyno posted:I want to sell the Lightning and get either another XJ or a Miata but it's the wrong time of year to be selling a supercharged truck.
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Jan 5, 2012 22:23
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Lowclock posted:Is it a convertible? Is gas going to get cheaper? RWD with so much torque driving on slick roads is not viable.
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Jan 5, 2012 23:54
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Rhyno posted:RWD with so much torque driving on slick roads is not viable.
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Jan 5, 2012 23:58
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InitialDave posted:While your reasoning is logical, if you are restricting the purchase of a large truck to people who make logical decisions about vehicle purchase, you may be disappointed by the size of your target market. Especially if you are selling a supercharged truck.
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Jan 6, 2012 01:06
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InitialDave posted:While your reasoning is logical, if you are restricting the purchase of a large truck to people who make logical decisions about vehicle purchase, you may be disappointed by the size of your target market. I'm not restricting anything other than the price. Three people have looked at the truck, said something along the lines of "it's no good for winter" and then low balled me.
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Jan 6, 2012 01:14
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Rhyno posted:I'm not restricting anything other than the price. Three people have looked at the truck, said something along the lines of "it's no good for winter" and then low balled me. Maybe you should buy the Miata, then put the Lightning's drivetrain in it. That'll give you a nice little winter project, and then you don't have to worry about having too much torque in the truck!
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Jan 6, 2012 04:27
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DEUCE SLUICE posted:An impact driver like that would still sink big screws into things easier than a normal drill driver, but you lose the adjustability in speed and the ability to drill holes in things. I think unless you're a professional framer or something a drill driver is more useful. If you need the extra juice get a hammer drill driver.
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Jan 6, 2012 04:44
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Got a 90amp welder from Harbor Freight for Christmas, finally got the nerve to try it. First time I've ever used a welder. Did some research, got some good miller wire, a box fan, respirator and an autodark mask. I'm pretty content with it all things considering I have no clue what I'm doing. My first go at this on 1/8th mild steel; smushed dimes. http://imgur.com/5Xakw I'm using the pulling Zig-Zag Technique, also welding kicks rear end.
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Jan 6, 2012 06:34
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Kotaru posted:Got a 90amp welder from Harbor Freight for Christmas, finally got the nerve to try it. First time I've ever used a welder. Did some research, got some good miller wire, a box fan, respirator and an autodark mask. I'm pretty content with it all things considering I have no clue what I'm doing. Its not terrible for what it is. Yes a Miller or Hobart is by far better, but for messing around, its not terrible. But again, if your a terrible welder, no matter what kind of machine you have, it will still be lovely welding.
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Jan 6, 2012 19:42
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Kotaru posted:Got a 90amp welder from Harbor Freight for Christmas, finally got the nerve to try it. First time I've ever used a welder. Did some research, got some good miller wire, a box fan, respirator and an autodark mask. I'm pretty content with it all things considering I have no clue what I'm doing. NOT BAD! I'm sure you'll get good quickly, you're off to a good start. I see no explosions, no massive holes, and you didn't go to the hospital! That HF unit is worth exactly what you paid for it. If you're just trying to stick 2 pieces of steel together, you couldn't ask for anything more appropriate for less money.
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Jan 6, 2012 20:59
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Raluek posted:Maybe you should buy the Miata, then put the Lightning's drivetrain in it. That'll give you a nice little winter project, and then you don't have to worry about having too much torque in the truck! I think you have confused me with Holdbrooks or Ultimateforce.
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Jan 6, 2012 21:16
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Rhyno posted:I think you have confused me with Holdbrooks or Ultimateforce. We should all aspire to be on their level. So get to it!
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Jan 6, 2012 21:25
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IOwnCalculus posted:We should all aspire to be on their level. So get to it! I don't have a garage anymore!
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Jan 6, 2012 21:30
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IOwnCalculus posted:We should all aspire to be on their level. So get to it! One day, one day.... Unfortunately, it seems I went for the Toaster Pastry approach of surrounding yourself with your favourite cars. I hope I don't end with an Echo at the end of this crazy path.
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Jan 6, 2012 21:48
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I cut about 3/4" off the end of an 8mm allen wrench today so I could use it in an 8mm socket with my torque wrench. Was a simple thing, but very effective.
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Jan 7, 2012 04:45
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grover posted:I cut about 3/4" off the end of an 8mm allen wrench today so I could use it in an 8mm socket with my torque wrench. Was a simple thing, but very effective. I have a set of allen sockets I got at HF for like $10. I wish I'd thought of your solution as I literally have 10 sets of allen keys.
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Jan 7, 2012 04:56
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I have this set of precision screw drivers and I hate it. I can never get a good grip and use enough torque (why are all the tiny screw I encounter stuck?). I find the handles both too small to hold comfortable and too slick to grip. Does anyone (HF, Sears, or Lowes? I'll be near those tomorrow.) make a decent set with bigger handles?
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Jan 7, 2012 05:17
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Uthor posted:I have this set of precision screw drivers and I hate it.
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Jan 7, 2012 05:30
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Uthor posted:I have this set of precision screw drivers and I hate it. I've got that same set, branded Stanley. Those knurled handles? They fit great in the jaws of a pair of pliers. If that's too much work, Sears has some decent open stock precision screwdrivers with big handles and cushy rubber parts. My only real beef is that they aren't magnetic (and don't magnetize particularly well). Edit: These babies. $3 a pop individually, cheaper if you buy a set.
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Jan 7, 2012 05:32
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