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Yeah, HF rules for those weird one-off use things like inverted torx sockets.
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Nov 18, 2012 03:46
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I went against the thread and bought a Harbor Freight small table top drill press, and so far in the assembly I sheared one bolt off that held the mast to the base plate and cracked the base plate securing it to the table top. The base is cheap cast iron, so while I'm gonna get that part replaced under warranty, I'm looking at a better base idea. Thinking 3/4" steel plate. My #1 reason for choosing Harbor Freight for the drill is purely cost. I am not certain how much I will actually use it and all I had to work with is a Visa gift card I got from work, so I went cheap. If I end up using it a lot and it breaks, I'll replace it with something better. If I don't end up killing it, hey I have a drill press. I've done that in the past (with Home Depot cheap Ryobi tools) and it's worked for me. I end up spending more money in the long run, but the cheap tools usually last me long enough to make them worth it. My recent purchase of 2 Harbor Freight ratchet sets is the exception. poo poo broke on the first use.
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Nov 19, 2012 03:17
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Yep... that's the whole "no quality control" thing again. A friend of mine insists he's been wailing on his 1/2" HF ratchet for years and hasn't broken it yet. Me, I break Husky ratchets literally on the third use or sooner, I'm not even giving HF the benefit of the doubt. I might get an HF floor standing drill press because they seem reasonably built, but the table models? No. NO. On that note, I have a Ryobi table drill press that literally lived outside for an entire year (either on the front porch marginally under a roof or on the back porch not under a roof at all) and it still works great. I've been abusing that poor thing for years now and it'll put a 5/8" twist drill through 1/2" hot rolled steel plate just fine if I'm careful with the feed rate. It has also put a 1" holesaw through 1" hot roll plate quite a few times and a 2" holesaw through 1/4" hot roll plate many many times... both at something like 550rpm, because that's as slow as it goes. It doesn't so much drill as chatter its way through one agonizing chip at a time, I'm really surprised it hasn't killed either itself or a holesaw yet. I can't imagine how many times I've stalled it with a jammed holesaw, probably a few hundred times at least with no apparent damage to the motor. kastein fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Nov 19, 2012 |
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Nov 19, 2012 06:17
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I've broken more Craftsman sockets than HF ones. And my HF ratchet is practically indestructible. But I've broken numerous sets of pliers and trashed a couple phillips heads on the first use.
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Nov 19, 2012 06:33
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Odd. I've broken exactly two Craftsman ratchets, both 1/2" ones. One because I was pissed off and used it as a hammer, broke off the forward/reverse tab. It still worked, just only in one direction. The other ACEofsnett actually broke while we were about halfway through dismantling a Dakota at the junkyard. I don't recall what broke it, but it jammed up... used it as a hammer a few times and it ratchets both ways properly again. Problem solved 
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Nov 19, 2012 07:44
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Just a FYI all harbor frieght machine tools (drill presses, bandsaws, lathes) all use the same castings as Jet, grizzly, and other like northern. You pay for quality control and slightly better accessories. Oh and I have yet to break my HF prybars, impact sockets, swivel impacts, or long needle nose pliers even with daily use for 2yrs.
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Nov 19, 2012 07:50
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The HF breaker bar did withstand things I never expected it to - around 700-800 or more foot pounds in fact. It didn't even successfully remove the nut, we ended up having to borrow an air impact capable of over 1000 foot pounds to break it loose. Any breaker bar that can handle a 3 foot pipe on the handle and a grown man pulling upward as hard as he possibly can is... a drat good breaker bar.
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Nov 19, 2012 08:50
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I have been impressed with HF breaker bars... and my pry bars have held up really loving well... And I love my ball peen hammer set from HF. But I keep killing the rubber mallet. Go figure!
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Nov 20, 2012 05:03
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So this 12v portable (but not cordless) 1/2 inch impact wrench is only 40 bucks today: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00544EZQ2/?tag=dealnewscom&m=ATVPDKIKX0DER Anyone ever use a tool like this? It sounds decently powerful from the specs with up to 280lb/ft of torque. Could definitely speed up taking off and putting on (with torque limiting sticks) wheels. Not having to have a 120v outlet or compressor around is nice. Seems handy to have if going offroad too. mod sassinator fucked around with this message at 09:02 on Nov 23, 2012 |
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Nov 23, 2012 08:55
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Say what you will about HF sockets and craftsman ratchets but: H/F impact socket set + craftsman 1/2 ratchet + 6 feet of tube= Subframe removal tool. I literally stood at the very send of this and walked backward pushing with my feet to drop the mark viii subframe. An impact wasn't coming close. 
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Nov 23, 2012 14:24
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Aside from air tools and compressors, what 10 or so tools could accomplish 50% or more of regular automotive maintenance work? I understand that each manufacturer uses different size sockets and hex bolts and torx bolts, etc. So what could I buy and get away with doing a lot of jobs for a little money?
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Nov 23, 2012 21:13
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If you have a car made after the 1980s? All metric wrenches and sockets deep and regular. Ratcheting wrenches. Good ratchets. A security bit set that costs like $10. A cheap digital multimeter. A battery charger. There youre done. For my friend to get working on his 1966 mustang (mostly SAE) as cheap as possible I sent him this list: Battery charger, $5 this weekend. http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html?hftref=cj Small Sockets, $4.50, http://www.harborfreight.com/hand-tools/hand-tool-sets/40-piece-3-8-eighth-inch-and-1-4-quarter-inch-drive-socket-set-47902.html Wrenches, $6 this weekend http://www.harborfreight.com/9-piece-sae-highly-polished-combo-wrench-set-42304.html Deep sockets: http://www.harborfreight.com/10-piece-3-8-eighth-inch-sae-deep-wall-color-coded-socket-set-93264.html Multimeter, very important, $5 http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-multimeter-98025.html Better ratchet, $9 http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog/product/view/id/1835/category/731/ $42 but youd need metric instead of SAE stuff.
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Nov 23, 2012 21:26
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Add a cheap 2-ton floor jack and some jack stands to that and you can change your own wheels too, if you need to change between summer and winter tires for instance. Don't get folding jack stands. A clicker-type torque wrench that fits your sockets and can do up to 150 or 200 nm (110 or 150 lb-ft roughly) is a good idea as well to make sure you torque your wheels right.
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Nov 23, 2012 21:32
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Lord Gaga posted:Better ratchet, $9 http://www.harborfreight.com/catalog/product/view/id/1835/category/731/ This is my favorite ratchet. The only drawback is its slightly bulky... But I love the ratchet action on it. And it will take some serious abuse, I am thinking about buying the 1/2 as well. I am curious as to how much pressure it can take before it breaks.
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Nov 23, 2012 21:55
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I like the extendable ratchet too: http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth-inch-x-1-4-quarter-inch-dual-drive-extendable-ratchet-98802.html
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Nov 23, 2012 22:09
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Lord Gaga posted:Battery charger, $5 this weekend. http://www.harborfreight.com/automatic-battery-float-charger-42292.html?hftref=cj Cheap ratchet set with SAE & metric is probably the #1 tool. I'd add an adjustable wrench, channel-lock pliers and needle nose pliers to the list. I'd go so far as to say get an adjustable wrench and not bother with a wrench set if you're on the cheap. Hell, you can probably do a good 80% of car repair work with just a $5 socket set, a $5 bit set, and a dollar tree adjustable wrench. Having the right tool for the job makes it a whole lot easier, but the basic tools are just so incredible versatile. A jack is also indispensable, but most cars already come with one. Yeah, it's inconvenient, but it'll lift a wheel off the ground. So, if you're on the cheap, just use the one from the spare tire kit. (Safety warning: do not EVER EVER get under a car that's only supported with a jack!) Ramps are a better for a budding shadetree mechanic IMHO, and rather important for DIY oil changes. grover fucked around with this message at 22:41 on Nov 23, 2012 |
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Nov 23, 2012 22:30
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An adjustable wrench sucks donkey dick for car repair work. It's almost always too big for the area, too loose to work on rusted fasteners, etc. I wouldn't think any car guy would recommend that in place of cheap wrenches.
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Nov 23, 2012 22:49
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Sockington posted:An adjustable wrench sucks donkey dick for car repair work. grover fucked around with this message at 22:54 on Nov 23, 2012 |
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Nov 23, 2012 22:52
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If you can't afford the cheapest set of applicable wrenches from HF (on sale, god knows how cheap) how are you affording the repair in the first place? Legitimate question. They can't be more than $10 on sale. I would never fight with a $1adjustable if salvation was $9 away.
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Nov 23, 2012 22:56
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Sockington posted:If you can't afford the cheapest set of applicable wrenches from HF (on sale, god knows how cheap) how are you affording the repair in the first place? The fact remains: you can do an amazing amount of basic car repairs with extremely basic tools.
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Nov 23, 2012 23:06
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grover posted:The fact remains: you can do an amazing amount of basic car repairs with extremely basic tools. Heck you can do quite a bit of work with a good selection sockets. I have gotten really big into the loan a tool thing from autozone.... Saves me the expense of a tool I may use once or twice.
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Nov 23, 2012 23:11
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What's that about adjustables being too loose to work effectively on fasteners? Look no further, here's the tool for you. http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-85-610-10-Inch-MaxGrip-Adjustable/dp/B00009OYGZ  Still won't fit in tight spaces but this is AMAZING when you need an adjustable wrench that actually works. I honestly use mine mostly where I'd use a pair of vise grips (to hold nuts while spinning a bolt most of the way in, on plumbing, AC fittings, etc) but it's still definitely something I can't live without once in a while.
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Nov 23, 2012 23:29
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My absolutely favorite new tool is a MemoScan U581 OBDII/EOBDII CAN-Bus scanner. Seriously the best value for the money spend compared to any tool I've ever owned. Well, maybe my favorite sledgehammer is a close match, but not really. I got mine for about $40 shipped from Hong Kong, but it's easily worth much more. Arrived to northern Europe in impressive 10 days. Price apparently varies quite a bit though. http://www.dhgate.com/wholesale/u581+memo+scanner.html   Why is it better than my 7 year old $500 tool it replaced? Oh well.. 1) It's loving sturdy. Hell, it's build like a German WWII tank. 2) It's free upgradable from the manufactures website, and the codes and descriptions are actually maintained by some Chinese guys that actually know what they're doing. 3) It's worked on all, even the most recent and the oldest cars I've tried it on. So far I've only tried it on European and Japanese cars though, and only N/A. I have no doubt that it'll probably work on anything OBDII/EOBDII CAN-Bus. 4) It gives you actual errors and codes instead of just codes. 5) It reads freaking live-data for all sensors. ALL loving SENSORS! 6) It has the most comprehensive freeze-frames (what happened to all sensors just before the error or pending error occurred, as in what was the water temperature, how fast did you go, what was your RPM, what was your MAF/MAP etc.). This is seriously more like a "Black-Box" than any cheap freeze-frame capable tester I've worked with previously. 7) The bastard actually auto-detects protocols. It's really true plug'n'play. 8) An idiot can use it. drat thing has on-screen instructions. The tool has my highest recommendations. Unless you've already got a much more expensive advanced OBDII-tester, you should get this. I'm rarely impressed by any product, especially Chinese, but at this price I have a hard time imagining anything beating it. Sir Cornelius fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Nov 23, 2012 |
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Nov 23, 2012 23:42
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Sockington posted:If you can't afford the cheapest set of applicable wrenches from HF (on sale, god knows how cheap) how are you affording the repair in the first place? I guess I didn't ask my question as well as I could have. I mean, for autos in general, what are 10 or so tools that will take care of a good number of routine maintenance jobs. Things like: 1. 3/8" drive ratcheting handle 2. Sockets of correct size 3. Hex Wrench Set 4. Torx Bit set That kind of thing. I'm trying to get an idea of the greatest number of repair jobs with the fewest number of tools. I don't want to buy a 200 piece mechanic's tool set and only use three pieces of the set.
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Nov 23, 2012 23:56
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I only own Japanese cars, so I save cost by only buying metric. I have a decent selection of standard stuff from combination sets, but all the good tools in the garage are metric.
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Nov 24, 2012 00:07
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Sockington posted:I only own Japanese cars, so I save cost by only buying metric. Goes for every European car for the last 2 decades as well. Only times I have to use some SAE fuckshittery is when wrenching 3 decades old Volvos or Saabs, and to wrench them you need metric too.
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Nov 24, 2012 00:21
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Sir Cornelius posted:My absolutely favorite new tool is a MemoScan U581 OBDII/EOBDII CAN-Bus scanner. You sir are my hero. I had been considering buying a scaner and you have now sealed the deal. This thing looks too good to be true.
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Nov 24, 2012 01:51
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Hummer Driving human being posted:I guess I didn't ask my question as well as I could have. I mean, for autos in general, what are 10 or so tools that will take care of a good number of routine maintenance jobs. Things like: It really depends on the job. I've amassed a closet full of tools from doing various things, but in addition to your first 4 there are some others that I use quite often. 5. Screwdriver assortment - Phillips, Slotted, all in different sizes. Best to just buy a big combo set. 6. Full wrench set for SAE or metric depending on your car. There WILL be bolts you can't get at with a socket, and in some cases you may need to buy doubles as required. 7. Vise-grips 8. Deadblow hammer. Possibly a sledge for rusty brake rotors. 9. Some sort of prying tool. 10. Floor Jack + jackstands The best starting point is to buy a socket set that has 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive ratchets and a full gamut of sockets. They usually also have a screwdriver with bits, and a decent amount of allen keys. If you wait for the right sales you can get decent stuff pretty cheap, or at least in Canada. Today I got a Stanley 183 piece socket set, 100 Piece screwdriver set, and a 14pc metric wrench set. Total cost was $125 CAD. Those 3 sets would cover a ton of basic maintenance jobs. Sir Cornelius posted:My absolutely favorite new tool is a MemoScan U581 OBDII/EOBDII CAN-Bus scanner. Does this do anything special that a smartphone + torque can't do? Crustashio fucked around with this message at 01:59 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 01:57
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Crustashio posted:Does this do anything special that a smartphone + torque can't do? You mean an Android or IOS phone and a Bluetooth OBDII dongle? Well, I've only tried one, probably lovely dongle, at about the same price, and I couldn't get it to clear pending codes and it did lovely freeze frames, but reasonable live data. I also couldn't get it to work on my brothers 2006 Mazda 6. WTF? It also didn't read CAN. Answer is: I seriously don't know, but I prefer that people don't call me or text me on my tools while I work.
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Nov 24, 2012 02:57
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On the topic of Metric vs SAE, I've been told that all USDM vehicles have SAE seat and seatbelt mounting hardware because they have to meet SAE standards, even if the rest of the vehicle is Metric. Supposedly this is confirmed for Mazda, Toyota, and BMW vehicles. Eventually I think I'm going to need to chase the threads of one of the welded nuts holding the passenger seat in one of my Mazdas, and was wondering if this was true (IE do I need to hunt down the proper SAE tap instead of using one from my Metric set).
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Nov 24, 2012 03:14
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Sir Cornelius posted:My absolutely favorite new tool is a MemoScan U581 OBDII/EOBDII CAN-Bus scanner. Might be a dumb question but does it do SRS resets? Also anyone thinking of getting a screw-gun/light duty drill, I have to recommend the Milwaukee M12 .25 driver. There are drill bits for its quick-change chuck, or you can get a screw tight chuck adaptor. i see no reason to own the actual drill, because this gun can do both things well. I've used one at work for going on 2 years without any problems, its perfect for pretty much all fasteners and with its huge range of quick change bits its always able to get the job done. This actually takes the place of a 1/4 air ratchet for most of my under-hood work.
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Nov 24, 2012 03:32
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mod sassinator posted:I like the extendable ratchet too: http://www.harborfreight.com/3-8-eighth-inch-x-1-4-quarter-inch-dual-drive-extendable-ratchet-98802.html My favorite tool that I own, hands down.
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Nov 24, 2012 04:29
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Rhyno posted:My favorite tool that I own, hands down. Agreed. Even better once I Plasti-Dipped an old 1/4" socket to keep on the backside as a quick-turn.
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Nov 24, 2012 04:38
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Well if we're posting our favorite ratchets, here's mine. It's held up great on a couple engine swaps and dismantling a wrecked wrx. Being able to angle the head a little bit helps quite a bit in fitting the ratchet into tricky spots.
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Nov 24, 2012 06:07
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dyne posted:Well if we're posting our favorite ratchets, here's mine. It's held up great on a couple engine swaps and dismantling a wrecked wrx. Being able to angle the head a little bit helps quite a bit in fitting the ratchet into tricky spots. I broke one of those on the third use.
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Nov 24, 2012 06:38
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Sockington posted:An adjustable wrench sucks donkey dick for car repair work. Adjustables and vice grips are excellent alignment tools but for driveway work there are better tools.
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Nov 24, 2012 13:15
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dyne posted:Well if we're posting our favorite ratchets, here's mine. It's held up great on a couple engine swaps and dismantling a wrecked wrx. Being able to angle the head a little bit helps quite a bit in fitting the ratchet into tricky spots. grover fucked around with this message at 13:27 on Nov 24, 2012 |
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Nov 24, 2012 13:25
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Raw_Beef posted:Might be a dumb question but does it do SRS resets? Well, it resets OBD-II Trouble Codes for all cars without any issues, but I honestly don't know if it's able to reset SRS for all cars. I know it does for at least Audi and VW, but I haven't tried it yet.
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Nov 24, 2012 14:26
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Brigdh posted:On the topic of Metric vs SAE, I've been told that all USDM vehicles have SAE seat and seatbelt mounting hardware because they have to meet SAE standards, even if the rest of the vehicle is Metric. Supposedly this is confirmed for Mazda, Toyota, and BMW vehicles. Yes, its 7/16-20. As far as I know, all seatbelt hardware is done that way. Its taken from airplane tech, as they had belts before cars did and had all that hardware and engineering already done.
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Nov 24, 2012 17:08
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DJ Commie posted:Yes, its 7/16-20. As far as I know, all seatbelt hardware is done that way. All European cars I've encountered used 7/16 SAE Grade 5 hardware for seats and seatbelts too, so it's definitely not just an USDM thing. I had no idea why, but your aircraft explanation seems plausible.
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Nov 24, 2012 18:01
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