Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

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Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Any recommendations on bolt cutters? I'd like to get a very powerful/high-quality set to keep in my trunk.

# ¿ Jul 22, 2013 20:17

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 23:28

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Sir Cornelius posted:

Could easily be misinterpreted by law enforcement officers. It's generally not recommendable to drive around with bolt cutters.

That said, H.K. Porter makes very nice industrial grade bolt cutters - not much will withstand a 42" H.K. Porter. For casual use, Knipex are neat too.

Happy motorcycle stealing.

I appreciate the info - those look pretty nice.

I'm not worried about it, because I would never consent to a search of my vehicle, would never give PC, and they'd be in a box containing lots of other tools, as well.

And no, I'm not stealing motorcycles.

# ¿ Jul 30, 2013 21:52

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Fucknag posted:

LMAO you think the average technician is going to respect the word of an engineer? They cuss the engineers out for any and every packaging decision that doesn't result in maximum accessibility to every component on the car.

Tell him it's above his pay grade.

# ¿ Aug 2, 2013 04:32

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

ctishman posted:

All right. I've taken another look at it with that in mind, and I think I've sorted it out a little more, logically.

They probably don't care what size drive it is, because they assume you'll bring your own driver, right? Thus the 1/4" refers to the socket size. So I can parse the list as follows:

�� (12 point)

3/16�, ��, 5/16�, ⅜�, 7/16�, ��, 9/16� (Standard, assume six point))

11/32� (unknown points)

Sound reasonable?

I don't think that's true - they absolutely should care what size drive it is - you don't use a 1/2" drive on tiny bolts, and you can't use a 1/4" drive on huge bolts. The first situation would break things, the second wouldn't get the work done.

Standard in the context of wrench or socket sizes is also frequently referred to as SAE - it means inch measurements, rather than metric (millimeter) measurements.

I'd read that as 1/4" drive, 12 point sockets, in sizes:

3/16", 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", 7/16", 1/2", 9/16", 11/32"

I haven't worked on planes, but I'd guess that a lot of the finer detail stuff (ie, not wing mount bolts or landing gear, whatever) would be 1/4" drive appropriate bolts, not bigger.

# ¿ Aug 13, 2013 01:07

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

ctishman posted:

Okay, here's a sort of strange question that still falls tangentially into the realm of tools: Work pants.

I want to get some strong work pants that will resist oil/water/tearing, but I don't want to pay seventy goddamn bucks for a pair of stylish yuppie workpants, because they're currently in fashion.

I've bought and used a pair of Dickies 874s for like $20/pair on sale and have been extremely impressed with their sturdiness and fit, but I wondered if anyone here had a favorite type of work pants they could recommend.

Ideally I'm looking for something without a lot of loops and gadgets on them that just catch everywhere.

Surplus store BDUs are extremely good for this, though they DO usually have cargo pockets. Not sure if that falls within "gadgets that just catch everywhere", but I've never had any issue with 'em.

They're usually cheap (maybe $20, I think?) and last forever. And you can get them in non-camo colors, so no issue there.

# ¿ Aug 22, 2013 22:58

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Tire pressure gauges ... are these worthwhile?

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_02823020000P?sid=IAx20050830x000545&aff=Y&PID=1225267&AID=11042411

My thought is that it would be nice, but having it dependent on batteries is kind of lame. I have this more standard one in my other car, but I'm debating picking up the digital variety for my second vehicle.

# ¿ Aug 24, 2013 05:18

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

slidebite posted:

Couldn't tell you what brand it is, but not sure what you mean by "oilfield lathe" and why it would be one.

If it was solid, I can't even imagine how heavy it would be.

How about you tell those of us who don't work in (whatever industry your customers are in) what it is? "Big boy" didn't exactly bring up anything similar on google, so you're just being snarky at this point.

# ¿ Nov 15, 2013 16:16

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

So there's this little tool shop near where I live (AAA Wholesale Tool and Supply) where I went about 7 years ago to get a one off socket that I needed (broke college student, didn't want to buy a whole set).

I remember the guy saying something like "Dude, you should just go buy a whole set - this one socket is like $25 and it's probably worth it to have the others unless you really need THIS socket". I didn't get it at the time - I bought the socket, was happy I'd saved like $15 (even if I had 11 less sockets), didn't think much of why that socket was $25.

Years later, I've learned what Proto tools are, and I'm now glad I have it. And now that I have a jeep, and there's ONE GOD drat SET OF BOLTS that's 12point / 13mm, I ran back there to get another one-off socket. Proto, $13, pretty sure it'll never break. And I'll have a lot less trouble with those bolts because I can take them off with a 1/2" instead of 3/8".

Anyway, it was a tool related thing I was thinking about, thought I'd share it. I wholeheartedly recommend that shop to anyone in the LA area who needs specialty tools.

# ¿ Nov 21, 2013 23:23

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Hollis Brown posted:

Is 210 ft-lbs enough for lug nuts? I was hoping to get a compact 1/2inch like this dude: http://tinyurl.com/pluz5tk
That comes with 2 batteries a charger and another bare tool, was thinking circular saw.

Yes, but you should really be tightening them on with a torque wrench. If you just mean to get them off, carry on!

# ¿ Nov 30, 2013 05:48

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Truthfully, I gun them on at the low-medium setting in the (500ft-lb) gun, but take care to only go one-two clicks. Then I grab the torque wrench and finish them. (I've never exceeded the torque spec with the gun.)

Torquing them with sticks is fine, it's just not fine to, say, buy a 210ft-lb gun and rail them on with that. Wheels should be torqued correctly, both for safety and for "oh gently caress, I have to change this tire on the side of the freeway" scenarios.

# ¿ Dec 1, 2013 20:08

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Bajaha posted:

Oh yeah, my Snap-On Order has arrived! (it was only put in a few weeks ago, it was part of the deal)

Feast your eyes on these magnificent tools

Can't wait to use them, the 80 tooth 1/2" ratchet is obscene in how short of an arc it has before it clicks. It's baby's first time having the big boy tools, I've been using Mastercraft/Stanley/Craftsman all this time and the difference in quality is insane (so is the price) Definitely looking forward to some wrenching in the spring when it warms up around here.

Which ones are these?

I'm looking for the design of that bottom one (flex head, 80 tooth?) in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive - preferably appropriate relative sizes (short 1/4, medium 3/8, long 1/2, basically). Everytime I look at the snap-on site, though, my eyes kind of glaze over and I get bored.

# ¿ Dec 20, 2013 09:51

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Krakkles posted:

Which ones are these?

I'm looking for the design of that bottom one (flex head, 80 tooth?) in 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2 drive - preferably appropriate relative sizes (short 1/4, medium 3/8, long 1/2, basically). Everytime I look at the snap-on site, though, my eyes kind of glaze over and I get bored.

(This is from a while back, but I've made some progress and wanted advice...)

I've gotten a TF72 1/4" ratchet from eBay, and an FCF72 3/8" ratchet from Snap-On, both the Dual 80 models. I'm trying to still figure out which 1/2" to get - I was leaning toward the SX80B, but I don't necessarily think I need the Dual 80 for the larger wrench. Are there other (older?) models I should be looking for? (Part numbers would be ideal.) I'm fine with buying used if it's a savings (it was about 30% off with the 1/4", for example) but also with buying new if not (the 3/8").

General use case, this is going to stay in the 4x4 and be used off-road. I have access to other tools (really a full shop) for most maintenance and stuff, but would obviously use this at home/whatever if needed.

Would one of the FOD models be a good idea, since it's offroad, or is that overkill? (poo poo, should I have gotten the other two in FOD?)

# ¿ Jan 3, 2014 19:50

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

oxbrain posted:

Not overkill, that implies that it's somehow better. It's the exact same tool, just with the cover glued/welded on. FOD control is about keeping your ratchet from dropping bits into a jet engine, not keeping debris out of the tool.

Got it, this is what I needed to know. I was thinking it would help keep dirt out of the tool, which could come in handy in the desert, but if this is the case ... don't need it.

# ¿ Jan 3, 2014 20:59

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

the spyder posted:

drat you I just bought a TX72 because you post reminded me how much I disliked the fixed handle on my TL72 and love the flex of my FX80.

Sorry, dude. At least it'll probably be worth it!

These should be a nice change for me. My current 3/8" ratchets are lovely Craftsman (like out of their socket sets), and my 1/4" is a slightly less but still quite lovely Stanley.

My 1/2" I'm not as bothered by because it's a decent Craftsman (as in, it wasn't part of a set), but I'd still like to get a nice one.

# ¿ Jan 4, 2014 11:27

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

This set is what I have in my toolbox, it's more than adequate.

# ¿ Jan 16, 2014 07:48

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

What are good snap ring pliers? I thought I saw a post about them a week or two ago, but I'll be damned if I can find it now.

# ¿ Jan 26, 2014 22:41

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Killer. Any suggestions on toolboxes for the back of a 4x4? The one I've got right now is a lovely craftsman plastic deal (something like this, though I bought it a few years ago), and I've got a few problems with it.

It's completely full. (I'm not likely to add MANY more tools, but a bit of breathing room would be nice.)
It's impossible to organize, because it doesn't have any drawers.
This also makes it difficult to access things quickly.
It's plastic. (Not a total dealbreaker, but it does need to be rather durable.)

Edit: Something along these lines might work. Any other brands I should look at?

Krakkles fucked around with this message at 00:09 on Jan 27, 2014

# ¿ Jan 27, 2014 00:01

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

That's impressive! With what we do, I really need an enclosed box, though, so I don't think it'll work for me. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

# ¿ Jan 27, 2014 16:10

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Splizwarf posted:

Found here for Brits. Looks like it's a bit more expensive on your side of the Atlantic, but I suppose as Stanley's an American company it's an "import" for you, even though they're likely all made the same place in China.

That thing is no loving joke, Snap-on wrenches will flex open before that thing does.

I just wanted to post to say that you guys have mentioned these a couple of times, and because of that, my toolbox is going to have one in it. Thanks!

# ¿ Feb 5, 2014 19:30

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

I'm a bit shocked that that's the only version on the market. It's a pretty good idea, it doesn't appear to be exclusively owned by Stanley (if you read the reviews on Amazon, several people mention other brands that are no longer available), and it doesn't seem like it would be that difficult to design and market.

# ¿ Feb 5, 2014 22:49

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

So as I got all my tools in my toolbox, I realized that I have more holes in my socket lineup than I thought. And honestly, a lot of them are <x socket set from autozone> <y set from harbor freight>, so kind of mismatched and all over the place.

I need to figure out exactly which ones I want to fill in, but where do you guys go for decent quality sockets? I'd be looking primarily for deep and shallow non-impact sockets. I have a Craftsman and Ingersoll Rand impact set, so I'm mostly covered there. I think the biggest lack is deep sockets (my impact sockets are basically my only deep sockets), but I'd be looking to fill in some shallows as well.

Should I just go Craftsman? I want something that won't break, but I'm not looking to spend the $200+ that snapon sets cost.

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 16:38

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Even if it's for a "I'm in the middle of the desert and absolutely need this to not break" toolbox?

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 17:24

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Interesting, that's very good to know. I guess an HF trip is in order, then!

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 17:46

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

kastein posted:

I've only broken a couple of sockets and it was while working on severely stuck fasteners. You probably won't have any of those.

Worry more about your extension bars and ratchets.

I've got snap-on for 1/4 and 3/8, so I'm not too worried about those. My 1/2" is this Craftsman, so I guess that's the next one I need to update. Extensions I have a variety of Pittsburgh (wobble) and Craftsman (non-wobble).

My Jeep is oddly rusty given it's supposedly an AZ car, but it's largely stuff we've worked through by now, in doing maintenance and upgrades. Not TOO worried about that.

So basically, get a better 1/2" ratchet, and don't worry too much about the socket brands?

# ¿ Feb 6, 2014 18:28

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

the spyder posted:

Anyone looking for some cheap sockets or wrenches?
Head over to Sears.com and sort by price. They are clearing out USA made Industrial and Polished wrenches/sockets. I bought a set of metric and standard wrenches to give to a buddy who had his bag jacked from his truck.

I'm finding a ton of singular sockets, but no sets. Am I missing something?

Sears.com > Tools > Sockets, sort by price low -> high. ~500 results.

# ¿ Feb 10, 2014 23:26

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Snap ring pliers ... They have a nice switchable set. It's about $20.

# ¿ Mar 14, 2014 03:32

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Is there a reason you want the 3 ton version? The one in the OP was this, which is ~~$82 right now and dips below $70 pretty regularly~~ below $70 right now:

http://www.harborfreight.com/15-Ton...utm_source=1020

Looking through my emails from HF, I don't see any deals on that 3 ton. I do know that I use the 2 ton pretty regularly and it's great - honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with an HF jack.

Krakkles fucked around with this message at 05:29 on Apr 10, 2014

# ¿ Apr 10, 2014 05:27

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Simply put, your vehicle weighs less than you think it does.

Also, if you're real set on it, the 3-ton is on sale for $179.

It's not a bad thing to use a bigger jack than you need, but you don't need a 3 ton jack to lift an explorer.

# ¿ Apr 11, 2014 05:27

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

wallaka posted:

Don't people put 4"x4" lumber on their jack pads anymore? (or the equivalent metric measurement)

I do

# ¿ Apr 11, 2014 05:45

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

I have a dumb tool question. My uncle and I put an air compressor setup in my Jeep, and I want to get an airline and blower nozzle to keep in it. I'm thinking about 20-25' and would like to find a good brand recommendation, for both the hose and blower. (One thought on blower nozzles - compact is probably better. I've seen different styles that range from little tiny nozzle with a button on the side to gun, and because it will be staying in the jeep, the former would be better.)

Here's the problem/dumb question: I know from previous experience (basically, his friends giving him crap) that there are different types of fittings / chuck sizes/styles that these things have. How can I tell which one is which, and what are they called so I can find the correct one?

If it helps at all, his friend who gives him the most crap about this uses Harbor Freight air gear nearly exclusively, and all of his fittings are difficult to use, leak, and seem lovely. The fittings my uncles uses (and what we put in the Jeep) are much more solid feeling, engage better, and seem higher quality. The fitting that I need to hook into is (to my eye, at least) an extremely typical fitting (chuck) you'd find on an air compressor or at the end of the air line connected to such.

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 01:49

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

I'm pretty sure that Dixon coupler is the one on the truck. It looks exactly like it, anyway. So ... good hose to plug into that?

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 03:18

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

slidebite posted:

A disconnect looks like a disconnect to most people. If it's a Dixon it will say so and should have a model number on it too. If it isn't, who knows.
Like the brand of hose itself and not the ends?

Buy a brand name really. Kuriyama makes really good industrial hoses for a good price and you can get air hose in 25' and 50' lengths. You'll find most quality industrial hoses won't come with couplers on them, just an MNPT thread so you can adapt whatever you want to it to fit your system. They make some excellent cold weather hoses if that floats your boat.

If you mean the ends it shouldn't make much of a difference since the universal couplings will take the majority of male ends as long as it isn't some sort of chinese unicorn.

Any really good industrial supply store that deals with hydraulic hoses and fittings usually have a few good high quality air hoses as well.

If you want a specific name of store, try Motion Industries. They might do wholesale only but generally have shops in semi-decent sized towns/cities so they'd be a good bet.

Awesome, thank you!

# ¿ Apr 15, 2014 14:28

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Bought one of these: Milwaukee M18 Fuel High Torque 1/2" Impact Wrench.

Holy crap, best tool ever. It's really nice having it just happily pop bolts off in the junkyard rather than struggle with them. The nut busting torque is insane. It's also nice because it's two-mode, so you can switch it to a lower torque setting if you're tightening bolts. Also, the impact action doesn't begin until the wrench detects resistance, so even in the high-torque mode it's a nice fast electric motor that spins nuts down without breaking anything.

If you want to buy one, you can get a bare tool, charger, and two batteries on ebay for less than the cost of the (tool/charger/battery) kit.

# ¿ Apr 24, 2014 19:42

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

QuarkMartial posted:

What's a good cordless impact, anyway? That Dewalt one looks good, but I know nothing about them.

Last weekend I got to use my brother-in-law's cordless impact (SnapOn brand)* to replace the struts on my wife's car. Holy crap is that an amazing tool. Obviously, I know what an impact is and I've seen them used dozens of times, but having actually used one for once... and now I've got to have one.

Thing is, I wouldn't be using it often. Cordless is convenient, but would the batteries hold up to sitting on the charger all the time only to be used once a month, if that? Would I be better off with a corded version? I am looking for a good cordless drill, too, if that matters. Still, it'd not be used like every day or anything.

Honestly, I'm needing a tool fix

*An aside, I looked like a scrub bringing a four way to a mechanic's house

I wholeheartedly recommend this, it's amazing:

Krakkles posted:

Bought one of these: Milwaukee M18 Fuel High Torque 1/2" Impact Wrench.

Holy crap, best tool ever. It's really nice having it just happily pop bolts off in the junkyard rather than struggle with them. The nut busting torque is insane. It's also nice because it's two-mode, so you can switch it to a lower torque setting if you're tightening bolts. Also, the impact action doesn't begin until the wrench detects resistance, so even in the high-torque mode it's a nice fast electric motor that spins nuts down without breaking anything.

If you want to buy one, you can get a bare tool, charger, and two batteries on ebay for less than the cost of the (tool/charger/battery) kit.

In general, I've always thought it was fine to leave it on the charger. I don't really know, though.

# ¿ May 3, 2014 00:43

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

melon cat posted:

I was on the fence about Ryobi, but after hearing a story like this from a poster as helpful as yourself it's definitely made any future buying decisions a lot easier.

Yeah, I've had no desire to buy Ryobi after hearing what he's said. It makes a definite difference!

# ¿ May 3, 2014 14:42

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Those are what I see off-roaders use quite a bit. If that doesn't float your boat, though, here's the suggestion I put in the PYF Product Recommendation thread:

Krakkles posted:

First thing: They're always going to be loud. Offroaders use them a lot, and I spend a lot of time around them, and the one I have is the only one I've seen that's (relatively) quiet, and that's only because it's custom mounted with sound absorbing materials inside the vehicle fender.

That said, anything by Viair (Amazon) is pretty universally well-regarded, and I'd wholeheartedly recommend them.

The only differences you're really going to see between various models is how long they can run before overheating, how high they can go (in PSI), how quickly they inflate, and various accessories. That being said, with the use case you describe, I'd probably get this one. It's the cheapest and should happily inflate four passenger car tires relatively quickly.

If you're curious, Viair makes a lot of stuff for air suspension, which is notoriously rigorous.

# ¿ May 5, 2014 07:19

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

kastein posted:

gently caress you, ryobi ^t

I just spent about $600 on Milwaukee and Bosch gear, without even looking at what Ryobi offers, specifically because you said that about them. So ... :v:

Edit:

asdf32 posted:

If I'm going to own one torque wrench that can do this job and isn't too expensive which should it be? I'm looking at Home Depot (Husky, powerbuilt), and Amazon (Tekton).

http://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-24320-4-Inch-Torque-20-200-Inch/dp/B00C5ZL2EG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1399424196&sr=8-2&keywords=torque+wrench
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Powerbuilt-3-8-in-and-1-2-in-Dual-Drive-Torque-Wrench-944001/203116804
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Husky-3-8-in-Click-Torque-Wrench-H3DTW/202916179

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-drive-click-type-torque-wrench-2696.html

I definitely wouldn't buy the Powerbuilt, that brand seems to be universally poo poo in my experience. The Tekton looks suspiciously like the Pittsburgh (HF) model, and the Husky is pretty pricey for what it is.

Are you sure it's 85lb-in? That seems light for head bolts.

Krakkles fucked around with this message at 02:29 on May 7, 2014

# ¿ May 7, 2014 02:08

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

Krakkles posted:

This set is what I have in my toolbox, it's more than adequate.

I still stand by these. Make absolutely sure you're using the right size - if it wiggles even a little, it's probably not the right one.

# ¿ May 7, 2014 06:27

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

confonnit posted:

I have a Milwaukee driver with that attachment. Some friends also have Ryobis with the same thing so I think it's starting to become standard on drivers.

http://www.dewalt.com/tool-part-categories/Socket-Adapters.aspx

# ¿ May 16, 2014 21:12

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# ¿ Apr 24, 2024 23:28

Krakkles: May 5, 2003

I haven't used THAT one, but the usual idea probably applies: yes, it will, but it will take a long time to get to 100psi and probably overheat before it does.

# ¿ May 19, 2014 19:54

The Something Awful Forums > Discussion > Automotive Insanity > Tools! - Crimpin ain't easy but it is necessary.

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