As I was doing some work on the TA and talking with a buddy, we got to talking about tools and how we accumulate them. I remember working on the car as an 18 year old, not having a pot to **** in, with a measly selection of tools that I treated like gold. Nobody was allowed to touch them and I didn't let anybody borrow so much as a single socket lol. I wiped them down with an oil rag after each use and they never so much as touched the concrete, I always had a towel or something that they laid on. That's definitely not the case now that I'm older, but my tools still get wiped down and still get oil baths on occasion.

As you get older you tend to start accumulating various tools, often times specific to the vehicle/manufacturer of choice. As an 18 year old, if I could have looked forward 20 years into my toolbox(s), I would probably have pissed myself. Not because I have a tremendous amount of tools, but because I have a significant amount only in relation to what I started with those many years ago. Mentally going through them, I remember open and closed end wrenches that I had to heat and bend to access certain nuts/bolts on vehicles, seal installers specific to manufacturers, my first set of air tools, torque wrenches, breaker bars etc. If somebody was to look in my tool box now, certain drawers would appear to be loaded with tools deemed absolutely useless unless somebody with a knowledge of things was there to explain them. Some tools start as $3 tools that you've bent or worked to meet a certain criteria, but you wouldn't sell for $100 bucks simply because its the only tool that can do what it does, regardless of whether or not you have only used it once and will probably never use it again. My wife has never complained about me buying tools over the years, but I think she sees my tool purchases like her shoe purchases. You accumulate them over time and I think she follows an "I don't ask about yours, you don't ask about mine" mentality.


For awhile, my favorite tool wasn't a specific tool, but more of a type or family of tools, the closed end ratchet wrenches. They fit everywhere the sockets wouldn't which was great, but their durability left me wanting something more. My new favorite though by far is the Milwaukee Fuel series 3/8 Ratchet Tool. I have beaten the snot outta that tool and it keeps coming back for more. I think what I like most is that I don't have to trip over air lines any more, but with 2 batteries and the amount of time that they hold their charge, the tool never has down time which is great. Much like a Timex, it takes a beating and keeps on ticking.




That being said, whats your favorite tool and why?

 

trim tool...something I never knew existed as a younger person and destroyed so much **** because of that

 

For sure. I just picked up my first trim tool to cut a fan shroud on a EWP install. What trim tool did you go with and did it work well for you?

 

Working on my car?

Hammer, and channel locks.

 

Battery powered impact. Best way I've found to adjust rockers.

 

Never considered that. I am assuming a deep socket and no allen locks?

 

hahahah trolololol. I do love the fuel stuff since it's no more air lines to trip on. Being a mechanic by trade when the bit drivers first got popular with us, that was awesome. Now the smaller ones, with more *** are absolutely amazing for working under dash's and tight engine bays. Also, a good, magnetic base light.

 

Juuuust kidding. Actually I do use an air ratchet to loosen adjusting nuts. Makes taking them off a **** ton faster.

 

I have at least 40k in tools. It sucks when your a mechanic and have a tool set at work and have to buy another for at home.
my favorite tool I’d say is my scanner. But the best thing I ever bought for working on cars was my own hoist.

 

Air compressor, air tools, and a garage to work in.....

Air tools in general makes things like airing up tires, removing wheels, and installing wheels so much easier.

The garage though.....is such a blessing. I've worked on a car so many times in the freezing cold with wind making my eyes water to the point you can't see anything......just so glad to have a good enclosed area to work on a car if needed.

 

a craftsman one like this


makes taking the interior plastic bits out much less destructive.

 

Whoopsies, I thought you were referring to a tool that trims plastics and metals, haha.

I would definitely have more of those plastic pop-outs on my panels if I had had the tools you posted, I tend to butcher them pretty badly whenever I have to remove them.

 

Garage. You take a garage for granted when you have one, but one cold rainy day in gravel and you hate life. Other than that it’s gear wrenches. I would buy a set of gear wrenches before normal wrenches.

 

I love my gear wrenches! Very good for the money!

 

I also never had air tools until recently. Had battery powered impacts and they are ok, but now I have some nice snap on impacts and there’s nothing like firing up the compressor and doing the ZING ZINGGG as you walk over towards the car, then break out in a sprint and slide in next to a tire and ZING ZING ZING ZING ZING pretending your a pit crew member at NASCAR all fired up then TILT.... oh crap I didn’t jack it up first.