So I am looking into doing my own maintenance and repair work on my car so I will no longer fall victim to the mechanic...

Ratchet and socket wrench
You will only need 8mm to 21mm
Spark plug socket
Breaker bar
8m wrench
10mm wrench
12mm wrench

Jack and 2 jackstands

Bucket like a homedepot bucket
Oil filter wrench
Long thick flathead
Tiny flathead
Screw driver
Pliers pliers pliers pliers
And plenty of plastic gloves boyy

22mm comes in handy if you have a toyota

>6 inch breaker bar
For what purpose

>Cleaning air filters

>set of metric and sae wrenches
>socket set of metric and sae
>good ratchet
>adapters
>Jack stands
>oil pan
>magnetic dish
>pliers
>funnel
>lake ditch or pond to dispose of oils and liquids
>Breaker bar
>Haynes manual on your car
>Screw driver set
>spark plug puller
>rubber mallet
>torque wrench

You will end up buying more specific shit like feeler gauges and torx bits later on too

...

>paying the paper filter jew

>universal socket joint
Absolutely one of these, could save you a whole afternoon from dismantling something to get at one bolt cause angle. Can buy a cheap $5 set from China.

If richer you can get a flex head ratchet.

this
Especially for bolts in fucked off angles.

NOT OP. But I'm a 19 y/o hoonigan spic that's tired of relying on untrustworthy "friends" to help borrow their tools and/or getting jewed in the ass by the illegal mechanics. Can anyone on Veeky Forums advice me towards the best tool box to buy? Keep in mind I want to have enough tools to do the most basic tune-ups thru US, Jap, and Yuro cars. And also good enough tools to fiddle around suspension parts. Basically I don't want to be having to look for anyone. Just buy a box that comes with ALOT of useful tools and will help fix the job 90% of the time with no hassle. Also price doesn't matter fellas and pic is definitely related. What I'm currently driving

When was the last time you stripped a torx head?

> inb4 never

Sounds like you haven't removed seatbelts or seats from a modern car. Torx are easy to round off, and Torx Plus doesn't help much when most of the manufacturers feel they need to use red loctite on seatbelt anchors.

OBD II scanner

>Can anyone on Veeky Forums advice me towards the best tool box to buy?
Do you mean something to put your tools in or a complete set of ratchets? Plus, I thought all "spics" knew where Home Depot was?

You really should deport yourself, America is for the white man, not the brown man.

I'm sure you can find plenty of good quality Mexican made tools!

I have some Urrea wrenches from mexico. they're nice.

Craftsman mechanic set. Comes in a plastic red tool box that includes 1/4, 3/8, and 1/2. It also includes sparkplug sockets and everything you will need for your first couple jobs.

6 point set with 200+ pieces. Goes on sale for less than $200 like $150 or something

t. juan pablo rodriguez del mar y del fiero

I've run into plenty of 6 and 7mm bolts on American cars. And CV axles are a maintenance item, so you could need up to a 40mm.

Because the ratchet is so shitty you don't want to apply more than 10 ft lbs with it.

Seconding this, had to get one for my spark plugs

This, there's also a craftsman set that has a full set of Metric and Imperial wrenches and ratchets that goes on sale for less than $100 which is a good starting point, and then just pick up individual tools as you come across them.

The 40mm is something you buy when you need it.
But I agree he missed some obvious stuff. Like no 13mm or 15mm wrench.

OP should completely ignore those 200 piece kit crap. Usually about 130 of the pieces are hex head, screwdriver and torx bits. Just buy a decent set of each.

> Torx are easy to round off
Nigger you're using the wrong size. Torx must fit very very snug with no play whatsoever. If there is even a tiny bit of play you are using the wrong size.
I work at a shop, and never ever once stripped a torx, and I use power tools.

>Daily carry
3/8 socket set + ratchet
1/4 socket set with convertor for use with 3/8 ratchet
2 tonne trolley jack (floor jack in US?)
3ft bar with 17, 19 and 21mm sockets (for wheel nuts)
Tow rope rated for 3 tonnes
Jumper leads rated at 300amps
Screwdriver set (6 flat, 6 cross)
Mini air compressor with convertors for all kinds of tyres
Small pack of cable ties
>In my garage at home
Full size compressor with air ratchet
Impact sockets for above
5ft bar
1/2 socket set and ratchet
3/8 socket set and ratchet
1/4 socket set and ratchet
More screwdrivers, not really a set just a stack of them, maybe 20 in total
LOTS of cable ties
Hammers ranging from little tappers to a 20lb dead blow
Hatchet for disagreeable cars
Electric saw
Jigsaw with strong blades
Assorted shit I'm probably forgetting

Try working on a Peugeot
>Torx screws made from soft aluminium
>Round every single one trying to remove valve cover
>End up hammering in a size larger and rolling like that
>Replace with hex bolts when I put it back together

>you're using the wrong size
No, I'm not, and I always break seatbolt anchors and seat bolts by hand, sometimes using an inductive heater first if it looks like it's going to be a problem. I know GM uses the same shitty loctited torx too, sounds like you just haven't had much experience doing those jobs.

I agree with this dude. Never stripped a Torx.
Unlike a hex, a Torx that is too small will still fit and turn the bolt, so it may seem like it's the right size.

Man, you sure love showing off that one single drawer of tools in the cheapest cart matco makes. Looks like an oil change boy's tool kit. And you still should have gotten the Pittsburgh pro version of that ratchet, which is exactly the same in every way, including the guts.

Except I remove Torx bolts more than I remove any other bolt. If it starts stripping it means I'm using the wrong size. And yes I remove seatbelt bolts all the damn time in GM, Toyotas. Chrysler, all of them pretty much. I'll say it again, you're using the wrong size.

Not that anyone gives a shit really, but I feel like explaining. In the US a trolley jack is the little one on wheels, it's narrow and has a lifting cup about 1.5 -2" diameter. A floor jack is similar but much wider, heavier, and stronger, with a 3.5"+ lifting cup.

Pic unrelated is a large portion of my tools.

You must have some well equipped oil change boys at your shop

You caught me, even though I've wrenched for over 10 years, many of those on the highest end cars made, I don't know how to find the right size Torx, neither does anyone I work with who also blow up seat bolts time to time. Why would you be removing seats anyway if you are a body guy? Anchors for pretensioners I can see but that probably isn't that common.

Don't know what garbage heap you're from, but even here in KY the couple socket sets, wheel savers, standard ratchets, few extensions, and couple odds and ends here and there that you post every chance you get, are standard for oil and tire flippers.

Comforting to know if by some horrible series of events I end up in Kentucky and forget how to wrench I'll at least have a fallback job I'm already equipped for

Stop pretending to be a technician with that pitiful tool collection. Unless you're implying that's not all you have, if so post the rest. Faggot.

When there is severe body damage (especially rear end body damage) we usually have to cut out the rear end of the car (as in the entire rear shell) and most car manufacturers sell the rear end shell all the way to the seats so we must remove the seats, all upholstery, and weld in the new body panel, and re-install everything we had to take off. Same with rockers, in order to weld on a new one you have to remove all the shit that's in the way first. Some manufacturers only have the entire side of the cars available (as in rocker, A pillar, B pillar, etc. Pic related) they send the entire piece only so you have to cut and weld it on, which involves removing seat belts, seats, upholstery, trim etc. The camry i posted earlier fortunately they could sent just the rocker itself, without having to send the entire pic related.

>What are some essential tools that I should have in my repertoire?

Sturdy jack stands. Remember that stands are rated in pairs.

Agree with this guy

for the starter kit. If you're looking for a box, get the Craftsman bottom/top combo. Feel free to add the middle chest if you're made of money. It's the one with the split drawers on top, so you end up with 3 small drawers on the top. Goes on sale around christmas for under $500 IIRC. Good box for a basic tool kit.

Once you start getting into specialty work and find yourself needing slide hammers, cam bearing drivers, bushing drivers, spring compressors, that stupid special tool for compressing calipers with a built in parking brake, and start having a desire for power tools, you'll need another box. Get the craftsman box again. Don't buy the 10 foot long behemoth that weighs a million pounds. Have one box for normal shit, one box for specialty, expand as needed. Easier to move if you need to, easier to store, just as much space.

Also, unless you work in an actual shop, ignore air tools. 120v is a lot easier to find and considerably cheaper than an air compressor that'll run a chunky impact without trouble. Same goes for sanders, drills, hammers, pretty much everything. If it's normally run on air in a real shop, there'll be an equally good or better version for the same or less money that runs on electricity. Cordless tools allow you do go junkyard diving much more efficiently too.

Spark plugs make something like this necessary in all the modern cars. You'll never have room to turn a wrench without these and an extender.

Cool, in the UK we call them both trolley jacks. It's the former kind I keep in my car. I also have 2 more in the garage since I have a pit and don't really need to jack up a car most of the time

Even that drawer is more than I need socketwise. The upper drawers are full of backprobes, leads, breakout and test harnesses I've made. I can see why you would think the most experienced techs should have huge boxes if you work at a big brand, but at smaller high end brands all the specialty/diagnostic tools belong to the shop. I could realistically work out of a single drawer cart if I had to.

>I work on cars. I am a master mechanic.
Try working in a theme park buddy. Man, people who judge a mans skill based on there tools are fucking annoying.

I really do just enjoy giving you a hard time. But for the better part of twenty years I worked in a do fucking everything shop. Got a small car? I don't give a fuck who makes it, we'll fix it. Semi? Sure. RV? Not a problem. So my tool collection was much larger, obviously. If that's all you need because you specialise, I get that and you know what you need. I on the other hand realised that working on cars was a fruitless endeavor, and that I wanted to be able to stand up straight and hold a wrench when I'm fifty. So I took a pay cut and got a decent job in the field, and I'll end up much better off physically and financially in the end.

Post Master cert, then kys.

Bet you are a great Postmaster

>Craftsman mechanic set.

Craftsman brand was sold Jan2017 to Stanley Black&Decker since Sears needed money to stave off bankruptcy. Sears is also selling DieHard and Kenmore brands. Craftsman is a shadow of what it used to be. In the old days, there were even Craftsman home building kits. The parts would come numbered and many people built their own Craftsman branded houses as they were sold through both Sears and Montgomery Wards.

kuow.org/post/story-behind-seattles-obsession-craftsman-homes

For people daunted by such a task, resellers would sellthrough the Craftsman home building kits and provide additional carpentry and building expertise with the kits as mentioned in the website article above.

FUCK FUCK FUCK

Have you tried out the inverted torx bits? They're worse. Stripped 3 trying to remove my fuel rail

In addition, buy 2 of each socket size. You'll never know when you're gonna have a bolt and nut that break free and start turning. Alternatively, a combination may work too depending on clearance.
Don't invest in an oil filter wrench unless you use it to get an extra angle. Never use it to torque down your oil filter.

Most importantly, a torque wrench

Haven't had any problems with E torx but the cars I've worked on lately don't use many, only for recessed areas where a larger socket wouldn't fit and they need a bit more fastening strength than a 10mm head bolt would allow

Could have at least given me a "haha, good rib, man." But I suppose if you were an adult and reasonable you wouldn't be desperate enough to be a tripfag loser.

Sorry, thought you wrapped it up nicely, will make sure to publicly upvote you next time

Go to costco, buy their 159pc car toolkit, is good enough for belts, oil, basic under the hood stuff. it is 80 bucks and I just buy the shit I need for specific jobs as I need it.

I know you're being a faggot on purpose, but before you put a trip on, comradery is what built the good boards like this and diy.

Torx is easy to round off. Sorry bud. You probably haven't done enough car work or worked on hard enough parts.

It is especially apparent when you work on tiny sizes. The bits or screws might have e different tolerances in sizes that cause it to sleep. Or try separating a t-50 ish for a motorcycle subframe. Those bitches are torqued tight and you need to be extra careful to not strip.

I recently tore down a 79 cb750 that was factory untouched but rusty. Didn't even damage a single bolt.

Craftsman did get sold, but you can still buy old merchandise from Sears or craftsman.com it may not have the lifetime warranty, but bang for buck it probably comes out cheaper and better than harbor freight.

The only good China freight stuff are the Pittsburgh pro line. And then the pro line is not sold in kits just individually and will end up costing more than craftsman.

If you are breaking sockets, you are probably using them wrong. And if you get cheap regular Pittsburgh items, they have crappy tolerances and are more likely to break. And have fun driving to your nearest harbor freight to use the warranty when your socket breaks halfway through a brake job.

The next best option after craftsman and Pittsburgh PRO****** will be Husky at your local Holmes depot which I believe also carries a lifetime warranty and the stores are everywhere.

Next runner up is gearwrench. Great tools, but a bit higher up price wise. Good teeth count on the ratchets though.

And if you have money to throw away, get snap on. Snap on is good and should be bought cheap off Craigslist if you see good deals for breaker bars. But not really worth the money when gearwrench is just as good.

Channel lock is good if you love America. They still make items in the USA, but are $$$$ and not much better than any typical husky, craftsman, etc.

well said. i broke this 19mm trying to take off my tire. why do tire shops insist on putting them on with impacts? when my IR231c fails to do anything on ANY of them when i let it beat for at least a min on each one, its fucking too tight.

It wouldn't be surprising. Your a dumb ass nigger who can't even figure out vette suspension.

what are good brands of air tools?
i have a CP air ratchet and die grinder.
i have a cordless impact so i dont need one.
what is top tier of air tools?

Dewalt is the best of the amateur tier sets.
Dat laser etching. Noticeably heftier than the Pittsburgh Pro stuff.
Pretty sure Channel lock stuff is made in Taiwan and has been for years. I'm also pretty sure the difference between Pittsburgh and their Pro line is mainland vs taiwan.

Snapon, or whoever makes theirs, are very powerful for their size. CPs are pretty good though. I've used much worse.

Related question: what's everyone's preferred 4.5" grinder?

my 4.5 is a black and decker. works fine, good power. a thousand times better than harbor freight ones. obviously its not metabo, but i dont use it much.

Channel locks has a new line called code blue that is made in the USA. Also, some of their regular wrenches are made in the USA too, but you need to look around.

Yes, Pittsburg pro line is made in Taiwan vs China, but it is made with a different metal than is more forgiving and doesn't break as easy.

It is also more heavy duty stuff such as impact sockets which is the only stuff I would get.

Metabo

Cool. We've got a HF one at work. Decent power but the switch sucks a dick.
For as much shit as I cut up with it I should get a nice one.

Will look into that.

why would you cut with a grinder? that smells so horrible. use a saw.

It's gross, but very fast and agile.
It works really well for cutting up crashed cars to repair them.

wat car iz dis?

Looks like a Lamborghini. I can tell 100% by the wheels.

I would bet a Fiero.
People love to kit that piece of shit.

>Lake, ditch, or pond
Literal kek

Go to a estate sale and buy all the tools you can find.
Better over prepared than under prepared.

just dump it under your neighbors car

>doesn't know that walmart and other places will take that shit for free.

>being a hippy faggot

I hope you know that the 231 line is Chinese made garbage. It's notorious for being weak and unable to overtorque anything. That's why pretty much every tire shop around today provides them.

>wanting to live in New Jersey

Ignore what everyone else said because it's retarded. Here is the GOAT piece of advice regarding tools:

1. Invest in a quality set of ratchets (you want at least one full size half inch one and a smaller 3/8th inch for working in tighter spots) and a quality set of 6 point sockets. you want 6 point because they grip better and lessen the chance of you accidentally stripping something.

2. Invest in a quality set of t-handle allen hex keys/sets and a smaller sized set for working in tight spaces

3. get a torque wrench that goes up to at least 150 ft/lb

4. get a quality set of COBALT drill bits. This is the one thing I wish someone made clear to me at the very beginning that COBALT is the only type of drill bit you should get. I wasted so much money on meme drill bits at Home Depot without knowing that pretty much everything except cobalt is complete shit and will fall apart the minute it touches anything other than aluminum

5. Don't get an impact gun. You don't need it. If you're just starting out, it's going to do more harm than good. It's better to work with your hands and get a feel for the torque. A noobie with an impact gun is just going to do something stupid like take 800 lb/ft of torque to a 14mm brake caliper nut and shear it into a perfect circle. seriously, don't get one. get a regular power drill if you want one.

This will more or less get your foot in the door. There are a million other things you'll eventually need to buy but get those on a project-to-project basis. Some examples include regular pliers, needle nose pliers, a C-clip plier, locking pliers, spark plug socket head, rubber hammer, torx bits (why the fuck do these even exist), etc...

Obviously you will need a jack, jack stands, oil pan, funnel, etc....

>projecting

Not everyone is a complete fucking retard like you. Some of us knew how to use an impact from the first time using it, without fucking shit up. That would those of us that had fathers, who aren't sissy cuckolds.

i think i spent too much
CP 830 air ratchet (3/8)
Elora 1/2
Stalwille 1/4
Wera 3/8

and i have a 1/4 torque wrench, its a bendy bar
a 3/8 clicker which has fresh calibration
and a 1/2 bendy bar one

i think i spent over $500 in ratchets...

wise user

A metric crescent wrench.
Phillips 2 screwdriver.

Some of the chinese tools that say they are forged are actually just cast. I remember a chinese hammer breaking the 2nd day of use. Looking at the edge of the broken chipped head, it looked like it was cheap cast steel with very crystalline grain. More like pig iron than steel.

To them, I bet forged is a light weight single pounding with a weight just to justify that there was some forging strike.

>metric adjustable wrench

Well.... What is it?

ask someone who just spent $70 on a socket anything

The entire set of those costs like $35 at Harbor Freight.

I guess I'm supposed to ask a question, so why are you bragging about getting a really bad deal?

>Harbor Freight

lol

You could get the whole rainbow from Amazon too
amazon.com/Grey-Pneumatic-1511TP-Wheel-Protector/dp/B000FBBNPK

Why the hell would you do that? That socket has no advantage over cheaper alternatives.