I know, we all have hundreds (at last count I had about 400, not counting equipment like the air compressor and engine crane), but what is the one that you use more than one would think, and for purposes beyond what it was designed for, and that every time you use it you think "Man this old tool did the job again" ?
I know it's hard to narrow it down to one.
I love my big freaking pry bar (MATCO #SDM1624 - 1/2" x 31"), my Snap-On line wrenches, my 1/2" drive air impact gun ... and of course the combination wrenches and socket wrenches get used every day ...
But the question is, which one tool is your favorite?
Here's mine:
Designed to be a cotter pin puller (and of course it excels at that job) but is indispensible for loosening radiator hoses, scraping crud from hard-to-access places, line-up tool where the regular ones are too long to fit, and on and on.
What's yours?
Dave
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1956 Pontiac Pathfinder 2dr sedan, 496 - dyno'd 545 hp, stick shift, 4.11 posi - Hot Rod
The ratcheting wrenches that I've had since I was 18 seem to get used quite a bit. I find my good ol socket set also comes in handy. I find I use good old musclepower on nuts and bolts as I'm often too impatient to wait for the air compressor to fill up!
My Bench Drill. It's somewhere on the Photo! Much more accurate than a hand drill! The other is a piece of bicycle spoke bent like a crochet needle to remove door clips! Ugly but indespensible!
First would be my Snappy Battery Pliers!. I use these for pretty much everything but batteries as they grip harder than Vise Grips and are great for grabbing door-pins or anything that Grippers or other tools will slip on.. And you have to buy a good brand like Snappy/Mac etc as the cheapo brands break the jaw off when you use them for things other than battery clamps..
Next like Dave's tool shown and Johann's home-made one, I have similar ones made from old 60's A-body air vent handles.. The wire is tough and it's a cheap easy tool to make w/ whatever length wire you like..
3'rd is my giant prybar...actually 9/10'ths of a broken Dodge Torsion bar.. Great tool that has lotsa' uses but always hurts when you drop it on your head..
Last is my scrapyard tool boxes made from 1-Gallon antifreeze jugs w/ a hole cut out around the filler spout.. These friggin' things hold a ton of tools and the longer Johnston bars/Hammers/Extensions can protrude through the hole also being the handle is already part of them, they're easy to carry too!.
-- Edited by Ghost Post on Friday 22nd of May 2009 03:24:35 PM
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I like real cars best...especially the REAL real ones! ----------------------------------------------------------------
This was my best tool until I wacked 1 too many times with a big hammer.I still use it and waiting for the handle to come off. Also use to replace the serpintine belt on my Chevy pick-up. Use to pop tie-rod ends. Used for lifting a motor to get a bolt out. This is a must have
This was my best tool until I wacked 1 too many times with a big hammer.I still use it and waiting for the handle to come off. Also use to replace the serpintine belt on my Chevy pick-up. Use to pop tie-rod ends. Used for lifting a motor to get a bolt out. This is a must have
I spotted the red-handled brother of that one on the road about a month ago and did a U-turn to pick it up...Snappy brand about 24" long and I've used it a buncha times already!. Strange is I found it's little brother 12" long one about 5 years ago on the side of the road too...I wonder how many are in the set as it may take a few years to get them all!?
Finding tools reminds me of when I worked at Mosport as I used to find lots of tools on the track that had flown out of the cars.. If a Team/Car # or guy's name was on the tools, I'd always look for them or if someone asked me if I found something specific I'd happily hand it over.. But I quit asking at Driver's meetings etc if someone had lost a Snappy 3/8 Ratchet or whatever it was I'd found after seeing the amount of hands that would always go up whenever I'd ask..
-- Edited by Ghost Post on Friday 22nd of May 2009 02:09:43 PM
__________________
I like real cars best...especially the REAL real ones! ----------------------------------------------------------------
My 1/2 in drive breaker bar and 4 foot pipe extention has been put to alot of use. It came in handy tearing my 69 apart. And my speedy wrench. Also my 3/8 socket adapter I put on my power drill. I have no air tools. Do it all the hardway.
Ray, how often do you actually use those on a car?
People are going to wonder whether you are engaged in other activities at night...
I know, I keep them in the back of the Suburban, got in the habit of carrying them years ago. Something bad must have happened but I can't recall now what it was. They never fail to impress when you pull them out in front of a crowd!
This was my best tool until I wacked 1 too many times with a big hammer.I still use it and waiting for the handle to come off. Also use to replace the serpintine belt on my Chevy pick-up. Use to pop tie-rod ends. Used for lifting a motor to get a bolt out. This is a must have
I spotted the red-handled brother of that one on the road about a month ago and did a U-turn to pick it up...Snappy brand about 24" long and I've used it a buncha times already!. Strange is I found it's little brother 12" long one about 5 years ago on the side of the road too...I wonder how many are in the set as it may take a few years to get them all!?
Finding tools reminds me of when I worked at Mosport as I used to find lots of tools on the track that had flown out of the cars.. If a Team/Car # or guy's name was on the tools, I'd always look for them or if someone asked me if I found something specific I'd happily hand it over.. But I quit asking at Driver's meetings etc if someone had lost a Snappy 3/8 Ratchet or whatever it was I'd found after seeing the amount of hands that would always go up whenever I'd ask..
-- Edited by Ghost Post on Friday 22nd of May 2009 02:09:43 PM
Hey I lost a snappy 24" breaker bar about a month ago
1956 Pontiac Pathfinder 2dr sedan, 496 - dyno'd 545 hp, stick shift, 4.11 posi - Hot Rod
I always end up paying for it (in other ways) when I get my wife to help out ..
