Help a New Builder Out?

[Xusia]

Hey Guys,

I don't have my kit yet, but I'm hoping I will get it soon (I'm on the hot list), and the sunshine is turning to the liquid variety here in the lovely Pacific NW, so I have started preparing in earnest. I need to buy some tools and other stuff, and I'm asking for those more experienced than myself (so pretty much everyone!) for some help in both identifying what I may need that I don't have listed, as well as picking brands, sourcing, etc.

A little history: I buy many tools at Harbor Freight (GASP - I know!) because they don't see a lot of use, so the lower quality is generally fine for me. Still, there are situations that really demand a higher quality tool - either to do the job right, save a lot of time, etc. This is where I need the most help: Knowing the difference between the two! If a low quality tool will do the job just fine, that's probably what I'd prefer. But if there is real benefit for me to spend more, I have no problem doing so.

Also, I'm not mechanically inclined, per se, though I do understand what most things are on a car, what their purpose is, and how they work. I am very good with electrical stuff and wiring, as well as most electronics & software. I'm also pretty good at figuring things out (usually after doing it wrong 2-3 times).

The list below is what I plan to buy. I'm looking for brand and/or a source to buy it from.

Two NOTES:

If you are making a brand recommendation, I would really appreciate a brief explanation why. I would also appreciate avoiding any side discussions of brand X versus brand Y. I don't have a vested interest in that. I just want a decent tool!
I know in some cases there are ways to get around needing the tool, but I've already made the decision to buy the tools below, so I'd appreciate no discussion on whether or not they are truly needed!

I don't mean to come off harsh. I merely want to keep the discussion on track. My intention isn't just for myself. I think there are a lot of new car builders that will benefit from this. :)

What I need
Tap & Die set
Rivet Spacer
Drill Doctor
Drill Bit set (REALLY thinking about that Cobalt bit set)
Clecos & Cleco Tool (probably going to buy from ReplicaParts.com)
Air Riveter (1/4"? 3/16??)
Brake line bender
Flaring tool
Bench grinder (maybe)

So what else should I consider buying??

[Mechie3]

Riveter. Get the 1/4 harbor freight one. It has better reviews, though the 3/16 has gotten better it seems as it used to only have 3 stars. I bought the 1/4 one when it was on sale for $50 then used a $25% off coupon. Works amazingly well.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-4-quarter-inch-air-hydraulic-riveter-98898.html

I bought cleco's off amazon. Anywhere is probably the same. Think it was ~$25 for a tool/25 clecos.

Bit set: I bought a 10 pack of 1/8" from lowes. Have only used up about 3. Not the best bits, not the worst, and they've gotten me by.

[68GT500MAN]

I bought my air riveter from Craftsman 10 years and 7kits ago. it handles four sizes of rivet shanks (the jaws are interchangeable and come with the tool) with no effort. You will not need an entire tap and dye set, just get the sizes you want to use. You can get the rivet spacer, but I have always just used a piece of elastic with marks on it that keeps the same spacing as you stretch it. You also do not need the entire drill bit set, just get the ones you want as you go (I have done an entire kit with six #30 drills). The Drill Doctor is nice if you have a lot of drill to sharpen often (I have one). Look around for deals on the Cleco's and the tool - do a Google search to find a lot of sources. A decent torque wrench or two (3/8" and 1/2") will come in very handy. There are other things like a de-burring tool for the aluminum panels, battery powered drill, sheet metal shears, and of course beverages for your new friends hanging out in the garage.
Hope this helps,
Doug

[AZPete]

For a rivet spacer you can buy a hinged contraption ($50?) or use jockey shorts elastic - really! Cut the waistband from the shorts, mark it every 2 inches with "0" at one end. Now just clamp the "0" where you want your first rivet, stretch it to the last rivet and then mark the aluminum. You'll have perfect proportional spacing and it's FREE!

Similarly, you can buy a deburring tool to smooth the edges of holes you drill, or you can use a much-larger drill bit by hand. Just turn it once or twice by hand, not in a drill. I use a 1/2-inch bit for the 1/8" holes. Easy & free.

For the 1/8" rivets we've all found that some holes need to be reamed a little before the rivet can be pushed in. Better yet, use #30 drill bits that are very slightly bigger to save time and frustration.

I use 12-inch drill bits to reach difficult places much more than the 90-degree drill chuck. Get one 1/8" and one 3/16" drill bit, each 12 inches long. Ace Hardware or Harbor Freight.

(Oops I took too long and got beaten on the elastic and #30 bits.)

[Racebrewer]

The quality of taps and dies has fallen over the years. Sears no longer carries High Speed Steel taps and dies, unfortunately. Whatever you get, make sure they are HSS. I buy individual taps and dies from NAPA and they have been pretty good.

Tin coated drills are generally a joke as they are a TiN coating over junk steel. Cobalt content drill bits are usually pretty good. Get on ENCO's mailing list for monthly specials. I buy their Triumph brand.

John

[first time builder]

As for tap and die set You will probably use it more to clean up or chase threads, so a better set from HF should work fine. I have built a few with the double end drill bits from HF they are 1/8 not #30. they come 10 to a pack and I bet you wont go thru all 10 in the 1000 or so holes you need to drill. # 30 are actually better as they are slightly bigger and allow some ease in riveting. I have had both Dewalt cordless drills 12, 14.4 and 18 volt and have now found that I fell in love with Porter Cable. I have two 18V sets. purchased from Lowes. Comes with, flash light, drill, sawzall and small circular saw for like 150.00 includes 2 batteries and charger you can upgrade to LI battery for like another 30$. Whats best is the batteries if and when they need replacement are half the price of Dewalt. I did purchase the accordian rivet spacer from an aircraft supplier cant beat it. I would space it and use a fine tip marker in the holes then use a snap punch ( Harbor freight) , then drill. Clecko are a must 25 1/8 are a minimum 35 better. Harbor freight Air riveter is fine 1/8
and maybe a hand riveteer for the few bigger ones and if you get in a tight spot, I have the hand rivet tool with the head that rotates.Tin snips are a must. And of course Torque wrench and basic hand tools.

Kenny

[Mechie3]

HF has two kits. The steel and alloy steel. Plain steel one is supposed to be bad. Alloy one is better. I've used the alloy one multiple times to chase and tap.

[da King]

I'd buy a good torque wrench, you don't have to get the best but don't buy the cheapest either, at the end of the day set your wrench back to zero it will stay accurate longer that way. Check out the thread on build tips, at the top of the list in this section, Wayne started it and it has some good tips from him and others, I like what Wayne did for a rivet spacer, using a carpenters square. Floor jack (new, when your not using it have it in the release/lower position, could save the seals if it gets hot) check craigs list for a used engine hoist and engine stand, check for cracked welds on these used pieces, if you can, lift something heavy with the hoist, check and see if it creeps down under weight, the replacement rams are cheap but it pays to check it, ask the seller if he has anything heavy to pick up, if no then take a fat friend with you and he can hang off the hoist. I have a tap and die set but you could get away with just buying the tap's you need, that way you can buy better quality, look for "made in USA" so you get good quality not the made in china stuff, my kit is china stuff, got it on sale and it has everything, metric and Imperial but poor quality, I have better ones of sizes I use often. Jack stands or a dolly, I like those head band led flash lites for the sake of a better word, light where you need it and hands free but a trouble light is handy too, vise grips - check out the build threads to see what size the other guys are using to hold the alum. panels when drilling. The scariest part of the whole build for me will be cutting the body, I'm going to get the best hole saw blade I can find, it probably will be a fine cut blade, lots of teeth but maybe someone who's done it can give better advise than me on type and brand. If you buy a hacksaw get 1 that has a straight back, you'll be able to keep your blade tighter = straighter cuts. Look at the blades, they are not all the same and always get bi-metal blades. A hand drill has been mentioned, get a name brand, safety glasses or a shield. disposable gloves if your so inclined and some hand cleaner too.
Finn

[da King]

I forgot to mention beer for after your days work.

[RM1SepEx]

develop friends with similar interests... my friends share tons of tools, how often do you need an engine crane, plasma cutter or tig welder? my friends crane visited for a little while and went home, I run over to another's shop for pipe bending and even dyno tuning.. Other tools, but depending on how often you will use it and how important it;s function is.

So a nice torque wrench is important but for th amt of actual "wrenching" that you will do low quality tools from HF will be just fine.

[Xusia]

Wow. Awesome responses guys. Thanks!

Based on your collective recommendations, here's what I'm doing:
Tap & Die set - Harbor Freight Alloy Steel
Rivet Spacer - Aluminum one from Amazon
Drill Doctor - Actually decided against it. Disposable bits will be cheaper both short term and long term.
Drill Bit set - Actually decided against it. Disposable bits will be cheaper both short term and long term.
Clecos & Cleco Tool (probably going to buy from ReplicaParts.com) - Amazon
Air Riveter (1/4"? 3/16??) - Harbor Freight 1/4"

I also bought a de-burring tool.

I have a decent enough torque wrench, floor jack, and cordless drill. Anything else I think I'll evaluate on a case by case basis.

Feel free to continue to comment - even if it's about something I already bought. Others will come after and may find this useful! :)

[wallace18]

Dremel tool is great for getting stuff to fit. I used it a ton on my 33 build and 818.

[Mechie3]

Brake line bender and double flaring tool. I'm using an eBay bender that was about $10 and the inline flaring tool from auto zone. The flaring tool has made no bad flares yet (visually haven't tested under pressure). The only thing I don't like is that it grips the tube hard and removes a bit of the coati g right where the nut goes.

[DARKPT]

-90 degree drill driver
-ratcheting wrenches
-handheld electric jigsaw with some metal cutting blades (for aluminum work)
-you mentioned you were handy with electrical work, so you probably already have a butane soldering iron. It's "wireless" and heat up quickly.
-when you get the kit, find the largest nuts and bolts in the kit and make sure you have wrenches and/or sockets for those.

I bought my Cleco pliers from HF, but they didn't have the cleco's. :confused:

[VD2021]

Low profile Jack and jack stands.

I struggled with the $30 standard jack for a while. It really becomes a chore when you get the vehicle near ride height. I purchased the heavy duty long reach, low profile from Harbor Freight (with a coupon of course) http://www.harborfreight.com/2-ton-low-profile-heavy-duty-floor-jack-rapid-pump-68050-8048.html. I think it was $79. The aluminum jacks are a lot lighter and easier to maneuver, so they are a great choice also.

Corded Drill

Quality cordless drills are great in the shop for short durations or if you have multiple batteries at the ready.

[flynntuna]

Outstanding thread! All very good suggestions. I'd add that no shop should be without a good fire extinguisher.

[Xusia]

Mechie3, Thanks for the reminder on the bender and flaring tool. What is the brand on your bender?

Also, I recall some discussion on flaring tools in another thread. The gist was that one type was not as good as the other. Is yours the good kind?

[skullandbones]

I have a bench drill press but I just received a floor model that my son found as surplus at his shop (ready to discard). So he asked if I needed it. It turned out to be one of the best tools in my garage. It is an old HF model but it has a head that moves back and forth 16 inches. I have used it almost exclusively since I got it. I wish I had it during the build. I can still make some mods with it going forward.

The only other thing is to get the best flaring tool you can afford and an air riveter. You will save yourself carpale tunnel and wrist and hand pain. Good luck, WEK.

[AZPete]

One more tool: a bench grinder with a wire brush on one side and a grinding wheel on the other side. I used mine a LOT cleaning up donor parts. A brass wire wheel for aluminum, steel wire wheel for steel.

[svanlare]

With my build date moving up, I'm going through the garage thinking about what tools need to be added. After a quick search, I thought I could piggy back on Xsuia's thread since there is already a lot of good information here about tools.

I'm planning on buying a compressor this weekend and would love other suggestions if this one is a bad idea. I'm looking at the Dewalt D55156 200 PSI hot dog on a rolling chassis. While it has some mixed reviews, every compressor I have looked on the web has mixed reviews.

For background: On the Lemon's team I race with, we have a twin stack that we picked up that really doesn't have enough air for an impact wrench, but it works fine for ratchets and grinders (and I'm sure a rivet gun which with the sand blaster will be the first big use). I was looking to get a little more air and yet still be portable.

So if you have one you love, let me know, otherwise I'll update with my feedback after I get it :-)

[68GT500MAN]

In my experience, sand blasters use as much air (or more) than an impact wrench. Get the compressor with the most CFM output that you can afford.
Doug

[Xusia]

How portable do you want it to be? That looks like a good unit, but it does have a REALLY small tank. It has good SCFM, but if you are using a tool that exceeds those SCFM ratings you won't get much use out of it before you have to stop and wait. This will be especially true using a blow gun - it will run down VERY quickly.

Also, with a smaller tank, the motor will be doing more stop-and-go than a compressor with a larger tank (where the motor runs longer, but less frequently).

If you don't need to be able to throw it in the trunk, you might consider an upright with wheels. You can get them with 20-30 gallon tanks for just a bit more than the Dewalt.

If you care, mine is a 26 gallon Husky with wheels. I'm indifferent to the brand, but it has held up very well. It's 15 years old, works as good as the day I got it, and I can't say I've been kind to it.

[RM1SepEx]

CFM is the key, you need volume, buy as big as you can afford. my 5hp 30 gallon upright allows short term sand blasting. I either add another compressor for volume or use a friend's bigger setup (he has a bigger blast cabinet too :-)

[DodgyTim]

I have the sand blast cabinet like Rasmus has on his build thread.
Two 8 cfm compressors joined together don't keep up with that. Two 8 cfm compressors is a lot for a domestic power supply, we run 240V too.
I got so frustrated with standing around with my hands in the gloves waiting for it to recharge, I built some extra receivers on a trolly, made from two auto LPG tanks.
It takes a while to charge up, but I can clean 1 reasonable sized part and then do something else while it recharges.

[svanlare]

Great advice. I was worried most about the impact wrench, but it makes sense that a sand blaster uses more. I'll check out the 20+ gallon uprights tomorrow.

-Steve

[metros]

I also invested in air tools in preparation for this project, which has turned out to be a great investment. I was initially looking at 30 gallon units but decided on a 60 gallon Quincy unit after a recommendation from a friend. I initially thought I wouldn't need the additional air space but have been happy I've had it. I don't have a sand blasting cabinet but it's nice not having the compressor kick on very often. Like others have said look for as much CFM as you can get. My Quincy unit is 14cfm at 90psi IIRC, plenty of room for growth in the future for new tools.

[Jeff Kleiner]

... I'm looking at the Dewalt D55156 200 PSI hot dog on a rolling chassis...

That's a nail gun compressor. You could use it for the one shot at a time riveter but you will find that it isn't going to be up to the task for tools requiring continuous airflow such as ratchets, impacts, drills, etc.

Jeff

[RM1SepEx]

If you want to run air tools like drills, cut off rotary tool, air ratchets, 1/2 inch impact wrench you will not be happy w/o 5 hp and 25-30 gallons delivering 5 -6 cfm at a MINIMUM

If you want to seriously go at it like a business would... DOUBLE that to 10 CFM

The DeWalt is very nice quality as if you were a carpenter using low flow tools every day. If this is a hobby I'd go for a larger less well built unit.

My old Campbell Hausfield is 5 hp, 26 gallon upright, 5.5 cfm at 90 psi

You have to stop and wait... :-( but it's done it for 20 years... I can wheel in a friend's and double capacity for big, high flow jobs!