What Do I Need To Start Wrenching?

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Unless you are going to use them every day you will not need Snap On, Proto or any other high end brand tools.

I would look at HarborFreight.com to get ideas of pricing and what is available.
HF tools are good enough for a shade tree mechanic.
 
+1 on Harbor Freight. I highly recommend the 301 piece set, as it's got practically everything you'd need to completely disassemble most cars. For anything safety related though, like jack stands, ramps, etc I'd personally buy only name brand stuff for my own piece of mind.
 
for one of my boys I got him a $200 socket set from Home Depot; then added other tools as needed. if you are in northern IL a few of us meetup once a week to wrench for fun. maybe a little more when its nicer out - although we all have heated garages. I may be an outlier, but I am NOT a fan of Harbor Freight.
 
HF for anything that doesn't have a plug or gas cap! You'll have an added benefit of nobody wanting to steal your tools.

Although I do recommend a decent socket set from Home Depot
 
Spasm3 makes a really good point. Flare nut wrenches, also flare nut crow's feet, are one place to never cheap-out. Get SK or Snap-On or some other high end brand.

Also realize that some "Metric" vehicles still have SAE flare nuts, at least in the USA.
 
I appreciate all the feedback. Just to give a little background. Growing up in the Metro Detroit area ,cars have always been in my blood. By the time my I wanted to learn how to wrench, my Dad had stopped because of working too much and health problems (open heart surgery at 40). He was from the carburetor era so FI and computer controls weren't his strong suit. I picked up a few things from him and from friends in college but not a lot. Now, I am in my early 40's have a great career in an office environment (business tech) and the bug has hit me again.

Now that I have a space, why not learn now? If I start now, I can keep an eye out for a project car. I realize I have to crawl before I run but if something gets out of control, I can always take it to a pro.

Next step, start looking at what i can find at Harbour Freight and start looking at estate sales.
 
I second holding off on air tools until you get a nice size compressor to power them. I wouldnt gey anything less then a 60 gallon as some air tools take a lot of air. I have an 80 gallon 2 stage and on sale i paid a grand for it but well worth it as i have a lot of air tools. Or you can always go cordless. The battery powered impacts etc that they make now are unreal and impressive.
 
Originally Posted by Black_Thunder
I second holding off on air tools until you get a nice size compressor to power them. I wouldnt gey anything less then a 60 gallon as some air tools take a lot of air. I have an 80 gallon 2 stage and on sale i paid a grand for it but well worth it as i have a lot of air tools. Or you can always go cordless. The battery powered impacts etc that they make now are unreal and impressive.


Also this. My big NAPA impact will do a good 7-8 ugga-dugga's before it drains my dad's little 3 gallon air compressor lol. Cordless is great, assuming it isn't that stuck... I have a Harbor Freight cordless impact that's actually pretty decent.
 
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Just a caveat on certain Harbor Freight tools...... can be really sloppy.

I tried a set of long combination wrenches (box on one end, open end on the other). The dimensions were wide and sloppy.

The cheap flare nut wrench warning above applies FULLY to some of the Harbor Freight stuff.

SPECIFICS: On the correctly sized wrench/fastener (meaning I didn't select the wrong one) the HF tool could swing 20 degrees without touching metal.

That's dogs dirt cheap! While it's good to know where you are (a beginner or hobbyist) and to stay within an appropriate budget DON'T EVER forget that cheap is cheap.

A funny thing is that HF tools have been a perennial punching bag here and on every other forum. On this thread they're heroes.

They're not in business to help the youngster start out. They sell cheap tools and make profits doing so.

There truly is little left for you in their business model. Get you started?..sure. My metric impact sockets are HF as are my telescoping pick-up magnets and mirror.

However, my multi jointed long pliers are Sears. They deliver heaps more value and usability than HF's single jointed ones.
 
I think tekton wrenches on amazon or you can order from home depot will serve his needs. I have the offset box end set and they are not sloppy.
 
Originally Posted by spasm3
I think tekton wrenches on amazon or you can order from home depot will serve his needs. I have the offset box end set and they are not sloppy.


He may can search around and find just the metric set. He may not need the standard unless he works on older stuff.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...mp;pf_rd_r=2K4EVV390AD0DHX8PCBT&th=1


EDIT: Here is just the metric set of combination wrenches for $40 8-22 mm

https://www.amazon.com/TEKTON-Combination-Wrench-Keeper-Metric/dp/B00OZJN3PQ/ref=sr



For flare nut wrenches, snap on, go used on ebay. Bought mine for a bit over $100 but after using them, well worth it.
 
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Start with this..

https://www.sears.com/craftsman-444...GzqLj3wIVj4KzCh0cYAT7EAAYASAAEgI6CfD_BwE

Add some SK 6" and 8" pliers, side cutters and 12 in slip joint pliers.

https://www.circlecsupply.com/catalogsearch/result/?q=pliers

Vise grips.

https://www.amazon.com/Tools-VISE-G...25490&sr=8-5&keywords=vise-grips

You can find a breaker bar, extendable 1/2" ratchet, jack and stands and 24oz ball pein hammer, dead blow hammer at HF, Home Despot has Mayhew USA made punches and chisels cheap. A cheap code reader is available almost everywhere for cheap money try to get one that also does ABS codes.
Ramps are good for oil changes and not expensive.
 
HF tools have come a long way from cheap Chinese junk to decent tools. I am a fan of 1/4" sockets and 1/2" sockets. I have no 3/8" as there are no gaps in 1/4" and 1/2". If working on newish cars then metric is all you need. SAE is needed for older cars, and other stuff like boats, tractors, trailers.

Forget an air compressor and pneumatic impact wrench. Get a quality cordless impact wrench.

Craftsman not made in China are decent tools. Wright makes excellent tools. Klein makes nice pliers and cutting dykes.

Used tools are an option. .
 
I just read 3 pages of suggestions that nearly added up to a professional garage. Unless i read it wrong the guy has a 2017 nearly new fusion. Not counting the warranty the most he has to do is oil changes and tire rotations for a long time.

For $48 he can get tire rotations every 7500 miles at walmart. To do this at home he needs a floor jack/jack stands and at the minimum an impact socket set and a breaker bar.

For $20 he can get an oil change at the same walmart. To do this at home he needs at minimum the jack and stands above (which isnt fun at all) or a good set of ramps, oil filter wrench and pan.

IMHO on a single car that is newer its just not sensible to tool up... if he works on family and friends cars i would vote different.
 
I started with HF and Stanley tools from Walmart. Slowly upgraded to the big box brands along with Tekton and Gearwrench. Have a couple truck branded tools, but that's just due to dumb luck with pawn shops, otherwise they are too pricey for the weekend warrior.

Along with all the other thoughts, I would add lighting. HF's Braun led stick is very well recieved for under $20 with coupon. I use it more than my Astro light. Also, find a heat source for when a BFH won't cut it. I have a Map gas torch on standby for exhaust and suspension work. Get into flex heads after you've built up your basic hand tools. They can be a lifsaver and time saver in those hard to reach spots.

Get a drip tray that's bigger than your oil drain pan. No matter how cautious you try to be, there is always oil or liquids that overshoot the drain pan.

Find yourself a good tool box. Always shoot for bigger than you think you need. I've gone from a double stacker 26" Craftsman box to a 46" Husky bench to a 52" Husky chest.

Cordless impact: pick a brand and battery line up that you can expand with for your needs. The worse thing you can do is buy multiple platforms. Batteries and chargers get expensive really quick. Ryobi worked well for me for many years. Their 300 lb ft impact is more than sufficient for lugs and suspension. And their line up of home tools is massive. I've since converted to Milwaukee impacts, but still keep Ryobi for home use.

Good luck and happy wrenching.
 
Originally Posted by krismoriah72
I just read 3 pages of suggestions that nearly added up to a professional garage. Unless i read it wrong the guy has a 2017 nearly new fusion. Not counting the warranty the most he has to do is oil changes and tire rotations for a long time.

For $48 he can get tire rotations every 7500 miles at walmart. To do this at home he needs a floor jack/jack stands and at the minimum an impact socket set and a breaker bar.

For $20 he can get an oil change at the same walmart. To do this at home he needs at minimum the jack and stands above (which isnt fun at all) or a good set of ramps, oil filter wrench and pan.

IMHO on a single car that is newer its just not sensible to tool up... if he works on family and friends cars i would vote different.

I agree 100%. Especially when I see recommendations for tools I don't own and don't wish I owned. I've been wrenching DIY for close to 40 years and never needed a lot of the tools mentioned. For example, I last used a flare nut wrench in 1994 on a Mercury Sable master cylinder and that was the one and only time I ever used it.
 
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