Best Tools For The Job

[TRB-001]

ull need

piston ring compressor

valve spring compressor

breaker bar (1meter long)

torque wrench

air compressor (or compressed air in a can may do the job)

lots of clean white rags

nice flat, clean, big work bench

engine stand with a minimum weight around 500kg (iv got a 550kg one and i built my rb30det on it with all manifolds and turbo etc)

also when it comes time to mounting ur engine, make sure u have good quality bolts that bolt the engine to the stand, afterall its alot of weight hanging on 4 bolts

soft faced hammer

oil can (for squirting oil in hard to reach places)

micrometer

straight edge

feeler guages

oil clearance strips (mind blank, disposible small strip u measure oil clearances with)

im sure theres more, but its a good start for ur list

[vidospace]

What about Air Compressors to run air tools? Any recommendations?

[XRATED]

Strapon Schnapon........never heard of the brand. Snapon yes but super pricey. Snapon have some special tools (stud extractors, hss burrs for example) which are not available in the quality/durability from cheaper brands but I only ever go shopping there if I have a problem that cannot be solved by other suppliers.

I use Sidchrome, Minimax, Kinchrome, KCTools. Bottom line is if you skimp on quality in the tool dept., you could well damage bits (including knuckles) which you wish to re-use. Not to mention the time expended rectifying damage caused by inferior tools.

Some of my best/handiest gadgets are those ratchet ring & open-ender spanners (Kinchrome/KCtools) short & long versions. Maybe $130/set but sometimes they are on special. If you are using airtools for nuts/bolts I would be using the six sided sockets, saves destroying nuts/bolts/bits you want to re-use. A set of pipe spanners for remove/fit tube nuts has been very helpful to me. Saves a lot of damage & gnashing of teeth.

And.....I would not even entertain the thought of modifying cheap lifting equipment. Buy the right gear for the job, correctly rated & Aust approved. Much safer for you & visitors.

My 2c.

Cheers, GW

Ummm yeah DUDE... strapon=snap on (Daaa)

I guess if your not comfortable trusting your life (feet) with your own craftsmanship then I'd suggest you dont.... come to think of it if you dont trust your own ability to modify things... maybe you shouldn't be working on your own cars.

J.

[PUDZ 32R]

those "oil clearance strips" are called plastiguage from memory and are invaluable for measuring tolerances in your crank bearings etc.

oh and the only socket i have ever shattered from a supposed "quality brand" was sidchrome.

now i got a mix match of kc tools, am pro, kinchrome, stanley, minimax and the massivley expensive stahwille or however you spell it.

dont skimp on tools and you wont have a problem

oh and if you are planning on a torque wrench dont buy one of the ones with a big needle guage on it because they are so hard to use and the needles get bent and throw your readings out. get one of the ones that click once you reach the right torque.