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Tools The listing of tools below is for reference purposes. I try to include as much information as possible about brand etc. but it is by no means complete, and as manufacturers change models etc often, some of the specs might change over time. I am also not averse to renting, borrowing, making or otherwise using tools without having to buy them. Renting is a great option for that tool you need, but will only use it for a while, and can't justify the price. Check the specs on air tools you want to add to your collection. Be sure the air requirements are within those your air compressor can maintain. Nothing shoots the joy out of the job more than waiting for the compressor to catch up to you. If you buy a tool right at the edge of what your compressor can support, you will have to live with the occasional stop and wait deal. You often will see different pricings for these tools. If you look at the air requirements, you often can find the reason. Cheaper tools seem to require more air to run than the more expensive ones. Don't ask me the technical reasons why this is the case, but I imagine it has to do with design, gearing etc. Vendor | Tools | Supplies | Corvair Sites |
| Tools | Brand/Model | Useage | Supplier |
| Welder | Hobart 125EZ | You didn't plan on a restoration
using bubble gum and tape did you? Most guys who weld for a living
will tell you to go with a gas welder and with a 230 volt plug. This
is all well and good, but I didn't have a 230 volt outlet in the garage,
and working outside the gas used in the gas welder would blow away.
I went with this model for a few reasons. First it was a flux core welder which means no gas needed. It has settings already programmed for you so all you have to do is set the dial to the thickness of the metal welding and boom you are good to go. It will use both .30 and .35 sized flux welding wire. My basic recommendation here is to get the largest amperage you can of a wire feed mig welder. The Hobart 125 can go up to 125 amps, but 99% of my welding is no where near that. What I get is a longer time welding without having to stop and let the welder cool. You probably can get by with a 90amp model, but you might be frustrated with the shorter duty cycle on most of your work. Brands make all the difference here too. Hobart is one of the better brands. Cheap means cheap internals, and you might just end up buying another one when the cheap one burns out. |
Northern Tool - had a $50 coupon and it was on sale as well. Ended up being cheaper than lower amped models elsewhere. |
| Reciprocating Saw (Sawzall) - Must Have | DeWalt | Rough Cut metal, Demolition | Local Home Stores |
| Angle Grinder - Must Have | Makita | Grinding, Cutting, Sanding etc. | Local Home Stores |
| Jig Saw - Semi Optional | Craftsman | Sheet metal cutting | Local Home Stores |
| Air Tools - 100 piece set: 3/8 ratchet, 1/2 Impact Wrench, Air Hammer etc. | Husky | Air tools will make your life so much easier for stubborn bolts etc. just do it. | Local Home Stores |
| Air Compressor | DevBliss (sp?) | I happen to have a 5 HP 20Gal tank. The bigger the tank etc. the less time you have to wait for the compressor to catch up. Don't go any smaller on this. | Local Home Stores, Northern Tool, Harbor Freight, others. |
| Air Cuttoff tool | WelBuilt | Sheet metal cutting and shaping | Northern Tool but most anywhere has them. I got mine on sale cheap. |
| Angle Grinder | Central Pneumatics | With attachments, grinding, sanding etc. Very quick sanding and grinding when using the sanding disks you can get. You get a much better control with this than the bulky angle grinder, but don't expect to grind out that lump with it. | Harbor Freight, but most home stores have these tool. Again I got it cheap. |
| Dual Action Sander | Central Pneumatics | Duh sanding big sections of the car. Kinda sucks for paint removal though but then again I am a bit impatient. | Harbor Freight, but most home stores have these tool. Again I got it cheap. |
| Belt Sander | Craftsman | Ok not technically a automotive tool, but to remove paint and rust, this bad boy will put most other stuff to shame. Careful Andy this thing will take off more than you want if you aren't careful. Keep it away from your fresh body filler if you don't want to refill it. | Home stores |
| Aviation Snips | ???? | Cutting sheet metal | Home Stores |
| Vice Grips | ???? | Clamping, heck all kinds of things. Think also about the large welding grips as well where it looks like a big C-clamp. These can be valuable for holding metal in weird spots for welding. | Home Stores |
| Clamps and more Clamps | ???? | Never can have enough or a wide enough variety | Home Stores |
| Floor Jacks | ???? | Bottle Jacks, floor jacks, atv lifts all valuable | Harbor Freight and other home stores |
| Jack Stands/Ramps | ???? | I have two sets of stands, and a set of ramps. With tires off the car, the ramps are worthless. | Just about anywhere. |
| Auto Car Dollies | ???? | You need four of these. Set one tire in each, and you can move the car around if you need to without the engine running. I have rotated my car many times as I work on one side or the other by using these. I also happen to use them when dropping the engine by setting the engine on these and moving it around as needed. | Just about anywhere |
| Pullers | ??? | Nifty items you will use sparingly but there are no other substitutes. Pulling steering wheels, pulleys etc. Look for a set with multiple screws etc. This will give you the most use out of a single purchase. No need to really go expensive here since these are relatively low use. | HarborFrieght |