Whether you’re restoring your classic Ford Mustang or performing regular maintenance on your vehicle yourself, there are certain tools that will be more useful to you than others. And let’s be honest, being able to work on your own car can definitely save you time and money…not to mention the confidence and bragging rights that come from it. That being said, we’ve compiled a list of some of the tools that every mechanic should have in their garage.
Car Jack and Jack Stands
It is inevitable that you will at some point need to get under your vehicle for tinkering. There’s only so much you can fix otherwise. Find a jack that can raise your car’s weight and jack stands to keep your vehicle safely in the air once it has been raised.
Mechanic Tool Set
Every mechanic needs a mechanics tool set. Save yourself some time and energy and get a set rather than buying the tools you need one by one. When choosing a set, look for variety and flexibility. Most will include drive sockets, extension bars, hex keys, bits, wrenches and more.
Impact Wrench
Impact wrenches come in very handy when removing lug nuts but can be used in any high torque situation. Impact wrenches get their power from a hammering mechanism in the tool that delivers strong force extremely quickly. When loosening a lug nut you’ll notice the socket attached to the impact wrench moving slowly as the lug nut is loosened and then quickly when it’s loose. Be careful when tightening lug nuts with an impact wrench, as it’s easy to over stretch or even strip the threads if torqued too much.
Dead Blow Hammer
Ever run into a stuck bolt that nothing seems to budge? Many times, a Dead Blow hammer is your best bet. A few whacks will loosen the most stubborn bolts.
Flex-head ratchet
For those spending a lot of time under the hood of their vehicle, a flex-head ratchet will come in very handy. It’s thin head will allow you to access tight spaces and the flex feature of this ratchet will give you great leverage to loosen nuts, bolts, fasteners and spark plugs easily and quickly.
Pliers and Wire Cutters
Electrical projects will be abundant when working on a vehicle. That being said, you will definitely need various sizes and types of pliers to get the job done.
Shop Light
When you are working on your car through the late hours, you will be glad to have an LED Shop light. It’s very difficult to get work done on your vehicle when you can’t see what you’re doing. Do yourself a favor and make sure your tool arsenal includes a good shop light.
Drip Pan
If left uncaught, dripping oils and fluids from your car will create stains on your garage floor or driveway. Make sure to equip yourself with a drip pan to catch falling fluids and keep your work area looking nice.
Multi-meter
A multi-meter is used to check if wire is active as well as how much electricity is running through it. This is important for both safety but also diagnosis. Checking if a battery has a charge, or testing the alternator are common problems that can be quickly checked with a multi-meter, amongst others.
While these are some of the more common tools that you will need while working on your vehicle, there are many more out there that would likely lend a hand. Don’t forget to keep your car manual on hand, as it will provide a lot of information and specifications regarding your make and model of your vehicle. Further yet, get a factory service manual for even more useful information when performing common repairs and maintenance.
If all else fails and your mechanical know-how doesn’t help you with body repair projects like dents, scratches and collision repair, give our sister company, D&S Automotive, a call or stop by one of their locations for a free estimate. Need glass service? That’s where we come in.