Tools to maintain my Chim at home?

[jazzdude]

Although I have a small 3/8 drive metric socket set, an old 1/2 AF set and a full range of standard combination spanners, mole grips and adjustable spanners, I have read recommendations for the Halfords 150 Pro set, is this enough to cover all the spanners and sockets I need in one place or is it worth getting the bigger set? Should I also budget for a full set of adjustable head ratchet spanners or is that overkill?

What kind of jack and axle stands should I get that is suitable for occasional home use? How high is practical to do, say, chassis rub down maintenance? Is one of those trays you lay on, on wheels, worth getting?

My first job will be to refurb the wishbones, take them off, strip them, recoat them, change the bushes and clean up the ball joints and track rods. I will then do the rest of the chassis I can get at, which is in great shape but just looking a little tatty.

I know you can never have enough tools but I want to be realistic so will I need anything else?

[QBee]

jazzdude said:

Although I have a small 3/8 drive metric socket set, an old 1/2 AF set and a full range of standard combination spanners, mole grips and adjustable spanners, I have read recommendations for the Halfords 150 Pro set, is this enough to cover all the spanners and sockets I need in one place or is it worth getting the bigger set? Should I also budget for a full set of adjustable head ratchet spanners or is that overkill?

What kind of jack and axle stands should I get that is suitable for occasional home use? How high is practical to do, say, chassis rub down maintenance? Is one of those trays you lay on, on wheels, worth getting?

My first job will be to refurb the wishbones, take them off, strip them, recoat them, change the bushes and clean up the ball joints and track rods. I will then do the rest of the chassis I can get at, which is in great shape but just looking a little tatty.

I know you can never have enough tools but I want to be realistic so will I need anything else?

I have the Halfords 170 piece Professional spanner set and rarely am without the right tool. So good call there. Particularly useful are the six sided (rather than 12 sided) sockets in the set, as you are often dealing with stuck nuts and don't want to round them off. There are a good number of ratchet headed spanners in the set, though they aren't the flexible type. Flexible are useful for removing the dash top and a few other jobs. Your otter switch, if yours is a later car, requires a 30mm socket, but that's a case of buy it when you need it.

Axle stands and slider - see the advert on PH classifieds.

http://www.pistonheads.com/classifieds/parts-and-p...

Jack - I have found Halfords low entry jack to be brilliant, other low entry jacks are available.

Edited by QBee on Sunday 8th November 17:41

[jazzdude]

Yes I saw that ad, but not possible to pick that lot up from here

For the jack, did you mean this?

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-work...

What height axle stands would you recommend?

[FoxTVR430]

Hi Jazzdude

I have also the Halfords Socket set and that is good, but it did not have the 8mm 12 sided long socket needed for the rocker covers. I bought that seperately. (also Halfords)
On the Axel stands I bought these from this site very happy with them

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/ax...

You do need to raise the car quiet high to get them under, but I think that is the same for all Axel stands

[QBee]

jazzdude said:

Yes I saw that ad, but not possible to pick that lot up from here

For the jack, did you mean this?

http://www.halfords.com/workshop-tools/garage-work...

What height axle stands would you recommend?

That's the jack I use. I do have a standard one too, that I bought years ago, but it doesn't go under the Chimaera.
You can spend about £100 on a more professional looking low entry jack from somewhere like Machine Mart - I haven't bothered, partly because the compact design of the Halfords one means I can easily take it to track days with spare wheels in the boot.

I also, for that reason, got myself a de Walt impact driver, for taking the wheels on and off, as I have several sets and do track days, but for normal use the Halfords extending wheel brace with 17/19mm socket is fine. You need the 19mm socket for the TVR, the 17mm fits cars like my Saab. Proper mechanics would also say you should have a torque wrench for numerous jobs.

I wasn't aware there were more than one size of axle stands!

The allen key sockets and star driver sockets in the Halfords set are a real boon. Make getting the bonnet off so much easier, for example, when you use them with the extensions and swivels

[simonwedge]

You'll need a 26mm spanner to get the sump plug out. A ring spanner is best - can pick them up cheap enough on ebay.

[jazzdude]

FoxTVR430 said:

Hi Jazzdude

I have also the Halfords Socket set and that is good, but it did not have the 8mm 12 sided long socket needed for the rocker covers. I bought that seperately. (also Halfords)
On the Axel stands I bought these from this site very happy with them

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/ax...

You do need to raise the car quiet high to get them under, but I think that is the same for all Axel stands

That site seems cheaper than Halfords for similar items. They have a low jack with 4 axle stands for under £60!

Their creepers and impact drivers also seem cheaper.

[tonys]

simonwedge said:

You'll need a 26mm spanner to get the sump plug out. A ring spanner is best - can pick them up cheap enough on ebay.

I thought that the closest metric spanner was 29mm for the std. sump plug?

[simonwedge]

Sorry yes, meant 29mm

[caduceus]

This is all you need:

[Chimp871]

FoxTVR430 said:

Hi Jazzdude

I have also the Halfords Socket set and that is good, but it did not have the 8mm 12 sided long socket needed for the rocker covers. I bought that seperately. (also Halfords)
On the Axel stands I bought these from this site very happy with them

http://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/ax...

You do need to raise the car quiet high to get them under, but I think that is the same for all Axel stands

+1 for sgs stands. Higher than Halford as I've both, the extra bit of height does make the difference.

[jazzdude]

Ok, I managed to get a jack from a garage and have bought the socket set.

What size impact wrench should I get for the suspension job? I have a compressor and have found kits like this http://www.sgs-engineering.com/sat103k-air-impact-...

Will this work or will I need to spend a lot more on a more professional one? I have also seen mechanics using small cordless impact drills for socket work, which would speed things up I would have thought, but if there is a tool that can do both then for the use it is going to get then it would be ideal.

[Pupp]

Windy gun for suspension rebuild? I wouldn't bother... it's tight enough just getting a spanner or socket on most of the fasteners, let alone a big lump like that. There's nowt that will be that tight either - just get some Plusgas

[jazzdude]

Pupp said:

Windy gun for suspension rebuild? I wouldn't bother... it's tight enough just getting a spanner or socket on most of the fasteners, let alone a big lump like that. There's nowt that will be that tight either - just get some Plusgas

I had to do the front upper wishbone for the MOT as the bushes where shot, one bolt took 5 minutes, the other 3 hours. The bolt had glued itself to the bush inner and I had to cut it off from the engine bay with a pneumatic hacksaw. Just hoping the impact wrench would shock the bolts off as there are a lot of them.

[wseed]

A work mate is looking at some imperial ratcheting spanners for his car and I was wondering if it was worth getting a set to share shipping costs.

Set has 5/16, 3/8, 7/16, 1/2, 9/16, 5/8 and 3/4 in. I have the Halfords Advance socket set with most bar the 5/16 as sockets is it worth getting the spanners too? I'm looking at replacing suspension bushes and taking the exhaust manifolds off soon so will these be of use?

[jazzdude]

A metric set is fine for nearly everything on the car.

For the exhaust manifolds, depending on what bolts you have you will need a variety of short and long spanners of the bolt size as access to all of them with only one spanner is difficult. For instance, mine has ARP bolts which are 3/8" and I use straight, cranked and S-shaped to get at them. The standard bolts are 9/16" and it is not easy to use ratchet spanners on those.

[phazed]

Exhaust manifolds bolts should be 9/16 AF unless they have been replaced with something different.

I replaced all the wishbone bushes on my last chimaera about 10 years ago by just using axle stands and fairly basic tools.
Everything was removed, although slowly using nothing more than standard spanners, 3/8" drive socket set, 1/2"drive socket set and a few prybars.

I bought a set of new wishbone bolts from a supplier which made life easier and used a couple of the old bolts with their ends ground to a point which i used to initially line up the wishbones before inserting the correct bolts.

Allow plenty of time as it takes longer than you think!

[jazzdude]

..and soak with plenty of liquid wrench or whatever nut loosening spray you have to hand.

You could take all of the bolts off in one day, or one day to take off just one bolt.

[Belle427]

I recently bought this, its a very nice bit of kit. Id always advise spending a bit more on a quality jack.

https://www.sgs-engineering.com/garage-equipment/t...

Im hoping santa is going to bring me a set of the hydraulic drive on ramps, they look the mutts!

[Sardonicus]

Any fastener thats froze enough (you think is) to warrant getting the rattle gun on is going to shear anyway use hand tools for seized/frozen nuts N bolts you can then get a feel for whats happing or going to happen if you go elastic feeling or beyond it will shear ........ spoken from many many years of being on the tools, seriously though impact action or not if you presume the rattle gun can run more torque then hand tools upgrade your tools or eat some spinach