Home mechanic based gift suggestions

[(steven)]

The father in-law is in to his old British Leyland cars and as I’m “into cars” I get the task of buying his birthday/Christmas presents.

I'm looking for a couple of useful home mechanic related gift suggestions. Stuff which is useful to have but not so common that he already has it.

Previous gifts in the same vein have included:
-Irwin bolt extractors
-Micro spanners
-Reprints of original British Leyland workshop manuals

Any suggestions welcome. (Other than rust eater and better taste in cars )

[Flooble]

AA membership?

Giftcard for the local taxi company?

:-)

[PositronicRay]

How about a copper mallet? (I know I'd like one)

It's difficult to say without seeing his tool kit.

[Ynox]

Tap and die set?

[(steven)]

PositronicRay said:

It's difficult to say without seeing his tool kit.

Yeah, I know. Every-time I go round there I try and take a look at the garage to see what he has and I still don't really know.

Overall he has a pretty good set-up hence I normally try to look for useful but slightly lesser known stuff (hence bolt extractors and micro spanners).

[tapkaJohnD]

How important is it tha you make him happy? How much to pay?

An induction heater coil to free up seized bolts is about £400, but coming down in price.
JOhn

[mr.man]

How about a full valet from a proper outfit?

[voicey]

These are useful to have...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000XIZN9C

[bearman68]

tapkaJohnD said:

How important is it tha you make him happy? How much to pay?

An induction heater coil to free up seized bolts is about £400, but coming down in price.
JOhn

Oooooh, that's a bloody good call.
Does he have a compressor? - you can find those for about £100 on fleabay - always useful.
Long aviation spanners are good to - is this old stuff metric or imperial?

[paintman]

One of the induction heaters has been on my 'shiny objects of desire but I can't quite justify the expense yet' list for a considerable time - and after the fight with a Sprinter bottom ball joint last week might just be making an appearance!

I'd be a little careful about the compressor option as the small ones are OK for tyre inflation & blowing dust off things but not a lot else.

[Evoluzione]

It's Easter, surely some of these will go down well:

[hidetheelephants]

A box of rusty old cack? Doesn't a BL nut already have too much of that? Depending on what flavour of BL and how well equipped his tool box is already, a hydragas pump. vacuum brake bleeder or perhaps a set of pullers.

[nsa]

I would get him an innovative tool that he wouldn't buy himself. Bahco makes reversible ratchet spanners:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bahco-S4RM3T-Reversible-Ra...

You get twelve metric sizes in three spanners. I've got a set and they are very handy. Listed for GBP 35 here.

The new Lithium Power starter packs are good for flat batteries and they really do work:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/9000mAh-Multi-Function-Lit...

Or any book by Allan Staniforth, or one of the modern Haynes manuals - the Lotus 72 is a good one.

[227bhp]

hidetheelephants said:

A box of rusty old cack? Doesn't a BL nut already have too much of that?

Not sure if serious