Any advice on organizing track toolbox?

Hope everyone is having a great holiday. I was lucky enough this Christmas to get a nice 5-drawer rolling tool cabinet:

www.craftsman.com/26-in-5-drawer-heavy-duty-ball-bearing/p-00937718000P?prdNo=6

along with a good 348-piece starter Craftsman tool kit:

www.craftsman.com/craftsman-348-pc-mechanics-tool-set/p-00934348000P?prdNo=8

I plan on using this set exclusively at the track for Spec Miata/SCCA racing.

Any advice on how to organize the tools for optimal use at the track? Becuase I will be working on a Miata, should I spearate the SAE from the metric tools in separate drawers?

Also, I bought some rubber lining materials for the drawers to keep thinkgs from sliding around too much but is it necessary to lay down foam and have each tool in its own little recess so things don't move around at all? Or just call it good and toss everything loose in the drawers?

As you can tell, I have lived a fairly sheltered life and have limited experience with tools so any help for this lost soul would be greatly appreciated.

/Rich

Lots of socket organizers. Harbor Freight sells them for great prices, if you have one near you.

I have the same tool box with a similar sized Kobalt tool set. It came with its own box and had trays to fit every socket. It has been very helpful. My sockets are also color coded; red for SAE and blue for metric. I don't separate mine.

There really isn't any good way to organize tools besides the way it makes sense to you. I put all my ratchets and wrenches in my top drawer and my sockets in the second drawer, as I use those the most. I've grown used to how I set mine up, and can reach for the correct drawer 60% of the time I'm working.

In reply to MINIzguy:

Thanks! Oh, and I'd give my left uh . . . lung for 60% accuracy.

Nice toolbox. You'll want to find a way to tie it down in the trailer to keep it from going rogue on those nice big wheels.

For wrenches, I use rolls. One for SAE, one for metric. Very portable, easy to find wrenches and very easy to make sure you've got the full set when you're packing up. Haven't lost one yet. At home, they're mounted on the wall for easy access. When I'm heading for the track, I just unhook them from the hooks on the wall, roll 'em up and toss them in the box. The fact that they're all together means I can easily take the complete wrench set to where I'm working. http://www.tecratools.com/product1401.html

Sockets. Get these organizers from HF. You can get them in black or grey. Put all the metric sockets on one color and the SAE on the other. Makes it super-easy to grab the right set. You can also mix and match the mounts, so you can put all your 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2" extensions on the same stick for example. As with the wrench roll, you can also tell at a glance if there are any sockets missing, and you can easily bring the whole set of sockets to the job instead of running back and forth to the toolbox.

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-piece-14-38-and-12-socket-rail-set-68101.html

If you're sharing this box with anyone and time is of the essence, label the drawers with big obvious labels.

Also, if this is just for track use, ditch the stuff that's not on a Miata. No 13mm sockets, no SAE. Just carry the tools that are used on the car (and the trailer). There's no point rooting through every wrench you own when you're always using the same three 10, 14 and 17mm wrenches.

I like to put colored tape or nail polish on specific tools to make them easier to find and, if someone is helping me, easier to describe.

A label maker can be handy to put a tag on each drawer describing the contents. Easier to tell someone that the hammer is in the "Tools For Breaking Things" drawer than the one drawer at the top of the middle chest. This isn't as helpful for you if you're totally solo, but if you have someone to help, it can make things a bit nicer.

Creating little foam impressions for each tool would be kind of neat, but I'd think it would limit the practicality, overall. The wrench wraps and the good socket holders will keep things together, but I think you'll be fine with the non-slip mats in the drawers for everything else.

If you have bigger drawers with smaller things to go in them (heh, you know what I mean) I like to find Tupperware or other latching and stacking containers so that when the drawer opens, you can pull out just the things you need.

Keith Tanner wrote: Sockets. Get these organizers from HF. You can get them in black or grey. Put all the metric sockets on one color and the SAE on the other. Makes it super-easy to grab the right set.

I prefer this kind of socket organizer:

It's not as easy to grab the whole set out of the drawer, but they stand up better in the drawer itself, they pack denser, and it's easier to find exactly the right socket at a glance instead of having to find the labels on them.

codrus wrote:

Keith Tanner wrote: Sockets. Get these organizers from HF. You can get them in black or grey. Put all the metric sockets on one color and the SAE on the other. Makes it super-easy to grab the right set.

I prefer this kind of socket organizer: It's not as easy to grab the whole set out of the drawer, but they stand up better in the drawer itself, they pack denser, and it's easier to find exactly the right socket at a glance instead of having to find the labels on them.

I like those too .. when I've seen them in other peoples boxes .. where to find them ? I'll admit I haven't looked all that hard

Summit sells them, Sears sells them.

They break very easily, though.

thanks ..

Knurled wrote: Summit sells them, Sears sells them. They break very easily, though.

...and Northern Tool.

They also stand up tall, obviously, and will take a deep drawer that you might rather have bulky stuff in, like power tools.

Spec Miata?

Top drawer - Pyrometer, air pressure gauge, torque wrench.

Middle range - Implements for pulling out dents.

Anywhere else - Tools for repairing mechanical failures.

5S is best. If you've worked for big corp America I'm sure you know the term. I used foam liner in my drawers in the trailer tool box. It keeps all the tools in there spots and I can quickly ID if anything is missing before I lock it up for the night. (people barrow and didn't return...) Lay out the tools trace with a pen and stick foam in the freezer for an hour and cut with a sharp knife. Some kits come with two layers of foam bright red on bottom to make it stick out but I never bothered with that.

Great ideas! Thank you!

Knurled wrote: Summit sells them, Sears sells them. They break very easily, though.

I bought mine at Sears about a decade ago and haven't had any problems with them breaking. I keep them wedged in place with some magnetic socket holders like this:

and they can't slide around. The magnets not only hold the sockets, but also grab the steel tool drawer pretty tightly. They're good for sockets that don't have holes all the way through -- Torx, hex key, integral u-joints, and the like.

If you didn't already have the box, I really like these:

http://www.strictlytoolboxes.com/montezuma-toolbox.html

And by the time you buy socket and wrench holders and the like they really aren't badly priced.

codrus wrote: I bought mine at Sears about a decade ago and haven't had any problems with them breaking.

I found that if you treat them gently they are okay. The first time something heavy sits on it, and you don't lift it straight up, the long holders snap off at the base.

I've had mine for about ten years too, and maybe five of the holders are broken off. I have the kind originally pictured. Next time I'll just get one of the magnetic holders.

oldopelguy wrote: If you didn't already have the box, I really like these: http://www.strictlytoolboxes.com/montezuma-toolbox.html And by the time you buy socket and wrench holders and the like they really aren't badly priced.

Are all the organizers in there, or do those need to be purchased separately as well?

I know you posted this in a thread I started a while back, but I'm coming back to this idea vs other one.

All the organization is built in, individual fingers for shallow and deep sockets, wrenches, and plates with holes for screw and nut drivers. You have to see them in person to really appreciate.

You can see the fingers better in the white one

Beyond the regular wrenches - I have a combination and a Gearwrench in each size - sockets/drives/extensions - I've pared down by drive size, so my 1/2" stuff is only sized for where I'd need the extra grunt of the bigger size - screwdrivers and pliers, I have a lot of desperation tools. Hammers, punches, chisels, thread files, nitrogen tank, regulator and air tools, 18v drill +bits+Unibits, lots of pop-rivets, some aluminum sheet, loads of hose clamps, zip ties, hose and fittings, wheels studs and nuts, rod ends, and a sh1t-ton of hardware.

oldopelguy wrote: All the organization is built in, individual fingers for shallow and deep sockets, wrenches, and plates with holes for screw and nut drivers. You have to see them in person to really appreciate. You can see the fingers better in the white one

I like those …

Same here.

I wish I could buy a big metric-only set of 1/4, 3/8, 1/2 short and deep sockets to fill it with, but I haven't been able to find that set.

If could, I would instantly abandon my previous plans, to have this as a home garage and easily portable track setup.

But all the other random, big stuff in a duffle bag, grab the jack and some stands and be good to go.

We just did this for our racing efforts. I'll get Tom to write something up on this.

I like the simple and relatively inexpensive boxes and ideas that F1 teams use.

Just what they need, nothing they don't. Easy to move and well organized.

Yes there are a crazy group of people that go to races just to perv on the tools.

If we're talking about overall tool setup, here's what I use.

It's big enough to hold a full load of sockets, wrenches, screwdrivers, etc, but small enough that it can be lifted into the bed of the truck. It has wheels and an extending handle so it can be easily be rolled around, and lifts up to a good height when you're using it.

I keep a list of tools inside the box, so when it's time to go to the track I can load up in about 2 minutes and not be worried about missing something. The tool rolls and organized sockets make this easy, of course.

During the Targa, you can sometimes be on a pretty tight service schedule so it's really handy to be able to set up and tear down your workspace in a hurry. But I've found it really useful for trackdays as well.

These come and go for availability, but they're available at Home Depot currently.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toolstud-10-1-2-in-Adjustable-Height-Rolling-Toolbox-Rollbox/202018275

In reply to Keith Tanner:

I can't look at one of these without being reminded of this:

http://www.woot.com/blog/post/roll-box

The Montezuma is beautiful, but heavy.

I use the same Craftsman the F1 guys use as my race box. Although I like their organization of the top better than the jumbled mess mine is.