Intro to airtools or electric impact

Ok I priced out having a shop install new shocks and it was stupid. I'm have done it once with help on one car. I want to do more not less work.
So I can get better shocks and I have about 400 to spend on tools to break even on the cost. 4 hrs labor x rate in MA.

Biggest hurdle is the god damn pinchbolt.

So for infrequent use I could but an electric impact wrench. Recommendations

Or entry level air tools.

For light use I think I don't need to worry about CFM. It won't run a minute. Ncan someone recommend me an entry level setup.

Compressor impact wrench accessories.

Amazon or hf links would be great. I will look on CL, but not sure what to look for It had a compressor I am sure I would find more to do with it

Electric if rarely used. I like the big cordless either way.

But for one bolt? Go get a 3/4" drive 24" long ratchet and some sockets. :)

The Harbor Freight "Earthquake" line is pretty well regarded for home use.

You want at least 10 gallons of compressor, avoid oil free units, they're very loud and most are cheaply built.

Also get a decent air chisel, very handy tool, remove rounded off bolts, split rusted nuts, cut sheet metal fast, hammer the hell out of whatever needs hammered on, etc.

Pay the premium for rubber hose.

Don't forget eye and ear protection, air tools are loud.

If you have a $400 budget, why not go cordless impact? There was a thread on here recently, and I think the really good ones were in the $200-250 range.. then you'd have it for track days or autocrosses or whatever.

I've had good luck with the hf electric 1/2” drive, I think I paid 40 for it 9 years ago..

My compressor wont run an impact. No idea why, because it should, but dont.

So i bought the harbor freight corded impact on friday. 45.99 and 20% coupon.

The thing is loud. And heavy. And bulky. But it does the job. It took off a pinion nut that was rusted and dirted on from the late 60s off like it was nothing. Same with a few other stuck fasteners.

I have both air and cordless. If I was in your position I would go cordless. Get a big 20-24v 1/2" impact and it'll do about 90% of what the earthquake will do without the hassle and cost and space usage of an air compressor.

I'm sure there are bolts my battery impact won't do that my air impact will but I haven't found them yet.

A breaker bar or long socket wrench just isn't the same.

I recently bought the DeWalt 1/2 and 3/8 impacts with two batteries and a charger for ~$430. Thats a lot of cash, but I needed to take apart a car that was in a storage building without power.

I also have a huge 2-stage compressor and air tools.

Holy crap, I'll never fire up my compressor again unless I need to fill tires. The moment of truth was the rusted axle nut on a car that had been sitting for 7-8 years. I squared up with my new toy, prepared myself for disappointment, and squeezed the trigger. It whizzed that nut off so easy that I fell in love.

Yeah, cordless electric over air for diy use.

My cordless impact is more powerful than my corded one, despite being smaller and lighter, so I wouldn't even waste time on the corded one. If you've got between 200-400, pick your favorite brand, get a lithium battery, and go nuts.

Love my Milwaukee cordless. I haven't touched my air powered HF earthquake since.

This thread got me looking at current electric impact offerings (I'm not putting any more money into the Craftsman ecosystem) and I found that Home Depot's Ridgid brand offers free battery replacement for life, which seems like an appealing thing given my past experience with batteries. Any other brands doing this? Any thoughts on the HD house brand?

I like my friends Milwaukee cordless it is good for most jobs. BUT when I have something that is really stuck my old IR half drive air impact is the tool. Something else. Compressor size matters a lot. And even more important is hose size. Since air tools get there power based on cfm not psi you need to get volume as well as psi to the tool. Cheep 1/4 inch hose will work for a nail gun or a small paint gun but it will be the limiting factor on a high torque impact gun. For comparison. A motors HP ratings are the equivalent to a compressors psi ratings while torque is a compressors CFM rating. And since torque is what gets work done. Limiting the cfm with a small hose will offen newter an otherwise good air tool.

Wow. first I am surprised so few people said air. But i guess my use case is wrong. The 400 was for everything I need beyond simple hand tools and jackstands.so a good Jack, extra extensions for my 3/8 sockets etc.

I am also thinking about the struttop nut. I am not sure the bigass ratchet/cheater bar will be sufficient. I know that entry level air and impact is about the same 200 to 250 thanks for the help

Next question... How much is enough. I know too much is Never enough. There is a monster Milwaukee claimed 700 for about 300 once I get a charger and battery. Is 200 enough. 300

I expect that the pinch bolt and the strut topnut will be the biggies But I have some b an d firestorm stuff that might be intechangeble with DeWalt.

Pinchbolt - do not use an impact on it (alone) unless you want to break it off in the upright. Shop procedure is an airhammer on the upright near the bolt and an impact on the bolt itself, well call it the shake and break method. Needless to say this takes two people and is very noisy.

Otherwise, just use a breaker bar, a lot of penetrating oil, and patience. This assumes that it's stuck enough that you need more than regular hand tools to get it out.

Umm I assume is will be a bear living in the north east. But hand tools I know how to buy. Am I making to buy a deal on the effort required

My question is how often you'll use an impact, after this one bolt? If it's once a year in your garage, a cordless impact will probably end up with a dead or failed battery the next time you pull it out. On the other hand, if you use it frequently in locations where a corded or an air impact aren't practical it would be a good idea.

You're welcome to swing down and use my tools. You can get a feel for whether you'd like air or if the electric will do what you need. I'm in Stafford, ct.

I have a kick-arse impact gun of things get hairy and a big compressor to run it..

I love my air, but I only fire up the compressor when I've got a nut that the electric can't deal with (some axle nuts, for example), or I'm going to be taking out a lot of bolts (say, swapping an engine or pulling a tranny).

If your budget is for an entire tool suite, I'd get the hf electric, their impact socket set and the aluminum racing jack and some stands. Fill out the remainder with whatever other sockets and extensions you need.

If you do go air, get the Milton v-type fittings and quick disconnects. They have double the cross section of the M types, which, as Dean points out is a huge deal with air tools.

I probably have $100 in my air lines and fittings, so I'd hesitate to recommend spending 1/4 of your budget towards that.

stuart in mn wrote: My question is how often you'll use an impact, after this one bolt? If it's once a year in your garage, a cordless impact will probably end up with a dead or failed battery the next time you pull it out. On the other hand, if you use it frequently in locations where a corded or an air impact aren't practical it would be a good idea.

This is my problem with cordless electric tools, unless you use them frequently the batteries make them expensive to keep running. A properly maintained air compressor and tools don't really care if you leave them sitting for months/years.

I've got the Kobalt (Lowes) 24v kit for the regular drill and hex drive impact. They have a 1/2" impact that is on my wish list. Mike Finnegan has one in his home shop, if that is any endorsement. The batteries are surprisingly affordable.

For the $150, I want that cordless one, even though I've got a 60 gal compressor and no air impact, if that says anything. But I've already got those batteries. If you buy into cordless, make sure you like the rest of the tools that brand makes, whether yellow, red, or blue.

edit: this guy LOWES

Step up to 1/2 drive sockets rachett and breaker bar and extensions. Also get impact rated sockets and extensions. HF stuff is good value for the $$$$$

dean1484 wrote: Step up to 1/2 drive sockets rachett and breaker bar and extensions. Also get impact rated sockets and extensions. HF stuff is good value for the $$$$$

thanks for all the advice above. i think this is what i will do. I know hta the first thing i need to do after taking the wheels off is the stupid pinch bolt. if I can't get it, I know I need to step up to something bigger, of find someone to help. by the way I would do both sides bolts before I go any further :) i would hate to do one shock and be stuck for 2 days. I’ll check back in later with my results.

I'm going to be the dissenting opinion and say you should get a corded electric impact.

Those dang batteries are never charged when I need them.

In reply to 02Pilot:

I've never owned any cordless Ridgid tools but I have several corded ones. Each one has been good quality and served its purpose well. The worm drive circular saw is awesome and makes me smile each time I use it.

dculberson wrote: In reply to 02Pilot: I've never owned any cordless Ridgid tools but I have several corded ones. Each one has been good quality and served its purpose well. The worm drive circular saw is awesome and makes me smile each time I use it.

Thanks. It may well be the best option for me. The lifetime warranty on the tool and especially the batteries is very appealing. I do have to do a little more investigating, however, as it appears only batteries purchased with a tool or as part of a kit are eligible for lifetime warranty replacement; all others are 3 years.