It's a tie between my MIG welder and my variable speed drill press, so much I can do with just those two. And then I think, well maybe it's my cordless (fill in name here).
It's a tie between my MIG welder and my variable speed drill press, so much I can do with just those two. And then I think, well maybe it's my cordless (fill in name here).
i'm also on the - John Muir's VW book had a defining impact on my life - group VW bench. Still have the 1974 edition that started it all for me.
Most valuable tool is a 1/4" drive military issue snap-on ratchet that dad swiped from the USNavy in about 1956.
wearymicrobe said:
lots of really great answers, I agree with so many of them... but I'm with the microbe on this one. 16 years old, no idea what I'm doing, not sure how I'm going to fix this'63 bug I just got. This book (from the local library) showed me the way
ATTITUDE!
When I was young and obtained my first FOREIGN CAR [IMPORT] there was a general feeling that they were difficult to work on. Yes, they are/were different, but still basically the same.. When a problem happened, the best thing to do was just think about how to repair it. Get advice from those already familiar.
Chevrolet Corvairs were a good example of this. Many Chevy mechanics refused to work on them. I never owned one, because of my love for 'Foreign sports Cars, like MG's'
So I say, it is your attitude.
These days value per dollar, subscription/access to factory repair manuals. Best overall: lift.
My Husky 1/2" torque wrench. No german method of tightening for me.
Ranger50 said:My brain.
Grew up with a mechanic father, mechanical engineering tech degree, and lots of knuckles busted have me thinking about the repair before even lifting a tool.
Amen - more cars have been fzcked up by mechanics that think they will figure it out as they go than anything else. Think about it, talk about it with someone that may be more familiar, look at the workshop manual (and today) look it up online.
THEN pick up your tools and get stuck in.
The thing that I would take from the garage if it were on fire is my Shark Boy and Lava Girl Happy Meal box. Long story, but it has sentimental value as well as offers ongoing guidance.
In reply to wearymicrobe :
I have one of those too, very influencial in my start in cars and my first car.
In reply to Colin Wood :
Flat blade screwdriver. Its a knife, a prybar, a hammer, a jumper wire and yes a screwdriver too. I hear they can be used as a shank too but thankfully I have no reason to know that first-hand.
It used to be my aluminum racing jack, but then I got my cordless impact wrench. So that is probably the most used and appreciated tool. The most expensive is probably my 5000 lb Quick Jack, but it is also up there on the list of best tools I have.
My 7.5 HP 80 gallon air compressor. It lets me grind, cut, loosen and tighten bolts, clean ,bead blast, air up tires, and has a myriad of other uses.
My Craftsman 1/2" metric ratchet set. It was the first tool I bought when I "graduated" from 3/8 ratchets because I was taking on bigger jobs like suspension work. It's probably 25 years old, and it's still all original and has been used a TON.
By far more useful than the function for which it was purchased. Having to do most things on my own these days this is my heavy lifter. Body on, body off the build, this will get it done then go cut 11 acres of fields. It built the driveway to the garage and still makes a damn fine engine hoist. 10ft high pallet racks in the shop, this is the top shelf tool of choice. Honestly I was very reluctant to make this purchase when I moved here but it is by far the most useful bang for the buck thing ever both for automotive work as well as many other things around the property.
I work in construction. This tool is used daily. On some days it may drive over 1,000 3.5" deck screws. It has survived thousands of days on the job. A true workhorse. Milwaukee Impact Driver (Fuel)
The heated shop.
"Value" can have a lot of different meanings as most of these posts allude to.
My hands are top of the list, with brain a necessary part of their function.
If we're talking inorganic tools, value might be interpreted as such:
Useful: my bought-new 6.5" Wilton vise. Plus the 70-year-old university lab surplus butcher block workbench it's bolted to.
Favorite: my shop vac. I'm a clean freak. Every project starts and ends with cleaning the shop.
Monetary: Mohawk 10k 2-post lift. Built like a locomotive in the USA. First and last lift I plan on ever buying.
Sentimental: a 6oz ball-peen hammer I overtly stole from my Dad's collection when he wouldn't turn loose of a duplicate. It gets used on almost everything I work on. He in turn stole them both from his father sometime in the dark ages. Many other precision tool (mostly Starret) hand-me-downs from both of them, both trade machinists.
I have an old, massive Columbian bench vise from the bygone era of when things were made to last. I know I'll never break it, but I once teared up at the thought of it getting stolen because I know it literally cannot be replaced by the junk made today.
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