Weak girly hands...

Well, they're not necessarily weak because I'm girly...I got rear-ended by a semi in 2000 and took a lot of damage to the hands/wrists. Net loss is fine motor control and generally weak hands - example: I can't hold a cast iron frying pan with one hand.

I was trying to get the rear bolts loose to remove the RX7 seats; without room to really put shoulder/arm strength into it, I just don't have enough hand strength to get it done. And, since I'm n00b, I have no impact wrench. I will be solving that this weekend...

Which brings me to the whole point of my post: For the weaker ones amongst us....any other tools/cheats that you can think of that I might find handy in disassembling the RX7? :D

40 inch 1/2" breaker bar with a cheater extension!

Just make sure it's long enough that you can remove that bolt from OUTSIDE the car.

breaker bar/cheater bar (pipe over a ratchet) is your best friend. Also- invest in tools with warranties so when you break them because you had a 3 foot cheater on the end of a 1/2'' ratchet, and you spin the gears from standing on it- you can get a new one for free. Not that i've ever done that trying to do brakes on a crusty Samurai or anything.....

Have you tried slipping a piece of pipe over the handle of the ratchet?

Man, everybody beat me to the answer.

If you don't have any pipe (or not enough room), use a 1" wrench by putting the closed end around the ratchet handle. Works better on the square-handled ones, but the extra leverage + angle usually makes breaking the bolt loose a snap.

And I know how you feel, my 2004 military injury left me with nerve damage in my neck that goes down my arms, especially my left. Buy more tools, they will be your friends.

I've been known to use patio umbrellas as cheater bars.

Totally on the right track with an impact wrench. The corded electric ones are pretty stout - I haven't run into too may things my electric impact couldn't get apart.

Even a smaller compressor will hold enough air for a pneumatic impact wrench to break something loose - I use my air chisel with a little "hot dog" compressor for those times when there's no hammer swinging space. You can't run it for very long - but easily long enough to get that stupid VSS out of the transmission....

Harbor Freight sells cheater bars that are cheaper than general purpose pipe. I think just about everything is on sale every week.

Also nice to have extensions/wobble/u-joint adapters enough to put the wrench where it's comfortable if at all possible.

IMHO, impact is faster and safer than a cheater bar. Also less chance of rounding the head off that impossible to remove bolt.

That's how new curse words are invented.

I should have echoed the praise for impact wrenches as well. Picking up a cordless impact wrench changed the way I work.

I already had a compressor, impact wrench, and pneumatic ratchet, but for so many jobs I didn't want to fire up the compressor. Now the tool's always handy.

Thanks, guys. I definitely need to buy a compressor, shop vac, etc. I have only the most basic tools at the moment (socket wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.). When we put the GTX together last year, the guys brought impact wrenches, torque wrenches, and the suspension compressor thingies (what the heck ARE those called??).

We also had access to a 7.5 ton crane in the warehouse space I was renting...perfect for dropping engines and lifting the cars off of them. :D Since I don't have a car payment, I'm setting aside $300/mo for a tool budget.

Maybe I'll start a new "stock the garage" thread. :D

Hillbilly Impact Wrench:

• Put wrench on bolt / nut
• Hold wrench with one hand, leaving end exposed
• Hit end of wrench with heavy item (hammer, any older HF tool)

Never under estimate the power of beer. You put out the call: "There's free beer involved you if you give me a hand on my car..." and the strong fisted wrench slingers should come running.

RossD wrote: Never under estimate the power of beer. You put out the call: "There's free beer involved you if you give me a hand on my car..." and the strong fisted wrench slingers should come running.

One note: Make sure you provide the beer after the work is done. You may find that the quality of the work is inversely proportional to the quantity of the beer consumed.

Inexpensive ($45ish) Harbor Freight 115volt corded impact wrench. An honest 200ft/lb of torque at the pull of a finger. I've used mine three times, and each time it saved HOURS of work/made the job possible. Buy their impact sockets and extension set, and you'll be in business.

if you decide on cordless,spend the $$ and buy quality. You'll be using it a lot more than you think--esp with those hands. Oh, and TWO batteries, or at least a fast charge unit.

Edit add: And IMHO, there are times when an impact wrench, due to how it works will break the nut free, where using a breaker bar will snap the bolt. I have nothing empirical to back that up, but, a couple of times I think my cordless was better than a breaker bar on the bolt NOT snapping.

dollraves wrote: Thanks, guys. I definitely need to buy a compressor, shop vac, etc. I have only the most basic tools at the moment (socket wrenches, screwdrivers, etc.).

i have an upright compressor, a 1/2" air impact, and a 3/8" air ratchet. i almost never use the air tools anymore, and the compressor is relegated to tire inflation and running the cutoff tool aka Death Wheel.

several years ago i bought a cordless electric 1/2" impact from HF which nearly obsoleted the air tools. once in a while, i'll run into a situation where i just can't get the electric impact into the space available, and i'll have to fire up the air if i can't get it with the breaker bar.

oh, just the other day i bought a new breaker bar at HF. 18" handle, 1/2" drive. it's Pittsburgh brand, and has a very nice reinforced swivel end on it that is much sturdier than the one i inherited from my dad many years ago.

After years of frustration, banged up hands and tools thrown across the garage, I discovered my two great friends- the impact wrench (which sounds like you're on the way to) and the biggest breaker bar I could get my hands on. I also have a four foot (no joke) length of square steel tubing that can go over the end of the bar when it's not enough. If I can't get it easily free with that, it's not ready to come - i.e. needs more penetrating oil or heat. Amazingly, I don't often break anything.

AngryCorvair wrote: several years ago i bought a cordless electric 1/2" impact from HF which nearly obsoleted the air tools. once in a while, i'll run into a situation where i just can't get the electric impact into the space available, and i'll have to fire up the air if i can't get it with the breaker bar.

I got a pretty decent cordless impact at Tool King on close out. That's what I use most of the time. It's in the autocross box and does lug nut duty too.

But when I get a really tough nut (pun intended) I break out this guy...

http://www.harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-heavy-duty-impact-wrench-66984.html

950 ft. lbs. is no joke. Truth be told, I don't own it. A buddy of mine who uses the same shop I do has one and lets me use it. The crank pulley bolt on a 22R is kind of notorious for being tough to get out, or so I have read. This thing did it like nothing.

In reply to triumph5:

I agree, an impact will free a nut that a breaker bar will break. Not sure why either. But it somehow just kinda makes sense in my head anyhow...

4' section of black pipe slipped over Craftsman 1/2" breaker bar hasn't failed me yet, but a cordless electric impact is on the wish list.

RossD wrote: Never under estimate the power of beer. You put out the call: "There's free beer involved you if you give me a hand on my car..." and the strong fisted wrench slingers should come running.

Seriously, how do you think I got the $2010 GTX put together in under six weeks from drop to finish?? :D The power of beer compelled them!

However, I don't want to have to outsource the stupid little E36 M3 if I can help it. Part of it is that I don't want people thinking I'm playing the "I'm just a little ol' girl" card. Part of it is that people mean well, but it's faster to DO than to TEACH...whenever I ask for help, I have to walk the fine line between being grateful for the help but not letting someone take the project over for me. It's trickier than you think. But, I do this because I love it, and I want to learn.

EDIT: LOL! I never realized that if you typed in the s-word, the board automagically replaces it with E36 M3! Nice, guys!

Another vote for the ease and low cost of the HF corded impact. If you have the scratch and inclination for the air setup I can't argue, but my little corded piece has done me right.

I'm a big believer investing in good basics and staying creative when possible. If I'm dead on the side of the road and don't have basic tools, it's more likely that someone's going to pull over and hand me some socket wrenches than some special whizz-bang-dealy. If it's so bad off that I can't fix it on the side of the road, well, that's what Better World Club (like AAA, but lobbies for both car stuff AND public transportation) is for...

E36 M3ty and berkeleying. Lol