Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I think there are a lot of reasons the "Saturday Driveway Mechanics" are dying out. First of all, cars today are way more complicated than in the past.......there are certain jobs I pass on. Secondly, a lot of communities frown on you working on your own car in your own garage or driveway. I lived in a very code enforced town at one time, and the cops were always at my door because my Sons and I were building them cars in our own garage. Neighbors love to turn in people for that kind of stuff any more.
Nice write-up, Don.
I could never, and would never, live in a community like that. I quite enjoy that my neighbours and I regularly work on cars in our driveways, backyards, and garages.
I have two rolling tool chests. Well, three. One for SAE tools, the second for metric and a third for welding.
I have a basic code reader for engine codes. It stems from being miles away from an auto parts store. I paid $120 for mine. Also, a multimeter helps with diagnostics. When pulling parts I use old coffee cans to keep studs and fasteners together. Good lighting is also important.
Photos help. Take photos as you disassemble parts, you have a reference when putting it all together. Keep plenty of blue shop towels for cleanup.
I wish You Tube was around when I first started working on cars.
I'm a fan of Harbor Freight hand tools. Few years ago, I was looking for a set of long beam wrenches. Went to Sears and Harbor Freight. Saw the Craftsman stuff was made in China yet it was still priced at the made in US level. HF is made in China and priced at made in China level. If I'm getting something made in China, I'm not paying a US price for it.
One thing I would suggest are some of the foam anti-fatigue mats. Definitely saves your body and insulates you from the cold garage floor. Sometimes the creeper puts you too high.
You can have a shop full of tools but if you don't have the knowledge to use them you can actually screw things up even worse.
I have a friend who can be an old crotch and he used to own a auto shop. He calls me a shade tree mechanic and I will admit that I am not a mechanic I'm more of a tinkerer that takes on jobs that I'm confident in completing. That didn't stop me from building a replica 65 Cobra from Factory Five 15 years ago.
Over the years my skills and tool box have gotten better and bigger and I enjoy fixing things and saving money doing it.
To any would be mechanic I would say you have to use the right tool for the job and if you are going to take it apart you have to know how to put it back together. Above all Work SAFE.
When I was a broke college student with a beater of a car, I did all my own work. Basic tune-ups. Brakes. Clutch. Brake lines. Exhaust. A lot of sheet metal work to fix rust. My first couple of years working, I'd do oil changes.
What would it take to go back to working on my cars? A big drop-off in income.
One thing not mentioned was to never put your whole body under any car....jack stands or not.
I had my 1/2 ton Chev PU jacked up at the rear end with my floor jack and also had two stands on the side (those with the three legs close together) when one leg crumpled and the truck tilted (asphalt driveway).
This time I was completely under the truck and was pinned to the ground. Yelled for my son who came and raised the rear higher so I could get out from underneath. (was working on the drive shaft)
STUPID me should have known better as I was raised by a future mechanic (my dad) helping to work on Model T's in the 1930's.
I trusted those CHEAPO stands that are still sold today while two in my garage today could hold up a semi....lesson learned from the past experience. Only medical issue I had from that was a huge RED welt across my mid section below the rib cage.
One thing not mentioned was to never put your whole body under any car....jack stands or not.
I had my 1/2 ton Chev PU jacked up at the rear end with my floor jack and also had two stands on the side (those with the three legs close together) when one leg crumpled and the truck tilted (asphalt driveway).
This time I was completely under the truck and was pinned to the ground. Yelled for my son who came and raised the rear higher so I could get out from underneath. (was working on the drive shaft)
STUPID me should have known better as I was raised by a future mechanic (my dad) helping to work on Model T's in the 1930's.
I trusted those CHEAPO stands that are still sold today while two in my garage today could hold up a semi....lesson learned from the past experience. Only medical issue I had from that was a huge RED welt across my mid section below the rib cage.
This is why I usually wedge an 8x8 block of wood under a frame rail, diff, etc.. Worst case the car can't fall far enough to pin someone with that as a backup.
One thing I would suggest are some of the foam anti-fatigue mats. Definitely saves your body and insulates you from the cold garage floor. Sometimes the creeper puts you too high.
Can't you get a creepier creeper that hugs the floor tighter? And aren't there some safe jacks that will keep the car level with no risk of having it fall on you? Or is it partly because that kind of stuff costs more?
There's ALWAYS a risk that it will fall. Unfortunately there is no way around that. One just needs to be cognizant when working on a vehicle and take the proper safety precautions.
Don, excellent post!
My toolbox is an el cheapo that the wife got me about 15 years ago for Christmas from Kmart. It's falling apart, but still does its job for now. Some of my tools are Snap-on, some are SK (hand me downs from her grandfather), a few are Craftsman, and many are Harbor Freight. I've got a garage full of tools that I have accumulated over the years for probably less than $1k. I can do most of the jobs I need with what I have. I usually keep an eye on the HF sales papers and grab something I need if it's on sale. I also keep a tool bag under the seat of my truck in the event that I need to fix something on the road.
The most important thing to me aside from knowledge (and safety) is knowing which tool is the right tool for a job. I've seen a lot of folks cram a torx bit into a hex screw and end up stripping out the bit and the screw. Or using a slightly larger wrench than required to do a job and rounding off a bolt head because they're in too big of a hurry to find the right tool. If you don't have the right tool, it's cheaper to get it than to try to make what you have work in some cases.
Here's some ideas that would get the newcomer going relatively cheaply. All tools are from Harbor Freight.
225 piece mechanic's set (includes SAE and metric pieces and comes in its own case): $120
This set in itself would help someone tackle most small jobs.
Comes with 115 sockets, 4 extensions, 5 socket adapters (including swivel adapters), and 1/4", 1/2", and 3/8" drive ratchets. Also includes 10 combination wrenches , SAE and Metric hex keys (short and long), a crescent wrench, a set of side cutters and needle nose pliers, and a bit driver with a number of bits (Phillips, flat head, torx, etc). To mention, the combo wrenches are a small sampling and miss a lot of the important sizes such as a #10 wrench, etc.... (Because of this I'd recommend a full set of combo wrenches separately from this kit)
32 piece SAE & metric combination wrench set - Comes with stubby and standard length wrenches. Has most all of the common sizes. $22
7 pc Plier set - Includes long nose pliers in 4.5 and 6" lengths, 6 in diagonal cutters, 8" groove joint pliers, 7" linesman pliers, 6" slip joint pliers, and 8" slip joint pliers. $8
3pc Curved jaw locking pliers set - Similar to Vice-Grips. (Not quite the same quality but I have a few and they have always served me well) $10
2 pc offset angle long reach pliers (20 and 45 degrees) - $8 (I recommend these for hard to reach places where pliers are needed)
4lb deadblow hammer (for jobs such as knocking a stuck brake rotor loose without breaking something) - $12
**The below depends on the size of vehicle you are lifting..... make sure you purchase a set of stands and jack that is appropriate for the size vehicle you are lifting** I will be using a standard size vehicle such as a small car for reference here.
3 Ton (6k lb) jackstands - $25/set
3 Ton Floor jack - $80
40" 300lb capacity low profile creeper - $30 (this is a nice to have, but not necessary)
So for ~$315 one could purchase enough tools to get small jobs done.
For storage on the items not in a case you could use a cheap $15 toolbag (what I keep under the seat of my truck). If you can afford it, HF sells a really nice 4 drawer rolling tool cart for $160. Or you could go with a smaller 30" steel service cart for $80 just to keep your tools in one place.
This isn't an all encompassing list by any means, but hopefully an addition to Don's original list to give you some idea of what it costs to get started.
Last edited by Nlambert; 02-01-2016 at 11:40 AM..
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
