To get started on a project such as this you are certainly going to need some tools, and I’m not talking about an adjustable hammer and duct tape. Dylan’s favorite tool is the heat wrench, his motto is, “It can’t be tight if its liquid.”  While there is a time for this, if you are trying to save and reuse parts, this is not always the best course of action.  Running out and dropping a cool $15,000 on a shop full of Snap-on tools isn’t always an option either.  We got a few good sets of tools from Harbor Freight to start and that got us through the dis-assembly.

There was a decently priced set of SAE and Metric sockets although we won’t be using any metric on this project.  Also got a decent set of 1/2″ drive SAE sockets that had a breaker bar and some bigger sockets.  We threw in a couple sets of SAE wrenches cause it seems you can never have too many, especially 9/16″.  That and a small collection of other tools that I had collected over the years got us started.

It didn’t take long to realize that life was going to be a whole lot better with an impact gun.  We already had 3/8″ and 1/2″ drive air ratchets but no impact gun.  At first we got away with occasionally using a Makita impact driver with it’s quick change 3/8″ and 1/2″ adapters, but it was apparent that this was not an optimal solution.  Enter the AirCat.  This thing has saved a lot of time and broken knuckles.  We also got some 1/2″ drive impact sockets to go with it both deep and standard, and this helped a lot with some of the more nasty stubborn rusted nuts and bolts. I have found there are many varying degrees of quality to impact sockets.  The Neiko ones we decided to try seem pretty good, and so far we have had really good luck with them.

There are a good lot of other tools that may be needed to go to work on a project like this.  I think the more tools the better because it can only make things simpler and quicker if you have the right tools for the job. The following is a list of other tools that would be good to have as well.

• Assortment of hammers
  • varying sizes of ball peen hammers
  • deadblow hammers
  • 1.5 lb. or 2 lb. sledge
• Set of punches
• Assortment of pliers
  • Needlenose
  • Slip joint
  • Linemans
  • Channel locks
  • Diagonal cutters
  • Vise-grips
• Screwdrivers
• Prybars
• Files

Beyond the toolbox of small hand tools there would be the power tools and some other larger shop items. Some of this would just be nice to haves, and some may not even be necessary at all, depending on how in depth you get on such a project.  I have done a lot of work on vehicles over the years but have never attempted a project of this magnitude so I have no baseline to judge from but, I would guess we are approaching worst case scenario with where we are starting and where we want to be.  If you are not familiar with the project, we recommend you go back and read the History and moving forward page or the About page of this adventure to see where this is all going.

In the power tools category, rechargeable tools seem to be all the rage these days, and there are some that are great.  Some rechargeable tools I have just never gad good luck with and prefer to keep dragging that power cord around. Cordless drills and impact drivers are great, as long as you have enough batteries to get through what ever job you are working on. Todays newer brushless designs have improved battery life.  Battery quality and capacity has also improved as well, so its easier to get batteries that will last through longer use. Impact gun, grinder, reciprocating saw, and many other cordless tools can all be had for added convenience.  I still use corded reciprocating saw and grinders.  Part of this is purely cost driven. When we were having to change the attachment on the grinder often, we just decided to buy multiple grinders to alleviate having to change constantly. We usually keep 3 or 4 grinders around with cutting wheel, grinding wheel, paint stripping wheel and wire wheel or cup. It saves a lot of time changing tools. A small Dremel type tool with a myriad of attachments is also handy.

As for the larger shop tools, we bought a sandblast cabinet.  Its nothing fancy just a cheap Harbor Freight job, but so far it has worked for what we need.  A cutting torch is nice to have for the dis-assembly phase if there are stubborn parts that you don’t plan to reuse.  An air compressor is a multi use tool and can be handy for many other jobs besides a project like this.  We had an old compressor that had a bad motor and compressor unit but the tank was still in fair shape so I got a twin cylinder compressor unit and new 5HP compressor duty motor and refurbished the one we already had.  We also got a parts washer from Harbor Freight.

Welders is a tough one.  There are so many different brands and types and price ranges you really should do some homework on this and figure out what is in your price range and what will work best for you.  If you will be needing to do body panel welding then you will be needing a wire feed or MIG welder at a minimum.  These can range in price from a couple hundred to many thousands of dollars. Again do some homework on this and figure out what works best for you.

There are many other tools that we will use along the way as well.  You may or may not need any or all of these, but we will list them here for reference.

• Shop crane/engine hoist
• Engine stand
• Jack stands
• Floor jack
• Hydraulic jacks
• Shop press

Hopefully this will give you some idea of where to begin.  As this series continues We will explain the uses for most of these tools more in-depth and even cover some others that we didn’t list here.