Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Ahoi-hoi. So now I'm moving from beg, borrowing and stealing tools (well, ok, the first two) to having my own set I can break myself. I got the Halfords Professional set for Xmas, which I'm very happy with so far. The only observations are:

Three sizes of ratchet, 1/2, 3/8 and piddly 1/4" drive but the sockets right up to 19mm are only the 3/8 drive. Considering this covers the suspension wishbones etc, I really can't see myself using such a weeny size of ratchet that much. So an (Halfords) adapter has been bought so I can use my 3/8" drive sockets on the decent size 1/4" drive ratchet.

On my shopping list to 'beef up' my toolkit are...

-Breaker bar
-(possible) ratchet adapter for use on the breaker bar
-Torque wrench
-10" extension - 1/4" drive
-Other spanners, if needed? - I have up to 19mm - what's over that on an Omega?
-Anything else useful on Omegas I have forgotten?

Just looking for your recommendations for makes to aim for/avoid. I don't want to automatically default to Snap-on, brilliant though it is, some of it might be 'too good' for my purposes - but nor do I want to waste money on 'cheap n cheerful' stuff that will break after half a dozen uses. Buy on,c e buy quality, is my motto. Suitable for the home mechanic, does all his own work.

Thanks in advance, and sorry this sounds like such a Newbie post!! 

[Entwood]

Make that TWO torque wrenches ....   you need a nice small low-range one and a chunky big one ...

Small one around 2 - 24 Nm .. big one up to 250 Nm does most jobs, although wheel bearing nuts are 320 Nm .. I did mine to 250 Nm then took it to my local garage who tweaked them up for a couple of quid in the charity box.

The small range one is a MUST as there is no way you can "guess" 8 Nm  .. or other small values needed .. and things like cam covers / oil filter covers are torque critical items .. that are usually overtorqued .. badly !!

edit .. something like these but many others available ..

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Sealey-8-inch-2-24nm-1-47-17-70lb-ft-Micrometer/dp/B000RO1ZCG

http://www.justoffbase.co.uk/Torque-Wrench-Micrometer-Style-1-2Sq-Drive-40-210Nm-30-155lb-ft-Sealey-STW102

HTH

[LC0112G]

Front wheel baring nuts are either 27mm or 32mm, so you'll want a decent 3/8" (or larger) socket for those (to use with your >3 foot breakers bar!).

Worth having several different 17mm, 18mm and 19mm hex sockets and spanners - most of the nuts/bolts in the suspension are this size.

Omega has lots of Torx bolts in/on the engine. Get a wide range of torx sockets from very small to can't possibly be that big. Also a decent set of hex drive allen keys

Get a long 3/8" socket extension - 2 or 3 feet long. Allows you to get at the wishbone vertical bolts from the top of the engine bay.

Oh and get one of those magnet on a stick things to fish out dropped bolts from awkward places.


 

[Nick W]

3/8 drive is plenty good enough for sockets into the mid twenties, especially if you have a long-handled ratchet. You can easily snap an M8 bolt with a 3/8 ratchet which should give some idea of their strength. One with a flex-head is a good investment, as is a stubby for spinning out fasteners in cramped areas. There are a lot of those in an Omega!

A varied selection of 1/4 drive sockets and extensions is money well spent, and will find use under the bonnet and inside the car. You want male and female Torx sockets(the separate bits are frustrating), and Allen sockets are similarly handy.

I don't use the smaller1/2 sizes unless it's under the car with an impact wrench. Get a long breaker bar, 600mm minimum, 750 is better - Sealey's AK7302 is strong and affordable. The ratchet adapters for breaker bars tend to be quite coarse which dramatically limits their use. I've a Snap-on one somewhere, which has hardly been used. Get a 1/2 torque-wrench, and a 1/4 for things like camcovers, I'd never needed a small one before.

Sealey Premier stuff is good, affordable and they have a wide range. The catalogue will soon give you a list of stuff you didn't know you wanted. The promotions are worth watching.

You'll need spanners bigger than 19 when you start on suspension components; crawl under your car and examine the wishbone bolts.

Ratchet spanners are a real problem solver, but be careful of the ones without reversing levers.

Get a good bright LED torch which uses an AA battery, like a Fenix LD10. It only looks expensive, you'll use it all the time. a small rechargeable LED inspection light is also worthwhile.

[Nick W]

A selection of different shaped wirebrushes is useful, and get into the habit of cleaning protruding threads and dirty boltheads before you try turning them!

I can't advise on screwdrivers; I don't seem capable of owning them long enough to  criticise them. Snap-on ratchet screwdrivers are the only ones that are worth having though. They are expensive, but  go without rather than buy anything else.

If you see old toolboxes that are going begging, in sheds etc, grab them. That way you end up with free tools that you'll have no qualms about modifying. Bending or shortening an old spanner for a specific job can save a lot of grief. The tool I have for adjusting the cambelt eccentrics was made from an old socket with the worn drive hole bored out to take a torx socket, and a handle welded on.

[YZ250]

Not actually a tool but the Sealey magnetic trays are very handy.  They save you knocking nuts and bolts on to the floor or losing them. 

[omegod]

I've never had issue with Halfords quality and anything I have managed to break ,through stupidity  , has been replaced without issue. They do a decent star bit set and I finally bought a set of star bit screwdrivers which are a godsend on interior fittings. 

[EMD]

Not actually a tool but the Sealey magnetic trays are very handy.  They save you knocking nuts and bolts on to the floor or losing them. 

I keep meaning to buy some of those , so annoying trying to find stuff that vanishes on the floor or into the depths of a chassis

[Webby the Bear]

Omega specific. . . .

Socket adapters are handy.

Set of 6 sided sockets for those tough bolts (impact sockets achieve same thing)

Big torque wrench. Little torque wrench down to 8nm

Brake calliper push-in tool. For the fronts you can use a bog standard c clamp but with one of these tools you'll be able to do your rear pads too

24mm spanner for the EGR union nuts

30mm offset spanner for cam belt and borrow a lock tool at time of renewing

If you ever take head bolts out beef up your T55 to 1/2'' drive otherwise you'll break the 3/8'' one provided

Other than that you'll want to get a decent 3 tonne jack and an impact gun if you're lazy like me   :y

[Webby the Bear]

Oh and couldn't agree with NickW more... If you buy ratchet spanners (or gear wrenches as AndyB prefers  ) DEFINITELY ensure they have the direction lever. . . Only the other day at the garage I removed steering rack bolts with the bosses blue point one that didn't have this. Undid the bolt all the way but as it was a tight fit and bolt was up against the pas lines I couldn't remove the spanner 

I also couldn't screw it in a bit by hand cos the threads were all rusted up 

I managed to ease it out after about ten minutes of struggling. A direction lever would have avoided the problem in total

[aaronjb]

If you find yourself in that situation, Webby - assuming there is space and it's not a flange headed bolt - just slide the ring end over the bolt head and onto the shank of the bolt, grab an open ended spanner the same size and wind it back in a bit to get the ring spanner off

[andyc]

For the "Weekend Mechanic" you won't go far wrong wrong with Sealey. Most of Techs use them now as they won't the over inflated Snap on prices anymore

I also use a lot of Sealey tools and as yet not had a problem with anything

http://www.sealey.co.uk/PlPageBuilder.asp?gotonode=GuestHomepage&method=mGetHomepage

Have a look at the current flyers as well

Cheers
Andy

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Just wanted to say a large thankyou to all who have replied to this thread. The two sizes of torque wrench never even entered my head, but it makes perfect sense. I have been very gentle with the plenum, but aware I may easily be over-tightening.

Sealey stuff looks great and very good prices, too. Might be looking into a longer 3/8" drive ratchet, then, as there do seem to be longer ones out there. An extending Sealey breaker bar is on the list now, the 'breaker bar' included in the Halfords set is about 7" long - not much use for anything, that I can see!

Might do what my girlfriend did with her Halfords socket set (yes, you read that right my girlfriend's Halfords socket set  ) and get a cheap tool roll and stick the spanners in there = takes up less room and means I can fit foam in the lid and cut sections for the new tools.

What foam would I be wanting - there's lots of people claiming 'this' is the one I want, but it needs to be dense and thick enough to grip the tools in the lid, so they won't go falling out on opening.

Thanks again so much, you've all given me loads to think about! 

[TheBoy]

For anyone else starting out, I'd say the Halfords 200pc is a great starter kit for sockets, £120 trade, £150 "offer", never pay the £300. It has a far better selection of sockets than the lesser kits.

To the OP, I'd supplement what you have with stuff as and when you need it. You're mostly covered for sockets, but a bit thin on spanners. Breaker bars, torque wrenches, decent screwdrivers, decent pliers/cutters/long nose, some Click-R pliers, good, big waterpump pliers, decent molegrips - that kind of stuff

[Diamond Black Geezer]

Cheers 

On the list as it stands
18mm spanner
Breaker bar - 450-600mm approx
Torque wrenches
Little and large mole grips
short extension


Not even considered the click-r pliers - will look into these with great interest, thanks again