Hamish, If you want good hand tools, you will spend some serious bucks. I
saw a thread from someone recommending Craftsman. I beg to differ. They
are cheap, made to sell at a low price, and have seriously declined in
quality over the years. The wrenches and sockets do not fit well. My
personal choice for many years has been Snapon, but there are some others
of good quality out there. Best bet is to look for a set for sale by
someone leaving the business. I got my first major set brand new at less
than .50 on the $ from a mechanic who quit just after his insurance bought
new tools to replace a theft. that was at least 15 years ago and the are
still like new, though they get regular use. Also suggest that your major
welding investment be a 220v. MIG machine. It will do a great deal of what
you will want to do. Have fun. John
Hamish Hubbard (and Ode) wrote:
> I'm about to start some serious car restoration work (as opposed to
> tinkering out on the driveway). I have an adequately sized space
> in a garage in which to work, which is a new experience. I have
> a reasonable amount of experience in what I want to do in the
> restoration but almost no experience of decent surrounds in which to
> do the work.
>
> I need to go from garage corner to workshop suited to various
> restoration tasks - welding, mechanical repair, dismantling and
> reassembly. I'm looking for any advice or tips on how to go about
> setting up a workshop - have not been able to find any good info
> in the library (any pointers to suitable books appreciated).
>
> - workbenches - I want to build one from angle/box iron as an initial
> project. Any advice (size/shape/surface material/plans/etc)?
> - air tools - what size compressor is needed to run drills/grinders
> without having to wait for the compressor all the time.
> - any advice about converting the empty space into a suitable area.
> - Tools. (Sockets, screwdrivers, panelwork, air/electric tools etc).
> What are some names of "can't go wrong if you buy this" brands. I'm
> tired of cheap sockets that wear out in a few months, especially ones
> that look the part but aren't.
> - Hand tool storage - what is a good way to store various tools.
> - Gas welding - I have done some gas welding, but if I want to go into
> a shop and buy a complete setup for doing automotive panels and some
> box tube/angle iron construction what do I need to ask for and what
> would a good setup cost.
> - Spot welding - For the restoration I am doing a dedicated spot welder
> is appropriate (I have researched this). What are good brands/prices/
> duty cycle. Home wiring here in New Zealand is 240V at 10 amps - is
> this sufficient?
>
> Even if you only want to answer a couple of these please send me
> an e-mail as it will go a long way to relieving my ignorance :-)
>
> Thanks in advance,
> Hamish
>
> --
> Mini Cooper Web: http://www.mini.org/minirestoration/CooperWeb.html
> Mini FAQ: http://www.mini.org/minirestoration/Technical/TechFAQ.html
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