Garage and Workshop Gear Guide

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Item # MB-23127  ISBN: 9780760323120




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Getting the right tools for your gearhead garage can be overwhelming—whether you're an amateur mechanic, a hot rod fabricator, or an experienced car or motorcycle restorer.

Garage and Workshop Gear Guide will help you wade through the endless selection of automotive tools and gear—making sure you not only find the right tool for the job, but buy it without breaking the bank.

Longtime automotive writer and car restorer Tom Benford has packed these pages with a wealth of great information, including how to best use your tools, how to determine the quality of a tool, and how to make your own tools for one-off jobs. More than 350 photos show all the gear you need to transform your garage into the perfect workshop.

Featured gear includes every kind of hand tool, from hammers to wrenches to screwdrivers, and heavier equipment from vises to welding equipment, jacks and lifts, and power tools—both electric and pneumatic.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments | Preface

1. Better Safe Than Sorry
Fire hazards and extinguishers | First-aid kits | Gloves | Boots | Belts | Eye protection | Hearing protection | Ventilation issues

2. Seeting up Your Sanctuary (er, Garage)
Clearing out the junk | Deciding on options for additional space | Flooring | Lighting | Heating and cooling | Wiring | Cabinetry, workbenches, storage solutions | Cyber garage

3. Whoever Has the Most Tools Wins
Building the basic essential tool set | Domestic- vs. foreign-made tools | Why some brands are more expensive | When one tool is not enough | U.S., metric, and Whitworth standards

4. Dumber Than a Bag of Hammers
Pain hammers | Sledge hammers | Dead blow hammers | Rubber hammers | Double-faced hammers | Rawhide hammers | Brass or copper hammers | Mallets | Bodywork hammers | Specialty hammers | Anvils | Beater bags | Dollies

5. Putting the Squeeze on Things
Slip-joint pliers | Crimper-stripper pliers | Needle-nose pliers | Thin-nose pliers | Lock-ring pliers | Wire strippers | End-cutting nippers | Lineman's or electrician's pliers | Clamps | Vises

6. Making the Cut
Utility knives | Scrapers | Box cutters | Snips | Scissors | Drill bits, twist bits, and screwdriver bit drills | Drill presses | Burrs | Reamers | Punches | Awls | Cutting wire | Hack saws

7. Get Tight, Get Loose
Wrenches | Sockets | Screwdrivers | Extension bars | Breaker bars | Nut drivers | Rachet buddies | Hand drive extensions

8. Scrape It to the Limit
Sandpaper | Steel wool | Media blasting | Vibratory tumblers | Rasps and files | Sanders | Bench grinders | Wire brushes and wire wheels | Buffers | Hones | Die grinders

9. I'm Gonna Take You Higher
Bumper jacks | Scissor jacks | Hydraulic floor jacks | Lifting cushions | Bottle jacks | Jack stands | Electric vehicle lifts | Mid-rise lifts | Hoists | Body slings | Ramps | Portable electric jacks | Winches | Two straps | Tie-downs

10. How Do You Measure Up?
Calipers | Torque wrenches | Micrometers | Levels | Scales | Thermometers | Tape measures | Rulers | Laser and sonic measures | Sound-level meters

11. Shedding Some Light on the Subject
Choosing the best lighting solutions for your shop | Fluorescent lights | Halogen lights | Flashlights | Lanterns | LED work lights | Corded or cordless | Utility lights

12. A Breath of Fresh (Compressed) Air
The case for air tools | Plumbing your shop for air | Air compressors | Air hoses | Couplers | Filters, regulators, and driers | Compressor tool caddy | Blow gun | Tire gauge | Portable air tank | Impact wrench | Reversible air drill | Air hammer | Air ratchet | Orbital sander | Die grinder | Buffer/polisher | Pneumatic file

13. An Electrical Experience
Circuit tester | Multimeters | Fault finder | Battery charger | Booster cables | Jump boxes | Spark checker | Benchtop power supply | Extension cords | Surge supressors | Cord winders | Generators

14. Hot Stuff
Soldering | Brazing | Weding (oxy fuel gas, MIG, TIG, plasma cutters)

15. Come Together
Bolt types | Fastener storage organization options | Screws | Washers | Nuts | Threads | Torque | Hex head bolt markings | BWS thread data

16. Finishing Touches
Rust prevention | Exhaust manifold dressing | High-temp paints | Gloss finishes | Black finishes | Can you paint your project yourself?

17. I've Got the Power
The case for cordless tools | Rechargeable batteries | NiCad cells | NiMH batteries | Battery chargers | Power packs

18. Everything but the Kitchen Sink
Magnets | Leak finders | Drill press cradle | Grommets, O-rings | Autobody suction cups | Drill press cradle | Rethreader kit | Locks

19. Take a Load Off Your Feet
Roll-about stools | Step stools | Floor creepers | Creature comforts

20. Chemical Karma
Degreasers | Lubricants | Storage and disposal of toxic substances | Rust-free tools | Hand cleaners

Appendix: Tool supplier list | Index

Garage and Workshop Gear Guide