Tools.. Part 2

   Now that you have an idea of your options as far as brands, let's talk about what you should have in your toolbox. As a great Scottish Starship Engineer once said; "How many times do I have to tell you lads? The right tool for the right job!" These are the essentials for a good, well rounded tool box. These tools will allow you to do almost any repair on your vehicle.

• Screwdrivers:
  There are four basic types of Screwdrivers, straight blade or regular, Phillips, Pozi-drive and Torx. You should have four or five different sizes from small to large. When you select a screwdriver for a job, the blade must fit the slot securely with no slop and it must fit with no overhang side to side. This will greatly reduce the chances of destroying the screw slot. You should have three sizes of Phillips screwdrivers a #1, which is a small Phillips, a #2 which is a medium size and most often used and a #3 which is a large Phillips. Pozi-drive screwdrivers look a lot like a Phillips, but are not interchangeable. The patterns are different and using a Phillips screwdriver on a Pozi-drive screw will damage the screw and vice-versa. Four lines pointing out from the center of the screw head can identify a Pozi-drive screw. Torx drivers come in sizes from #5 to #55 with #15 the most often used.

• Ratchets and Sockets:
  The three most common size of ratchets are 1/4", 3/8" and 1/2" drive with the most common being 3/8" drive. 1/4" drive is for lighter duty work while 1/2" drive is for heavier jobs. A fine tooth ratchet is preferable because you will get more turns per swing than a course tooth ratchet. I would not recommend a ratchet with a knurled handle. One with a contoured handle is much more comfortable and ergonomically efficient.

  Sockets come in many shapes and sizes, in both metric and SAE (fractional). In 3/8" drive a good range in SAE is 3/8" to 3/4" and metric 8mm to 19mm. Sockets come in deep and shallow styles. The deep sockets are good when you are taking a nut off a stud for example. You will need both styles in your toolbox. In 1/4" drive, a good range in SAE is 1/4" to 9/16" and in metric 4mm to 14mm. In 1/2" drive, 1/2" to 1 1/4" and in metric 13mm to 32mm. You can get sockets in hex (6-point) or double hex (12-point) styles as well. I have found that if you have 6-point sockets, you don't really need 12-point so I would just recommend putting a set of 6-point sockets in your toolbox. A pair of spark plug sockets is a must if you want to tune up a car. A good spark plug socket has a rubber insert to hold the spark plug from falling out. There are two sizes: 5/8" and 13/16".

  Universal joints allow the use of a socket in areas where you can't get straight on with a regular socket. Extensions are used to extend the reach of a socket. A good range of extensions is 1" to 12". Both of these are a must for your toolbox. Flex sockets are nice to have. They are similar to a universal joint but have a regular socket on one end. They are good for very tight situations

  There are many other types of specialty sockets as well, such as an Oil Pressure Switch socket and an O2 sensor socket. These you can buy and add to your toolbox as needed.

• Wrenches:
  There are tons of wrenches to choose from, but for a basic toolbox we can narrow down the choices quite a bit. The most common wrenches are open-end, box and combination wrenches. Open-end wrenches have ends that are, well, open. These are for those jobs where a box wrench will not fit. A box wrench has no open end and fits completely around the fastener. The box wrench is preferable to an open-end wrench because it will grip the fastener on all six sides. A combination wrench is a combination of both, box on one end and open on the other. This is the most useful and eliminates the need for two sets of wrenches. A good range of combination wrenches in SAE is 1/4" to 7/8" and in metric 8mm to 22mm. Wrenches come in short styles for tight areas, standard length and long when extra leverage is needed. For the basic toolbox a set of standard length combination wrenches will do very nicely.

  Another type of wrench is the line wrench. These wrenches are designed to be used on fuel, brake and other hydraulic lines. They are thicker than a regular wrench for more gripping area. One end is open and the other end is like a box end with a cutout to allow it to go over a line and still allow it to grip all six sides of the fitting. A good range is 1/4" to 9/16" in SAE and 8mm to 14mm in metric.

  An adjustable wrench is also handy to have. These have two jaws that are adjusted with a screw mechanism that open and close the jaws parallel to each other. I have both a metric and SAE adjustable wrenches. One is a 6-inch adjustable and the other is a 300mm adjustable. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

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