Tool suggestions?

Last season was my first season and I trudged my way through well enough, though I did spend way more than my budget. Probably due to the fact that I hadn't really set one...learned my lesson there. However we are expecting our first child this year and so I need to ensure that my now limited racing dollars are well spent. I have a list of tools I need to purchase, either because I don't currently own them, or because the ones I have/had are/were junk. I'm looking to hear from your experience regarding particular tools you're happy with, and whether it should be a Harbor Freight, Craftsman, or Snap-on/Mac/etc purchase. I plan on racing for awhile and I don't mind spending the money on a quality tool if it is justified but I also don't mind Harbor Freight provided that I'm not going to have eventually buy a Snap-on version because I go through five HB tools.
The sort of things I want to avoid - my HF rivet gun doesn't work anymore after only two uses, my "nice" Intercomp tire gauge is now junk after a season as it always reads 10psi(even after being babied all year), and a fuel pressure regulator from Summit that doesn't regulate.

Here are a few things on my list:
1) Leak Down Tester - $40 for HB, or $95 for Longacre?
2) Variable Timing light - is variable needed? Who makes a good one?
3) Rivet gun - good brand?
4) Wire crimper and wire stripper - there are many different styles out there, what style(and brand) works best?
5) Camber/caster/toe gauges - what brand or build your own?

variable timing light is cool--I have a snap-on

Rivet Gun? hmm... hand powered or air/ electric?

Toe plates from long acre are not expensive although a super flat floor is what is needed for any alignment work. With it you can use string, jackstands and bubble gauges...nothing fancy.

Leak down tester? for a Honda?

1 & 2 - you probably don't need.

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3) Rivet gun - good brand?
4) Wire crimper and wire stripper - there are many different styles out there, what style(and brand) works best?

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Rivet gun - get a hand one if you need it for $15 from Home Depot.
Wire crimper / stripper - same as above.

Toe gauge - easy to use 2 straight L pieces of aluminum and four bolts to build your own. But if you'll be racing for a while, the Longacre one are nice.

There are tons of people at the track who are more than willing to help you and let you borrow their tools. Just be sure to bring them back. :)

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Originally Posted by boywonder

Here are a few things on my list:
1) Leak Down Tester - $40 for HB, or $95 for Longacre?

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Check Aircraft Tool Supply. Tavia made a nice one for cheap, but I think they're out of business.

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Originally Posted by boywonder

2) Variable Timing light - is variable needed? Who makes a good one?

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MSD has a good selection.

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Originally Posted by boywonder

3) Rivet gun - good brand?

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Marson makes nice ones, but the Home Depot (Arrow brand) ones work great. Also check Aircraft Tool Supply.

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Originally Posted by boywonder

4) Wire crimper and wire stripper - there are many different styles out there, what style(and brand) works best?

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Home Depot for Klein crimper and Ideal Industries Stripmaster. Klein and Ideal make top-shelf electrical tooling. If you need die type crimpers check with Greenlee, PRS and DMC.

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Originally Posted by boywonder

5) Camber/caster/toe gauges - what brand or build your own?

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Build your own string bars out of conduit (don't use jack stands). You can make a cheap camber gauge with a piece of angle iron and a mag base angle gauge. Otherwise the Smart products are nice.

Just my $0.02 based on the tools I've used and purchased for myself. I usually find the tool and then scour the internet for the best price & free shipping.

Home Depot has a decent set of flush cuts to trim up all of your ty-raps too. (folks using dykes to trim ty-raps leaving a sharp lip is a pet peeve of mine)

Better yet Ryan, I have all those tools at the track already (with the exception of the camber gauge). I think I'm at all the events you run! Save your money for important things like tires and baby formula (in that order). Just ask and you shall receive. By the way congradulations!, I hadn't heard the news.
Frenchy

BFH and blue duct tape.

1 - Tavia. Don't remember what I paid, but it still works well & gets passed around to/from others alot.
2 Craftsman. 15 years old, still works well, take care of it.
3 Craftsman w/ swivel head.
4 Good luck. Don't go bottom of the price range, but not too far off the bottom and expect it to be a consumable. Otherwise you'll pay a ton.
5. Search around on how & you can build your own for way less money. A simple digital level & a straigt edge can work for camber & two strait edges & a tape measure for toe if you have time to properly seek them out.

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Originally Posted by jay05

BFH and blue duct tape.

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I thought he needed a truck and a chain.

Thanks for all your input, it's good to see what has worked for other people before throwing down the money. While I sure appreciate how cool everyone is with lending out tools at the track, and benefited from it last season, I don't want to become that guy.

rsportvolvo: I'm one of those people that use side cuts and leave the deadly lip on my zip ties. But no longer, I'll pick up a dyke (that could get interesting...) and do it right, especially since my car is built on a foundation of zip ties.

Frenchy: thanks for the offer and congrats. If ours turn out half as cool as your kids we'll be set.

Jay and Jim: Yes, yes, and yes (though it was actually a strap, not a chain. Pay attention).

Get a variable timing light. Check on eBay or Craigslist. I got a mac off eBay for $50. I hear the craftsmans are good also. I say don't worry about it and get something the rest of us don't have, since we'll be at the same events. Camber plates come to mind.

Rivet gun.. I've only put a couple hundred 1/8" and 3/16" aluminum rivets through my Stanley so far, but it still looks brand new. no complaints. bought it at local hardware store.

Don't buy a cheapo timing gun. I have a $25 autozone unit and it suuuucks compared to my buddy's variable snap-on. I can use it to get the job done, but his is soo much easier to use. dial in the timing you want on the top and line the timing marks up to TDC. Way easier than trying to ballpark 22* when my pulley is only in 5* marks and the ECU continually fiddles with the timing.

Toe plates... I made my own out of a few pieces of square aluminum tubing, as well as a stringer setup. Fabricated some brackets and mounted them onto the bottom of my bumper and rear toe hooks, then I screw the stringer sticks to them so they're in the same place every time with no measuring.. notches cut in the sticks provide positive marking for the strings and voila!

Leak down tester.. When I need one, I just go to Autozone and "rent" theirs. I don't imagine needing one at the track unless you think you cratered the engine. a regular compression tester wouldn't hurt though and are much cheaper.

Wire strippers & such.. I have some $15 Craftsman ones that are about 10 years old and they're still going. I use them regularly on my job as an electronics tech and strip everything from 22awg to 4awg. They'll crimp 22awg to 8awg. not bad for $15. :)

hope my $0.04 helped..

What, no one has offered up who is a tool on this forum yet?

You guys are slipping...

Speaking of which, dear----

I didn't notice the picture the other day! I think you win for having the first French car in your avatar?

Ryan: I'm thinking of getting the HF hydraulic crimping tool. Want to borrow it?

Bill: I think I'm good at the moment, thanks though.

Jay, Jim, Jim: Interesting that you all changed your avatar after I finally added one. And Jay, your previous one was better. Just sayin'...

Also, I like how in my avatar I'm in front of Frenchy, and in his he's in front of Jim. Hopefully that's how this season will pan out...but where are Jay and Bill?

I fixed mine.

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Originally Posted by jumbojimbo

I fixed mine.

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Argh, well played.

Look kids, this is how you destroy tires. And piss off a Mustang. And pee your pants. :blink:

There you go Jim.

Okay, here is one that has been bugging me for a while. What do people do for air?

Back in the old days my little 7 gallon tank worked just fine for autocross. But that was before the free compressor broke at the skanky no-name gas station. My Sunoco station will give me free air if I ask, but it's not always on the way to the track and I'm not always smart enough to remember to fill the tank.

So I show up at the track with an empty tank, I forget to fill it at the track (or the compressor is not turned on) and I've got 2 tires with 20# of air 3 minutes to grid.

I've burned up a couple of little compressors at home trying to fill my 7 gallon tank. Apparently that's a bad idea. Even though they say they are good to 120# they give up like the French army at 70PSI.

What does everyone else do besides (duh) remember to fill the tank at home or first thing at the track?

I see HF has a "250psi compressor" for $8 that looks just like the one I got from my brother-in-law that couldn't blow a prom date. Or, they have a spiffy chrome 12V 150PSI model for $55 that actually lists 1.05 CFM at 90PSI. Or is that just going to be another doorstop in a month? Will a 3 gallon compressor allow me to fill my 7 gallon tank, or am I going to learn a painful lesson about equilibrium?

Should I bite the bullet and get an actual 7 or 10 gallon compressor? That seems like a pain to carry to the track and again, can I fill my portable 7 gallon tank from it?

Right after I moved and hadn't had a chance to wire my 60 gal compressor up, I broke down and bought a little 7 or 10 gal pancake type compressor from the store with the big orange sign (I HATE that place, but it's the only hardware store for 30 miles. sucks to live in the country sometimes).

Anyway, I paid about $100 for it and it does the job just fine. I've run my 1/2" impact off it (just barely) as well as aired up tires and run an air nailer. it's actually pretty durn handy.
You can suarely fill your portable tank off it, just be sure to wear earplugs when you fire it up cause it'll be running for 10 minutes. I'd fill until it starts sucking wind, then stop filling and walk away for a minute or two. then come back and do it again after the compressor has had a minute to rest.

OR.. just do what I do now and toss the whole compressor in the trailer. it weighs just a few pounds more than my portable tank and holds almost as much air. fire it up at the house and let it fill up there, then truck it to the track and only plug it in if you need more air.

The benefits are many-fold since you have enough air at the track to run an impact wrench and so on so forth.

The teams I was on used both a trailer mounted compressor and nitrogen tanks at the track. We preferred using the nitrogen tanks as it was dry vs. the compressed air. The added benefit is having nitrogen for your tires.

Just fill it up at The Compound Tour Bus. It's on-board compressor can more than handle it.

thats ok.
:024:

I got me one of those cordless inflators from Sears (look like a cordless drill with a hose coming out of the chuck).

They work fine and I keep it in my DD.