Most everyone has mentioned the obvious.

Seems like each project I tackle, I end up buying a tool or two.

For W/P, TB jobs, a set of snap-ring pliers to remove the circlips on the tensioner pully helps.

Various sizes of pliers, needle nose. I bought a pair of long reach needle nose pliers. Also a pair of very small screwdrivers and angled pics, for pulling relay from the board (remove ground strap first). A good digital multi meter is a must, as is a telescoping magnet to pick up dropped screws, washers and nuts, plus a mirror attachment for the magnet.

Small parts washer from Advance Auto, used with solvent or simple green works great for cleaning parts, plus an assortment of bristle and wire brushes.

I popped for the 3/4" ratchet to turn the engine at the crank bolt for WP,TB jobs, but it's not needed if you know someone nearby who has one. Same for the flywheel lock. Mine's on loan right now.

Lift bars from Porken.

 

I'm a home mech not a pro. I've been buying Craftsman from Sears since 1970. I have broken one ratchet, one deep socket, and split the head of a screwdriver that I was twisting with a plier. Although Snap On has excellent quality tools, unless you're going to make a living with them, I would say the Craftsman line is suitable for 99.995% of the work, at about 1/3 the cost. All of my broken tools were replaced, no questions asked by Sears. Let ebay be your guide. There are no 'deals' on Snap on, but the Craftsman is still reasonable. I have a set of Snap on scwerdrivers that are fantastic, but each time I pick one up I cringe about what it cost me.

Get a set of six point 3/8" drive sockets, and a set of deep sockets too. Same in 1/4" drive. If you want to work on tricky stuff a set of wobble sockets are nice. I don't know how deep your going to get but a set of pry bars are an asset when things get tight. My favorite rachet has a wobble handle, and can tilt to accomodate tough angles. If you're going to really get into it, air tools are nice but kind of overkill for the Sat mechanic. I have a bunch of air stuff and a big compressor to run it, but it's not necessary.

Be forewarned, Sears has two grades of tools. In an attempt to compete with the Harbor Freight crowd, they came out with a lower grade of tools and they are junk. Do not get the lower grade tools, only the name "Craftsman" on each tool.
Doc

 

Thought of another useful item and related use. Harbor Freight ( + others) have a 3 piece (progressive size) set of hose pullers. Like long needle nose pliers with circular ( ) end to grasp around hoses. Found this useful for pulling the P/S boot over the inner retaining collar.

 

This is all great information, please keep it coming.

 

While I probably wouldn't own one unless I'd gotten it for free (it was being thrown out), I have to say that my ultrasonic cleaner has come in quite handy for getting the gunk off of all the fasteners during TB/WP/MM/oilpan work. Call me paranoid, but floating a tupperware bowl with all the hardware along with a little simple green and water for 5 minutes leads to nice shiny clean bolts and nuts, with no residual crap in the threads, so I can trust my torque values and not worry about crossthreading the block....

They pop up on Ebay all the time in the $100-200 range, right now item # 290025890430 happens to be the one I have.

 

I am not disputing that Snap-on are the best hand tools out there. If you can afford them - go for it. However, I'd rather put that money towards having 3 to 4 times as many Craftsman tools in my garage. For example, a basic 22 piece Snap-on ratchet set will run you more than $400. See all you can get at Sears for that amount of money. If you bend or snap the tool, just take it back to Sears and you are back in business in 20 minutes.

 

I have abused Craftsman tools for years and have only had 1 tool break and it was replaced no questions asked. I like quality and Craftsman is plenty good for what you are going to be doing.

 

greg... don't forget your DIAGNOSTIC tools:
(in addition to usual calipers, micrometers, feelers, etc)

Kempf (tension) tool
stethoscope (or wooden dowel)
Xenon timing light (inductive pickup)
Tach/Dwell meter
Spark tester
Noid light(s)
Compression gauge (flex hose & bleed valve)
Vacuum gauge
Fuel Press. gauge (high press.)
(good) tire gauge (analog or digital)
AC/DC Multimeter (with a frequency function)
Hydrometer - coolant (our 911 buddies won't have one of these)
Hydrometer - battery electrolyte

More exotic:
Oscilloscope (for the daring)
Pyrometer (temp. gauge) with laser pointer
A/C press. gauge-manifold
Bosch "Hammer" (newer cars)
Gtech pro RR Analyzer
Blackstone oil sample kit

Dream kit:
Chassis Dyno
Emissions analyzer
Alignment rig

G'luck

 

Make sure the gear wrenches you buy have swivel heads

I no longer use my air ratchets since I bought a set of 18 volt battery tools. I use the impact wrench for everything.

 

hex EVERYTHING, long short and bits
pick set, perfect for gently pulling back the wire clamp on all the engine electricals
a good supply of PB Blaster
shop rags
buckets
degreaser
and here's a nifty tool a local turned me on to, a swivel, locking and extending ratchet... made by husky and about $20.. not craftsman or snap-on but definately something nice to have

 

Yep Craftsman is the ticket. Dont forget the magnetic & grabby pick-up tool.(when you drop nuts into spaces you cannot get your fingers into)
Gerry

 

Yep. invaluable, also one of those little telescoping mirrors.

 

set of jim's CD's - it's nice to know what to do w/the tools and all those funny looking parts
notebook computer w/cheapo printer for Internet access to rennlist/etc
couch for thinking about how you can pitch what you "need" to your wife, and to sleep on if she's smarter than your BS, hehehe
fridge for refreshments - can't go into the house covered in grease just for a pop/and w/beer it's good incentive for friends to come over and help.
assortment of zip ties, door panel fasteners, oils, lubricants, solvents
parts cleaner w/real parts cleaner fluid (not foo foo stuff)
stereo/tv - covers up the sound of dropping wrenches, swearing, hysterical rants
parts trays/various sizes to put all the nuts and bolts in w/their parts - cause loosing a key nut/bolt/screw can really suck.
maybe paint the floor a light grey, easier to find what you drop if it's not big enough to break your toe
plenty of good lighting, cause you know you'll be in there at night.
magnetic thingy w/a good long extension handle, invaluable.

 

bump

 

Holy thread renewal batman!