chobe22

I hocked my entire d&$# set of tools in college for beer money in university and now I have this 91 C2 (my first) without a tool to my name to work on it.

I've got to bite the bullet and start building the set up again, so I'm taking a poll with everybody on what you think would be the best way to spend, say, $200 to $400 (160-320 euros, 110-220 pounds), on tools to work on the C2 with.

I have three little kids, so I don't have much time to get into work that's too involved (as much as I really want to), but at the same time I don't have a lot of disposable cake to be shelling out to mechanics on maintenance that I can (or should) be able to do myself. And if I'm going to be spending so much time playing on Rennlist (eg, the hollowing ringing post recently), I aspire to actually perform the work that you recommend.

Where should I start?

Thanks,
Patrick
__________
91 C2

Jeff Curtis

Patrick, do what I did ten years ago when I got out of the U.S. Navy, got married and bought my first house...took $300 to Sears and bought the biggest "mechanic's tool set" I could get with that dough...and a decent sized toolbox to boot.

That the the best thing I could ever do because I had been running around for YEARS with the "normal" sized plastic tool box, clad with the screwdrivers with changeable bits, assortment of vice-grips and crescent wrenches...anything to save space in the back of my 944.

Now that I have a home (mind you, on my 2nd one, SHE took the 1st ) - I have a place to keep all my tools and shop related materials.

When you're ready, take another $100 and supplement your Craftsman tool set with items that you have needed that weren't include in the set and/or things you didn't get in the set, that you would like, such as vice-grips and crescent wrenches, hammer/mallet, those handy allen wrench units with every size, etc.

...and take whatever is left and buy some beer!

Ruairidh

I agree with Jeff - only variation is that I waited for Sears frequent sales (they have good offers on their toolsets) and ended up buying a new one off of eBay at a very low price compared to Sears List.

viperbob

Patrick,

Hello to another Los Altos person. Sears is not a bad way to go, and eBay can also be good. You might also check Craigs list. I see a lot of mechnics selling off tool sets there....

You should stop by sometime at on of my DIY weekends (which seems to be just about every weekend these days).

Jeff Curtis

Ruairidh, of course...I failed to mention the OBVIOUS!

Sales good...retail BAD.

I wholeheatedly concur, wait for a killer sale on a toolset and jump on it. I would think shipping would be crazy for a toolset off eBay?? If the savings warrants such a transaction, I say go for it.

Ruairidh

Actually what I meant to convey was the frequency with which Sears puts its stuff on sale - if it is not on sale this week it is likely to be on sale the week after or the week after that.

And the eBay shipping can be very reasonable - I bought a very large mechanics set a year or so ago and saved something like $100 (inlcuding shipping) off of the Sears sale price.

chobe22

Great tips. Thanks. I'll check Sears for the set and price shop on all the online sites. EBay is viable, generally, because there are so many sellers in the Bay Area.

What do you guys think about a professional jack and wheel ramps as a "must addition" in there? Seems like I can't even do an oil change without those bits.

Bob, thanks for the welcoming words. We just moved to Los Altos from RWC in early January. Once I got the car, I quickly found my loop up El Monte/Old Page Mill/Skyline/Woodside/Mountain Home/Portola Rd all followed by a blast back on 280. Then I read your exchange with Tom on the Turtle and Buttonwillow and I'm squirming out of my skin to get this thing on a track.

I will definitely stop by for one of your DIY sessions.

- Patrick

springer3

My advice: find deals at pawn shops and on eBay, and buy only the good stuff. Stay away from Craftsman tools. They are hobby grade, and they will get you in trouble you don't want. Very few pros use them. My convincer? This true story is from about 15 years ago:

I rounded a hex-head bolt at the bottom of my Mercedes water pump using my trusty 10 mm Craftsman box-end wrench. I tried lubrication, heat, vibration, and impact - every trick known. The situation was hopeless - no access for vice grips, hack saw, or a cold chisel, and the bolt had yet to budge. The engine needed to be pulled to gain access to destroy the bolt. A mechanic friend convinced me to try his 10 mm Snap On box end wrench - same as the Craftsman wrench that did the damage in the first place. He assured me that it would get the bolt out. I gefawed, but he convinced me to try. The bolt came out without drama, and no tricks were needed! The lesson: professional tools have better design, better materials, and tighter dimensional tolerances. Sound like some of the reasons we are willing to pay extra to drive a Porsche?

I soon found a mechanic down on his luck, and picked up two chests full of professional grade tools for $600. I supplement the tool set with special tools as needed, and can easily justify the investment by keeping cars longer and saving on repair bills. Damaged fasteners and busted knuckles - common when I used Craftsman - seldom happen with professional tools.

I keep the Craftsman wrenches for bicycle and home repairs, but would never use them for a critical car repair.

Usual disclaimers regarding tool brands.

914und993

I've found the Sear Craftsman tools to be quite serviceable for the price, and have never experienced a failure I could attribute to the tool.

Having said that, I've put about $600 into some very nice FACOM tools over the past year (obtained on ebay) that are a real pleasure to use on the Porsches.

Make sure the box-end wrenches you get have an ogive bearing face. I don't know if regular line Craftsman wrenches have this feature now, but it is a design common to all the highest end tools and is less likely to round fasteners (and more likely to remove fasteners rounded by other tools) than flat surface wrenches/sockets.

Chip

Youcef

I must admit I agree with Spinger 100%, spend good money on a decent set of professional tools even if the variety/quantity is less, you will not regret it If you are just starting out and wanted to buy the basics look into a small set of open ended ring spanners from say 8mm to 22mm, metric 1/2" drive socket set and 3 each of the blade and phillips screw drivers. And the most importatnt of all....a torque wrench!!

Spending more on a lesser quantity will save you money in the long run as you work on your Porsche. I learnt the same way as Springer!

Phil Raby

Invest in a 12-volt power pack - most useful 'tool' in my garage.

Not only can you use it for jump-starting, it's also handy for powering 12-volt appliances which you'd normally have to connect to the car battery.

Cheers

Jeff Curtis

I have to disagree with the Snap-On, Matco and whatever else one can acquire in a professional and EXPENSIVE tool.

Remember, Patrick said $200-$400...so MY plan would be to get as much "decent" stuff as one could for the $$$$$$$. Get your basic and the brunt of your setup started off at a reasonable rate first. THEN start buying the nice combo-wrench sets from the above named companies.

While Springer's scenario certainly has merit, I don't think Patrick is looking to spend $600 or more at the moment...not to mention that if he goes NEW, $600 of Snap-On, etc. won't get you too far. I do agree with them fancy wrenches though, and your story about the stripped water pump bolt is a great example.

Get yourself a basic, or above-average supplied "mechanic's tool set" from Sears and supplement it in reasonable fashion with the "good stuff" as income/play money dictates.

I understand Patrick's situation, there once was a time when I could NOT go out and buy a $200 wrench set from Snap-On...as a matter of fact, I think I'm still living in those times!

FWIW, I still have EVERY wrench, allen...combo and crescent that I got in the kit...in working order. I've turned a few ratchets and screwdrivers in for warranty, but have since gotten a professional's screwdriver set, etc. I still think that's the way to go, start with the "basics".

viperbob

Patrick,

The proper jack is important if you plan to do DIY projects. Also a good set of jack stands. There is or was a group buy over on the 993 board for some jack stands. I have these and you can't get an better, more stable, of easy on the underside of the car. Also, the AC hydraulics jacks are very nice and affordable.

springer3

The problem with Patrick's question is that $200 to $400 won't buy much more than one 964 oil change service. If that is all he can spend, he should buy what he needs for the first oil change (basic wrench set, oil filter tool), and then start saving for the next installment. The problem with buying cheap tools early is you buy first what you will use most often. Invest for the long term if you plan to keep doing your own work. It is probably cheaper to use professional mechanics if you don't stay at it long enough to get proficient.

After the oil change tools are in hand, the next step is tools needed for the 30,000 mile service. That would be the floor jack, 2 jack stands, sockets and drives, and the special feeler gage for setting the valve lash. Stay away from cheap items here as well. A cheap jack will lift the car fine, but if you need to lower it gently to adjust the height, you will have problems. Lifts are safety critical, so figure $1200 or so just for the increment to do the valve service.

Now you have a great starter set, and you can add tools as you find bargains (they are out there), and as you can justify them for necessary repairs. A Volt-Ohmmeter is critical if you have any electrical troubleshooting skills. A battery charger? Air compressor? You can go cheap on these items - air is air, and electrons are electrons after all.

ian c - u.k

i bought cheap at car shows , shop sales etc.
then replaced broke/worn-out things with better quality tools .

i'm now mostly snap-on , but i'm still using a 2 quid 1/4" set i bought at tatton park about 5 years ago !!! ( while all 3 of my snap-off 3/8" ratchets have been repaired at least once ............ free of charge tho')

the only thing i wouldn't scrape on are ................

torque wrench ,
jack ,
stands ,
pry-bars ,

and anything thats likely to hurt you if it fails !!!