*facepalm* wow, I really had no idea.

 

...I guess its time to go and buy a new jack

 

you aint kidding.... the one i bought from there i think i paid 129 or something like that... its low profile and i can lift the entire front of the car up from the front tow hook about 2 ft or so in the air. Makes life so easy. Mine is made out of aluminum as well so its light.

If you just get your bare essentials though, a couple different sized ratchets, a decent sized breaker bar, a few adapters to go from 3/8 to 1/2 and 1/4, ratchet wrenches are a necessity and plier set or 2 and you should be find and only spend about $50 or $60 on a first purchase if you dont buy a tool box. I started with 1 sears craftsman set and 1 4 drawer smaller box.... which turned into a lot of other craftsman stuff and a bigger roll around box, which then turned into 2 big roll around boxes, the small one, a ton of crap from harbor freight, an air compressor, air tools etc.... i bet i spent 600 to 1000 at sears in a year, and probably spent 500 in the past 3 years or so at harbor freight and have filled the 2 other tool boxes with stuff. I bought a 14mm hex socket from sears for $35. It came with 3 other hex bits. All because i needed to do my cams. I bought a set from harbor freight a couple weeks ago because someone borrowed my 14mm and hadnt given it back yet. I bought a set of 10 of those same pieces, including the 14 for $10.

 

I bought the craftsman metric tool set, has most things you'll need. get a nice jack, 4 jack stands, oil filter wrench (don't get a strap wrench, use one that uses a socket it makes it a ton easier to change than trying to fit the strap wrench into the tiny space behind the front underpanel), get some needle nose pliers, screwdriver set and you're pretty much good to go. oh and i think a 26mm socket because it's not included in the set. i can't remember what i used it for but i didn't have one and had to buy it.

i don't recommend a torque wrench, it's not 100% necessary since most simple jobs have a good rule of thumb torque (ie: finger tight plus 1/4 turn) or something like that unless you're doing engine work. plus they can be pricey. i bought mine on sale from craftsman though so that why i have them.

and a big hammer. well and a little one too like a soft mallet.

 

26mm is huge... is that for an axle nut maybe ?

the biggest i normally use is the tranny drain plug which is a 22 i think.

 

I have to disagree with you here; I think a torque wrench is one of the most valuable tools to have. Everything has a proper torque (wheels, oil drain plug, etc). The wheels are especially important to torque evenly. I have both a craftsman and a harbor freight torque wrench. If the OP doesn't want to spend much, he can just get a $20 harbor freight torque wrench (it's relatively acccurate). There is even a coupon recently to get a 1/2" drive torque wrench for $9.99. Google search online for harbor freight coupons you can print out for use in store.

BTW, I would recommend going with 3/8" drive socket and torque wrenches. They are the most common and will work for most jobs (and it's easiest to find 3/8" and 1/4" sockets with adapters).

 

I have bought, lost/stolen, and bought again so many tools, most of which I still have today. I have a mixture of top of the line to dirt cheap and I will say the least common tool I have is craftsman. I do have a few as Sears is convenient, but back in the day, i dealt with the snap-on truck.

all of my core handtools are snap-on or mac/matco. Some special tools are KD, german made, crafstman, or stanley.

I have probably a modest $10k into it, and that's in 1995 dollars so I don't know what that would be now, but I haven't been in the trade since 1999, so I haven't had to buy or update too much at all. My secret was to buy used stuff and fill in the blanks with new when I had the funds. Go big with $2000 and buy a bunch of stuff from a retiring mechanic. I even traded a ford ranger for a tool box once.

Buy once cry once...

 

Jesus, you guys' drain plug is 22mm? I thought that was huge.

As for the jack I know what you mean. My car weighs a million pounds and I had to borrow my neighbor's low pro jack from harbor freight and it worked beautifully. Very smooth mechanism, soft release and it lifted the car like it was nothing. Very highly recommended for odds and ends (I will still say craftsman for standard tools though :P)

 

A set of racheting open-end wrenches are priceless (I bought two sets, one that will bend 90 degrees on the end and the other straight). I use them so much now that I consider standard open-end wrenches worthless. I bought mine at a Home Depot since Sears' prices are ridiculous on those.

Another very handy thing is an o2 sensor wrench. Not strictly required but the front o2 is a pita.

 

Craftsman!! Tools are an investment.. Get a nice set.... don't buy individual tools unless its a special tool... save money $$$$$

 

+1 for ratcheting wrenches. i'm a tech and i can tell you, i'd rather use a ratcheting wrench than a ratchet and socket anyday, just seems faster, imo. although nothing beats air tools when it comes to speed.

the biggest thing to consider when buying tools is, how complex is the tool? if its a simple screwdriver or hammer, why pay 35 bucks to matco or snapon when you can get it at harbor freight for 99cents. on the other hand tho, if its something complex or requires precision or needs to withstand a lot of abuse like an air tool or a torque wrench, its often better to just spend the extra money for a good name and never have to worry about it.

posted this in the ralliart section awhile back, guys were asking the same ?'s:

 

i agree with that to an extent. If i were a mechanic, then matco and snap on would be great... but if you use air tools maybe 2 or 3 times a month, harbor freight works just fine. Now a good example for when its time to upgrade.... i did my tranny, and my sears 1/2 gun doesnt have enough torque to take off the bolt you have to get from the passenger side on the tranny.... cornwell gun, no problem. Just one of those rare occasions when you need a better quality piece.

 

Couple things:

1. Make sure the Jack is LOW PROFILE and can handle at least 2 tons.

2. Skip those sets with the standard/English sizes unless you have a domestic car you'll be working on, otherwise you're not going to use them. The only non-metric fastener I've found on the Evo is the nut for SSS antenna base.

 

Just thought I would give a update..

I am going to Harbor Freight tomorrow to get a jack, stands, 02 socket, torque wrench and breaker bar. From what I have read on the interwebs, Craftsman jacks suck and the $80 jack at HF is actually really good. I am going to Sears after that to pick up a tool set. I think I am just going to buy a basic set for like $100. I was thinking of a $300 set that has a real metal tool box..but then I was like..for $200 more..I could be spending that money on go fast parts.

Will update soon.

 

This would be really nice to have, I want one!