Beginner mechanic help

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=4

i also visit this forum that has to do with EVERYTHING GARAGE !

Lots of tool discussion

I said stay away from HF and princess auto tools ....... Let me revise I am in canada so i have no dealings with HF, but the Canadian version is Princess auto. They have almost 3 levels of tools.

The dirt no name

The princess auto brand (power fist) middle of the road

Their Pro tools (Pro Point)

I do have a lot of their tools mostly sockets and specialty tools.

I was comparing the mastercraft of the early 2000's to todays power fist and hands down the mastercraft will win every time, BUT it seams like the mastercraft brand has slipped and they are the same quality as the Power fist middle of the road.

https://www.princessauto.com/en/

I have also had good success with the husky tools

 

Where to start? This forum.

First there are threads on when to do maintenance items, like at 30k, 60k, etc. Then once you find out what you need to do, very rarely is there not a thread on here to discuss it.
A tip for a rookie mechanic, get a torque wrench or two. The biggest problem i see in young mechanics is over torquing, and that just opens up a whole new set of problems.

 

Lol you could start here...

 

Or here.

 

Haha metric 10-24mm should be good for 99% of your wrenching. Specifically 10, 12, 14, 17, 19, 22, and 24 mm. 3/8" or 1/2" drive ratchet, breaker bar, and torque wrench will get used the most. Harbor freight hydraulic jack and jack stands.

 

I just realized you guys might not know what master-craft tools are ?

They are the house brand of Canadian Tire .... and a Canada only store

Much like your Sears and Craftsman brand

Whatever direction you go in for tools just remember you DONT need to buy them all at the same time !

I usually make a detailed list of tools i would like to have and give it to the wife before xmas

 

sad..

I saw some idiot couldnt even pump his own gas...he had some guy in line behind him pump his gas

also you should have your man card revoked if you cant change your own flat tire, bad wipers, battery or pump your own gas...

 

That old set of Craftsman sockets and wrenches will likely be higher quality than any new 'Husky' or 'Kobalt' or new craftsman set. They made awesome quality tools in the USA back in the day man. Keep any of the older tools you inherit.

Local pawnshops are also a good idea for that one strange size socket you don't have or that specific type of pliers you need for a job. And pawnshops usually only buy good quality used tools from people looking to hawk their tools. I have a few tools I've picked up over the years from pawnshops and I love them. Just looking at them and the use and wear they've been through and they still function as new, even if they don't look it. Not too mention that many of the quality tool brands are even repairable or fixable.

Buy used, buy quality= buy once and save bucks. It's just like why we like our first gens, I try to live most of my life and make most purchases with this perspective. Didn't work out that way with the ex-wife though lmao haha

And this forum will become invaluable to your progress as a DIY'er with your taco. I applaud you wanting to learn to do this stuff for yourself. Learn, learn, learn, as much as you can.

 

yeah the old craftsmen tools are good...newer ones arent as good. I just broke a ratchet the other day, now I got to see where I can exchange it. I like the kobalt wreches.

 

Oh yeah, just remembered another tool that's been invaluable for me working on vehicles is the flex head ratcheting wrenches. Whoever invented those needs to be awarded a Nobel prize or something like that.

 

These are my favorite...

 

Mine happen to be the flex-head gearwrench.

 

I dont have any of those but they would be useful...

 

Boy are they. I've had my original Craftsman ratchet and socket set for over 20 years with none of the sockets or ratchets breaking. The flex heads I've had for over 10 years with none crapping out. And all of these have been WELL USED.
The guy I learned most of my mechanic/car crap stuff from hadn't used the flex heads. This was prolly 10 years ago or so. We used mine on various projects/jobs and he fell in love with them. He's old school and I love it. He still won't torque down hard with his. He's afraid the ratcheting mechanism inside will break. Lol. He watches me torque down plenty hard with mine and with no reserve. All still work great. Makes him cringe. Lol.

 

These 1st gen tacomas are often pretty rusty. Get a can of penatrating oil for soaking rusty nuts and bolts before removal. I recommend kroil. I've also heard that the brand "nuts off" works well.

Leverage is your friend. Get a 2 foot breaker bar. High quality striking prybars are also amazing. I used to buy cheap prybars but they just bend. I recommend getting a snapon one.

As someone already mentioned a haynes manual is very helpful. There is lots of good tips and tricks in there.

 

Another tool that will come in handy if you round some of those rusty bolts would be the Irwin bolt extractor.

 

I always have a 3 ft section of pipe in the back of my truck that i just slip over the end of the ratchet, instant leverage

 

I 2nd Kroil for penetrating. If that cant do it, take it to a pro.

 

Thanks, I'll definitely look into torque wrenches.

 

I think you should visit the YouTube channel my buddy Sean and I started. We've got lots of videos for you to use. We wrench mostly on 3rd Gen 4runners but 1st Gen Tacomas are very similar. You'll get plenty of tool purchase ideas watching the repairs and mods we do. Here's a link to your channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9EMiD9KPy61kJ6hdXcbjxA