I don't have any great tools either. Craftsmen is about as fancy a tool I can afford. I keep the cheap tools around too, for when somebody wants to borrow them. they don't usually ask more than once...and they are nice for when your need a wrench with that "special" angle! heat it and make your own. Doesn't happen but once in a blue moon, but it does happen. Most of the time my air impact(blue point) won't break tough stuff loose. I end up standing on a cheater pipe and then it will spin it. I got a stack up box for metric and another for english, and of course the soft bag for the salvage yard. I usually take home an extra tool from the salvage yard too! not everytime but a few times. Now that those guys save me so much money, I give them what I find.

 

My grandma had a '67 Nova, the only way to get the front right plug out of the 283 was to crawl under it with a spark plug socket and 5/8" wrench. The heat shields, with the finely honed edges in close proximity of the inner fender panel prevented you from getting from the top.

My wifes '96 Monte Carlo, and other GMs I've worked in the same class, you have to loosen the two front motor mounts and pull the engine forward to get the spark plugs out. Getting them out is fun enough but trying to get them lined up and threaded in another treat because you can't see in the back of the engine, it all has to be done by touch.

 

why would you work on a wrong wheel drive anything bob ???? too me they're just generic p.o.s's to be run into the ground and left for dead why do ya's think i won't work on her or the kids new stuff . i don't fit into tight spaces well , and have a tendency to lose my cool with things and put dents in 'em .............. how do you like my new acme big f-ing hammer by the way ??? wasn't cheap but does a wonderful job and is of good quality

 

With these newer vehicles, it seems you need to be more of an IT guy than a mechanic! I like the computer technology, but I do know that they are like rubik's cube...

edit: I like the hammer Kevin! Do your forearms get tired swinging that thing?

 

Have to work on my family member's cars out of financial necessity. If I took them in every time they needed something fixed I'd go broke. My sons can't afford to take their vehicles in either so I get stuck working on them. My youngest will help out but my oldest isn't the least bid mechanically inclined.

 

Bob,
The GM front wheel drive cars where all that way. Basically you could pull the upper dogbone engine mount loose and rock the engine forward to gain access to the rear. Heck, they even gave you that nice bracket on the engine side of the dogbone that you can stuff your prybar in.

My life of working on relatives cars recently got a little easier. I finally convinced mom-in-law to get rid of her POS 97 AWD V8 Exploder (I hate Exploders!!!!)

Bobby

 

Hey Bob, for my own curiosity...do you get any work back in return? from your oldest son? Everybody is different, but I will work on their stuff, but I don't do it for them free. Either participate and learn or rake leaves or clean the house or whatever else works, but my stepson just assumes that because I work on cars, he can sit in the basement and play XBOX....WRONG ANSWER!!! When he needs something worked on, he has to contribute somehow. Otherwise it can sit on the curb and back to my truck I go! Sometimes there is just no interest for them and thats ok. But my stepson is LAZY !! The worst I ever seen! I am no charity case. I like the theory," Feed a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats forever."
My stepson has had everything handed to him, until I came into his life. He doesn't like me much right now but one day he will thank me. Maybe not to my face, but one day...
Sorry for the rambling! But I am sitting in a hotel room at Fort Leonardwood, MO
LOL I am bored!
Not accusing you of anything just explaining my situation, related to you, working on all the family cars...

 

Jeff,

I hear ya. I don't do it for free either! especially my 2 sons vehicles. There's nothing worse than when they "expect" you to fix it.
I have my ways of making them pay.

Bobby

 

I hate to be that way, but I started doing this stuff when I was 15. Dad taught me how to change oil and brakes later that summer. I took it from there, with his help for a couple years. and auto mech class two years. I have been at this stuff for 30 years now. it is just taken for granted and I get used...nobody wants to pay and nobody wants to do anything for me and nicolle...And now it is my time to reap the benefits of countless hours of learning, asking, reading, researching..for years! I always hear,"i don't know how to do that" funny how they can use the internet for facebook and gaming or whatever else, but cant find their butt with both hands, when it comes to their cars... I'm sitting in a hotel room in Fort Leonardwood, MO....I'm long-winded tonight!

 

i'm almost afraid to ask what yer doing in leonardwood jeff ......the only kid or grand kid i got with any interest in things mechanical is my little redheaded assistant reese , and now the little grandson which i believe the little flirt introduced himself to bob's wife , caden . 2 years old and loves to be in the garage with his dad or papa . the rest like the old cars , but don't want too do any of the work . so needless to say no worky , no drivey ...............i grew up in the garage from the time i was able to walkinto it . customizing bicycles aka building choppers , hades i actually with the help of my unk and grandpa turned my first trike into a low slung three wheel chopper by reversing the frame , cutting the neck and extending the forks ......... it's also where i learned to do what started this thread , doing it all pretty much with hand tools as it was just the common practice with my grandpa . still kinda sticks too with welders etc. as i have a new wire welder that has just sat for 2 1/2 years and i don't have a clue how it works . need to weld i gravitate back to what i teethed on , the old arc welder !

 

What is this speak of impacts? I don't even have an air compressor! Everything I do is by hand. I don't have those special racheting wrenches cause they will break. I mean really, what good is a box end of a wrench if you can't stand on it? If I can, after whatever nut or bolt is broke free I will use the ratchet.

At the same time I tend not to get too deep on most newer cars. My garage simply is not equiped to handle what most newer cars need to get the job done. I do brakes and tune up's, and some light wrenchin for the most part. On these older pieces though, there isn't a whole lot I can't get done with simple hand tools and some grunt.

 

hmmmm .... i see a trend here . whether we have fancy stuff or not , were all old grumpy curmudgeons that are set in our ways and be damned with what all the newer things have or can do !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I would probably use air tools if I had the opprotunity to.

I often help out at my buddy's shop on whatever happens to be on the lift at that time. He has air tools, electric impact guns...you name it...all sorts of fun tools. I use em when I am workin there sometimes. I still tend to rely on regular wrenches.

 

I have air tools, hand tools, and specialty tools. I guess it just depends on the job, and the amount of time it takes to set-up the air tools versus just using a hand tool. I unload and drain my air compressor every time that I use it, because I do not use it all the time. I hand tighten and torque my lug nuts, so I don't really use the air tools for that either. I do use them, just not very often. When I was working in a shop, we had the air compressor on all of the time, so I used them much more then.

 

Got to agree with you all,have impact and air ratchets for years and been used once or twice,hoses always in way ,may be different if not outside in the driveway,but i found one advantage to the impact,when i get pissed and throw my tool i can reel it back with the hose,
just had to add my two cents..