it's all you guys fault

[BarryK]

It's everybodies fault on here!

you all made working on my own car sound easy so that's what I started to learn how to do. Than I had to start buying new tools when I ran into stuff I didn't have the proper tool for.
Next thing I know I'm working on the car with tools spread out everywhere - mostly spread out on the garden tractor, in the garden wagon, or whereever I could find room for them because my old toolbox is too small and trying to find anything in it is ridiculous.

so, I finally had to break down and spend the money for a new toolchest. I figured If I'm going to work on the car I might as well be as organized as possible. I find it impossible to work if I'm not perfectly organized.

Sears had a sale yeterday - an additional 10% off their already listed sale prices so the wife insisted I go and get the toolchest I wanted (she is a definite keeper )

this is the one I decided on and brought home:

There was another one that had two or three additional drawers for only a small amount more $$$ but I liked the ball-bearing roller drawers on this one and the other one didn't have the ball-bearing drawers. I figured the better quality and smoother operating drawers were better than just having more drawers
I only have so many tools at this point and even after filling it up with what I have I still have two empty drawers of space left for future tool purchases.

Well, at least i'm a bit more organized now.
I sure wish I had this a few weeks ago while I was working in the engine bay!

 

[JonM]

Now what happens is, you put your limited amount of tools in that big chest and it looks empty...so you buy more tools because you know you have the room to store them...and so on, and so on...its a vicious cycle. :crazy

 

[BarryK]

Jon

unfortunately, as I was putting my tools away and organizing them in the new toolchest, it made me realize just what I was missing.............
I think for the moment I have most of the sockets and ratchets I need for most things. A few pieces of my wrenches seem to be MIA but the most common sizes I need for most things are there but I'll need to fill in a few holes eventually, etc.
I can more easily see what I'll eventually want/need to get but for now i'm just buying what I need as I need it. Funds are too tight to just go out and buy one of those big complete sets for $500 or $1000 and chances are I wouldn't need or already have a lot of what is included in the sets anyway.

 

[JonM]

You are thinking small...ask Santa if he will bring you one of these...

With a flex head that pivots 45 degrees in both directions, the
new 3/8-inch square drive Blue-Point® Air Ratchet from Snap-on Tools Company gives
professional tool users optimum maneuverability, power and operating comfort. ​

The new AT714 Air Ratchet features Blue-Point's exclusive "Cobra Head" design,
enabling users to pivot the ratchet head a full 45 degrees up or down to deliver up to 40 foot
pounds of torque for driving or loosening threaded bolts in hard-to-reach places.
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]In addition to accommodating 3/8-inch socket heads, the new air ratchet also works with
suitable extension bars, universal joints and socket adapters to increase its range of utility for a
variety of applications. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A focus on user comfort is evident in the AT714 Air Ratchet's design. Besides the flex
head, the tool features a molded, ergonomic handle grip for maximum comfort and control. The
pneumatic ratchet weighs 3.35 pounds and is 10.6 inches in length. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]A continuously variable throttle control allows users to easily operate the AT714 Air
Ratchet through a torque range of up to 40 foot pounds. The maximum free speed of the unit's
air motor is 200 RPM. The tool accepts compressed air at pressures up to 90 PSIG, and
consumes an average of 2.5 cubic feet of air per minute. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The AT714 Air Ratchet's performance meets all industry standards for safety and sound
emissions. The tool is covered by a one-year limited manufacturer's warranty. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Customers can find out more about the AT714 Air Ratchet by contacting their local
Snap-on representatives, visiting http://www.snapon.com or calling 877-762-7662. [/FONT]

 

[Fuelie]

Barry,

Now that you have been bitten by the "Tool Bug", you will discover that there is no such thing as too many tools. It is similar to the "Never Enough Corvette Syndrome and of course tied directly to the "Need A Bigger Garage Disease"

Luckily your wife is like mine and has always encouraged us both to give in to the illnesses and enjoy it all together.

Soon, you too will think that a 1500 sg ft home and a 20 stall garage might be appropriate

Take care,
Brian

 

[John Mcgraw]

Fuelie is exactly right! The next thing you will have to do is build a storage building to get that tractor out of there, then a new garage just for working on you cars, then..............


Regards, John McGraw

 

[BarryK]

Soon, you too will think that a 1500 sg ft home and a 20 stall garage might be appropriate

you mean it's not?

 

[Kid_Again]

Heck, I still think you oughta mothball the engine and go with a big block. Still not too late.

 

[BarryK]

Fuelie is exactly right! The next thing you will have to do is build a storage building to get that tractor out of there, then a new garage just for working on you cars, then..............
Regards, John McGraw

John, believe me, if it was possible to build a shed for the tractor, wagon, and anything else non-vette related that's in the garage it would have been built a month after buying the house.
Unfortunately, where I live we have deed restrictions and they do not allow ANY type of sheds at all.
I was willing to go with a full custom built shed on a concrete pad, proper exterior and roof to match the house, or whatever, but they make no exceptions on this rule. Poeple have tried many ideas to "get around" the rule but they always put a stop to it. Ine or two members on the neighborhood committe that handles this issue are lawyers so they plugged pretty much every loophole.

i'm stuck with my basic 2-car garage and the vette has to share it with the waifes car, the garden tractor and wagon, push mower, garden tools, and all the other crap that collects in garages.
such is life. At least it's a little better than the last house which I only had a single one-car garage.

 

[BarryK]

Heck, I still think you oughta mothball the engine and go with a big block. Still not too late.

Sure kid. you buy it, pay for it , have it shipped and delivered to me, than come over here (bring Mark with you) and help me install it along with the Keisler 5-speed tranny which you also generously paid for and I'll be very happy to have a BB in my car as I store and preserve my original motor

 

[JL66REDCPE]

That's a nice tool chest - good luck with it. GOOD tools are GOOD investments. Whenever I buy a new tool or set, I also have to purchase the metric equivalent. Some of our stuff is Metric, some is SAE.

 

[firstgear]

what I did, was decide what kind of tools I wanted, I mean needed got a good idea of how much they cost new and started going to auctions that had tools...you have to be careful because the auction can get out of hand with pricing.....also I bought a bunch of tools on EBay....there were also some good prices there....but again you have to know how much things cost or you can end up spending way too much..also don't forget to watch the shipping....depending on the person/company the shipping can go from reasonable to "you have to be kidding"......and then as others pointed out, you will need a bigger box....but then you will also need to get a bigger air compressor (if you don't have one already)....then of course you need to get a lift......oh yeah....you need to get a work bench that will let you bang on your stuff and not on the floor.....almost forgot, the bigger hammer you will need....don't forget the puller.....it comes in a couple of different sizes...and then you have that bench so you need a bench drill press......ahhh....it goes on and on........

 

[firstgear]

building a low cost work bench

when I was looking to build my workbench....someone sent me this link....not a bad first bench...but also not $20.....by the way, I got my covered with 1/8 stainless steel....bent on 3 sides and welded at the seams....real nice....

http://www.hammerzone.com/archives/workshop/bench/below20.html

 

[JohnZ]

Barry, now that you've graduated to a (very nice) ball-bearing rollaway, get a couple of rolls of the best drawer liner material Sears sells - it's black "nubby" stuff you lay in the bottom of the drawers, and keeps the tools from sliding around when you open and close the drawers.

Then you'll see the need to organize things a bit, and you can get molded plastic wrench and socket organizers (Sporty's, Eastwood, etc.) that fit in the drawers and keep everything where it belongs.....it never ends

 

[BarryK]

John
bought the drawer liners already while I was there getting the toolchest along with a few tool organizers.
I'm not thrilled with the socket organizers I got but they will do for now and were inexpensive but later on I'll get better ones. The wrench organizer I got will hold me for now too but i'll scan thru the eastwood catalog to see what else may be handy.

 

[JonM]

Wow, JohnZ...a little anal retentive, are we? ...you doing surgery or working on a car?

 

[67HEAVEN]

Wow, JohnZ...a little anal retentive, are we? ...you doing surgery or working on a car?

Having seen evidence of John's work, I'd say "surgery by a amazing surgeon" would be an appropriate description.

Jon, if you are unaware of John's background, shoot me a PM.

 

[BarryK]

Jon
I don't think John's tool drawers classify him as anal retentive at all.
If I had all those tools to put in my toolchest I'd want them to be as organized as that also.
I'm very particular in many ways and organization is one of them. Unless things are very neat, tidy, and orgainized I can't work.
Besides, when it organized you can find things easier when you need them and it's also easy to see quickley if the tool you need is there or if it's missing.

Unfortunately, when I went and put all my tools away in my new toolchest it let me see how many of the tools have "disappeared" over the years that I never noticed because they weren't organized well enough.

 

[BarryK]

BTW John
it's nice to see your tools are Craftsman tools like I have. makes me feel better about the relatively few tools I have instead of seeing your tool drawers full of the expensive Snap-on stuff!

 

[allcoupedup]

Good call on the ball bearing sliders. You won't regret it. I still buy cheap tools every now and then and end up regretting it most of the time.

Brian