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DurocShark
Samba Member
Joined: April 05, 2004
Posts: 6624
Location: Crappy town in a crappy state. But the beach is nearby, so I have that going for me.
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 Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 5:51 am Post subject: What's your most useful CHEAP tool? |
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Over the years I've built up a pretty nice collection of tools. Mostly Craftsman or Matco. But I'm surprised at what has been the MOSt useful: My $20 Kragen workbench:
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No boom today. Boom tomorrow. There's always a boom tomorrow. |
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coad 
Samba Scapegoat
Joined: September 12, 2002
Posts: 7553
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 6:41 am Post subject: |
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| The finest tool ever is the reversable screwdriver out of the factory toolkit. #2 is the little 13/10 mm wrench. Between the two of them there's not much you can't do. |
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original irish airhead!
Samba Member
Joined: September 15, 2004
Posts: 24
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 6:50 am Post subject: |
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| I paid €40 for a really good quality 53 piece socket set, with a ratchet screwdriver, allen keys and all! |
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DeathBus
WILD MAN!
Joined: February 29, 2004
Posts: 4384
Location: Birmingham, Alabama
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 7:45 am Post subject: |
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MAN! LOADED QUESTION! There are so many!
My case splitter - Getting Type 4 cases apart sometimes can be a pain!!! I actually beat on one for 2 days with a rubber mallet before it came apart!  This neat little tool fits in the space left by the oil pump and as you turn the nut on the inside it pushes the case apart.
Extra Long Extra Strong magnet - great for pulling lifters out to check their condition and for grabing parts when they fall in tight spots, (like under some Kadron intakes!)
Empi rear Axel nut tool - Went from having to invite all my friends over to stand on a 20 foot breaker bar, to being able to whack it a few times and have it come right off!
5 pound sledge - for whacking on the Empi tool.
45 degree long needle nose pliers - nothing like them for taking off push rod tubes.
Distributer drive puller - I used to use the extra long extra strong magnet for this but found this tool to be 100 times better!
Blaster PB- the best can of spray penetrant you can by, I swear you could spray this stuff on anything and it would release it.
6mm allen socket - You ever tried to tighten the 6mm allen head bolts on CVs using a regular allen key? ITS A PAIN IN THE ASS! The socket makes life alot easier!
I am sure there are alot more I left out. 
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In the shop a 62 Bus and a 79 bus |
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TimGud
Samba Member
Joined: March 03, 2002
Posts: 6459
Location: Rio Rico Arizona
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 8:51 am Post subject: |
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| The hazet brake adjusting tool I picked up at a swap meet for $5. Makes the job alot easier. |
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Dave
Samba Elder
Joined: July 11, 2002
Posts: 2693
Location: The Forest Moon of Endor, in the Redwoods
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 8:57 am Post subject: |
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A 15mm head cylinder head nut.
Put it between the spring plate. and the spring plate stop, on a swing axle car, before you jack it up to replace the axle boots. The wheels won't de-camber when the car is raised, and makes sliding the new boot over the "wishbone" or "pickle fork" area a lot easier, plus, the boot can be installed in the position that it will be in most of it's life, that is, with the weight of the car on the suspension.
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and those that mind, don't matter" |
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Bart
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2002
Posts: 2516
Location: Chapel Hill, TN
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:21 am Post subject: |
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the little grabber claw thing. It's great for holding and starting nuts in those hard to reach pllaces. Also can't forget the Mechanix Gloves!!!!
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http://www.sundial-camper.com |
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kavikhahn
Samba Member
Joined: July 09, 2004
Posts: 60
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:37 am Post subject: |
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A .005/.007 go-nogo feeler gauge for setting the valves. Makes finding the elusive .006 easy.
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kavikhahn |
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bljones
Resident Wit
Joined: February 08, 2002
Posts: 2377
Location: ontario canada
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:57 am Post subject: |
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a six inch length of scrap 2x4. combination wheel chock, bodywork dolly, mini- workbench for drilling holes in sheetmetal sitting on your lap, backer for drilling through sheetmetal on a car, excellent for seating cylinders during engine builds, acts as a cushion on your floor jack saddle, an effective sanding block, and is an excellent coaster for your beer bottle or coffee mug- no unsightly rings on your workbench.
It's such a damned impressive tool, i may start marketing it. 
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Author of Original Rant #1
"It stingd itself to dead... now that is control on you"
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TimGud
Samba Member
Joined: March 03, 2002
Posts: 6459
Location: Rio Rico Arizona
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 1:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Dave wrote: |
A 15mm head cylinder head nut.
Put it between the spring plate. and the spring plate stop, on a swing axle car, before you jack it up to replace the axle boots. The wheels won't de-camber when the car is raised, and makes sliding the new boot over the "wishbone" or "pickle fork" area a lot easier, plus, the boot can be installed in the position that it will be in most of it's life, that is, with the weight of the car on the suspension. |
That's a good trick. |
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OnlyVW
Samba Redneck
Joined: January 07, 2004
Posts: 51
Location: Oregon
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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Old hub cap off a rabbit I found in parking lot, No it wasn't stolen, just sitting on the ground, works real good for holding nuts, bolts, sockets, and anything else I would lose in the gravel drive way.
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I may drive a GMC, but I long for a DUB! |
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Blaubus
Samba Member
Joined: October 25, 2003
Posts: 5153
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 5:59 pm Post subject: |
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ok for 12 bucks, on ebay, i got a VW tool No.179- 36 mm flare nut wrench for adjusting camber on type 1,2. i feel like ive won the lottery! my gal wont let me bring it to bed, so maybe i will frame it. i have a pic but i dont know how to show it. any help?
and for no money at all, i took a section of black pipe and some flat stock, and made a tool that gets out the tranny seal in 2 minutes flat! had to carve a taper and barb on the pipe using the lathe, drill holes etc. i wish i had a pic or even a camera, so you all can see what it looks like. i have been wondering how marketable it would be. aint it a bitch to get it out the other way? |
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lonslo
Samba Member
Joined: December 17, 2003
Posts: 1110
Location: Osideornoside
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 6:17 pm Post subject: |
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| I got a scisser jack for $2 at Ecology and I use it to crank down the rear axle on my s.c. to get my rim and tire off. |
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Mr. Bubblehead
El Chupa Nibre
Joined: October 25, 2002
Posts: 2756
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 8:20 pm Post subject: |
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CHEAP tools? I got tons of 'em but my favorite is a 14" flathead screwdriver my daughter got me for Christmas last year. It is really cheap - it was purchased at the Dollar Store - but the steel shaft goes completely through the plastic handle and ever has a steel head on it for hammering. I have beat/pried/forced/abused the crap out of that thing and it's never failed me yet. And if it does, it will only cost me $1 for a new one  |
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69calibug
Samba Member
Joined: March 23, 2004
Posts: 506
Location: Hamburg, NY
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| Posted: Sun Oct 10, 2004 9:09 pm Post subject: |
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| Mr. Bubblehead wrote: |
| CHEAP tools? I got tons of 'em but my favorite is a 14" flathead screwdriver my daughter got me for Christmas last year. It is really cheap - it was purchased at the Dollar Store - but the steel shaft goes completely through the plastic handle and ever has a steel head on it for hammering. I have beat/pried/forced/abused the crap out of that thing and it's never failed me yet. And if it does, it will only cost me $1 for a new one |
I've got lots of those, and only a buck to replace when I lose them/throw them across the yard/leave them at the junkyard. They last forever otherwise. besides those, my new socket set is the best value. Everything in a neat little case with a handle. No more rooting around in the tool box for a ratchet and the right socket.
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'69 Beetle, '69 Beetle Convertible |
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Gary
Person of Interest
Joined: November 01, 2002
Posts: 17069
Location: 127.0.0.1
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| Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:45 am Post subject: |
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I finally learned the hard way not to ever again buy Chicago Electric tools from Harbor Freight. Cheap quality that doesn't last. I went though a heat gun, reciprocating saw, and a triangle sander. Next time I buy stuff like that I'm paying decent dinero for them.
As for cheap tools, the scrap 2x4 is a keeper, along with the 2x6. My other is the 4' length of pipe that I use as a cheater bar.
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West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943) |
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Mr. Bubblehead
El Chupa Nibre
Joined: October 25, 2002
Posts: 2756
Location: 612 Wharf Avenue
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| Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:33 am Post subject: |
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| Norman wrote: |
I finally learned the hard way not to ever again buy Chicago Electric tools from Harbor Freight. Cheap quality that doesn't last. I went though a heat gun, reciprocating saw, and a triangle sander. Next time I buy stuff like that I'm paying decent dinero for them.
As for cheap tools, the scrap 2x4 is a keeper, along with the 2x6. My other is the 4' length of pipe that I use as a cheater bar. |
Amazingly I've had great luck with Harbor Freight tools. I've got a lot of them, and I've beat the crap out of their 1/2" hammer drill, 4" angle grinder, belt sander, and air nailers. They haven't failed me yet. The only problems I've ever had is with the angle grinder (the power cord shorted out but was simple to fix) and their scissors (I broke them the first time that I used them, but hey, they were only a dollar). Also their air fittings are prone to leaking, if you don't seal them up with loads of teflon tape.
Norman, I've got a 4' piece of angle iron that I use for locking flywheels and brake drums - gotta love that tool.
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Samba Member #4862 |
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glandnut
40 horses of Fury
Joined: February 26, 2003
Posts: 1432
Location: J-ville, FL
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| Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:48 am Post subject: |
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Never being able to find the elusive factory reamer for kingpin bushings, I bought one of those cheap "brake cylinder hone" flex attachments. I slapped that baby in the drill with the rough stones and whala!! Perfect slip fit.
I also have to give some love to my trusty 17/19 Craftsman ratcheting box- end. Makes that upper right 17mm motor/bellhousing nut a cinch when pulling/installing a motor.
That 3 inch piece of german breather hose that keeps me from cross threading plugs.
Oh, and plastic golf tees. Keeps the vice grip free instead of clamped on the fuel line when you need it.
Oh, and as far as Harbor Freight? I got the $12 set of metric deep well impact sockets and for the price they rock. |
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Bart
Samba Member
Joined: March 18, 2002
Posts: 2516
Location: Chapel Hill, TN
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| Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 7:56 am Post subject: |
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| glandnut wrote: |
| my trusty 17/19 Craftsman ratcheting box- end. |
Not a "cheap" tool
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UncleBob
Grease Midget
Joined: August 21, 2002
Posts: 2862
Location: Northeast Florida
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| Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:08 am Post subject: |
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Well, for me it's my 'Micro Leatherman' on my keychain. I'm a systems tech at work and can fix pretty much anything with it. It even cuts Cat-5 cable. I lose it once a year or so, and when I do, I go straight to the store to get another. I go into a panic when I don't have it.
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don't worry, the ciggaret is fake. |
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