what tools do i need?

ok ive decided to become a back yard mechanic, I have some experience fixing things on my 89 xj, but havent really dont anything serious and usually i have someone there to help..

but I have a huge list of things I want to do and cant afford a mechanic, so i figure the best way is to teach myself,

Im planning on installing a 6in lift, cleaing and replacing valve cover, replacing some of the body, replacing other random things

I have a basic rachet and socket set but thats about it?

Im planning on getting an eletric impact gun,

any suggestions on other tools that will come in handy?? or i will for sure need?

Duct tape. You will need lots of duct tape.

Okay, although you will, in time, find that my first post is indeed true, I admit I was going for the laugh. Here's a more serious response. But instead of a list of tools, let me give you a list of factors to consider.

1. Most important, buy the FSM (Factory Service Manual). This will set you back $50-75, but is critical. Knowledge is your most imporotant tool. I'd also recommend buying the Haynes manual too, for another $10-15.

2. You can do quite a lot with a limited number of tools. Socket set, hammer, screwdrivers, wrenches, files, etc can cover a good bit of ground.

3. Having said that, the right tool for the job makes all the difference in the world. There are many specialty tools in car repair, some that you might only use once every 3 years or something, but which still are vital and well worth the money.

So, to pull 1,2, and 3 together, here's what I'd suggest. Don't go on a big shopping spree right at first. Just buy the tools as you need them for a specific job. Use the FSM to figure out in advance what tools you will need for a specific job, and then just consider them part of the cost of the job. Inother words, don't start a job if you can't afford to buy all the necessary tools as well as the parts**. Then, when the job is over, you've not only improved your jeep, you've also improved your tool collection.

**One exception - you can rent or borrow the really expensive tools that you only need once in a blue moon. Most auto parts stores will lend or rent you tools, and your friends may have others.

I was a professional mechanic for 27 years and bought tens of thousands of dollars worth of Snap-On tools. You're not a professional, you can do well with a couple of hundred.
Flip through a Harbor Freight catalog and get basics (wrenches pliers etc.). As you break them or find them inadequate, replace them with better quality.

Like 92xjsp said.......Dont go on a shopping spree. FIRST lets cover the boring but MOST IMPORTANT stuff......SAFETY equipment. DONT LAUGH! You may not feel like wheelin much if you just lost an eye, or have severe burns or scaring on your face. Its no fun to go to a specialist to have them dig steel out of your eye. And you don't want your garage burned down. Buy a FIRE EXTINGUISHER or two. Not the little toy that we keep in the Jeep. A real one. SAFETY GOGGLES, gloves. Don't be out there working with short pants, t shirt and sandals. You get the idea. OK on to the tools. For example don't buy a set of metric sockets all the way up to 36mm to do a unit bearing. Buy a 36mm at a place like Harbor Freight. I know, I know, some will say its junk but, if your using it one time in 6 years it will be fine. If it breaks while your doing the job they will replace it. Take a job like the unit bearing.....research what you need to take apart and get the tools to do it. Like 36mm 1/2in dr socket, breaker bar/torque wrench, 12 point socket 13mm(???) for the 3 bolts that hold the unit bearing. Another example.....you don't need a Fluke or Snap on digital meter, but don't get one from H Freight, more like Radio Shack etc.

xWhatever - don't go on a shopping spree.
Buy quality tools. Don't go cheap - you can get injured when a wrench breaks and sends your over-exerted arm into a sharp piece of metal. Ask me how I know.
Buy craftsman tools from Sears, and buy the ones you need for a specific job. When I started out, I tried to buy everythign I'd ever need - and I have a lot of junk that I still never have used. You'll develop a style of working on a car that will lend itself to different combinations of tools - for instance, I don't use "shallow" sockets, I use the deep almost always. I also don't use the 1/2" ratchet, I use a breaker bar and spin the thing.

What I'm getting at, is this: Buy the tools you need, as you need htem. Buy quality tools for safety and convenience sake.

A 1/2" breaker bar, a piece of pipe to slip over the end, and a can of Pblaster will be your friends.

All above is well said including the duct tape. I am not a mechanic, but I have acquired,over time out of necessity, skill here and there. My perspective from the amateur side is to plan, plan, plan the subprojects, read, read, read,
ask questions, there is no STUPID question, people bitch on the forums if you do not do a reasonable amount of searching, because a lot of the answers have already been posted. Safety is a must, I can not tell you how many people I know who have spent more money on medical care from accidents during a heafty task than on the project. Especially chocking and bracing. I am also impreased that patience is a real attribute in newby's, It always takes me 3-4 times as long to finish the job than I thought it should. If at all possible find a patient and teaching minded mentor, this forum has people who will help you work through a project, but there is no substitute for a hands on mentor, that will cost a little extra in beer etc. Have fun and be safe.

1. Do not waste money on a Haynes or Chilton manual. They aren't worth the paper they are printed on.... Haynes in particular is great for keeping stuff you don't want getting greasy off your workbench, or keeping drink rings off your workbench. A set of FSM's is going to cost, yes. But it will more than pay that money back.

2. Aquire yourself a decent set of hand tools. The basics to start. But when dealing with a Renix Cherokee, a set of Torx sockets is a must. You will also need both SAE and Metric tools in your tool box. Jeeps are a mix of both. Other more specialized tools can be aquired as you need them on each job.

3. Start with small stuff and work from there. Installing a 6 inch lift, and cleaning out the valve cover are two totally different worlds in the wrenching universe. As you accomplish some eaiser jobs, you will find your toolbox building itself. Your basic maintence jobs are a good place to start to learn how to work on your own junk.....

I've had good luck with a fairly basic set of tools and a few specialty goodies here-and-there. You'll need a basic socket set with a few large sizes (32mm and 36mm), as well as a 12-point 13mm for the stock hubs.

As mentioned above, though, get the FSM and purchase the tools as you need them. You'll quickly find your tool collection has outgrown your toolbox .

awesome thanks for all the advice,

I already have a haynes manual and I dont really find it that useful, Im going to pick up a fsm.

and i will definetly be using this site alot of advice

Are there any good websites to buy the FSM? I checked the auto parts store and jeep parts store and they do not have it. I have a haynes and a chilton but would think that the FSM is more indepth. Thanks

BFH

3/4" - 1" Sockets for 1/2" drive. Over 1" sockets will come in handy as well, for yokes, steering box etc.

Axle stub nut is 36mm

Some bolts are 18mm, not standard. I recommend a good MMetric set up to 22mm.

Good Vice grip Pliar, Small and Big

lots of extentions, 3/8" and 1/2"

Breaker bar

Pry bar

small wrench set

I like ratchet wrenches.

good adjustable wrench

tape measurer

Power
4 1/2" grinder
Sawzall

Besides your basic toolkit, there are a few odd things that I keep in the top drawer because they are uber useful:

Needle nose vice grips

3" (yeah, it's tiny and you don't find them everywhere) crescent wrench

3lb sledge hammer

torx bits and screwdrivers

higherelevation said:

Are there any good websites to buy the FSM? I checked the auto parts store and jeep parts store and they do not have it. I have a haynes and a chilton but would think that the FSM is more indepth. Thanks

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Get some good jackstands or 4 of them and a real floor jack. I never hold back on tools when I do a job. I pick up deals if I can but basically I buy tools as I need them. I'm doing a header/intake in a week so today I'm picking up a set of swivle gear wrenches. But back to the website with the factory shop books and parts breakdown...here you go:
http://www.greatlakesxj.com/tech.html

torch set & air compressor fixes all things.

thanks for all the advice..im not going to buy anything before i need them!!!!

Im planning on starting with installing my lift kit, can i just support it on jack stands while i do all the work?

blazinjames said:

thanks for all the advice..im not going to buy anything before i need them!!!!

Im planning on starting with installing my lift kit, can i just support it on jack stands while i do all the work?

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Yeow, that's a pretty advanced place to start, unless you have somebody who has done this before who will work with you. And your jeep isn't a daily driver, so you can afford to have it in the shop for several days (maybe weeks) if things go wrong.

On the other hand, that is a topic where there is a ton of info available on the web. I'd suggest you do various google searches and spent a couple days just reading posts and articles related to doing lifts. Among the things you might need to learn about are Slip Yoke Eliminators and the process of drilling out and replacing broken bolts.

92xjsp said:

Yeow, that's a pretty advanced place to start, unless you have somebody who has done this before who will work with you. And your jeep isn't a daily driver, so you can afford to have it in the shop for several days (maybe weeks) if things go wrong.

On the other hand, that is a topic where there is a ton of info available on the web. I'd suggest you do various google searches and spent a couple days just reading posts and articles related to doing lifts. Among the things you might need to learn about are Slip Yoke Eliminators and the process of drilling out and replacing broken bolts.

Click to expand...

w_howey said:

3. Start with small stuff and work from there. Installing a 6 inch lift, and cleaning out the valve cover are two totally different worlds in the wrenching universe. As you accomplish some easier jobs, you will find your toolbox building itself. Your basic maintenance jobs are a good place to start to learn how to work on your own junk.....

Click to expand...

x2 Obviously needs repeating.....

Start small, get a few successes under your belt, get a couple of failures under your belt before you head into the big bad projects. Trying for the big project first is a recipe for HUGE issues.

Definitely get a 18 mm 1/2'' drive socket if not a whole metric 1/2'' drive socket set. I can not count the times that a 1/2'' drive 18mm socket would have helped. also x2 on the breaker bar and a couple of different lengths of pipe for different spaces.

Chris

well first i need to get the jeep running..

I just bought a second jeep im planning on putting the lift on..i wanted to do that fairly soon because the jeep I use as my daily driver shocks are toast and I was planning on taking off the ones from my new jeep and putting them on my daily driver..

and yes if i run into trouble I do know a couple mechanics i can ask for help

thanks