CagersXJ
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Jacksonville, N.C.
How about a Haynes manual, and most importantly it is always good to have some buddies who are willing to help in the garage also!
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Garage Essentials?
- Thread starter bmyohn
- Start date
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
Haynes manual is an outhouse essential... a real FSM for your year is a true essential though 
I have never been so confused as the time I tried to use the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual. It's just similar enough to reality to drive one mad.
I have never been so confused as the time I tried to use the wiring diagrams in the Haynes manual. It's just similar enough to reality to drive one mad.
WaXJ_Skier
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Bellevue, Wa
I always keep beer in the house and can order pizza from my phone, so big check on the second part.
DrexelSpivey
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Carlsbad CA.
Fridge, coffee maker, and one a cheap halogen lamp/ space heater combo.
superdave
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- NW Tennessee
Since I don't own an engine hoist, and would likely not use one often enough to warrant buying one, I thought about a small electric hoist mounted in the ceiling of my shop. Say one with a 2000lb capacity like for a 4-wheeler or something. But what would I need in my ceiling for this? A steel I beam? A half dozen 2x12's put together? And, I am guessing an I beam would cost more than an engine hoist. Hell, the lumber might too. The winch might too.....hmm.
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
I'm fairly certain you could use a 4x8 (placed vertically) depending on the weight you intend to lift, but I'd just drop $180 on a 1 ton shop crane from harbor freight. Bought one a year ago and would buy it again, it's held up to every abuse I have thrown at it.
GrimmJeeper
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gardena, CA
the folding ones are on sale right now here for $149 through the end of the month. I like it because you can drop the arm down and fold the legs up and the only space it eats up is a 3x3 spot in the corner of the garage.
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
yeah I think that's the one I got. They were on sale when I got mine, it plus a load leveler all added up to $170 with a 2 or 3 year warranty when they threw in a 20% off coupon to get me to buy the warranty.
GrimmJeeper
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Gardena, CA
I'm still kicking myself in the butt for not buying the 5 ton shop chain hoist from the guy I got my vise from :doh: it still looked damn near brand new and was 50 years old, but I was afraid it would have caved in the roof of my garage just mounting it. Termites suck
McQue
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Plainville, Connecticut
Well, because I worked on computers since 1970, it seems like my friends bring me all the electrical problems... So I have an assortment of meters, analog and digital, probes, jumpers, alligator clips and an oscilloscope I picked up on a Ebay auction. Other basic and inexpensive test equipment includes OBD1/2 Scanner, Fuel pressure gauge, Spark tester, Vac gauge, Heat gun, Can of cold spray, and my old laptop computer connected to the internet at my workbench, so I can research problems, part numbers, reference the FSM...etc.
I probably couldn't fix much without this stuff.
I probably couldn't fix much without this stuff.
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
Damn, sounds like you took my electronics lab and moved it into the workshop. Think the only thing I have that isn't listed in your post is an HP1630 series logic analyzer... not much use in an auto shop!
GrimmJeeper, you shoulda gotten it and mounted it on braced lally columns!
GrimmJeeper, you shoulda gotten it and mounted it on braced lally columns!
yossarian19
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Grass Valley, CA
Probably been said, but some 12"+ tall wood blocks you can put under a jack stand will make life easier when you work on the running gear.
I find that a clean well lit work bench with a lot of small tubs to keep parts & sub assemblies organized goes a long, long way.
A single "catch" pan that holds 6 qts is great for fluids, from there to the oil recycle center a 5 gallon bucket with sealing lid is king.
A couple of spring compressors, of the screw type, will save you time & energy when working on your front suspensions. Used correctly, they are safe. Learn to use them correctly. Buy high quality, too.
An air compressor goes a long ways & saves you a TON of time. An impact wrench & an air hammer are great tools as well. The air hammer gets used on a lot of stuff you wouldn't expect (my rig lived in Utah for a long time. Rust)
A good LED flashlight. I use mine all day long (mechanic) and wouldn't trade it for the world.
I find that a clean well lit work bench with a lot of small tubs to keep parts & sub assemblies organized goes a long, long way.
A single "catch" pan that holds 6 qts is great for fluids, from there to the oil recycle center a 5 gallon bucket with sealing lid is king.
A couple of spring compressors, of the screw type, will save you time & energy when working on your front suspensions. Used correctly, they are safe. Learn to use them correctly. Buy high quality, too.
An air compressor goes a long ways & saves you a TON of time. An impact wrench & an air hammer are great tools as well. The air hammer gets used on a lot of stuff you wouldn't expect (my rig lived in Utah for a long time. Rust)
A good LED flashlight. I use mine all day long (mechanic) and wouldn't trade it for the world.
samger2
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Blacklick, Ohio
There are so many things I come up with or am glad I have everytime I do a project....a good set of pry bars...a couple different sizes of breaker bars, more than one jack if possible, jack stands, vice grips, a good long set of needle nose pliers...safety glasses.....
yossarian19
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Grass Valley, CA
xWhatever on safety glasses.
One solution to bracing a shop crane in place:
If you have an existing wooden beam that is suitable (whole, clean of rot, 2x8+, spans the entire width cleanly) you can take steel flat stock, call it 8" x 3/16 thick, and bolt it to the beam. My father and I drilled some 1/2" holes along the flat stock, clamped it to the beam, drilled through & then bolted it up with some big @$$ washers.
When we knocked out the center pole underneat the beam (the point of this exercise) the ceiling didn't drop any measurable amount. Maybe 1/4", but 1/4" from an 8 foot ceiling with a tape measure is within the margin of error.
To support a hoist I'd recommend 2 2x12s sandwhiched between two pieces of steel ribon, bolted all over the place. Use caution on the first lift, measure the deflection of the hoist, and calibrate your usage accordingly.
One solution to bracing a shop crane in place:
If you have an existing wooden beam that is suitable (whole, clean of rot, 2x8+, spans the entire width cleanly) you can take steel flat stock, call it 8" x 3/16 thick, and bolt it to the beam. My father and I drilled some 1/2" holes along the flat stock, clamped it to the beam, drilled through & then bolted it up with some big @$$ washers.
When we knocked out the center pole underneat the beam (the point of this exercise) the ceiling didn't drop any measurable amount. Maybe 1/4", but 1/4" from an 8 foot ceiling with a tape measure is within the margin of error.
To support a hoist I'd recommend 2 2x12s sandwhiched between two pieces of steel ribon, bolted all over the place. Use caution on the first lift, measure the deflection of the hoist, and calibrate your usage accordingly.
samger2
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Blacklick, Ohio
That's a great idea. Having a sink in the garage would eliminate grease and crud all over the door handles and on in the bathroom sink.
yossarian19
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Grass Valley, CA
The shop I work in, we use latex gloves. Grease, grime, gas, oil, etc - and then clean hands in about 2 seconds when you take them off.
Sure, they tear.
Sure, you have to buy new ones.
Saves you a ton of hand cleaner, though, and you don't get greasy fingerprints on everything you touch (as long as you take off your rubbers first)
Sure, they tear.
Sure, you have to buy new ones.
Saves you a ton of hand cleaner, though, and you don't get greasy fingerprints on everything you touch (as long as you take off your rubbers first)
samger2
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- Blacklick, Ohio
I can't stand rubber gloves. Every big job I work on I TRY to use them...and I just get sick of them ripping so frequently.
