So, here's what we have thus far. Please keep the suggestions coming....I know the list isn't complete yet. If you have suggestions for alternative ways to break things down or think a tool should be in an alternative section feel free to let me know.
Mainstays
- Duct tape
- A warm dry place to work with lots of light
- Sharpie—assorted colors
- Zip ties—assorted sizes
- Razor blades—for scraping or cutting
- Knife—pocket, fixed blade or razor knife (a good one will hold an edge and is easily sharpened)
- Telescopic Magnet - removing nuts and bolts that your arm or hand won't allow you to get to
- Ziploc bags—assorted sizes are great when you need to keep parts together during a rebuild
- Plastic storage bins—for storing parts after disassembly
- Cardboard—for inserting bolts into for ease of painting
- Painters Masking Tape—for taping off areas that you don't want disturbed
- Big White Blanket—lay it under your work surface, so it's easy to find dropped nuts and bolts
- Magnetic parts tray
- Gas cans—1, 2.5 and 5 gallon tanks
- Turkey Baster—for helping to fill transmission while still attached to the tractor frame
- Scrub Brush—for cleaning tires
- Wire Brush—for cleaning paint overspray from original ties
- Small Paint Brushes—for miscellaneous touch ups
- Hemostats—they are the best clamps in the world
- Dentist picks—to work on carburetors, for removing O-rings, scraping paint from hard to reach places
- Magnifying glass
- Toothbrushes—for hard to reach places when cleaning parts
- Pry Bar
- Full set of good quality Screw Drivers—WIHA brand, Cornwell brand or Bluepoint from Snap-on or Klein
- Radio
- Notepad & Pen/Pencil—writing part numbers down, taking notes, ect.
Hammers
- Dead blow hammer—HF has the orange ones and the heads are full of sand—great when you need the force but don't want to bang up your work.
- 2 lb. hammer—fiberglass handle and rubber grip
- 3 lb. “drill hammer”
- 5 lb. hammer
Tire “Rasslin”
- Bead breaker
- Tire spoon
- Valve stem tool
- Tire/ tube patch kit
- Bug sprayer filled with soapy water
- Angle grinder with flapper disc
- Tire slime
Heavy Lifting & Bracing
- Chain hoist
- Floor jack
- Axle stands
Lights, Camera, Action…
- LED Trouble/Work Light
- Digital camera
- Flashlight—flat bottom, swivel head, cordless, magnetic
- Headlamp
Wrenches, Grips & Clamps
- Vice Grips—assorted sizes
- Torque Wrench—for an engine rebuild these are a must have! (inch and foot pounds)
- Lineman’s pliers
- Wrench Set—metric & standard
- Socket Set—metric & standard
- Adjustable Wrench—assorted sizes
- C-Clamps—assorted sizes
- Pipe Clamps—assorted lengths
Compressed Air
- Portable air tank
- Air compressor
- Blow gun
- Air ratchet
- Impact driver
- Paint guns
- Air chisels
- Sanders
- Sand blaster
- Air jack
- Air Compressor
- 50 foot hose
- Blasting media—walnut shells, sand, black beauty, soda
- Air Die Grinder—cut off tool for removing stubborn bolts you don't want to use the flame wrench for
Cleaners, Lubricants & Polishers
- Shop Rags & Towels
- Scotch Brite pads/scuff pads—for scuffing surfaces before painting
- Magic Erasers—removes scuffs and stains from vinyl seats, and cleans chrome
- Rubbing Compound—removes oxidation from original paint surfaces
- Polishing Compound—brings back the shine of original paint and smoothes out the paint surface
- Simple Green—general cleaner and plastic restorer
- Maguire Car Wax and Cleaner—protective cover for tractor finish
- Bug and Tar Remover—for removing rust stains on chrome
- Easy Off Oven Cleaner—paint and grease remover
- Dawn Dishwashing Liquid—for removing greasy residue from freshly stripped parts, and as lubricant for tire installation
- Armor All—rubber, plastic, and wiring harness restorer
- Comet Powder—tire cleaning agent
- SOS Pads with the Pink Soap—aluminum cleaner
- WD-40—lubricant, chrome cleaner, and aluminum polisher
- Never-Dull—chrome, brass, copper, aluminum, and nickel polisher
- Mothers Chrome Cleaner
- Penetrating Oil—for ease in removing old rusted bolts and nuts
- Zip-Strip—paint remover/dissolver
- Acetone—for cleaning up overspray and for prepping surfaces to be painted
- 100% Mineral Spirits—for cleaning painted surfaces before applying another coat
Abrasives
- Steel Wool—assorted grades
- Sandpaper—assorted grits
- Emery cloth—a must for polishing shafts and cleaning parts
- General Purpose File Set & File Cleaning Brush
Adhesives
- J-B Weld—Cold Welding Compound and SteelStik
- Epoxy
Rust-Busters
- PB Blaster
- 50/50 acetone/ATF—homebrew rust buster
- Electrolysis tank—a 45gallon plastic drum makes a good sized one and isn't expensive
Electrical
- 12V test light
- In-line Spark checker
- Battery charger
- Multimeter
- Stranded wire—assorted colors, 12 or 14 gauge
- Combo crimper, cutter and stripper tool
- Assorted connectors in a plastic storage case—ring terminals, butt connectors, etc.
- Heat shrink wire wrap—assorted sizes
- Electrical tape
Specialty Tools
- Bearing separator
- Harmonic balancer puller
- Feeler gauges—for adjusting valve lash, points etc.
- Brass Drift punches—great for driving things like bearing races when you don't want to chance gouging or scratching the bore
- Bearing and seal driver kits
- Honing stones—to debur a surface or remove high spots from a gasket surface
- Tap and die set
- Snap ring pliers—Kastar 1434
- Calipers and Micrometers—digital set. These are rather important when doing a restore! Being a lot of these old GT's are hard to get parts for in many cases you will have to measure bearings, bushings and seal to find or make an alternative part
- Hydraulic Press
- Mechanic's Stethoscope—a long piece of wood or dowel to listen to the engine in different places and isolate the origin of those little bangs and knocks
Drills
- Drill Press
- Vice—for drill press
- Cordless Impact Driver
- Assorted Drill Bits—metal cutting and general purpose
Cutting, Grinding & Welding
- Plasma cutter
- Plastic welder
- Bench grinder
- Welder—helmet, gloves
- Oxy Acetyl Torch
- Angle grinder—assorted cutting blades and grinding wheels
Safety First
- Fire extinguisher
- Safety glasses
- Safety shield
- Respirator
- Mechanic’s Gloves
- Rubber gloves
- Band Aids—or a shop rag and duct tape…..or electrical tape
Storage
- Small and Large Storage Organizers—the various sized drawers come in handy for valve stem cores and caps, carb parts, miscellaneous electrical fittings, miscellaneous knobs, etc.
- Pegboard with hooks—aids in keeping parts up off the floor, on the wall and out of the way
- Tool storage—a good tool box on wheels is a real help for keeping things organized
- Coffee/Soup cans—for storing miscellaneous nuts and bolts, holding paint when touching up, cleaning parts
For those with a sense of humor
- 48 oz. cross pein hammer and some short 2x4 scraps can be a wonderful stress reliever
- Cold beer OR alternative for those youngsters amongst us
- A good list of excuses for explaining to your wife why you brought home another tractor
- A better list when that tractor doesn't even run
- Mad money & a great hiding spot for your money from your wife
Edited by Moosetales, January 12, 2013 - 08:11 AM.