Car Enthusiast Club [Now Motorcycle friendly!] - First thread to 150k! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[PlayStation 2]

To this day, I'll never understand why Mazda put in the effort to make a 1.8 liter V6. That being said, I appreciate their efforts.

[Bitter]

16 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

To this day, I'll never understand why Mazda put in the effort to make a 1.8 liter V6. That being said, I appreciate their efforts.

Probably some Japanese taxing thing.

[PlayStation 2]

1 minute ago, Bitter said:

Probably some Japanese taxing thing.

I believe it was, but even still, I just find it bizarre that Mazda went through the trouble to shrink down a V6 for a sports compact that never really sold.

[Bitter]

1 hour ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

I believe it was, but even still, I just find it bizarre that Mazda went through the trouble to shrink down a V6 for a sports compact that never really sold.

Well it's not like the K series V6 didn't get used...and used...and used. Got to drive a Miller Cycle Millenia once, awesome engine.

[bob345]

Some pics from autox this past weekend. Photographer did a pretty great job IMO

[terrytek]

12 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

I'm sort of tempted to buy this for probably a few hundred dollars and then drive it all the way home
https://www.copart.com/lot/35528859

 

edit: since its in Cali it would require a broker which makes it more expensive than it needs to be so nahhh

i could buy it for u and ship it to u  

10 hours ago, Real_PhillBert said:

So I'm always banging the drums in my crusade against cheap tools, and today my drive got even stronger.

 

Four or five years ago I was gifted a set of Krutch (Northern Tool, china) impact sockets and have hated them ever since I first used them. When used with a reasonably strong impact, they flex and lock the fastener in and you have to put the socket in a vise and beat the fastener out. I hate them with all the fiery passion I can muster. 

 

Welp, today I was at my desk not getting a whole lot done and thinking about how those suck, so I ordered a new set of Proto impact sockets, and I cannot wait to liberate my toolbox of these pieces of Chinese horseshit. 

 

So in short, don't buy cheap tools, you'll just end up throwing them away or breaking them and buy good tools, so you might as well jump to the end and buy good tools. 

i mean harbor freight tools is good. cheap. they break, get another set under warranty.

8 hours ago, bcredeur97 said:

why waste your time? use a scan tool to check your monitors prior

 

my dad's G35 would take forever for it's monitors to be ready after clearing I remember. Some cars just do... not sure why

 

... not that we have emissions here. I just remember watching them

i'm trying to clear a fucking catalyst monitor on my van but it doesn't seem to wanna clear. we've tried everything to try to clear it save of replacing shit but it still says incomplete. i wanna say a cat is going out but there is no CEL thrown for it.

[iDeFecZx]

5 hours ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

To this day, I'll never understand why Mazda put in the effort to make a 1.8 liter V6. That being said, I appreciate their efforts.

Meanwhile BRM made a tiny 1.5 litre V16 to go F1 racing back in the day, oh and they supercharged it 

[PandaCopyRight]

11 hours ago, Real_PhillBert said:

I'm weird and don't like the idea of my data on someone else's drives.

neither do i .. but on the other hand ... i dont really have much info to store ... 

[BigRom]

2 hours ago, iDeFecZx said:

Meanwhile BRM made a tiny 1.5 litre V16 to go F1 racing back in the day, oh and they supercharged it 

laughs in BRM H16 engine

 

Seriously BRM were completely mad during the 1960s

[Real_PhillBert]

6 hours ago, terrytek said:

i mean harbor freight tools is good. cheap. they break, get another set under warranty.

I'm gonna have to strongly disagree with you there; a good warranty does not make a tool high quality.

[TVwazhere]

7 hours ago, bob345 said:

Dat plate tho

[JoaoPRSousa]

8 hours ago, bob345 said:

Some pics from autox this past weekend. Photographer did a pretty great job IMO

 

Damn nice car you got

[TVwazhere]

3 minutes ago, vinyldash303 said:

They're good options for the market they serve. 'i'm going to respray my drift missile some god awful color every couple months" They have the perfect $12 paint gun.

Plus I love getting a free magnetic parts tray, flashlight, Fiber cloths, tarp, screwdriver set (philips head :^) ) or whatever other free items they have with a coupon and a purchase. 

 

I got my Floor jack from them and it's amazing. Dont worry I use jach stands..... (that I also got from them ) 

[bob345]

5 hours ago, JoaoPRSousa said:

 

Damn nice car you got

Honestly it's the most fun car I've ever owned. 

[bcredeur97]

5 hours ago, Real_PhillBert said:

I'm gonna have to strongly disagree with you there; a good warranty does not make a tool high quality.

12 hours ago, terrytek said:

i mean harbor freight tools is good. cheap. they break, get another set under warranty.

it's like this:

say you have a nut to get off. You have 1 socket for it. You give it a 1/8th of a turn and your socket breaks. 

Oh well, just return and get another right because lifetime warranty? 

you get another one, you manage another 1/8th of a turn and it breaks. 

do it again. 

again.

again.

again

 

 

4 months later you finally got the nut off.

 

 

is the cheap tool still worth it?

 

 

That said... I don't want to spend $30k on tools right out of the gate if I have no money and no plans on being a full time mechanic but I want to work on my stuff. So I do like to look for the middle ground.. or the "good" cheaper stuff but it's hard to find...

[Bananasplit_00]

Friends bike is finally fixed, we got it running quick and man is it different to ride. The clip ons are so tight that you can barely turn the wheel so all you have, even at very low speed, is leaning like a mofo lol. Runns smooth af too, not even a hint of vibration present

[Real_PhillBert]

1 hour ago, bcredeur97 said:

it's like this:

say you have a nut to get off. You have 1 socket for it. You give it a 1/8th of a turn and your socket breaks. 

Oh well, just return and get another right because lifetime warranty? 

you get another one, you manage another 1/8th of a turn and it breaks. 

do it again. 

again.

again.

again

 

 

4 months later you finally got the nut off.

 

 

is the cheap tool still worth it?

 

 

That said... I don't want to spend $30k on tools right out of the gate if I have no money and no plans on being a full time mechanic but I want to work on my stuff. So I do like to look for the middle ground.. or the "good" cheaper stuff but it's hard to find...

I agree. 

 

Also if you're on a tight budget pawn shops are full of the high end tools for super cheap. And lets be honest, for 99% of basic mechanic stuff, a simple socket set, a couple pairs of pliers and a couple of screwdrivers will get the job done. Most people don't need a 84" roller full of tools to accomplish what they want.

[Bitter]

14 hours ago, terrytek said:

i could buy it for u and ship it to u  

i mean harbor freight tools is good. cheap. they break, get another set under warranty.

Except they're tightening that warranty now. Most power tools are 1 year, and some hand tools too now or you can only replace it a certain number of times. It's pretty shit to have to stop working, drive 20 minutes, get another one, 20 minutes back home, then resume. Now imagine you're charging labor at a shop. Nope, screw that. Even for at home I don't want my tools breaking, I'll get hurt or break something else and that's not worth it. 

[bimmerman]

I've been using the same set of crafstman sockets and wrenches since 2005 or so, on all my cars. Not that much more than harbor freight and I think i've lost tools more often than broken them.

 

There's a major mechanic's socket set that Crafstman makes that is usually a killer deal for fathers day. includes every socket they sell, for ~$300ish. This set IIRC: https://www.sears.com/craftsman-308-piece-socket-accessory-set-with-extension/p-00935831000P?ef_id=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o2xQ0Z4vdARTnIXze_LLZ7nNIq-9g30HlSH8uzhSSLzuM5VlbvmD4YaAhdTEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8592!3!317853285778!!!g!405353931314!&sid=IDx01192011x000001x1651384318&utm_campaign=9031914&utm_group=62569197599-317853285778&utm_term=pla-405353931314&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o2xQ0Z4vdARTnIXze_LLZ7nNIq-9g30HlSH8uzhSSLzuM5VlbvmD4YaAhdTEALw_wcB

 

I will say the standard Crafstman ratchets are pretty bad, or were when I bought my tools. I love my gearwrench rotatable head ratchets though: https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-81223-2-Piece-Cushion-Grip-Ratchet/dp/B001M0O1BG/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=gearwrench+ratchet&qid=1558123379&s=gateway&sr=8-8

 

The tippy top highest quality stuff, these are not, but I haven't had any issues. Add screwdrivers, pliers, torque wrenches, and allen/torx sockets and you're ready to do just about anything.

 

This would be an excellent starter kit, or racetrack oh-shit kit from the looks of it: https://www.sears.com/gearwrench-1-2in-combination-ratcheting-wrench/p-A031749829?rrec=true

[terrytek]

7 minutes ago, bimmerman said:

I've been using the same set of crafstman sockets and wrenches since 2005 or so, on all my cars. Not that much more than harbor freight and I think i've lost tools more often than broken them.

 

There's a major mechanic's socket set that Crafstman makes that is usually a killer deal for fathers day. includes every socket they sell, for ~$300ish. This set IIRC: https://www.sears.com/craftsman-308-piece-socket-accessory-set-with-extension/p-00935831000P?ef_id=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o2xQ0Z4vdARTnIXze_LLZ7nNIq-9g30HlSH8uzhSSLzuM5VlbvmD4YaAhdTEALw_wcB:G:s&s_kwcid=AL!8592!3!317853285778!!!g!405353931314!&sid=IDx01192011x000001x1651384318&utm_campaign=9031914&utm_group=62569197599-317853285778&utm_term=pla-405353931314&gclid=Cj0KCQjwt_nmBRD0ARIsAJYs6o2xQ0Z4vdARTnIXze_LLZ7nNIq-9g30HlSH8uzhSSLzuM5VlbvmD4YaAhdTEALw_wcB

 

I will say the standard Crafstman ratchets are pretty bad, or were when I bought my tools. I love my gearwrench rotatable head ratchets though: https://www.amazon.com/GearWrench-81223-2-Piece-Cushion-Grip-Ratchet/dp/B001M0O1BG/ref=sr_1_8?keywords=gearwrench+ratchet&qid=1558123379&s=gateway&sr=8-8

 

The tippy top highest quality stuff, these are not, but I haven't had any issues. Add screwdrivers, pliers, torque wrenches, and allen/torx sockets and you're ready to do just about anything.

 

This would be an excellent starter kit, or racetrack oh-shit kit from the looks of it: https://www.sears.com/gearwrench-1-2in-combination-ratcheting-wrench/p-A031749829?rrec=true

I just borrow my dad's craftsman set of tools. I trust them because these were produced in the usa, and they have been very dependable. sucks that they now outsource all their manufacturing to china, and quality has since depleted. i haven't had any of their old shit break on me.

[bimmerman]

2 hours ago, terrytek said:

I just borrow my dad's craftsman set of tools. I trust them because these were produced in the usa, and they have been very dependable. sucks that they now outsource all their manufacturing to china, and quality has since depleted. i haven't had any of their old shit break on me.

Yea, fair. Once I moved out I was SOL, but using dad's tools was awesome while I could.

 

I definitely think that tools are something you want to cry once and then use/have forever, rather than consider disposable consumables. Unless you value your time at zero, the more expensive tool that doesn't break and doesn't need warranty service will have a better $/hr return on investment. There's definitely a sweet spot though, since hobby mechanics won't need Strap-on level perfection.....though it sure is nice.

 

Though, if you get too bit by the ooo shiny bug, you'll end up having completely run out of parts + car + tool storage, and it suuuuuuucks. I've been eyeing a roller tool chest/workbench instead of the HF tool cart that I'm currently overflowing.

[Bitter]

Mac and Matco offer some great value too.

[Bitter]

1 hour ago, vinyldash303 said:

I really like my S/K ratchets. I use Grey Pnumatic slim impact sockets for both impact and non impact use. Fucking love my Ingrsol Rand compressor and impact guns.

I've been beating up an IR 2135 Ti for almost a decade now and it's never skipped a beat save for when the bottom of the handle tried to come apart, that's a common issue on the early guns and easily fixed with super glue, it's been 100% since that minor issue. My inlet valve leaks, I need to replace that, otherwise zero issues. In fact just earlier this year for the first time ever I pulled the hammer case and cleaned/lubed it all inside there. In hindsight I wish I had bought a boot for it but oh well.

 

My newest gun is an Aircat NitroCat 1250K, that thing is beastly power man! Even on our mediocre shop air it hits hard and takes off everything I've thrown at it. Usually stuck stuff means you need to go from your thin wall flip socket to a standard style socket to get back the lost torque from the extension, this gun basically just ignores the extension and thin wall flip socket and takes stuck lug nuts off like nothing at all. And it's quiet too! It's a bit bigger and heavier than my IR Ti though so I don't use it daily, but when I do use it nothing hasn't come off yet.

 

 

And I just scored my boss a used Atlas Copco RRH-10P rivet gun. Air rivet guns make for beastly air hammers, they have awesome teasing triggers you can slowly apply hammer from light taps all the way to full hits in a very controlled progressive manner. The 10P unleashes 13J of hit each hit at full power AND it's dampened so the vibrations stay in the gun and don't transmit down the handle meaning it's really easy to control. My 'big bore' 6X rivet gun is badass too, but it's old style non dampened and can be very difficult to control at times. If you can snatch up a 6x or 7x air rivet gun for a cheap price I highly suggest you do it, I can drive out ball joints from knuckles in seconds instead of spending 15 minutes setting up the ball joint press. Sometimes the mini sledge is needed to start them moving. And hub bearings are never seized into knuckles anymore, gone is spending an hour with a regular air hammer and slide hammer. Truly, these big air rivet guns are awesome time savers!

[vetali]

1 hour ago, Bitter said:

And I just scored my boss a used Atlas Copco RRH-10P rivet gun. Air rivet guns make for beastly air hammers, they have awesome teasing triggers you can slowly apply hammer from light taps all the way to full hits in a very controlled progressive manner. The 10P unleashes 13J of hit each hit at full power AND it's dampened so the vibrations stay in the gun and don't transmit down the handle meaning it's really easy to control. My 'big bore' 6X rivet gun is badass too, but it's old style non dampened and can be very difficult to control at times. If you can snatch up a 6x or 7x air rivet gun for a cheap price I highly suggest you do it, I can drive out ball joints from knuckles in seconds instead of spending 15 minutes setting up the ball joint press. Sometimes the mini sledge is needed to start them moving. And hub bearings are never seized into knuckles anymore, gone is spending an hour with a regular air hammer and slide hammer. Truly, these big air rivet guns are awesome time savers!

This sounds awesome, but I hardly see any vids of it in action in the automotive field. Pretty cheap compared to the automotive air hammers which are weaksauce. What heads do you use?

[Bitter]

5 hours ago, vetali said:

This sounds awesome, but I hardly see any vids of it in action in the automotive field. Pretty cheap compared to the automotive air hammers which are weaksauce. What heads do you use?

I've got a small assortment of Ajax bits and a few odd rivet sets that are useful for car work, angled or super short and flush. .498 isn't a size you get a lot of car bits for but they do make some suspension forks. I found a vendor in Michigan that had good prices on Ajax so I was buying through them, but I've heard good things about Old Forge also. Gray Pneumatic have a reputation of being butter soft with the bigger hammers, and 6x is a bigger hammer. South Main's 'big nasty' is a 5x with a crappy trigger that takes .498 bits. I bought me a CP 7150 so I'd have something that takes normal .410 bits in it, it's a 5x power wise but it's nice in that it takes the normal bits but the trigger sucks, no teasing it.

I've also got an old cheap crappy but still useful air hammer, one of those '$20 specials'. I hogged out some of the ports on it a few years back and it buzzes like a lady pleaser that just snorted a line of coke. I keep a needle scaler head on it for blasting rust scale off things like wheel hubs, beats grinding it off. If I need to blast heavy scale I can put the head onto the CP 7150 and then it's like a real tool. That needle scaler is pretty awesome too, huge time saver if you deal with rust scale on a regular basis and love to annoy everyone working around you with loud tools.