Need to buy a Complete Toolset!

[asd2]

Hi, everybody. I have a '94 truck and a 05 Nissan Frontier. Anyways, I plan to start doing most of the maintenance myself and I need a good set of tools. I'm looking mainly at Craftsman, as they're decent quality and have a warranty. My budget is $400, but I'll go up to $600 if I HAVE to. I can add more stuff later if need be. I assume I'll need the fallowing for general maintenance and mods. Please add.

-wrenches
-sockets
-screwdrivers
-allen wrenches (already have)
-various speciality tools
-etc, etc, etc. what else?

Here what I had in mind:
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00934325000P?mv=rr

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00935283000P?vName=Tools&cName=Auto+ %26+Mechanics+Tools&sName=Mechanics+Tool+Sets#crum bWrapper


http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00933300000P?vName=Tools&cName=Auto+ %26+Mechanics+Tools&sName=Mechanics+Tool+Sets







OR I can get used, but there's no really complete sets on craigslist. Here's what I found there:

http://portland.craigslist.org/wsc/tls/1344039872.html (seems like a good deal?)

http://portland.craigslist.org/clk/tls/1344365603.html


Any help is appreciated. thanks

[Raffaelli]

Most craftsmen sets are ok, but they usually sell you way to many bit/screwdriver tips, allen wrenches, nut driver thingys. Space wasters.

Thats my opinion.
Personally, I got one of the bigger kits you could buy when I started. (A Cool $5,600 snap on bill) Has everything and more I need for metric stuff.

If you have the time and ambition, look at garage sales/estate sales or swap meets for tools. You can likely find a box loaded with wrenches for like $50 bucks. Deals like that are what you need. Your money would go a LONG way if you found some decent name brands.

Some people are ok with cheap tools. Some not. Craftsman is somewhere in the middle in terms of quality.

That first set is a good choice for $400 bucks...

[asd2]

I dont have a problem with used tools, but I'll probably need to fill in the missing pieces with new ones. My last link seems like a pretty good deal now, I even get a snap-on torque wrench! Any other opinions? What else do I need besides wrenches and sockets?

[knj27]

A good quality torque wrench will be a very good investment and probably your favorite tool if you have a nice one. But that is probably the most expensive thing you'll buy so just be braced for that.

Other than your basic wrenches/sockets/screwdrivers set keep in mind things like pliers, channel locks, hammers, and other odds and ends.

Personally I love having dedicated nut drivers, but the handle that you pop the socket on to gets the job done just as well. Some of the craftsman sets have them, but they are not very comprehensive in terms of size. My pops had a set of dedicated nut drivers that had as many sizes as the sockets did, never been able to find something like that for sale today in a midgrade brand like craftsman.

Whatever you do stay away from the no-name brands. You'll go to sears and see like a 200 piece "Champion" tool set or some lame thing like that for no money at all compared to the craftsman and think Wow that can't be that bad. Trust me there's a reason it's cheap, it's going to break. On the other side, you don't need an $8000 Snap-on tool set for basic wrenching.

[Raffaelli]

^ .

Definatly not. (but guess what I do for a living)

But like he said, avoid cheap tools.

BTW... torque wrenches used should be recalibrated before you use em. Set it down too hard (dropped)and it could be thrown off. Im saying it because you might buy one used.

Popping a headgasket or having a wheel come off would be worth the money to get it recaliberated.

Dont forget the 24mm(i think) socket or wrench for the differential plug.

[knj27]

Originally Posted by Raffaelli

Dont forget the 24mm(i think) socket or wrench for the differential plug.

And the 54mm one for the spindle nuts.

A couple more I thought of that are always coming in handy as far as more specialized tools go is a tie-rod puller and snap ring pliers. You'll find they have more uses than their names suggest.