Put it on my pay check!, however $670 is kinds steep!....LOL

 

I know but rather that than $1300!!! We went to the dealership for the Cavalier for that one. My wife and I didn't know better at the time.

 

For a "basic" set, here's my advice...

Go to Sears and buy Craftsman. Pick out one of their "Mechanic's Tool Set" packages in the 2 to 3 hundred dollar range. You want 3 fairly complete socket sets. 1/4" drive, 3/8" drive, and 1/2" drive. Good selection of sockets in both standard and metric, both regular and deep. Also, a good selection of wrenches. Again, both standard and metric. And a nice selection of Allen wrenches. (you guessed it, both standard and metric)

Yes, 2 to 3 hundred sounds expensive to most people for a basic set of tools. But look at what repairs cost at the shop. It'll likely pay for itself on your first project.

That's pretty much what the "basic" set I bought a while back included. Paid around $225 on sale. Throw in a good set of screwdrivers, a nice assortment of various sizes and styles of pliers, and maybe a set of pry bars, and you should be in fairly decent shape for 90% of the work that a shadetree mechanic is going to be doing.

It's probably worth having a GOOD floor jack and a heavy set of jack stands. And a creeper. (Never, ever, ever crawl underneath a vehicle that's being held up by the tire changing jack that came with it. Never.)

From there, you just add one tool here and another tool there as the specific job requires it.

(first things you'll be adding to your collection will likely be torque wrenches)

You can go with cheaper tools, but you'll regret it. Crafstman have a lifetime warranty, are very reasonably priced for the quality, and the only way you're going to buy better tools is to make friends with a mechanic who will buy stuff for you off the Snap-On truck (and then you're talking serious money).

If you really start doing a lot of your own work, it's well worth looking at a compressor and some air tools. Impact wrench and air ratchet to start with. And, of course, the corresponding sockets. Don't use normal "hand" sockets on air tools, especially impact wrenches.

Also, I've done every kind of brake work there is with just standard hand tools, but if you're going to do much work on drum brakes, a small set of actual "brake tools" will make things much more pleasant. Disc brakes don't really require anything special, other than maybe a large C-clamp.

 

+ 2 on Craftsman......a little high on initial cost but the lifetime warranty pays for itself....if you break them. Get a good all around set, and go from there. Add as necessary.....soon you will be a posting master on this thread.

Heres another tidbit......Craftsman tools......work on other vehicles besides Durangos......if there is such a thing....LOL!!!!!

 

[QUOTE=MAGIC84;2431586Heres another tidbit......Craftsman tools......work on other vehicles besides Durangos......if there is such a thing....LOL!!!!![/QUOTE]

Blasphemy!

 

Well, as long as it's Mopar Magic.....LOL

 

+3 (i think is what we are up to) on craftsman hand tools, their gas powered equipment forget, but their hand tools are top notch, and have an awesome warranty

idk as you have any room to talk on that one dan !!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Since both of you are within about 400 miles from Carlisle and have not attended since at least 2009......Both of you are blasphemous!!!!

 

Ya, well I got a long way to go ta even think about gettin there not to mention the capital.

 

Craftsman tools. Heard. Time to start saving up! Thanks again everyone. Now on a semi-related note, as far as the tubing for the evap system under the drivers side, could a crimped tube/piping cause the CEL to go on?