college tool list

[sofob0909]

Hey guys. I'm going off to school next year. What kind of tools should I bring. Ill be doing all kinds of things to my car in a parking lot. What tools will help?
I'm moving out of the garage with m pop so now I have to buy my own tools to use. I'm currently in the process of restoring a sk tool box and I just bought a 370 creftsman set. its basically a full set of deep and shallow sockets and wrenches and drivers and allen keys.
yi

[Diesel-Mech]

What type of car is it? Are you planning on storing the tools in the car or in your dorm/apartment?

[vette-kid]

depends on your apartment set-up. If your on the ground level then I would recommend some type of rolling service cart. You want to be able to move everything out to the car and then back easily or youll spend most of your time getting set up to work and cleaning up after. I tackled a few relatively large projects in the parking garage of my old apartment and I would spend half of a work day just moving tools and materials out to the work site...drove me nuts.:willy_nil

[expatriated]

I'd try to bring the old man's American Express card :)

Whatever you decide on, think about a good way to secure them, locks, etc. It's been my experience stuff has a way of being borrowed permanently around schools. Hard to replace tools on a school budget.

Good luck.

[sofob0909]

I'm planning on keeping my tool chest in my room. I have a 26x 15x 18

[Diesel_Crawler]

You can never go wrong with a nice combination puller.

[wrigh003]

I made it through school with the 1/2 and 3/8" metric/SAE combo kit that mom and dad got me for my 17th birthday, plus a set of screwdrivers. That's enough for an oil change, r&r of most parts, etc.

Good luck at school- keep your tools locked up, things do go missing around college campuses.

[jshillin]

I did the same thing a few years back...
Sounds like you have the sockets covered. Get a set of gearwrenches, pliers, good set of screwdrivers, breaker bar and you should be able to get by...

[sofob0909]

Could someone post pics of what these tools look like please

[GeorgiaHybrid]

Make sure you add a BFH, a dead blow, small hammer, prybars (at least two, one long, one short) and vise grips. In addition, always have spare belts, duct tape, electrical tape, oil, filters (air and oil), 50/50 antifreeze mix, tranny fluids and some ramps if you have the room.

For late model cars, a cheap code reader and something to test electrical circuits will come in handy.

[Art From De Leon]

What's your school going to say about doing mechanic work in the parking lot? And if you are perceived to be halfway competent, YOU will be the one that they come to when their car won't start, a flat tire, funny noise, or whatever. Or, they'll want to stand there and shoot the shit, and drink beer while you are trying to work, constantly underfoot. Might be a good way to get on the girl's good side though, check the washer fluid, light bulbs, tire pressure, simple things to keep them safe, show them how to change a tire, check the oil, check the washer fluid, little things.
Make sure your care is in good shape before you go to school, make yourself remember to keep the oil changed, the tires inflated, the lights working, check the belts and hoses and it should never leave you surprised, do any thing that you might think of that could cause a problem when you are at home.
What happens if you decide to involve in some project while at school, you tear it down, and the parts store/dealer doesn't have the part, or you buy the parts you think you will need then twist off a bolt, or it is the wrong part, how will you get back to the store, much less solve the problem of a broken part? Little projects can easily turn into big projects, not to mention dirty clothes, spills in the parking lot, getting rid of the old parts.

Of course, I have been a pessimist all my life, so my nay saying may never come to pass.

[DashEight]

Looks like you have a pretty good set with the 370pc. I'd add needle nose pliers, wire cutters, Magnet pick-up tool, a 3/8ths flex head ratchet and a cheater bar. Maybe a prybar and gasket scraper. Gearwrenches should be considered also. Have a Blast at College!!!! Don't ever let time pass. Study hard, Party hard, and do all the stuff that soon you won't b able to.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j200/AE86Silver/00983081000-1.jpg

[speed bump]

After 4 years of school I mostly wish I had a miller bobcat/lincoln ranger, a good gas powered compressor and a truck with a nice heavy duty bed on it. Other than that you probably will want some basic hand tools, lots of random hammers, screwdrivers and random large pipe wrenches.

[JCByrd24]

I made it through college on a Husky 140 piece wrench/socket set and an average sized hand carry toolbox filled with hammers, pliers, screwdrivers, special sockets (4 prong spindle nut), hack saw, a little wiring stuff, etc. I was into off roading and often had to repack wheel bearings, but also changed a starter, belt tensioner, etc in the dorm parking lot. Even did an SOA on my explorer in the parking lot.

I also carried a small hydraulic jack and a hylift jack in the hatch area(spare tire jack ditched as it wouldn't reach my lifted truck).

[mikeatrpi]

A lot of colleges have an auto club with a full shop (lifts, tools, etc) for its members to use.

[vette-kid]

Could someone post pics of what these tools look like please

What are you wanting pics of?

[Diesel_Crawler]

Could someone post pics of what these tools look like please

You can start here, there is all the pictures of box's and tools you could ever want.

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=466

[Uncle Buck]

My road box during college was fairly extensive, basic combo, and box wrench sets, comb, water pump, vise grip, needle nose, lineman's pliers, side cutters and wire strippers, one medium sized BP hammer, mix of straight and Phillips drivers, an assortment of chisels drifts etc. a roll of elect tape, socket sets of 1/4"-1/2" with a set of 3/8" deeps, extensions, wobbles, break bars, and ratchets for all drive sizes, a nut spinner handle for the 1/4" drive stuff. A putty knife, old pocket knife, feeler gage and point file. A long pry bar if ya have one and that should just about do ya. If you drive a rice burner make it all metric and you should be good to go.

The stuff I listed all fit in a standard Craftsman flat top tool box, nothing exotic, no tool carts, roll cabs or other such nonsense. I kept my box in the trunk of my car year round summer and winter, out of site, out of mind. I did some fairly extensive repairs with it while in college as well and it was enough. You are going to college to learn to do something that will pay you good money, do not waste the time you should be studying and getting good grades by screwin around grease monkeying about. After college you have the rest of your life to play around with old clunkers. Only use the tools to fix what is broken, beyond that leave em alone.

[kartracer55]

Having finished my first year of college, I can assure you of 2 things.


1. You WILL NOT want to keep tools in your dorm/apartment/whatever unless it is an off campus apartment. Even so, security is lacking in most of these places and if you have room mates, it is inevitable that somebody will leave the door open at some point when you arn't around

2. Chances are your university will not be down with you working on your car in a parking lot.

What I suggest, is keeping a small took box in your trunk. It isnt so much about having the box itself organized. Just put sockets on metal racks, and jam pack whatever you can into the box.

When my car was due for a oil change or needed work, I just came home. Not worth the trouble at school. Trust me.

[Uncle Buck]

Having finished my first year of college, I can assure you of 2 things.


1. You WILL NOT want to keep tools in your dorm/apartment/whatever unless it is an off campus apartment. Even so, security is lacking in most of these places and if you have room mates, it is inevitable that somebody will leave the door open at some point when you arn't around

2. Chances are your university will not be down with you working on your car in a parking lot.

What I suggest, is keeping a small took box in your trunk. It isnt so much about having the box itself organized. Just put sockets on metal racks, and jam pack whatever you can into the box.

When my car was due for a oil change or needed work, I just came home. Not worth the trouble at school. Trust me.

All true, the box is more insurance against the unexpected repair that you can handle right there, meaning you will not be changing the cam! :thumbup:

[Mr.Nutcase]

When you go to trade school / college , they will give a list of what you need.....

[Mike83]

If you drive a rice burner make it all metric and you should be good to go.

If you drive any late model car make it all metric!

I agree with the repairs only sentiments for when you at school. For routine maintenance that is not critical and adding modifications I'd save those for home.

[sofob0909]

What is this gear wrench? I can only find a company called that. Not a tool. I have a volvo 240 wagon. I do plan on doing a lot with these tools. I'm studying mechanical engineering. Can't wait. Thanks guys. Keep the ideas coming

[cdent]

Stuff the best college game face that you can in your tool box, be towards the top of your class and graduate on time. Sounds like you're covered already for basic maintenance. Put together your dream tool collection in a few short years from now.

[Uncle Buck]

If you drive any late model car make it all metric!

I agree with the repairs only sentiments for when you at school. For routine maintenance that is not critical and adding modifications I'd save those for home.

Point well taken, I am still trying to get used to that! :beer:

[scottmlew]

Gearwrench is a named used to refer to ratcheting box-end wrenches, regardless of manufacturer...sort of like generic brand tissues being referred to as Kleenex :) Gearwrench (the company) either invented or popularized this style of wrench...I'm not sure which, I'm sure someone on here knows. Another tool-related example I can think of offhand is Channellocks, a style of pliers developed by the company named Channellock.

[BLUETAILFLY]

Two things I dont think have been mentioned which are very very inportant, First a good set of jumper cables and next the service manual for the car you will be driving. Next an AAA membership so you can get a tow to where you might work on it if it breaks down on the road. I would keep your tool box locked up in the the trunk.Unless you have a new dead bolt on your room and you have the only key cause no college dorm or off campus house is secure.Oh yea an extra set of car keys.........no make it 2 extra sets.:thumbup:

[BigK600]

I've been going to college for six years now and do all my own work on my cars. When I was living in the dorms all I had was, 3/8" socket set, 1/2" breaker bar w sockets to take off tires, combo wrenchs, needle nose pliers, vise grips, screw drivers, hammer, pry bar, flashlights w/ batterys, wobble extentions, wire cutters, knife, tape, allen wrenchs, jack, some boards, that should do it for most things.

[vette-kid]

I've been going to college for six years now and do all my own work on my cars. When I was living in the dorms all I had was, 3/8" socket set, 1/2" breaker bar w sockets to take off tires, combo wrenchs, needle nose pliers, vise grips, screw drivers, hammer, pry bar, flashlights w/ batterys, wobble extentions, wire cutters, knife, tape, allen wrenchs, jack, some boards, that should do it for most things.

...uh...:headscrat Doctor? Lawyer?

[Rickster]

Keep your toolbox out of sight and make sure it's too heavy to pick up and move and it has a good lock on it and ALWAYS keep it locked. Also,.. you'll need a bottle opener and is a keg tapper a tool?

[Joe Mamma]

Keep your toolbox out of sight and make sure it's too heavy to pick up and move and it has a good lock on it and ALWAYS keep it locked. Also,.. you'll need a bottle opener and is a keg tapper a tool?

This is really good advice. There a very high likelihood (about 99%) that at least some of your tools will get stollen or borrowed and you will never see them again. Most people in college do not have any tools, so you will be the guy they come to.

You may even want to have a junk set of common tools (like some screwdrivers and pliers) that you loan out, or let people steal.

Joe Mamma

[Need4racin]

torque wrench for lug nuts.

[volvo420coupe]

add a set of metric line wrenches and a couple of prybars and you'll be all set for everything you would need for a Volvo 240. They have got to be some of the easiest cars to work on in the world, love em. (I do realize that's not ALL you need, but they are crazy easy to work on.)

[Diesel_Crawler]

The easiest tool kit you can have to fix anything is, Hammer Adjustable wrench Vice grips and bailing wire. TAH DAH you can now fix any vehicle out there :thumbup:

Oh and if you are real fancy you can get some garden hose to patch up broke lines.

[Danglerb]

Take the bare minimum, which is likely almost covered by the tool kit in the car already. Do nothing at school that you can possibly do at home. At home you have a whole known support structure to fall back on, including some other car to borrow for parts runs etc.

Most schools either have some designated place for repairs, or don't allow them on campus. This isn't something to find out half way through a tranny service.

Get the AAA card and at least two credit cards, pay attention to school. You may find its a very busy place where every minute you spend on other activities will reduce what you learn.

[lbgradwell]

Another tool-related example I can think of offhand is Channellocks, a style of pliers developed by the company named Channellock.

This is actually a bit of a special case... Instead of the product being named after the company, the company was named after their most successful product!

Even though the Channellock plier was invented in 1933, the company was known as Champion DeArment until 1965.:thumbup:

[Joe Mamma]

Now that I think about it, when I was in college, I met a guy that was rebuilding a car engine in his dorm room. I think it was a little 4 cylinder.

Joe Mamma

[vette-kid]

Take the bare minimum, which is likely almost covered by the tool kit in the car already. Do nothing at school that you can possibly do at home. At home you have a whole known support structure to fall back on, including some other car to borrow for parts runs etc.

Most schools either have some designated place for repairs, or don't allow them on campus. This isn't something to find out half way through a tranny service.

Get the AAA card and at least two credit cards, pay attention to school. You may find its a very busy place where every minute you spend on other activities will reduce what you learn.

...ummm...I spent a LOT of time in college doing "other stuff":spit: Funny thing is...I dont remember a lot of it:headscrat:spit::drink:

[vette-kid]

Take the bare minimum, which is likely almost covered by the tool kit in the car already. Do nothing at school that you can possibly do at home. At home you have a whole known support structure to fall back on, including some other car to borrow for parts runs etc.

Most schools either have some designated place for repairs, or don't allow them on campus. This isn't something to find out half way through a tranny service.

Get the AAA card and at least two credit cards, pay attention to school. You may find its a very busy place where every minute you spend on other activities will reduce what you learn.

Be careful with that. A credit card isnt a bad idea, but 2 is probably more than enough. Its hard to come up with funds in college sometimes, that means its hard to pay off credit cards. I have seen a lot of guys do some real damage to their credit with credit cards in college. These wernt idiots either. Theres just a lot going on and its all too easy to swipe that card, talk yourself into juggling the balances etc. having poor credit right out of college will make it hard to get a good start once you are making money. If you confident with doing repairs yourself then find a good spot for it, hobby shop, a friends driveway nearby, something. Save your self the money and dont use a CC for repairs. Most important advice....HAVE FUN!!

[scottmlew]

This is actually a bit of a special case... Instead of the product being named after the company, the company was named after their most successful product!

Even though the Channellock plier was invented in 1933, the company was known as Champion DeArment until 1965.:thumbup:

That's interesting to know! Thanks for the correction! :beer:

[JD6619A]

It was like that when I was in college, the dorms had very lacking security and the rooms were easily broken into (in most cases if i forgot my keys i could jimmy the door with a card) I didn't keep much in the room except for my TV, bar fridge and coffee maker. Um my laptop i usually hid in one of the drawers when I wasnt using it. as far as tools I kept them in the car in a 3 drawer portable box in the trunk of my Jetta. I had the basics such as screwdrivers, socket sets 1/2" 3/8" and 1/4", a bunch of pliers 2 hammers, multimeter, tape, tie-wraps.

I wasn't far away from home so I did my oil changes at home and anything that I couldn't readily do at school. They didn't allow us to work in the parking lots due to liability concerns (they were dicks about it too). Since I was in a place where the weather was cold enough in the winter I bought one of those booster packs and I kept it hidden in my room at the college plugged in.


I have to agree a college dorm isn't the place to keep many valuables in. unless you are insured for it keep it at home and keep your tools in the trunk of the car or truck or whatever.

[Blue]

Forget doing work on your car at college. By all means be prepared for breakdowns and such, but otherwise, do it back at the folks place, or pay to have it done. Its just too much of a pain in the ass to be wrenching on something in a dorm parking lot. Not to mention, if you're studying Mechanical Engineering, you need to be concentrating on that instead of working on your car. Make sure your car's maintenance is up to snuff before you go (good battery, good tires, etc), and it should be good. Get AAA and/or Dad's AMEX for road breakdown emergencies.

Speaking of which, if you’re studying Mechanical Engineering, there are all sorts of BETTER ways to get your gearhead fix on. Go find out what some of the clubs are at the school. Go find the SAE club. They have all sorts of cool competitions (building race cars, Unmanned aircraft, etc). The bigger the school, the more cool clubs. I’ve seen glider clubs and skydiving clubs. Bottom line, there are much better ways to get your gearhead fix than changing your oil in the parking lot.

OK, now that we got that out of the way, here's some thoughts on what you need for your college tool list, based on personal experience getting and engineering degree at a large university. Opinion only, YMMV:

You're a Red-Blooded American Gearhead engineering student, in the dorm. You need a Gerber/Leatherman multitool. You're going to be building/rigging all sorts of crazy shit, and those things come in handy. When you’re putting together a beer bong, potato cannon. beer cannon, or whatever, a nice multitool in your desk drawer is handy.

Standard set of electrical tools: side cutters, wire strippers, electrical tape, fuses etc. It’s not a true dorm room, unless it has about 40 different pieces of electronics in it. This stuff comes in handy, and a good set of wire strippers are a heck of a lot better than stripping speaker wire with your teeth.

A good drill, and a big set of bits (Phillips, and hex pits, especially): You’re in college. That’s going to mean buying cheap build-it-yourself furniture from Wal-Mart, and all those things go together with about 14 dozen hex screws. It’s much better to have your own set, than to have to deal with the crappy Chinese tool they give you. Not to mention when you decide that your dorm-issue desk is a POS, and you want to get rid of it, and the facilities people won’t take it, it’s much easier to take it apart and stuff it in the trash with a drill and a Phillips bit.

Get a dozen cheap sets of hex keys. On move in day, and for the first couple weeks of school, everyone is going to be buying that cheap-ass WalMart/Ikea furniture. People will ask to borrow your tools, and it’s a heck of a lot easier to loan out a $2.00 set of Harbor Freight hex keys, than to loan out your nice Snappy’s or Craftsman. Great way to meet people too.

Come to think of it, being known as the guy with the tools and know-how in the dorms is a great way to meet chicks. Keep that in mind.

You have a station wagon. Good man. Get some ropes and straps. You’re gonna be hauling stuff. Beer kegs, used furniture from the thrift store, etc. Speaking of which, don’t be a lame ass and get a futon like everyone else. Get on Craigslist, and find and old couch or love seat. Be the only guy in the dorms with a real couch.

Got it? Good. Study hard. Play hard.

Some wise words: Don't let schoolwork and get in the way of college.

[scrubcakes]

I'm a sophomore EE college student, you definitely want to be prepared for breakdowns, but I don't recommend working on your car there unless the issue prevents your car from driving.

Most of what I keep in the trunk: 3/8'' ratchet and Metric socket set, 3/8'' metric hex key sockets, extensions/universal joints, 1/2'' breaker bar, 1/2'' metric impact sockets, good screwdriver set, multimeter, fuses/fusable links, hammer, vice grips, crescent hammer(wrench), duct tape, zip ties, fuel filter, spare belts and hoses, spare starter, alternator, fuel pump, bottle or scissor jack, wire cutters, vehicle specific nut and bolt assortment, oil, antifreeze, brake fluid, nitrile gloves, flashlight, 1/2'' torque wrench for lugnuts. Wire & wire strippers, soldering iron, solder, heatshrink, crimp terminals, jumper cables, more things I can't remember... Interestingly enough I've used most of the above at school, I have a 30 year old diesel Benz, 1986 turbo subaru... :pimpflash

When my 1986 subaru's fuel pump seized in the dead of winter, I was able to change it out in the dorm parking lot quickly at -10 degrees F... vice grip to clamp the supply line off, screwdriver for the hose clamps, 10mm ratchet for rusty bracket bolts, zip ties for new fuel pump... Good to go!

Be the handy car guy in the dorms, it is a great way to meet chicks, lol :thumbup:

Volvo 240 wagon is a good choice for a college car. Be sure to keep on top of your studies and try to be at the top of the class.

[Big Pete]

If you're doing a Mech Eng course, you aren't going to need tools (apart from maybe the Leatherman, which should never leave your side), at least not for coursework. MechEng is mostly about using your brains not your hands.

As has been said before, join the clubs and societies in the first year and see whats about, after that when you've got to know some likeminded guys, rent a house with a garage between 3 or 4 of you.

Be careful tho, because its easy to get distracted into building bikes or cars rather than practising how to do bending moment diagrams or thermodynamics calcs :thumbup:

[jamesemery728]

Sounds like everyone else has the tool list covered. My 2 cents would be:
-only keep the bare minimum at school and keep it locked up out of sight.
-if you live off campus many apartment complex's have a "no working on cars" policy as part of the lease, you will have to work around the "parking lot police" and residents that will want to turn you in if they step in a pile of grease or oil that you left for them to walk in.
-limit your car work to basic maintainence, oil changes, minor breakdowns, do all the other things when you go home. You will be amazed at how little time you are going to have. Study hard and concentrate on school, you will have the rest of your life to collect all the tools you will ever need.
-Good Luck.