I could kick myself for not buying this sooner.

[wfochris]

Why I have I been working on cars and bikes for over half my life without one?

Good grief.

I pulled the springs out of this today to cut a coil off and get rid of the 4x4 look and it took 2 hours.

It would have been triple that without my new friend.

 

[spongerich]

I'm with you. I bought an electric impact last year. I had NO idea I'd use it as much as I have. I've since added a pneumatic one to my arsenal.

 

[green.bubbly]

I'm 45 and I finally purchased one earlier this year. I have worked way too hard all my life.

I got a cordless...

 

[bdkruger1]

Wait till you try an air ratchet.

 

[jhelrey]

I bought a IR 2135MAX and I love it

 

[Ford12508]

I bought a IR 2135MAX and I love it

Mine will be here monday, cant wait!

 

[4StarCstms]

I have the s/o version and LOVE it...

 

[Jack Olsen]

Still, you shouldn't lower a car by cutting the coil shorter.

 

[thesilverone]

Still, you shouldn't lower a car by cutting the coil shorter.

but it's only a mustang

 

[e-tek]

Still, you shouldn't lower a car by cutting the coil shorter.

WHY?
Here's why.....http://craig.backfire.ca/pages/autos/cutting-springs

 

[zer01]

You should never cut the coil springs. Bad idea. Spend the money for lowering springs/kit.

 

[allinon72]

You should never cut the coil springs. Bad idea. Spend the money for lowering springs/kit.

He spent his suspension budget on the compressor/impact

 

[zer01]

Well pay for it now or pay for it later.

 

[38D]

I have 3 impacts total and they rock. The mac daddy is my SK one that does 1200 ft/lbs of torque!

 

[kursplat]

could have saved a lot of $$ and just heated them up real good until it sagged to the hight you wanted

 

[jktruck150]

Still, you shouldn't lower a car by cutting the coil shorter.

Well geeze, Foose did it on Overhaulin'!!

Don't work Jack, I would have replaced them with shorter springs, but is there really a problem with doing that as a temporary fix? I guess I am just curious if it matters.

Good job on the tool purchase! I remember when I got my first air tool (brad nailer)! I pull it out just to put one or two finishing brads into a piece of moulding! Good tools make a hard task a whole lot easier!

(Edit: just noticed E-tek's link as to why NOT to do it, that answers my curiosity. I will stick with lowering spring, but still....Foose did it! Ha ha ha!)

 

[zer01]

Yeah Foose did it to meet a deadline to make the car look right. Likely he could not get the right springs before the big reveal and probably replaced them afterward. No matter what the reason cutting/heating coils springs is just a bad and dangerous idea.

 

[bchee]

air power is nice, but there is still something very gratifying about turning something by hand, and feeling that click-click mechanism.

 

[pipsters]

In 2009 I got a large tax return, we had just bought a house, and my first ever "garage" purchase was an air compressor. I bought a Craftsman 25 gallon horizontal unit and a Lowes impact kit that included the impact, ratchet, die grinder, and air hammer. The first time using it I had the biggest smile across my face!

Air ratchets seem to be practically useless though, I'm looking at getting a (used) 1/4" impact to go along with a soon-to-be-purchased 2135qtimax. The 1/2" for big stuff, and 1/4" for small and interior stuff on my cars. Impacts are faster than the ratchets and seem to be easier to use, not quite as unwieldy.

 

[mad57]

Funny you post this the other day i was removing bolts from a tow hitch by hand with extention bar and sweating all the way.... my friend came by while i was putting the new bolts on (by hand) he says dont you have an impact i said well yes(duh) it took 2 sec i forget that i have it im so use to working like a chimp

 

[NUTTSGT]

I break out the impact sometimes and stretch an air hose just to run in lag screws. Makes life easier.

 

[Rockaholic555]

what kind of compressor is that? I mean model, cfm, etc.

 

[wfochris]

It's a craftsman 30 gal oiled unit with 6cfm @ 90psi. After reading countless threads here about "how's your compressor mounted" I actually built a wood platform for it to stand on, lag screwed it down, and placed that on top of two semi-trailer mudflaps salvaged from work.

I picked up the 3/8 HF earthquake air ratchet based on recommendations from this board, and it seems to work well. The impact though- that's just awesome. 24mm shock/strut bolts come out in seconds instead of minutes; no breaker bar and no turning the bolts by hand 1/32 of a turn at a time.

Jack and others - cutting springs on a Mustang is very common due to the fact that they are linear / not progressive.

Would I do that on your porsche or my old Evo? No way.

Tons of info about Mustang cut springs

 

[wfochris]

I'm 45 and I finally purchased one earlier this year. I have worked way too hard all my life.

I got a cordless...

My neighbor has one of those, and before the air compressor I'd run over and borrow the thing all the time. Very sweet tool.

 

[strelnik]

air power is nice, but there is still something very gratifying about turning something by hand, and feeling that click-click mechanism.

It's all about BALANCE.

I restore antique cars and overuse of extra power = sheared bolts. On antiques where the bolts are hand made or remade (by me) or where the studs have to be pulled from the block, sheared bolts is a giant time-waster or expensive.

That's why I own brealer bars and ratchets all the way up to i" drive and 6 ' tall. And a torch. And I formulate my own acetone-based penetrating oil.

I'd love to get a good Snapon cordless impact for assists on the road if anyone has info on a good model and source.

BTW I own CP air and IR electric ratchets, have for years.

 

[woody2136]

I was 21 I think the first time I used an impact and I've never looked back! hahaha

This is a few years later and I still have to remind my dad to use it.

Bought my house/garage this year and the first thing I moved in was a 60gal air compressor. It's not really a garage without air! haha

 

[srmofo]

air power is nice, but there is still something very gratifying about turning something by hand, and feeling that click-click mechanism.

do that a few hundred thousand times, then come back and see me.Im over the gratification, theres just no need to have to take lugnuts off with a breaker bar or ratchet.

 

[moparhunter]

agreed No air = Jerk work time is money people.

 

[fireball 440]

Bought a MAC impact when I was 19 that lasted 2 years, have had IR ever since. I don't use air ratchets much anymore but I wore a few out when I was a full time mechanic. FYI the big names like Mac and Snap On DO NOT warranty their overpiced air tools for ****. I say everything from die grinders to impacts IR is the best out.

 

[Brew62]

Boy do I feel like an idiot. I've had an older electric impact in my tool cabinet for years and have only used it a few times to take off the lug nuts on my truck. I never really thought about using it for small projects. . I think about all the time I spent turning lag bolts with a ratchet.
I guess I will dig it out and see what I can do with it.

 

[graffix000]

Congrats on the pick up. A compressor makes life much easier. I am surprised that it is an oiled compressor though. Almost all of the regular craftsman compressor are oil less, unless you get up in to the professional series ones (black ones).

 

[Packard V8]

There's a time and a place for impact guns, including air, AC and battery. There's a time and place for hand tools.

If I'm switching to snow tires/wheels on one Saab with four bolts on each, the 3/4" socket and torque wrench has to come out of the 1/2"dr drawer, so grab the breaker bar and speed handle and I can do it with hand tools before the compressor airs up or in less time than I can string the AC cord, recoil it and rebox the electric gun. If I'm doing all three Saabs or the Ford F250 with 32 large lugs, one of the impact guns gets fired up.

An impact is also a great tool for running taps in holes in steel. With air pressure adjustment and the correct chuck, it'll be quicker and break fewer taps.

Pulling down core engines, it's impact all the way. Assembling engines, calibrated hands are the only way to feel everything is clean and going back together correctly.

jack vines

 

[T1320T]

Man, don't let the spring comments kill your buzz. Congrats on your 1st impact, you'll find a lot more uses for it in the future too. You can use it in the near future to replace those springs w/ proper lowering springs when time/cash allows.

 

[Thirsty]

Jack and others - cutting springs on a Mustang is very common due to the fact that they are linear / not progressive.

Would I do that on your porsche or my old Evo? No way.

Tons of info about Mustang cut springs

This is true, Cutting a half a coil or so on aftermarket non-progressive springs is done all the time, Unless you enjoy staring at the sky on your Sunday drives.

 

[wfochris]

Congrats on the pick up. A compressor makes life much easier. I am surprised that it is an oiled compressor though. Almost all of the regular craftsman compressor are oil less, unless you get up in to the professional series ones (black ones).

Good catch!

The original pump died; it was oil less.

It was replaced with an oiled pump, from one of the pro models. Bolted right up.

 

[jhelrey]

If you need impact sockets, I got them for sale!

 

[Auzivision]

I have a corded DeWalt and it made short work on four springs this weekend. A bunch of old 19mm torqued down real good popped out in seconds.

Now I want a smaller cordless version to get into tight areas. Maybe something like this?
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001U53BGY/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[mpire]

Do they have a right angle adapter for one of those? I find that I don't use it as much as I could because I can't get the gun into tight spaces.

 

[hetkind]

Bought a MAC impact when I was 19 that lasted 2 years, have had IR ever since. I don't use air ratchets much anymore but I wore a few out when I was a full time mechanic. FYI the big names like Mac and Snap On DO NOT warranty their overpiced air tools for ****. I say everything from die grinders to impacts IR is the best out.

IR is good stuff, I have a IR compressor and one of the impact guns is IR, another one is a 30 year old Blue Point made by Chicago Pneumatic. The rest of the air tools is a mixed lot bought over 20 years.

Howard

 

[Jack90210]

I bust out the air ratchet when I have many fasteners to tighten -- when you need it, it's an enormous time saver.