Auto Body Pros toolboxes

[UMrk]

Hey everyone, I am going to possibly be starting school for collision repair, and was wondering if any auto body guys could post pictures of their boxes and drawers. Im trying to get an idea of common setups, as well as tools that I would need, not to mention I like looking at pics of boxes/tools! Thanks

 

[crewchief888]

go have a look at the "lets see your toolbox" and "vintage toolboxes of GJ" threads

that'll keep you busy till graduation

 

[wornoutoldman]

Check out the Martin 25 Piece Kit http://www.tinmantech.com/html/body_kits.php

 

[Mastermind]

most "real" bodymen have ugly boxes. seems like i can never slow down enough buying the tools to get something pretty to put them in, my cart is usually overflowing and moving over to the paint dept to throw a car together, back to my area and around 3-4 cars there, over to the frame rack etc... ideally, i would go with one of the giant snap on "carts" at first and move on from there. a bodyman doesnt just pound dents all day, you gotta be a mechanic, welder, pianter, fabricator, and generally nutty. lol.
alot of specialty tools, plus the "basics" of all those listed above.

and u can never have enough vice grips.

 

[Skyline]

I would never buy a second hand toolbox from a bodyman.

 

[ianguilly]

Start saving today... I go a bit overboard.

Looking to expand with a cabinet and locker.

 

[Mastermind]

why not? lol...the overspray? overloading? chemical spills? or that most of them held tools to work on buggies when they were young?

 

[UMrk]

Wow, nice setup ianguilly! Mastermind, I see your location is Ypsilanti. Do you have any knowledge of Washtenaw Community Colleges programs? Also, in auto body, is there a preference to tool brands over the others? Mac vs Matco vs Snap On etc.

 

[Mastermind]

that^ was in reply to skyline...

ianguilly....how do you like the height of the classic 96? i'm 6'5", and am worried the classic would be too short to be comfortable as a "bench" for me...

 

[ianguilly]

that^ was in reply to skyline...

ianguilly....how do you like the height of the classic 96? i'm 6'5", and am worried the classic would be too short to be comfortable as a "bench" for me...

Its 39'' high i like it and i'm 5' 10. I could see it being to short for someone of your height, KRL probably be a bit better.

 

[ianguilly]

Wow, nice setup ianguilly! Mastermind, I see your location is Ypsilanti. Do you have any knowledge of Washtenaw Community Colleges programs? Also, in auto body, is there a preference to tool brands over the others? Mac vs Matco vs Snap On etc.

My Box is 100% snap on and filled with 80% snap on tools.

 

[Mastermind]

yes, i have an assoc. degree from washtenaw in auto body. i went there in the last century, the progrm has changed alot since i went through. a little education is nice, but i learned alot more out in the "real world". get your basics in the first semester, then find a job as a helper while you finish up the program, you'll learn alot more in a faster progression.

as far as tool brand, 99% of bodymen i know are the biggest tool whores in the auto industry. whatever works, the tool guy that shows up that day, etc.
painters tend to get stuck on one gun brand though.

i have tools from just about every manufacturer out there, new, used, old, cheap, expensive, u name it. still have alot of c-man sockets i use daily, even some harbor frieght stuff, whatever does the job. fast. 3/8 cordless impact is your friend.

 

[Mastermind]

nothing wrong with snap-on, i love all mine, but i've never had a bolt that wouldn't turn with a less expensive quality socket or wrench, but i have done things with snap-on, matco, mac air tools i couldn't do with a cheapy. the stuff that MakeS me money i spend good money on(i.e.air hammer, air drill,cordless stuff), gimmicky or once and a while used stuff i tend to buy "lesser" brands(those plastic pry tools...i bought a snap on set when i first got into bodywork, then a $5 HF set a couple weeks later...still have them all.)

 

[UMrk]

Thanks Mastermind. I am going to go to WCC and tour the facilities. I am leaning towards Auto Body, but Im not throwing out doing mechanics either. Im not 100% yet, just weighing all the possibilities. I have friends in both areas and hear pros/cons on both obviously. Some say job prospects are great, others say the opposite lol. Anyways thanks for the responses.

 

[Mastermind]

the "job prospects" around here are like the wind, i've had days where i've gotten 4 job offers in one day while looking. unfortunetly, there's always places you do or don't wanna work, ask around, they're easy to find out who's who.
and for some reason, i don't see alot of guys in the real world after college, not alot of younger guys in the industry from what i've seen, after 12 yrs doin this i'm usually the youngest guy in the shop besides the porters/detailers.
alot of revolving doors out there in this business, my dad has been a mechanic all his life so i guess its just what i'm used to.
my best advice is to start out as a helper and try it out without the total commitment first.

 

[Murphy4570]

most "real" bodymen have ugly boxes. seems like i can never slow down enough buying the tools to get something pretty to put them in, my cart is usually overflowing and moving over to the paint dept to throw a car together, back to my area and around 3-4 cars there, over to the frame rack etc... ideally, i would go with one of the giant snap on "carts" at first and move on from there. a bodyman doesnt just pound dents all day, you gotta be a mechanic, welder, pianter, fabricator, and generally nutty. lol.
alot of specialty tools, plus the "basics" of all those listed above.

and u can never have enough vice grips.

You mean F'n crazy.

Bodymen are their own breed. Must be all that dust and chemical fumes they inhale.

I'm friends with some, never could do that work myself, it pisses me off too much. Whenever I do, I can never get **** lined up to my liking. Either I'm too ****, or the parts my shop uses are dogcrap. I like to think a little of both. I like to stick to mechanical work. It doesn't have to look pretty, just work. Bare utilitarianism.

 

[MikelHochst]

that'll keep you busy till graduation

 

[Mastermind]

murphy....yes.
we are crazy. and yes, there is a fine line between **** retentive and not caring, eventually it's as good as it's gonna be and you've gotta walk away. my blood pressure is usually off the chart by 5. old boss always wanted to stay late...by 8 oclock its really hard not to throw things. ever stuck a Snap on #2 phillips through a piece of 1/2" plywood at 30 feet? thats when it's time to blame the part. lol. or use the big brown tool with the barrell as seen on my box above....

 

[Mastermind]

i know there is more body guys on here...

 

[UMrk]

I thought Id get a bunch of guys responding! Hope more body guys can help out. Im looking to start buying some stuff here soon, but I want to make sure I get stuff I REALLY need and not "wants" lol.

 

[Zaylor]

Start saving today... I go a bit overboard.

What's that heat gun?

 

[Mastermind]

Probly a Master Appliance heat gun. there's also a HF one thats similar, but the masters have been around forever, old guys have had thiers for 30 yrs

 

[Mastermind]

I thought Id get a bunch of guys responding! Hope more body guys can help out. Im looking to start buying some stuff here soon, but I want to make sure I get stuff I REALLY need and not "wants" lol.

start with your basic body stuff (hammer & dollies, trim tools, blocks etc.) and your hardlines, sockets, ratchets wrenches, screwdrivers all the multi use stuff, that will keep ya busy till you find out what you personally are gonna need.

 

[e-tek]

I love the rifle on the box! A necessary piece of equipment for the ******* comeback customer!!

I'm all about restoration, not collision repair, so my stuff is hammers, dollies, files, various dolly-punches, anvils, Puller-pusher ram set, many grinders and cut-offs, sanders, blocks, welding equipment, air drills, air hammers, air saws and of course, all the basic hand-tools for dismantling and rebuilding.

Some of your decisions will depend on what the shop supplies, but hand-tools are a safe bet, as well as basic air tools.

I worked my way up in my Dad's shop as a prep-man, took a 1 year ASE Course, then got my painters ticket. Worked for a year after that as a painter, then went back to University. 5 years later my first "office job" was GM of a large Volvo Dealers Collision Shop. Managed 20 men in a shop with 2 booths, 2 floors, a full-time mechanic and a drive-in service area. The guys who I admired where the "old-school" guys who treated it as a real profession: Nice tools, clean bays, good at re-estimating and good at what they did.

Good luck and think of yourself as a doctor of collision repair, not a coal-miner!

 

[phantom lord]

I've been doing bodywork for about a year now, so hopefully I can help a little....

When you're just starting out, you're not going to be fixing hard hits, you're going to be taking cars apart and putting them back together. While it certainly helps to have body hammers and such, you're going to want to focus on the basics... wrenches, sockets, pliers, etc... Car manufacturers have been steering away from standard/SAE nuts and bolts, and are switching over to metric sizes, so you'll want to concentrate on those.

Snapon tool boxes are the best I've seen, but I'd recommend a cheaper box to start out with so you can buy more tools... I have the 44" Harbor Freight box, and its held up fine.

As to what to buy...

metric Gearwrenchs - 8 - 19mm
it wouldn't hurt to get a set of SAE wrenches as well
3/8 drive sockets metric - 7 - 19mm deep and shallow
1/2 impact sockets metric - 10 - 22mm deep and shallow
ratchets, extensions
a variety of clip removal tools
pliers/cutters -- I'd recommend cheap ones until you figure out which ones you use the most, then buy a nice pair of those
#2 phillips screwdriver -- I'd actually recommend a good one (snapon, matco, mac) this is the most common size screw and it will get used constantly
a large set of screwdrivers in different lengths/sizes (24 piece craftsmen?)
a couple ball peen hammers
a GOOD cordless LED flashlight(get one with a magnetic base for hands free use)
3/8 cordless impact -- Dewalt makes good ones that cost a lot less than the truck brands
3/8 air ratchet
1/2 air impact wrench
it doesn't hurt to have a set of 1/4 drive sockets/tools
a set of torx sockets
a set of metric and SAE allen wrenches

I'm probably forgetting some things, but that pretty much covers the basics. Once you're in school you'll figure out what else you'll need (sanders, grinders, drills, etc.)

I hope that helps

 

[Hammer1963]

I have not been on here a lot lately, or I would have responded much sooner. I am anything but what some would sterotype as a the typical Bodyman, so how I choose to keep my tools in order may be different than some.

I will try and remember to add some pics later this week. A couple of things you will find is, you cannot have too many Vise Grip type of tools. You can never have too many hammers, sponns and dollies.

 

[Skin]

every body shop i've been in has been filthy. I wouldnt put a 5-10 thousand dollar tool box in them, thats for sure.

 

[UMrk]

Thanks Phantom, that helps a lot. Appreciate all the responses so far.

 

[ianguilly]

every body shop i've been in has been filthy. I wouldnt put a 5-10 thousand dollar tool box in them, thats for sure.

I blow off and wax mine every Friday before I leave, it stays spotless. Have you seen a mechanics tool box? That's nasty.

 

[BJ42LX]

Have you seen a mechanics tool box? That's nasty.

Ugg. Tell me about it. I just bought an old Mac box that belonged to a Lincoln-Mercury tech. Man, that guy was dirty. A couple of drawers had 1/8" of oil in them. He spilled a can/tube of gasket sealer and it covered the bottom of two more drawers. Mouse turds in the top section. And beyond that just a general level of grungy dirt covered everything.

I covered the whole thing with a quart of simple green and hit it with a pressure washer. That was just so I could get it clean enough to disassemble and get to the real gunk!

How can anyone work like that on a daily basis?

 

[FlatHeads_Suck]

I blow off and wax mine every Friday before I leave, it stays spotless. Have you seen a mechanics tool box? That's nasty.

On the contrary, my box is dirty, but one week a month I grab a bag of rags and a bucket of alcohol and clean my tools

 

[jrsulo]

Body shop i started in 31 years ago,we had to round up the tools every 2 weeks,as by then the box was emty !!!!!.....was a very small shop with only 3 guys working out of the main shop box.....when i moved on and got my own tools,kept my box pretty organized.Still friends with that boss from long ago,hes running a one man shop now,and i bought him a air compressor a couple months ago as he was broke and needed to get back to work.....the man taught me alot and it was payback time !!!!!......been out of the biz for awhile,needed a change !

 

[Skin]

I blow off and wax mine every Friday before I leave, it stays spotless. Have you seen a mechanics tool box? That's nasty.

Depends on the mechanic. The problem with body shops is the line of work, depending how close the box is to the mayhem you get overspray, bondo, metal shavings, fiberglass and all other kinds of wonderfullness flying into every crevice.

 

[sberry]

most "real" bodymen have ugly boxes. seems like i can never slow down enough buying the tools to get something pretty to put them in, my cart is usually overflowing and moving over to the paint dept to throw a car together,

I got to agree with this, usually garbage and assortment of tools piled on top that never seem to fit anything, a bent screwdriver and a metric crecent wrench and a utility knife with broken blade. This with bent up old clips and brackets blended wit bits of sandpaper and empty hardener tubes in every drawer. Add a half a set of craftsman sockets with the sizes you need missing, pretty much the same for the wrenches.

 

[SpiderGearsMan]

Ugg. Tell me about it. I just bought an old Mac box that belonged to a Lincoln-Mercury tech. Man, that guy was dirty. A couple of drawers had 1/8" of oil in them. He spilled a can/tube of gasket sealer and it covered the bottom of two more drawers. Mouse turds in the top section. And beyond that just a general level of grungy dirt covered everything.

I covered the whole thing with a quart of simple green and hit it with a pressure washer. That was just so I could get it clean enough to disassemble and get to the real gunk!

How can anyone work like that on a daily basis?

guess you never noticed how 'clean' the junk we work on is

 

[BJ42LX]

guess you never noticed how 'clean' the junk we work on is

Yeah, I feel for you on that. When I take my cars in I run them through the car wash first. That makes a BIG difference in winter here in the salt belt. I wash the engine twice a year, too. I figure if my car is easier to work on I'll get better service!

 

[Mastermind]

I got to agree with this, usually garbage and assortment of tools piled on top that never seem to fit anything, a bent screwdriver and a metric crecent wrench and a utility knife with broken blade. This with bent up old clips and brackets blended wit bits of sandpaper and empty hardener tubes in every drawer. Add a half a set of craftsman sockets with the sizes you need missing, pretty much the same for the wrenches.

i worked at a less than desireable place once (think used cars) and the two other bodymen had carts just like that. except i think they had "standard" cresent wrenches, as they tended to round off bolts more often than not.
last time i saw one of them he was twisting wires together for a turn signal on a lincoln....only because the light was on on the dash.... ha!