Recent content by auto-x fil

This is much thicker and greasier than fluid film or other corrosion-prevention coatings that I’ve been. It must have been applied with a gloved hand. It’s almost like a wax, as it’s firmer than even a very high-viscosity grease. It’s not rubbery at all, it looks to be quite old and is still...

I found some heavy, sticky, almost waxy grease-type coating smeared all over the brake lines on a used car I purchased. It appeared to have done a wonderful job of preventing rust of those lines. I haven’t been able to find this product via google. Has anyone seen such a thing? Thanks! -Phil

Sorry, not true at all. The amount of pressure added by the weight of the car is so small it's not easily measurable. I've inflated Miata spare tires with bike pumps (a good Park Tool floor pump) a few times. It's not insane, but those are super-low-volume tires. Any real tire will take a...

I picked up this set (ok, two), and am very impressed. I haven't owned any Kobalt stuff before, but I like it a lot. Super-fine, tight ratchet, good socket fit (6pt), and great finish. Darn near SK quality IMO. Speaking of SK, I use these all the time, and they are incredibly handy...

Part of that is probably because mounting and balancing is much more time-consuming than just popping the old tires off. I'd say it's about 90% of the job, not half, and I wouldn't charge any different for those services.

Love the full kit and the Kreg screws. I get mine on Amazon.

Long-term(ish) update: Good: The ratchet is still smooth and seamless. No slipping, no clicking, just essentially 0º of rotation needed to turn a fastener. The push-button release works really well - I never hit it accidentally, but sockets come off easily when I desire. Bad: It's a bit bulky...

I would not draw that conclusion from such a simple test. It's possible that a gearless ratchet is stronger - the camming action forces the rollers out against the housing, so the weak link is probably the housing cracking. On a geared ratchet the pawls can shear off, which may be weaker. I...

What's less than Grade 2? It came from Harbor Freight, so if it's possible to make bolts out of sawdust and bubble gum, that's probably the composition of this one. Again, I'm not trying to say that this thing is indestructible - just that it didn't break when I gave it all the force I could...

Please tell me how that qualifies as English. I think we've covered everything else about the Toptul ratchets other than the gearless mechanism itself, but I can provide some more feedback if people are interested: The chrome is very nice, like all my Toptul stuff - I recently got some SK...

That was my thought, sort of - I'd guess they are some kind of spacers/adapters for a larger specialty auto/machine tool.

Yes, 9/16" hex drive, 3/8" bolt. I chose that because it's the largest socket I have for 1/4" drive.

Just my arm. It was about all I could do to snap the bolt with no cheater bar, but I didn't put one on since I had no desire to break the ratchet.

I have bought a large number of tools from Mike, and been totally satisfied. I'm in the middle of finishing my garage, so I haven't done too much wrenching with them yet, but I did get a chance to test out my new 1/4" gearless ratchet. It's smooth - no perceptible slop. Way tighter than my SK...

So far so good - I did about 250 sq. ft last night in a little over an hour. I did it wet - washed the floor with degreaser and rinsed several times, then hit it with the grinder. This meant little dust, but it really made some nasty mud which was slung all about. I have seen no deterioration...