Recent content by midshipmen89

My biggest gripe with transmission jacks is the height range/cylinder stroke, not so much the saddle. I would happily pay an extra $1000 on top of my Mac Tools JSTTA1000 for a three stage cylinder instead of the standard two stage. I work on everything from Corvettes and Camaros to medium duty...

They're called Jiffy-Tite fittings. I bought the above kit several years ago, but I've had limited success with them. They're more trouble than they're worth IMO; I've taken to using a 90* pick to pull the securing collar off and slip the clips off the fittings entirely. Makes for much easier...

Tall one for the toolbox and a short one for a welding stool. My Mac guy recently became a Vyper distributer; he was able to do them both for $1100 landed with custom powder. I don't mind giving him business, he's a good guy and has helped my apprentice out a fair bit. I've burned through...

I just bough two Vyper chairs and had them powdercoated to match my toolbox; I thought I was being fancy lol. Outstanding work!

My man's been thinking about OOP for YEARS. Good shout, Shelby

They're both better than their respective brands' previous offerings. I'm partial to the Snap-on hard handles; my two MPBS10AOs get daily use. If Snap-on isn't on your list, I recommend buying from whichever tool dealer you have a better relationship with. Supporting their business and getting...

I'm with Beerhippie on this one - a safe that small is too easy to cart off and crack elsewhere. Bolt her down. In case someone has enough time in your closet to try and cut their way in, you're likely already giving up everything of value in the house. I recommend insurance for valuables; as...

I think 2ndGearRubber is on the right track - very little will be controllable, but the data stream may be helpful. Frankly, I don't like introducing scan tools into the workflow with my students or apprentices until they can show me they need one. There are quite a few workarounds, saving both...

My dealership's body shop moved across town almost a year ago, opening up a lot of square footage. I usually work on the bigger and heavier trucks (35-6500) that come through here, and apparently my coworkers don't like working on the ground, so... I have six big new bays with 22 foot ceilings...

I'm sort of doing this exercise right now. Our body shop moved across town, so I've gained access to six more flat stalls with 18 foot doors. Nobody else wants to work on the ground, so hey ho, new bays! Boss man got me a set of mobile column lifts, and I've been spending a lot of time working...

I recommend hitting up your local junkyard and find a set in a 2003-2012 Colorado or Canyon. They are two piece instead of three and clear the rear bumper of the full size trucks nicely. I snagged a set to use at the shop several years ago, and they've survived reasonably well. A small quality...

I use two different Corsair headsets for gaming; an older HS70 and a newer Virtuoso XT. Both are great. The HS70 is lower profile, lighter, and has higher clamping pressure; the Virtuoso is bigger overall and has larger round earcups with very light pressure, almost too light. Shaking your head...

It's probably a 1-7/16" nut, which is a standard size for a 7/8" stud. It's good practice to have adjacent fasteners, like a jam nut and a hex on a leveling foot, be different sizes to avoid needing two identical wrenches to tighten things down. In this case, I wouldn't be suprised if this was...

I love my Matco extra long double box end flex wrenches, SRFBZLM102TA/SRFBZXLM42TA. They were expensive when I bought them, and, naturally, even more so nowadays, but the warranty is worth it. I break one every 6-9 months, usually my 15, 18, or 24mm, and my Matco guy has learned to keep them in...

If you're referring to Mac P/N ZR17100FPA, I picked one up about three months ago for running spindle nuts and pinion nuts on the big trucks; breaking out the 36" handle and the L872 is a pain for that kind of stuff. I like it so far, but to be fair, I'm not reefing on it. Snap-on has yet to...