Tools for my truck?

[chris142]

I need a small socket set and a few wrenches to carry in my truck. No major work on the side of the road though. Maybe change a belt or Alternator and to have tools in case I wind up at the local PicAPart. The truck is an 87 Ford so it's got SAE and Metric nuts and bolts.

I know that I need a 7mm,8mm,10mm,13mm,15mm,18mm and a 1/4,9/16 and5/8. I'd like to have a few wrenches and short extensions too. Needs to be in a small box that will fit in my center console.

I'm not too interested in mail ordering any thing and I don't need $900 worth of SO or Mac tools. I got those at work.

So I'm limited to HF,Sears,OSH,Kmart,lowes,HD,A-zone,Pep boys and Napa. Thinking Craftsman since Osh and kmart still have USA made Craftsman tools on the floor. But I'm open to suggestions.

 

[85camaro]

You can snag a Duralast set from Autozone on the cheap.

 

[chris142]

Duralast decient? Ain't no good to me if the sockets waller out instead of spinning the bolt off. I already bought a junk tool set from ORileys and those gotta go.

 

[paigej]

i would get craftsman rp wrenches and the old style sockets with no laser markings, HF composite ratchet and extensions, and whatever screwdrivers and pliers you like!

 

[ihateminimumwage]

If you can still get a USA Craftsman set, go for that. I'm done with them overall, but I have my set in my truck. Trying to fit any other ratchets in there though, after being spoiled by my Snap-Ons (and even the new Kobalts) the Craftsman 36 tooth RPs are just terrible.

Last thing I would want to deal with on the side of the road would be garbage ratchets making the whole experience even that much worse.

 

[Fast LT1]

Kobalt sets or duralast is the best bet IMHO.

 

[jhurless]

I'll add another vote for duralast. They are made in taiwan and are of pretty decent quality. They make a Snapon clone ratchet that is quite comfortable and durable. That and the price is right.

 

[joecon]

I have a blue point set in a fitted case that I keep under the seat.

 

[Roland-5.0]

Get a 5.5 mm quarter drive socket in case your ignition module fails lol most ford owners that are mechanically inclined carry a spare module.

 

[Armed Bear]

K-Mart is selling the C-man 154 piece mechanics set for $89. I would get that and then ditch the C-man ratchets and get the Kobalt ratchets.

 

[chris142]

Get a 5.5 mm quarter drive socket in case your ignition module fails lol most ford owners that are mechanically inclined carry a spare module.

Mines an IDI.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

Mines an IDI.

Good choice. Love my 6.9 F350.

 

[chris142]

Good choice. Love my 6.9 F350.

I like the truck. The MPG is disapointing. I hear about people getting high teens and even low 20's with these trucks. I'm lucky to get 14mpg on the hwy and 12 in town. My best hwy mpg was running 10 mph below the posted limit which is about 30 mph slower than traffic is moving and I got 15.3mpg.

Considering that Diesel is $.60 a gallon more than gas sometimes I think I should have gotten a gasser.

 

[chris142]

Anyway. I looked @ Craftsman @ Osh today. Nothing caught my eye, the metric set stops @ 17mm and I need an 18mm and didn't go down to 7mm. Was made in USA though. Old stock I guess and buying USA made wont save a job, he prolly got layed off last year.

I'll CK A-Zone next.

 

[Coach James]

If COO is not a deal breaker, C-man, Kobalt, HF and Duralast would all do the job for you. I have used all four brands and I fixed what I needed to fix.

Coach

 

[ihateminimumwage]

I like the truck. The MPG is disapointing. I hear about people getting high teens and even low 20's with these trucks. I'm lucky to get 14mpg on the hwy and 12 in town. My best hwy mpg was running 10 mph below the posted limit which is about 30 mph slower than traffic is moving and I got 15.3mpg.

Considering that Diesel is $.60 a gallon more than gas sometimes I think I should have gotten a gasser.

Most likely worn pump and injectors. Mine was running 18mpg on 37" tires with 3.55 gearing, and only a 4 speed trans. Dropped a bit swapping to 4.10s, but overall double what I got with my old big block truck. It's no Cummins, but a good reliable engine when you get them tuned right.

 

[Subyroo651]

K-Mart is selling the C-man 154 piece mechanics set for $89. I would get that and then ditch the C-man ratchets and get the Kobalt ratchets.

+1 on this, I just picked this set up for $69 @ a closing KMart. Add some better ratchets and maybe a longer extension and you're good to go.

 

[chris142]

Most likely worn pump and injectors. Mine was running 18mpg on 37" tires with 3.55 gearing, and only a 4 speed trans. Dropped a bit swapping to 4.10s, but overall double what I got with my old big block truck. It's no Cummins, but a good reliable engine when you get them tuned right.

The pump is pretty new and IMO it runs too good and clean to have dribbling injectors. I bought the box that you hook a timing light to and played with the timing some. The guys on the Diesel boards said 8.5 is where the timing should be but mine sounded over advanced there and ran horrible. It's @6 right now and it runs great.

It has the BB injectors.

Back to tools. Looked @ A-Zone and the socket sets look pretty low quality. They are Chinese, the singles that are hanging on the rack are much better looking and came from Taiwan.

I then went to Napa and looked at the Evercraft stuff. Same low quality junk that A-Zone sells but with a Napa name and Price. This Napa does not stock Carlile so I can't ck that out.

Me thinks i'm going to go back to OSH and get the last of the USA Craftsman stuff then grab a plastic ratchet from HF.

 

[RedFordTruck]

I like to keep all kinds of tools in my truck because I never know when im gonna need a tool somewhere.

 

[48Classic]

I always carry a crescent wrench, Vise grips, flat head, Phillips, and a gear wrench set sae and metrics. Most importantly a small sledge hammer. Never know when you got to adjust something...

 

[camjeep3]

I bought a walmart tool kit just too keep in my truck tool box. it was cheap, its 1/4 and 3/8 drive. it has standard and metric sockets, has a few deeps as well lots of bits with a handheld driver and an assortment of allen wrenches. The best part? it was around $20. that kit plus a couple adjustable wrenches and I have never not had a tool i needed on the road. I use the kit a good bit and it has done me well. If it get stolen, or i lose something I wont care... just my two cents!

 

[Burtonrider10022]

Stanley. Walmart carries them and they're actually pretty nice from what I saw in store and the reports here. You can get a decent sized set of I think 60pcs for around $30-$40 or a 100pc set for about $50. Add a breaker bar and you're good to go!

 

[chris142]

Ok here's what I found. Went to OSH and the Made in USA 154 piece Craftsman tool kit rang up @$149.99. So I went 2 doors down to Kmart. Out of stock. This tool set is a little too large to store in my truck any way

Ain't no way I'm going to Sears in the Mall the saturday before Xmas!

Walked out to my truck and figured that If I break down I won't be changing more than an Alternator, belts, fuel pump or battery on the side of the road.

I looked around under my hood and decided that I needed a 10mm deep socket, a 9/16 deep socket, a 9/16 wrench and a 5/8 wrench. I can do 90% of any roadside repairs with these tools. So I went back to OSH and bought these few tools. I dug around and found all Made in USA stuff. I also grabbed a small plastic tool box, Made in Mexico.

Now I needed a ratchet. I figured that a socket and ratchet set would be my best choice. Went to HF. They have socket sets but they skip sizes like 15mm and 18mm that I'll need.

I ended up @ O'Rileys to see what they had in the way of sets. I found a set by "Performance tool". Made in Taiwan.

This set includes a plastic ratchet just like the ones @ HF except that it's red. Also includes a bunch of short sockets in SAE and Metric with no sizes skipped. This socket set with ratchet was on sale for $20.

So now I'm covered for any minor road side disasters I may have.

 

[cide1]

I've been buying Williams stuff recently. Quality is great, some is made in US, some of it overseas. Profit stays in the US. Quality is close to snap on, and the price is great. Look up part numbers in catalog on snap ons industrial site, then, check out autotoolworld for good prices.

 

[skulldrinker]

I just posted at HF coupon thread for $149 on their 301 Piece set. Goes way past 18mm. Santa is bringing me a set for my auto class and it will end up in my truck.