neonlazer
Well-known member
(Sorry if there are grammer nerds here..I got a little too excited typing all this)
I have been lurking around this forum for a few weeks looking at storage ideas and tools themselves, obviously.
:
I am a DIY, my dad has a bench full of ancient goodies..all sorts of saws..air tools and whatnot..even a welder and acetylene torch(fully fueled i might add..and never been used in 30 years) So its obvious I come from a family of a dad who can't have enough tools. So..about me. I didn't know much at all about repairing anything on vehicles. I bought a 2012 tacoma early this year and wanted to start doing mods on it. My new best friend I met a year ago is a professional mechanic(~30 years total..25 Nissan/Chevrolet and last 5 on forklifts) who drives what he calls a yellow bus...I called it a man's dream van...He has a snap on toolbox that fills the entire back of the van and you open the back doors and select your weapons....toys...i mean..tools. We have swapped out an engine, replaced brakes, fuel pump, taken apart/cleaned a manual transmission(and scared to death by a fat black widow sitting inside the ****** as we were cleaning it..it had been sitting outside for a few months before being cleaned) and some other things. Amazing guy to learn from..and probably enjoy working around together a bit too much.
Ok, now that the background bit is done..I know this forum is more about actually garage's..but some of us might not have room to take over an entire area of the garage(I wish) or want a REAL mobile toolbox. We are planning to try to start a little idea at our church about having people come and do basic repair/service on their vehicles. The idea is I want to have a basic toolset for doing most repairs on vehicles.
As you can tell..I am trying to keep it organized. Before I met my friend I had none of these tools, started off with basic stuff like hammer, screwdriver, and stuff like that. Only after I met my friend did I start buying more automotive tools. After working with my friend alot. I noticed two things I loved the most, his ratchets and ratcheting wrenches. So..one night I got on ebay while we were driving to the junkyard to get a part for his truck..and I went a little
Bought a Snap on T72, F80, S80A in about 5 minutes. HA! He has like 9 of them..including long versions and flex. Bought Craftsman extensions and sockets for them(He donated an extra set of Matco deep metric sockets(the ones that are most left in the pic))..some snap on socket rails..and went to town.(pretty much everything is craftsman minus ratchets and wrenches) Then a few months later I knew I need to buy some wrenches..so he had a 10 piece matco reversible ratcheting metric set..that normally is $361 and I was like...man..i can't pay that much for something I won't use everyday...well..after a few weeks of patience, I bought a bearly used set on ebay for $150(with free shipping!) I have loved using them ever since.
OK now that I am probably rambling on too long:
The job on task right now is trying to organize my tool box better..I ordered an Ernst socket system with 4 rails that stay together and not go everywhere. I will try attach the extensions/ratchets to it..but I will see how much room I have in the middle area. I also ordered a wrench organizer with the plastic tabs that hold the wrenches better. My idea is getting some industrial(aka darn strong) velcro and stick it to the lid of the toolbox and pray the velcro can hold 10 wrenches on it..or that the holder and hold the wrenches upside down..at a slight angle downwards. Lol..that would eliminate my wrench issue..which is just a pile of **** matco wrenches..and my socket/ratchet mix. I pretty much put the rest of my tools in that toolbag. Feel free to throw out ideas on how to organize the tools here...Constructive criticism welcome
BTW I know I have this Tacoma modding bug..but my friend hath given me the Snap on/Matco/Mac tool bug.(But I am trying to keep the expensive stuff to the most important tools)
Here is a comparison with my dad's tool chest/bench..Yea..he is far too gone to save...
I have been lurking around this forum for a few weeks looking at storage ideas and tools themselves, obviously.
: I am a DIY, my dad has a bench full of ancient goodies..all sorts of saws..air tools and whatnot..even a welder and acetylene torch(fully fueled i might add..and never been used in 30 years) So its obvious I come from a family of a dad who can't have enough tools. So..about me. I didn't know much at all about repairing anything on vehicles. I bought a 2012 tacoma early this year and wanted to start doing mods on it. My new best friend I met a year ago is a professional mechanic(~30 years total..25 Nissan/Chevrolet and last 5 on forklifts) who drives what he calls a yellow bus...I called it a man's dream van...He has a snap on toolbox that fills the entire back of the van and you open the back doors and select your weapons....toys...i mean..tools. We have swapped out an engine, replaced brakes, fuel pump, taken apart/cleaned a manual transmission(and scared to death by a fat black widow sitting inside the ****** as we were cleaning it..it had been sitting outside for a few months before being cleaned) and some other things. Amazing guy to learn from..and probably enjoy working around together a bit too much.
Ok, now that the background bit is done..I know this forum is more about actually garage's..but some of us might not have room to take over an entire area of the garage(I wish) or want a REAL mobile toolbox. We are planning to try to start a little idea at our church about having people come and do basic repair/service on their vehicles. The idea is I want to have a basic toolset for doing most repairs on vehicles.
As you can tell..I am trying to keep it organized. Before I met my friend I had none of these tools, started off with basic stuff like hammer, screwdriver, and stuff like that. Only after I met my friend did I start buying more automotive tools. After working with my friend alot. I noticed two things I loved the most, his ratchets and ratcheting wrenches. So..one night I got on ebay while we were driving to the junkyard to get a part for his truck..and I went a little
Bought a Snap on T72, F80, S80A in about 5 minutes. HA! He has like 9 of them..including long versions and flex. Bought Craftsman extensions and sockets for them(He donated an extra set of Matco deep metric sockets(the ones that are most left in the pic))..some snap on socket rails..and went to town.(pretty much everything is craftsman minus ratchets and wrenches) Then a few months later I knew I need to buy some wrenches..so he had a 10 piece matco reversible ratcheting metric set..that normally is $361 and I was like...man..i can't pay that much for something I won't use everyday...well..after a few weeks of patience, I bought a bearly used set on ebay for $150(with free shipping!) I have loved using them ever since.OK now that I am probably rambling on too long
:The job on task right now is trying to organize my tool box better..I ordered an Ernst socket system with 4 rails that stay together and not go everywhere. I will try attach the extensions/ratchets to it..but I will see how much room I have in the middle area. I also ordered a wrench organizer with the plastic tabs that hold the wrenches better. My idea is getting some industrial(aka darn strong) velcro and stick it to the lid of the toolbox and pray the velcro can hold 10 wrenches on it..or that the holder and hold the wrenches upside down..at a slight angle downwards. Lol..that would eliminate my wrench issue..which is just a pile of **** matco wrenches..and my socket/ratchet mix. I pretty much put the rest of my tools in that toolbag. Feel free to throw out ideas on how to organize the tools here...Constructive criticism welcome
BTW I know I have this Tacoma modding bug..but my friend hath given me the Snap on/Matco/Mac tool bug.(But I am trying to keep the expensive stuff to the most important tools)Here is a comparison with my dad's tool chest/bench..Yea..he is far too gone to save...
Last edited: