The workshop.

This is what you'll need to fix almost everything on your car yourself (in addition to good technical skills or good buddies). And if you have the last three items too, and know how to use them then you can do anything.

Here's the list, with some comments for some of the tools.

My tools in the right column, and what you will need to fix almost everything on the left. The list starts at tools which everyone should own and ends with tools that probably only a few would ever want.

Generally I would advice to buy expensive tools that will last many years instead of cheap ones that will wear out and ruin the nuts and bolt you're trying to loosen. Good tools will save a lot of trouble, a lot of time and in the long run some money. Besides the good brands carry a life-time guarantee. Tools that are used a lot i.e fixed spanners should be of very high quality while tools you don't use a lot could probably be a bit cheaper. More use requires higher quality tools.

A good advice for the novice. An adjustable wrench is not a tool. It will not be accurate enough, the distance between the jaws will change while you spanner away, and it will slip exactly at the moment you apply the max amount of torque your arms can supply. That's the reason for it not being listed here.

What brand of tools you should buy depends on how much money you've got to spend. I've listed a few brands here that are from good quality up to the best. If you got the money buy the best, if not then buy what you can afford out of these (all with lifetime guarantee):

  • Snap-On - Probably the most highly regarded tools in the world (most expesive too).
  • Hazet - Very good quality tools and not as expensive as the ones above.
  • Beta - Quality on par with Snap-On and Hazet. The company is ISO sertified.
  • Stahlwille - Here the quality is good too, still has lifetime guarantee.
 What I should have ..... Snap-On.

What you need What I've got
A garage jack and axle stands. A garage jack will save you lots of time compared to the jack in the trunk of your car as well as lifting the car quite a bit higher. Axle stands will make it safe to work under your car and if you have 4 you can have all four wheels of the car in the air at the same time. No serious mechanic works without having the car safely on axle stands. Garage jack of doubtful quality.
Two pairs of axle stands.
A set of fixed combination wrenches. Those that have both open and closed end. Sizes ranging from 4 to 20 mm and then some odd sizes larger than that. For example 25mm and 26mm for the cambelt tensioning pulley. One set of Hazet combination wrenches - model 600N from 6mm - 34mm.
One set of ok quality fixed wrenches with 10 year guarantee:
From 6mm to 19mm and then 25mm, 26mm and 27mm.
Offset wrenches. They are a must for strut tops for example. One 17mm Heyco. And a cheaper set with 10yr guarantee for the others from 10-21mm.
Socket wrench set. Sizes from 4mm up to 19mm. I think that the ones with a hexagon grip on the nut/bolt is better than the twelve-point socket, as they have more metal gripping each tooth and hence will not round of worn nuts and bolts as easily. But the 12-point may be able to loosen bolts where there is very limited space available.
Cheap socket wrenches will wear out very quickly, and you will curse yourself for buying the cheap ones when they break at the most critical point. A ratched wrench will save you a lot of time in tight spaces. If a ratched handle isn't included in the set,then you should buy a good quality one because they wear out rather too quickly. 		- Hazet 1/4" socket set 852N. - Hazet 1/2" 12-point sockets from 8mm - 32mm and ratchet to go with them
- One set of ok quality socket wrenches with 10 year guarantee. The short sockets are from 6mm to 32mm, with long sockets from 8mm to 24mm. I also have a 3/8 Hazet ratched wrench as I got sick of the cheaper stuff.
Oil filter remover. People who don't change the oil themselves..... Say no more. But the oil filter tends to sit about ten times as hard as when you torqued it down when you're going to remove it. And on top of that it sits in a very tight place on the Escort Cosworth. I have the flat metalband type, as this is the only tool there is space for (just barely).
Screwdrivers. Normal screwdrivers in at least three sizes; very small, a normal sized one, a large size one and a really big one for use as a lever when things are stuck (as they are most of the time). Philips head screwdrivers in three or four sizes will do nicely. At last check the count was: 3 Hazet Philips head screwdrivers. 4 Hazet flat head screwdrivers. Plus ten other flat bladed screwdrivers, not including a set of very small flat bladed screwdrivers. Six other Philips head screwdrivers, including a really huge one with a diameter of 11mm.
Air pressure gauge. The gauges on petrol stations are almost always off by at least 20%. Therefore it is best for both performance and tirewear to check the tirepressure by means of a accurate tirepressure gauge. A cheap plastic/metal pop-out-type pressure gauge. Despite it not beeing expensive it does it's job and is accurate enough for non-racing use.
Adjustable torque wrench(es). Or probably two or three: One ranging from about 50 Nm to about 300 Nm or so. And one from 10 Nm to 50 Nm. And a big one up too 600Nm. The more advanced mechanics you get into the more use you will have for these. When working on the engine they are a must. Head bolts are a place where a torque wrench is required. Three adjustable torque wrenches:
- 3/4" Snap-On torque wrench.
- 1/2" torquewrench of doubtful quality from 30-210Nm.
- 3/8" torquewrench up to 100Nm or so.
Torx keys and sockets. This is a star shaped tool that fits into the bolts that hold the camcover to the engine among other things. You should have sockets and L-shaped keys from T20 up to T55 or so with all the available sizes in between.
- Hazet 1/2" socket set with 9 short sockets.
- Hazet L-shaped key set.
- Set with long and short torx studs in sizes: T20, T25, T30, T40, T45, T50, T55 plus a converter so I can use normal 1/2" ratchet for sockets.
Set of hex wrenches/allen keys. Sizes from 1.5mm to 12mm are about as much as you'll ever need. Besides a normal set a set of sockets that will fit 1/2inch drive ratched will come in handy when things are stuck. Probably both the long and short variety. - 1/2" Hazet sockets both short and long from 5mm - 14mm. - One set of Snap-On L-shaped keys.
- Two sets of other high quality ones: One with loose keys ranging from 1mm to 10mm, One set that are foldable from 2mm to 8mm. And then maybe 30 loose keys in both mm and inches of various quality. - 6-14mm impact to fit 1/2 inch drive.
Electric drill. Very useful for drilling holes in stuff and removing rust with a wire brush for electric drills. Also a varied range of drills from 1mm up to 15mm. If you don't have one yet, you're either 12 years old, living with your parents or too lazy to do anything yourself... probably. A Bosch electric drill, quite new too, as our last drill gave up after some 20 years of use.
Assorted set of pliers. At least one pair with a real good grip and strong hold, and one pair of needle nose pliers. A wirecutter is useful too, for wires or cables. Others that you should have are: molegrips, lock-ring pliers and adjustable joint pliers.. 11 pliers of various sizes and shapes was counted.
Various measuring devices. At least a sliding caliper. Then a dial gauge and a micrometer. A thread measuring tool is also very handy when you need new bolts or nuts. At last you'll need feeler blades to check spark plug gaps, engine tolerances and other close alignments.
I have one metal sliding caliper, thread measuring tool and Hazet feeler blades.
Hacksaw. A hacksaw with a sharp blade is nice to have when you're fixing something temporary and need to cut some sheet metal, or when things are real stuck and the only solution is to cut the bolt and drill out the rest. Have hacksaw.
Angle grinder.Will do about the same things as a hacksaw, but it will do it a lot faster, and probably with a bit less precision, but that is mostly up to the person using the tool. Also very usable for removing rust and smoothing welds.
Two angle grinders: One real big beast for cutting concrete and stuff. I think it must weigh at least 15kg. One one hand angle grinder that's a bit more usable for everyday use.
Hand files. At least one flat and one round. Removing burrs and stuff after drilling are one use. Two flat files of about the same size, two triangular files, and four round files, two small ones, one medium and one large.
Clamps. A few of different sizes. Very handy for keeping stuff i place. A have only one. It's about 1,5m though. Very nice for compressing the front anti-roll bar when changing bushes etc.
Extractors and pullers. A few of various sizes and types. A high quality all purpose three leg puller is the least one will need. One all purpose three leg puller that's had it time and time again. Need a new expensive one.
Snap ring pliers. Both for inside and outside snap rings. One set of 8 Hazet pliers. Should be able to get most rings with them.
Thread tapping tools. Both for bolts and nuts. Useful for making new threads and for refreshing old ones A very high quality set that runs up to 12mm. Should have had another one for bigger threads too.
TIG or mig/mag welder. Very useful for welding stuff. Either you want to make new body panels, fix some rust or use it for other repairs it's very useful. One great use is when a nut that was supposed to be stuck on the inside of the chassis becomes loose. Then: just drill a small hole in the chassis and weld it to the chassis again. Right now I don't feel the need too strongly, but you it the the more when you really need it.
A vehicle hoist and a garage to fit it in. It is so much easier to work on your car when standing, instead of lying on the cold dirty floor between your tools. If I win the lottery.
Lathe. For making stuff you can't buy, such as special tools from Ford and other bits you think you can make better than what Ford does.... This is probably the tool that I have missed the most times, and don't have.
Got my own lathe with a friend. Very cool and very useable. 330x1000mm.
Milling machine. A 3, 4, or even 5 axis one.. Same use as above but let's you make things that aren't round too. And why not get the CNC-type when you're at it... Just hook it up to your computer, construct it on your PC and let the machine do it's work.
Have it. Almost like the one in the picture, just another brand
   
When using some of these tools (especially the anglegrinder) it's a good idea to use ear and eye protection.
Before you start working on your car a high pressure cleaner can be handy as it is so much easier to repair a clean car. But I guess you get dirty no matter how much you clean the car before you start.
If you have all these tools I would say you're very well prepared. You only need the special tools from Ford now to do everything on your Cosworth yourself. Too bad you can't buy them (at least not in Norway) unless you own a Ford workshop. But it's no problem, this is some of the reason why you bought that lathe and milling machine: Make the tools yourself. And many of the "special" tools are so common you can buy them from a good tool shop.

If you have any ideas for other tools that are needed send me an e-mail at the usual address.

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