Stocking my garage, what tools to get?

T

TrevS

Hi all

I am very close to taking the plunge and purchasing a GT40 kit and while I am waiting for delivery Ill have a few weeks to sort my garage out and stock it with everything I need to help me along the way.

The garage is completely empty and I only have a small toolbox in the house so I am trying to put together a list of everything I should get.

Please start listing tools, power tools, drawers, clamps, benches etc that you would recommend a new kit car builder like myself.

At the moment all I really know I am going to need is:

- A decent work bench
- Good tool drawer (are Sealey drawers any good).
- A rivot gun
- A jig saw
- A GT40 Poster or 2 for inspiration on those cold nights
- A heater (any recommendations on what type)

Any help would be much appreciated and perhaps a few pictures of peoples garages for inspiration.

Thanks

Trev
 
T

TrevS

Also just to note that space isn't something my garage will have a lot once the chassis is in there and the dimensions are as follows:

Door width – 205cm
Garage Internal width – 281cm
Garage Length – 550cm

Do you think Ill be ok for space in there or should I be looking to rent a bigger garage/workshop?

I've also attached a scale image of my garage with a gt40 in.

Trev
 

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M

Mark

A good air compressor
An air rivet gun
Torque Wrench
Kneeling pads
Ideally make a chassis table to raise the car and save your back
Rags rags and more rags
A GOOD QUALITY dust mask and goggles
Plenty of orderly storage for nuts and bolts etc. Hours can be wasted hunting for the right size nut.
Coffee machine (the tasimo is great) the most used tool in the garage!
A Fridge
A vacuum cleaner. For Pete's sake don't use the one from the house! Ask me how I know!

That's all that springs to mind initially. Here's a pic of my garage, similar in size to yours. At times it's seriously tight for space but workable.
 

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M

Mark

Also make sure the Electricity supply is up to the job or you risk tripping the whole house in the middle of Neighbours! (Or Worse)

Oh, and lots of light. Shadows are a pain
 
Last edited:
MikeP

Mike Pass

Supporter
A good big shed would be a good buy as you won't be able to have your body panels in the garage and be able to work. A full set of body panels take up a huge amount of space not to mention windshield, seats, wheels, tyres, engine and gearbox which will have to go somewhere. A 10' by 8' shed will hold most of the big bits.
Make up a set of very strong steel trestles with big castors ( car will weigh a ton when built) so you can move the chassis about and set it a convenient working height to save a lot of bending down and also allow working underneath. You will need to move it from side to side to fit and adjust the doors. Mick Sollis will supply them if you don't have facilities yet for fabrication. A good quality vice is essential as is a good angle grinder(get flat flap discs as well as grinding and thin cut off disks). Step drills are great for opening out holes in ali panels. A set of clecos or avdels will hold panels while you are drilling and fitting them. A deburring tool is great for cleaning up cut edges of which there will be many.
Find people near you who can machine bits and also a good welder who can make those little essential bits and bobs.
Cheers
Mike
 
C

Cliff Beer

Trev, I think it's going to depend somewhat on what kind of kit you're getting. Specifically, if you're getting a tube frame and you're going to personally fit all the paneling and also fit all the body panels then you're going to have a very difficult time in that small space. However, if you're getting a more complete mono kit (no paneling to do) with doors and clams shells hung and fitted then you're probably OK in that space.

Go buy a whole bunch of good quality wrenchs - 12pt and 6pt, metric and english, open end, ring end, offset, stubby, adjustable, etc - and a whole bunch of good sockets. Also buy a bunch of pliers, wire cutters, sheet metal cutters, large vice, bench grinder/wire wheel, straight edge, full set of files, hack saw, soldering iron, electrical meter, a few medium clamps, punches/drifts, 1,000 piece set of bolts/nuts/washers, scissors, utility knives, funnels, fine steel wool/brass brushes, hex sockets/T-handles, lots of good quality screw drivers, peg board, vacuum pump for brake bleeding, shop lights, jack, basic torque wrench, drills/drill. If you have the space a modest sized bench sander and band saw are great too.

That's a start.....
 
J

Jon Briggs

Lights, get allot of good quality lights for the garage. Strip lights for the ceiling and work bench and lead lamps for working around the car.

Get the Draper or Sealy catalogues, in the run up to Christmas they have allot of tool promotions. You can get a tool chest full of tools for not allot of money.

Get yourself to one of the big classic car shows, NEC in November is best. You will find loads of stalls selling everything the amateur builder could want. Don't take the wife, do take the credit card!

Flooring, if you have a concrete floor like mine, dust can be a nightmare.

Get plenty of power points put in. Its very annoying when the cable wont stretch.

Get the garage supplied with water if you can.

Get a stool or chair, if only to admire your hard work from, and as said previously a kettle and fridge are essential.
 
T

TrevS

Thanks for the replies so far, very useful. As for the kit itself, I am planning on getting a Tornado. After seeing the build manual and the way the kits are packaged at the factory last week I feel much more confident about the possiblity of building one as every nut and bolt needed comes in the package.

As for the Chassis, I was going to go for the basic spaceframe option and then do the panelling myself. My thinking is that I am going to have to do most of the building so I might as well start from scratch. That said I will investigate the possiblity of a mono chassis and see what the difference in price would be.

Trev
 
C

Charlie M

Supporter
Trev,

As others have suggested, install good lighting. It makes the work so much easier to be able to see what you are doing. Also, since you plan on installing the paneling yourself, you may want to consider an air compressor, pneumatic riveter, and invest in good quality cobalt drill bits.

Charlie
 
D

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
A decent quality roller cabinet for tools - as big as you think you can manage in your garage. Flat top with the possibility of using the top as a bench with a good quality vice.
 
G

Anthony

someone mentioned build up stands/work stand for the chassis. i used wheeled dolley set from Machine Mart they don't seem to stock them now. make me an offer for my set, the chassis sits on them not the type the wheels sit on. check out my build thread for pictures, i think there are some showing the stands. if space is tight, wheel the chassis around the workshop
 
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