What a delight it would be to have a 10,000-piece tool chest, or a complete fabrication shop, along with CNC equipment and a paint booth in the garage. Unfortunately, the majority of us must make do with a considerably more basic and less expensive setup.
Furthermore, many of us do not want to create an automobile from the bottom up but rather preserve what we currently have. Apart from the basic tools, a guy should also have these eight garage essentials.
A Perfect Jack Stand
Whatever sort of automobile you have or what you’re doing on it, you’ll need to jack it up at some point to work beneath it. A sturdy, high-lift jack rated for the weight of your automobile is a must-have whether you’re changing a wheel or doing maintenance.
It cannot be emphasized enough: never climb beneath a car that is just supported by the jack; always use jack stands to support the vehicle.
Power Tools
Death and taxes are not the only inescapable entities, as drilling holes into objects also falls under this. As a result, every garage should have at the very least a 12-inch chuck power drill, as well as a good drill bit set in 1/8th increments.
Impact driver, reciprocating saw, rotary multi-tool, and the compulsory angle grinder are helpful power tools that save time and perform things your hands can’t.
A Great Compressor
Check your tires and make sure they are appropriately pumped. Get that brand-new look for your garage because undoubtedly, it is crucial to have a compressor in your garage, no matter how small it may be.
This does not mean that when compressor-shopping, you should go for the most basic one you can find, no, as a matter of fact, a good air compressor doesn’t just inflate your tires but also cleans and dries some parts of your automobile, which would usually be not so easy to get to. It would also let you use spray painting equipment effectively.
A Sturdy Work Bench
Aside from the walls and flooring, a workbench is an essential component of any garage; you cannot function without one. From a convenience and safety viewpoint, having a sturdy, stable location to work on things is a requirement.
Many auto enthusiasts will build their own, but there are several benches on the market, ranging from steel to mahogany and built-in to portable.
A Big Bench Vise
A bench vise is used for tightening, clamping, bending, hammering, drilling, and squashing anything. The benefits of having a big bench vise are almost the same as having extra pair of hands, which makes your garage-related work much more manageable.
When it comes to compressors, the larger, the better. This is because the larger ones have a wider opening and can carry heavier things.
Care Products
If you want your vehicle to be flawless, you have to care for it like a baby. It would be best if you had a specialized collection of car maintenance supplies. Through these, your vehicle would look like it is straight from the car dealer’s shop.
The must-haves in your car care kit are nice car wash/shampoo, microfiber towels, wheel brushes, spray detailer, polish/compound, microfiber sponge, and high-quality wax.
A Flawless Toolkit
A competent tradesman never blames their equipment. A good tradesman, on the other hand, always has decent tools. Any task will be made much simpler if you have the proper tool for the job. Build up your collection over time, and be careful who you give your tools to for the sake of your tools.
A standard toolkit should contain tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, pliers, dead blow mallets, 12-inch and 14-inch sockets, electrical tape, zip ties, duct tape, and so on.
Great Lighting
A bike is tough enough to fix, so imagine if you couldn’t see what you were doing on top of that. This can happen due to a poorly lit garage, which is why you have to make sure that your garage is free from light obstacles and that your garage is well-lit from different parts of the garage. Now, you can keep working on your bike.
Even if the general illumination is adequate, a separate work light will be required. A cordless, super bright LED version is the way to go. LED ceiling lights are also an excellent choice because they last longer and create less heat.
When you go from simple maintenance to full-rebuilds, you’ll need more specialized and complex equipment, such as a drill press, welder, clamps, engine crane, vehicle alignment lift rack, rotisserie, lathe, binder, folder, plasma cutter, and so on.
You can never have every tool in your garage, but why not start with the basics and keep building up? So start with this list of garage tools to build your dream garage.
