If you’re looking to get your hands dirty and take on some DIY car projects, you will need these must have tools and accessories.
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Looking to explore your DIY auto repair talents? A properly equipped home garage is the answer. In this guide to home garage must haves, we’ll explore the tools, equipment, and accessories to help you create the ultimate garage for all your DIY projects. But before you start ordering stuff, make sure the space is ready.
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Proper ventilation is a must and often easy to solve with window mounted exhaust fans. A good heater is also an unavoidable need and stay away from anything with a flame as you’re likely to be working with flammable materials. Avoid under-powered space heaters and consider permanently mounted electric baseboard units or better yet a wall-mounted compact furnace giving you the advantage of having the heat move to where you are working.
There’s a reason why you won’t find a claw hammer in a professional tech’s tool box, the ball-peen variety is designed to work on metal and is much better at reforming dented steel or persuading stubborn components to come off. A five or ten pound hand sledge and pry bar will also get things to move when the going gets tough due to corrosion.
What you don’t need. I mentioned electric welders at the beginning, but unless you want to take some professional instruction on using them, or gas welders, you’re likely to cause more problems than you’ll solve. Rather than getting a gas cutting-torch, consider a magnetic induction heater for stubborn nuts and bolts. And a cutting wheel attached to a drill is much safer than a torch when removing exhaust pipes or modifying sheet metal.
Power vehicle lifts are other raved-about accessories that most DIY types can live without. When not in use they take up a lot of space and really only save less than a few minutes of time, if that, versus floor jacks and stands. Besides most home garages lack the ceiling height for a vehicle on a full or mid-sized lift.
Oversized wheeled tool chests may look good, but they’re also an invitation to thieves who might be driving by when your garage door is open. Instead consider nondescript lockers mounted against the wall, (secure them to the floor or wall if you’re really worried), and a hard-to-live-without tool trolley. Trolley trays will get your tools much closer to the work than full-sized chests.
This list barely scratches the surface, but it’s a good start. Happy wrenching!
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