Essential tools?

[jtj321]

But of advice please
Just starting body repairs I've got the bare essentials, grinder etc and want to add tools gradually when i understand the process better,. Advice please on next purchase (I'm a tool tart so need to be sensible)
I was wondering die grinder with 50mm slitting disc?? Finger sander?? Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers
Mick

 

[Munkul]

Die grinder, with 50mm roloc fibre discs, would be my choice. If you have the budget, one of my favorite tools right now is a Milwaukee m12 90 degree die grinder with a roloc arbor permenantly mounted.
Finger sanders can be useful, but only in specific circumstances.
Abracs do a good general purpose roloc set.
For your sort of work you'll probably want 80 grit fibre discs.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Coffee machine.
So you can take a break when it goes wrong.
First aid kit.

Body hammers and dollies.

 

[Craig-SM]

Another for die grinder and roloc attachment. I too have the Milwaukee M12 righ5 angle die grinder.
On the Roloc attachment you can fit 3M bristle brushes, a little pricey but last a long time, makes quick cleanups prior to welding
I have the finger sander too, previously a corded B&D and now a Milwaukee M12. I’d recommend either but the Milwaukee wins hand down on control, power and most importantly cordless, when you’re laid under a car and continuously trapping the wire underneath yourself it gets tiresome. On body repairs you’ll use it a lot to knock welds back

 

[8ob]

Spotweld drills, heat sink goo.

Bob

 

[BrokenBiker]

the stuff i regularly use when doing body work type stuff is,

angle grinders x3 (one for cutting, one for grinding, one with either a flap disc or a poly disc for removing only paint)
die grinder with carbide burrs, flap wheels, sanding drums, grinding stones etc
90 dgree air powered grinder with a 75mm slitting disc for hard to reach areas
air hammer with bodywork specific hammers, and occasionally chisels for popping spot welds in areas you cant get a drill
spot weld drills
hammers and dollies
DA sander with assorted grit discs (i have a 5" electric one and a 3" air powered one), good for paint prep but also getting rid of sharp burrs)
rubber and dead blow mallets

and of course, a mig welder (sometimes a tig but you only really need a mig)

think thats it...ill edit this post if i think of anything else i use

 

[jtj321]

Big thanks everyone. Milwaukee seem to be becoming the "go to" tools. My mate bought one recently and swears by it.
Right angle die grinder is more useful... right? "...
I think I'll print off those posts and keep by the pc!
Thanks again. Off to drill some spot welds for the first time ever!

 

[BrokenBiker]

Big thanks everyone. Milwaukee seem to be becoming the "go to" tools. My mate bought one recently and swears by it.
Right angle die grinder is more useful... right? "...
I think I'll print off those posts and keep by the pc!
Thanks again. Off to drill some spot welds for the first time ever!

Definitely sound like a tool tart if milwaukee is the go too

When I was on the wreckers I bought whatever was a good price at the time, most of my tools were either US PRO, halfords advanced (because lifetime warranty and the shop was over the road from the yard) and I bought a dewalt impact on offer...I trained a lad that insisted milwaukee was the only way to go...his impact spent more time being repaired than used and most nights would end up using my kit...he still swears by it though because it gets fixed every time...still cant see that my dewalt never broke in the first place and has been used on everything from HGVs, busses, military vehickes and theblikes all the way down to 2 stroke strimmers with a stubborn bolt and never failed once over the 7 years ive had it...ive since bought other dewalt tools like drills, grinders etc...I wouldnt hesitate to buy a different brand if the price was right though

 

[jtj321]

Ha ha fair point Broken! Luckily i haven't got the cash to go big on Milwaukee! I'm a tradesman and use Bosh/Makita which seen fine to be honest. But yea, can't help loving the opportunity to buy a new tool....
Loving the attitude on here. So many forums have confrontation and idiots.!

 

[mike 109444]

Power file (not sure if that is what some are refering to as finger file?).
If yo are going to be doing a fair bit of spot weld removal then an auto centre punch before drilling make life easer !
There are proper drills for spot weld removal that just take the top layer of spot off and allow plug welding of new panel.
ps we do have some "confrontation and idiots." But they usuall end up on the naughty step

 

[Jack Pattenden]

But of advice please
Just starting body repairs I've got the bare essentials, grinder etc and want to add tools gradually when i understand the process better,. Advice please on next purchase (I'm a tool tart so need to be sensible)
I was wondering die grinder with 50mm slitting disc?? Finger sander?? Any thoughts appreciated.
Cheers
Mick

Do you have a lift?

Otherwise, kneeling boards and a creeper.

 

[chunkolini]

Decent stereo and at least 3 angle grinders, Box of sharpie pens, lots of tape measures, decent rulers, 600mm and 1m

 

[badabec]

Several pairs of safety glasses or goggles, gives you a chance of finding one pair.
And or a clear visor full face mask.
My plastic creaper with six castors was a total PITA. I made my own from 19mm plywood and four castors.

 

[MetalMonkey]

I think you have already been given some pretty good suggestions, but my list of “essentials”:


Obviously a welder, mig ideally and appropriate PPE.

Angle grinder with thin cutting discs, grinding discs, wire brushes and fibre sanding discs.

Selection of hand tools and consumables – hammers, chisel (or fox wedge) for splitting seams, pliers, etc. Soft faced mallet is useful too.
Rules and marking out tools. Selection of wire brushes. Selection of sandpaper. Couple of decent hand files.
Decent pair of tin snips. Picks and an old screwdriver for poking and scraping.

Selection of locking pliers – the flat sheet metal one is useful for straightening and bending, and the C style welding ones as a bare minimum.

Drill with selection of decent hss bits, including a spot weld bit.

Small air cut off wheel – I find these a lot more forgiving when cutting into panels

Air die grinder with a selection of burrs and a roloc adapter and discs – handy for tidying up
(You can add a straight and angle as they are both useful, or just start with one) – again air is a lot more forgiving if you have a suitable compressor to run them.

A piece of old I beam or railway track is pretty handy to make do as an anvil/bashy thing.
If you get more advanced then add a selection of bodywork hammers and dollies and potentially some form of bender/break.


There is a lot more you could add, but you can do a surprising amount with limited tooling, especially if you have a hammer and odd bits of steel you can make into forming tools.


For bodywork and paint, that is another rabbit hole, DA sander, hand sanding blocks, various paper, spray guns, fillers, primers and paint – and most importantly a lot of time and practice.

I also suggest you spend some time on youtube watching channels like fitzee's fabrication, trev's blog, Restolad etc. Some excellent free resources for learning.
Plenty of bad advice on youtube too, so you have to cherry pick. And of course plenty of experienced people on here too, so don't be afraid to ask questions.

Also, don't rush into cutting into your car, make sure you have done plenty of practicing on scrap first.

​

 

[BrokenBiker]

Loving the attitude on here. So many forums have confrontation and idiots.!

Oh we have those too...just ask about which welding mask to buy

 

[500e]

Body Files

one on a frame so you can put a set in it

 

[BrokenBiker]

Body Files View attachment 507120one on a frame so you can put a set in it

Good shout, I forgot about those

 

[Olderisbetter]

A few 8 x 4 sheets of steel if the cars are anything like mine

 

[MattF]

Right angle die grinder is more useful... right? "...

Bosch do a 12V right angle die grinder. Cracking little bit of kit. The collets & nut from their 18V die grinders fit it too. I've got the full range of both metric & imperial collets for mine, each with their own nut. Easier than trying to swap the collets around between one nut, as they're a very snug fit.

Edit: This is the 12V unit.

BOSCH GWG 12V-50 S N

12v Rotary grinder - 50mm

www.howetools.co.uk

 

[Robbie260]

3 or 4 115 or 125 bog standard corded grinders can setup with 3 or 4 different disks then saves a lot of time having to stop and change disks. Don’t have to be top of the range a cheap end makita or dewalt will do. No changing batteries either which is always a plus.