Thought exercise: Minimal Garage Tool Set

I'm sitting on a fairly unique situation for me that's going to allow me to organize and pare down my garage tools to what I need. I want you guys to help me. I have 25 years of buying and being gifted tools and it's time to get this sorted out.
These are hand tools, I work without an impact gun. I work on cars from 60's American iron to brand new cars. From scooters to 3/4 ton trucks.
Metric sockets, 4mm-24mm, shallow and deep. SAE sockets, 1/4-1", shallow and deep.
1/4, 3/8, 1/2 ratchets. Extensions.
Universal joints.
Is there any need for 12 point sockets with modern micro ratcheting ratchets?
Breaker bar.
Torque wrench.
Box end wrenches, full metric and SAE.
Torx bits, all of them. Allen bits, SAE and Metric.
Screwdrivers.
Channel locks.
Side cutters.
Pry bars.

What else?

I think you really need an impact gun. Knipex channel locks are the best thing since sliced bread. Retaining ring pliers are pretty darn handy.

Yeah I'd even say an impact gun is worth having in place of the breaker bar.

I have never owned an impact gun. Read my build thread and decide if you really need one. I've pulled off majorly stuck and big bolts without one.

My impact gun is rarely used, often just more hassle than its worth to drag the compressor out and wait for it to fill with air. Plus, I find the noise obnoxious and it usually ends up tripping the circuit breaker a few times.

A cordless electric impact would probably be a much different story, however.

Each situation will be a bit different. I work on FWD European cars and have a few tools that would be damn near impossible to live without. My cable-hose clamp pliers, for example. And a lap-top with VAG-COM loaded on it.

Snap-ring pliers are definitely a must-add for a home set. More than one size too - large versions don't work well on small rings and vice-versa.

That said, I did a lot of work on my ex's M3 years ago when most of my tools could fit in a portable 2-drawer box.

Then there are situations when a special tool just makes a job faster. My time is limited and if I can buy a tool that will shave 10 minutes off a task, I will buy it. Many of the expensive wrenches and sockets I have fall under this category. Usually because I've done it "the hard way" once and then I'll see a tool made to make that task easier. This was especially true with MINI's when I was likely going to do some task many times on friends' cars.

While I have a couple of cordless impact guns, I still use my air gun when rotating tires - simply because I'm dragging the hose out anyway to top off the tire pressures.

Channel Lock "nut buster" pliers.

There are plenty more but I'm drawing a blank.

Big floor jack and "good" impact gun have been my two favorite additions to my garage in the last 4 years. Nothing else gets as much use.

I can't really change it but more elbow room would be on my short list of things I want.

Some speciality tools, driven by the vehicles you are working on-- oil filter wrenches, spark plug socket.

And some jobs still require a big berkeleying hammer.

yeah... you didn't mention hammers. You'll need those.

i try to keep two of everything at home and cutting down tools is the opposite of normal but tools i cant live without are a good set of ratchet wrenches and a set of 6 point box end wrenches and sockets. 12Pt 12&14mm for driveshaft bolts, 2.5lb ballpeen, a good pair of vice grips and a flex head ratchet.

If I were to do a build of an Alfa again- a major one, mind you... I would detail what tools I used to keep track of the bare minimum that is used.

That way, when we went to an event that the car broke, I'd have just the right tools to do the job, and no more. That includes knowing which sets need multiples (like 13mm- there are so many on the car, I would want 4 wrenches, and two ways to socket them).

Also, if you're really looking to cut down on tools (this was the case when I had a tool set I tossed in airplanes) this is pretty much unbeatable. Even in the garage at home, as long as I'm not dealing with miniature screws, this is the screw driver (with optional shorter shaft and 1/4" drive shaft) I use (but not as a pry-bar)

alfadriver wrote: If I were to do a build of an Alfa again- a major one, mind you... I would detail what tools I used to keep track of the bare minimum that is used. That way, when we went to an event that the car broke, I'd have just the right tools to do the job, and no more. That includes knowing which sets need multiples (like 13mm- there are so many on the car, I would want 4 wrenches, and two ways to socket them).

Agreed. I need to do this with the Mini and the Triumphs (and eventually the Volvo). Right now, I am certain the tools I have for those cars is both too much and not enough.

Hammers. Snap ring pliers.
Also thought of measuring tools like calipers and feeler gauges.
I do have some special tools for individual cars. I need to be better about marking them as such so they don't become random loose tools rolling around in a drawer.
I do have impact sockets that I'll keep. I had a gun a long time ago because I thought I NEEDED one. I used it a few times. At the time I was working in the dirt outside and the process of getting out the compressor and the air hose took longer than just using hand tools. It ended up failing for some reason and because it was a $19 gun it was pitched. I haven't felt the need to replace it for reasons similar to Tuna's.
I also have some tools like pullers and coil spring compressors and that sort of thing that I'll be keeping.
Keep the suggestions coming.

To another one of your points, I have been actively avoiding use of my 12 point sockets. I may end up hiding them somewhere for a time to see if I miss them. They are, however, really good at rounding off marginal heads.

In reply to Karacticus:

I have a Klein screwdriver with a billion bit set that I use for everything. Regular screwdrivers are fine, but I use changeable bit one for 99% of the stuff I need to do. I also have another billion loose bits that I need to sort out.

I have found a set of punches to be fairly useful for aiming hammer hits better. They are small and cheap.

I don't understand the whole "Getting out the air compressor and hose" thing. Am I the only one with a standing air compressor in the corner and a hose reel?

If you have larger sockets (up to 1 1/4 and 32 mm) I would keep those too. Axle nuts, crank bolts, spring compressors and pullers sometimes. And when you don't have them you don't have much choice but to go buy one. I thought they were the most ridiculous thing to hang onto when I had to buy the metric set for a one-time use and inherited the standard set, but they come out once or twice a year. Heck that is more often than the 15mm wrench/socket gets used.

tuna55 wrote: I have found a set of punches to be fairly useful for aiming hammer hits better. They are small and cheap.

How did that old "Tools and Their Intended Uses" article go?

"The hammer, originally intended as a weapon of war, is used as a sort of divining rod to find the most expensive and easily damaged object in the proximity of the item you actually intended to strike."

If you want to get minimalist, get 3/8" and 1/2" flex head ratchets in the longest length possible. It may cost you $400 for both of them, but they are worth it. I use the 1/2" one all the time and it's better then a breaker bar.

I use my impact gun a lot when working on bigger car parts - suspension, body, etc. Can I do it without? Sure, I've got big ratchets and breaker bars. But the impact makes it much faster and my hands and joints don't hurt for two days after a heavy session. Having a retractable hose and a really flexible hose end with a pivot joint (google flexzilla hoses) is key to making it work. It doesn't fit everywhere of course, but I even bought a 3/8" gun for smaller bolts and tighter places. But you have to be smart about them, they will berk up stuff really fast.

Your list is actually a lot more tools than I had for years. When you're working on crap cars in gravel driveways of rental houses, it's amazing how little you can get by with. But it sure ain't fun.

Ian F wrote:

alfadriver wrote: If I were to do a build of an Alfa again- a major one, mind you... I would detail what tools I used to keep track of the bare minimum that is used. That way, when we went to an event that the car broke, I'd have just the right tools to do the job, and no more. That includes knowing which sets need multiples (like 13mm- there are so many on the car, I would want 4 wrenches, and two ways to socket them).

Agreed. I need to do this with the Mini and the Triumphs (and eventually the Volvo). Right now, I am certain the tools I have for those cars is both too much and not enough.

LOL- that needs to be posted many times.

Seems like I have 4 different 1/2" sockets, but can't ever find the 13mm one.

I could do a decent bit of damage with a set of picks, a range of chisels, and a set of hammers. You didn't mention a magnet on a stick or a mirror on a stick. I'm assuming you have lighting.

The true minimalist doesn't have a wrench set, just adjustables.