Workable electric impact tools?

With no air compressor worth a crap to use my current air impacts and wrenches, what's the best go to electric tools? I have a upcoming lifter, head gasket, cam swap in a few weeks....

No future hammers need to apply.

For that job, why do you really need it? Breaker bar, ratchet and sometimes a speed wrench work very well.

If you mean corded, I actually had a lot of success with the Harbor Freight electric 1/2" impact. It's just big (any brand's corded ones are) and doesn't always fit where you need it to like inside a wheel well to get to suspension stuff but it has seen a lot of use and not become a hammer.

Cordless - check out http://www.cpooutlets.com and http://www.reconditionedtools.com (Same place, new vs. used) Some brands have better deals than others, I picked up a 1/2" Milwaulkee 18v cordless impact w/ battery and charger for $199 but it looks like that deal doesn't exist any more :(

Yeah, I just re-read and realized this isn't a "big impact gun" type job. Oops.

foxtrapper wrote: For that job, why do you really need it? Breaker bar, ratchet and sometimes a speed wrench work very well.

Time. It's the SWMBO's daily plus I only have so many days off to work in it from start to finish. If it was more of a project project, I'd just putter along with it. I have but like one weekend to do all this work before vacay at the end of July.

I have an air compressor and got a Milwaukee 18v 1/2" cordless impact.
A m a z I n g

I got each I the three pieces (gun batt charger) separately and new from individuals on Craigslist and am into it for about $120. So so so nice. It had no prob with hub nuts recently (180 ft/lbs ish).

And obviously great at the track.

My main underhood power tool when I was a tech was my 3/8 Matco cordless impact. After I left the shop and the batteries crapped out, I added a couple wires so I can hook it to a car battery. Its still my go-to underhood power tool.

I have since converted my Makita drill to car battery power too.

My advice would be to find a used, quality 14 volt 3/8 impact and convert. Battery-less power tools are easy to find cheap.

I have a 18 volt Rigid 1/2 impact we use around the house and at the track I am very happy with if you are looking more for advice on that route. I also have the matching impact driver I put a 3/8 or 1/4 bit in occasionally that would work well for the job you describe.

For corded 1/2 inch I have a Kobalt from Lowes that rocks. Too big and heavy for much underhood stuff but awesome tool when air is unavailable or inconvenient

I second the HF impact. Just bought one after lots of research. It's huge, so head work would require removing the hood. Lol

I've got the humongous HF electric corded 1/2" and it has worked well for me for years, though I'm also not sure that's what you really need for what you are doing. It is large and heavy and really only ideal for big stuff that has lots of access or is out of the car.

My go-to small cordless is a 1/4" Dewalt impact with the latest lithium batteries. Even then, if you're looking for an electric speed wrench (rather than an impact) you're going to have access problems in a modern engine bay. You might be better off with a small high-quality driver like Snap-On or Milwaukee sells. I don't have experience with either.

The Milwaukee Fuel 18V is the E36 M3. I've been VERY happy with mine so far.

I've used the HF 18V impact. Heavy, way too heavy, and utterly useless for anything remotely rusted. I had to break it free by hand then I could use the impact....

Electric impacts definitely seem to be bigger than air for the same power. Personally, as a portable-ish setup, I use a Porter Cable 3.5 gallon pancake compressor (rated 2 SCFM at 90 psi) and an ACDelco 1/2" 500 ft. lb air impact.

It's one of the less air hungry ones I could find, so it'll run for about 4 - 5 seconds at full blast before the regulator pressure starts to drop below 90 psi, then it's time to wait ~30 seconds for the tank to get back to full pressure. I've also got a 7 gallon portable tank I can hook up to add more air capacity if I'm doing something where I need more than a couple of quick hits on a few bolts before I'm putting the gun down anyway (with the extra tank, I get 12 - 15 seconds before dropping below 90 psi).

Best part of that setup is that it runs perfectly off the 1500W power inverter I've got hard-mounted in the Jeep for extra portability. I've also run the corded HF impacts off that inverter, but it's a tradeoff of the electric impact being much bigger (harder to fit into places) and having less torque versus the air setup having more limited runtime and more stuff to cart around.

TL;DR: if you've already got air impacts and don't need long continuous runtime, I'd just get a small-ish compressor to run them. You'd be surprised how little you can get away with when you're not hitting on it continuously. The 6 gallon / 2.6 SCFM version of the compressor I have is currently on sale for $120-ish and also runs more tank pressure than mine, so that would be enough to run an impact decently, provided your use isn't constant.

I would run air, but I have nowhere to store a compressor. I work out of an open air carport. So this is where electric seems to be a win win.... I'm lucky that my lawmower, two engines on stands, and kids toys haven't been stolen. (knock on wood)

Ranger50 wrote: I would run air, but I have nowhere to store a compressor. I work out of an open air carport. So this is where electric seems to be a win win.... I'm lucky that my lawmower, two engines on stands, and kids toys haven't been stolen. (knock on wood)

That's about all I've got for facilities at my current place too. The compressor just gets carried inside when I'm not using it.

In reply to rslifkin:

Yea I don't think the SMWBO would approve of a compressor in the living room....

As rslifkin says, impact tools really don't need a lot of air, you can get away with the kind of small pancake compressor that contractors often use for nail guns. You can store those out of sight in a closet fairly easily.

codrus wrote: As rslifkin says, impact tools really don't need a lot of air, you can get away with the kind of small pancake compressor that contractors often use for nail guns. You can store those out of sight in a closet fairly easily.

Closet, or get creative and build a coffee table that's got closed sides so the compressor can be stored under it.

logdog wrote: My main underhood power tool when I was a tech was my 3/8 Matco cordless impact. After I left the shop and the batteries crapped out, I added a couple wires so I can hook it to a car battery. Its still my go-to underhood power tool. I have since converted my Makita drill to car battery power too. My advice would be to find a used, quality 14 volt 3/8 impact and convert. Battery-less power tools are easy to find cheap.

How much more Grassroots than this can you get? This is clever. Kudos,Sir.

The 1/2" impacts are too heavy to use on a regular basis. Also to big for most under hood uses. I use my standard cordless impact a fair amount. It won't fit in the tight spaces a air ratchet will, but extensions do wonders. It will pull 75% of the fasteners under the good. Especially the small stuff.

My weapon of choice is a Rigid. Even the 12v has a surprising amount of torque and is probably my most used.

They also just came out with this. It's been tempting me. It's perfect for those tight places a standard shaped tool won't fit.

I have that same Ridgid impact. I use it on almost everything, and it's especially handy on the bikes... and has a lifetime warranty. We had Ridgid cordless tools at work, and they were the toughest I've ever seen.

If you are just using it for speed and not 40 hours a week... The small 12 volt Dewalt 3/8 12 or 20 volt is the best choice. Break everything free with a ratchet and remove quickly after with the impact. I have air and battery, I bring the battery ones home and just about never bring the air home.

My Ryobi impact wrench is my favorite tool. It's never failed to break loose anything I set it against, granted I'm not dealing with old completely rusted vehicles either.

I've got two cordless, a pneumatic and a corded impact and I go for the corded one whenever I need it around the house. The battery's never dead and I don't have to drag out and fire up the empty compressor.

I've been pretty happy with my Ryobi 18v that I got a year ago. Its handled many of the rusty sat forever 30 year old Toyota MR2 bolts I've had to deal with. Its now starting to get a little finicky when I use it a lot requiring that I let it sit for a minute or so between heavy uses.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Ryobi-ONE-18-Volt-Impact-Wrench-Tool-Only-P260/202340589