Tuning the C20LET - Tools

Nobody can perform a task properly without the right tools. Below are some tools of mine, that have proven their value time and again.

This is not a definitive list of workshop equipment, far from it. More like a starting point for the more serious enthusiast (click for larger pics)

 

Bench grinder. Inexpensive and saves lots of time. What's the equivalent? Sandpaper and lots of hand action? I don't think so...

Bench drill. It doesn't have to break the bank: this one was less than £50 with laser aim as well. Beats holding bits with one hand and trying to handle the drill on the other!

Closeup on the very handy step-drill accessory

This tray is from MachineMart. Bit of a gizmo, but it does help keep relevant bench drill bits from disappearing all over the place.

Bench drill adaptor. Very handy, it tranforms an ordinary drill into this. It can rotate, too. Useful when you have the valves out and need to clean their stems and heads.

Another very useful adaptor. It fits any cheap 115mm angle grinder and turns it into a bench grinder. Very accurate and safe too.

Drills: you need a few, both with batteries and mains-operated. Low-powered ones are nice and light, can be used with an adaptor to run all sorts of sockets. Very handy when it comes to taking off the camcover.

Drill bits: various lengths and sizes. For automotive use HSS bits will be mainly used.

Glaze-breaker: used when fitting new piston rings. Has to fit to a (relatively) high powered drill, set to high-torque, low-rev settings.

Camp Gas: when bits need some heat to behave themselves...

Top: inspection mirror. Try to see what's happening behind the turbo without one! Middle: Compression tester. Most useful for troubleshooting and dead easy to use. Get one with a hold button. Bottom: mechanic's stethoscope. Don't laugh, it's cheap and it can lead you to the exact valve that's not playing ball...

Clamps. Useful when cutting/bending bits

During re-assembly a couple of oilers are a big help

Left: tyre pressure gauges Middle: digital 'vernier' calipers. Right: Coolant strength tester

Top: Dial caliper with magnetic base Bottom: Micrometers of various sizes Right: Automotive pipe bender.

Hydraulic jack: extremely useful along with a couple of axle stands. Best to have a pair of jacks, so you can leave them under the jacking points. Saves time.

Hammers: You need a few shapes and sizes, including a mallet. (for alloy heads/covers) If nothing seems to work, just use a bigger hammer!

Such rotary tool sets can be had for little money (instead of buying individual branded bits for extortionate prices) Always observe the rpm limits of the bits.

Most DIY operations require a rotary tool at some point. Can't beat the Dremmel, although for some operations air tools are preferable.

Air die grinder: more powerful and safer to operate on steel, compared to electric tools. Uses air like there's no tomorrow though, ideally you need a big compressor for prolonged use

This version of the air die grinder is more compact and more convenient for cyl head/porting work

6mm and 3mm die grinder bits. Beware of cheap ones that may disintegrate at high revs.

O-rings. Best to have some available, you never know when you'll need them.

Nuts and bolts of various sizes. Metric of course.

More nuts and bolts. Stainless and hardened steel. Different lengths as well.

Self-tapping screws. Get various sizes/diameters, you never know which ones you'll need.

A sink isn't exactly a tool, but it's very useful when working on the car. It's nice to have hot water as well, if you can get the pipes extended. It cuts down a lot in time wasted and aggro, plus you can wash small car parts and your hands too!

On a similar note, torches are not exactly tools, but just try working in darkness! The one to the right is mains-powered and very bright. Gets hot, too. In practice it's hardly ever used even though it looked like a good idea at the time...

1/4" socket set. They look like toys, but in many cases they are the only ones that fit in confined spaces. Get a good set, it's not worth saving money on these

1/2" sockets. The ones with the funny shape inside are ideal for gripping onto damaged bolt heads. Also note the impact driver in the middle. You hit it at the back with a hammer and it transforms this impact into rotating motion (clockwise or counter-clockwise). Sounds like a hack but it works well.

Various 3/8" sockets

3/8" sockets and extensions. Note the 'flexible' wrench in the middle, useful for ackward spots. Torx sockets at the bottom.

These sockets are twisted. Literally. They can grab a rounded-off head and the thighter it is, the more they grab it. Even totally rounded bolt heads can be undone, like allen bolts (say if their internal hex shape is also damaged and no allen key will do) For some twisted reason they are practically impossible to find in the UK, or even Europe. This set cost about £60 all inc and covers all sizes from 10mm to 19mm. A similar set can be found now in MachineMart.

Cable ties. Best prices found on the internet or car boot sales. Get a few really long ones, the boost pipes can be really thick and the AFM->turbo pipe is even thicker.

Left: trick 1/2" wrench Middle: piston ring expander, wire stripper and allen keys. Right: various pliers

Pliers of various denominations

More Allen keys. Can't have too many. The one with the blue handle is meant to be for brakes, but it also fits nicely in the LET's exhaust manifold nuts.

Air compressor. Anything from 1.5Hp to 3.0 Hp is nice. This one is 2Hp with a 50lt tank, a decent compromise of space, power and cost. Try to get a low-noise one, or else it can drive you mad. Useful from blowing air around the spark plug holes to operating air tools and painting.

1/2" and 3/8" Impact sockets. They are all deep black by convention, not to be confused with ordinary ones.

A couple of air tools hanging around.

Reversible air rachet. Quite handy when lots of bolts have to be done/undone at once (rocker cover for example) This one has a flexible extension attached

Air impact wrench for wheel bolts and other tight ones (say suspension)

Some more air tools for painting and degreasing. An air nailer is visible to the left, handy for decking etc.

Leakdown tester. Very useful for troubleshooting, far better than a compression tester. More fiddly though, you need to move each cylinder into TDC (end of compression stroke). Here's how to make one yourself and avoid paying silly money for one.

Fuel pressure gauge. No other way to verify fuel pressure. Doesn't have to permanent, either, but the occassional check brings peace of mind.

Screwdrivers: only buy good quality ones. Flat, Phillips and Pozidrives, and different sizes for each one. A damaged screwhead can be very frustrating, especially if you know that you could have avoided it. Note the two-for-a-pound long ones at the right, these are used as probes (or to lift things!)

More screwdrivers, short stubby or very thin 'precision' ones

Screwdriver bits for power tools.

Spanners, metric. Best to have more than one for each size. Short, long and everything in between. Also get a cheap Imperial set, for the odd one that crops up The rachet spanners to the left can be very useful sometimes.

S-shaped spanners. Nice to have, you never know when you'll need one. These tools belong in the category first buy, then try to find a need for them!

Torx spanners. Not used very often, but when you need one it's irreplaceable. Try getting the FPR out without one (you need to dismantle the fuel rail otherwise)

Stanley (type) knives. Need a few around, as they tend to hide in all sorts of places and you never find one when you want it.

Left: 1/2" stud extractor Bottom: 1/2" dial gauge The rest are 1/2" sockets and extensions.

Sometimes you need to grab something that's oddly-shaped or just damaged. One of these could save you from using bad language and further damaging things with a hammer...

Tap and die: the best way to clean old threads, or make new ones. Do not buy cheap ones, they can make matters worse.

Pipes, hoses and containers of all sorts. You can never have enough.

Hoseclamps. Can't have enough. Car boot sales and 'pikey' shops can have reasonable quality sets.

Aluminum tape. Quite handy when parts have to be shielded from the engine bay heat (airbox, pipes etc) This one was bought in Poundland, good tools/parts don't have to be expensive!

Old nuts, bolts etc. If they're not obviously damaged, keep them aside, you never know when you'll need one, if only for measurement purposes.

Washers of all types. It's better to have a few lying around.

Threaded rods, mainly M6 and M8. Versatile ways to keep things together, when cable ties won't do. These were pretty cheap, from the building section of a DIY store.

Vice. Can't do without one.

Top: extractors for broken bolts (not that they ever work!) Middle:oil filter tool, feeler gauges, power tool accesory. Bottom: wire gauge, ideal for most modern spark plugs

Torque wrenches. Only buy good quality ones - and unload the spring immediately after use. Ideally you need one for small values, one for really large ones, and one for intermediate values. It's unlikely that you'll find one that covers the whole range adequately.

valve spring compressor: The only way to get the valves out of the cylinder head

A small collection of fuses, connectors, spades etc will always come handy.

A digital multimeter is essential. Some can also measure temperature, injector load and more. A portable oscilloscope is also useful, but it's perhaps a bit far-fetched for a modest DIY workshop.

Soldering iron. Also essential. Good ones are sometimes heavily discounted because everybody goes for the cheap ones. This one is thermostatically-controlled and cost less than the cheap ones.

Butane-powered soldering iron. Normal irons are fine on the bench, but useless when you're working on the engine bay or in the cabin. A gas-powered unit like this one is small enough to be handy and can also double up as a mini-torch (for those persistent rusty bolts) Maplin had this one on special offer, as people normally go for the dirt-cheap ones, that are large and cumbersome. The refill canisters were also 2-for-1.

Wire stripper. Essential for any electrical work

Some sort of degreaser is always needed. Better get it in large containers, as it's cheaper and you need lots of it. Just wash with water afterwards, and all the crap leaves as a white emulsion. That's when you appreciate the workshop sink!

Universal hose clip set - very useful for aftermarket boost hoses with awkward diameters. It's best to use more substantial, Mikalor clips for the silicon hoses, and these hoses on the side as an additional precaution against silicon-hose slippage.

Accelerometer. Invaluable tool when it comes to measuring the car's performance. The seat of pants dyno is usually pants when it comes to tuning your own vehicle, because you are subconsciously biased. This one will capture 0-60 and 1/4 mile times with accuracy of 1/10 of a second. It can also hold data in memory so you can download onto Excel and plot them. Not bad for around £150. You may be surprised to find that the launches you thought were 5seconds flat are actually closer to 7 seconds!