Technical Most time saving tool you have added to the arsenal?

And like magic, will clean the sidewalls on ANY car...

 

I used that method when siding my house, worked great and kept it aligned from side to side!

 

shop vac

 

I agree with the two post lift, battery powered impacts, bead blast cabinet, and winch on a car trailer. I really enjoy a table-like tool made my SWAG that turns a porta-band into a small vertical metal cutting band saw. I would like to have a real vertical metal cutting band saw, but the right one has not presented itself yet.

Havent bought a box/pan break or a plasma cutter yet, but I probably will some day.

I keep thinking a forklift would be pretty handy....

 

When i look at some of these post, More money would be my tool of choice. LOL

 

Egyptians used water levels to build the pyramids. They didn't have clear, flexible tubing but they had bamboo. Modern day Boilermakers use water levels for leveling boilers in power houses. We, the Boilermakers, not the Egyptians, added a little antifreeze for color. We capped the tubes with bolts in the ends of the tubes until we were ready to use them. You have to remove the bolts in order for the fluid to move otherwise you don't get an accurate reading.

 

Built my 24 by 30 garage 3 years ago, put in a mini split for heat/a/c last year. Made more progress on my truck in the last year than the previous 5. Money well spent, though my better half may not agree.

 

This press brake is the hot lick for making brackets, gussets, etc. https://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-12-TON-Press-Brake-DIY-Builder-Kit-_p_72.html



And this https://www.swagoffroad.com/SWAG-V10-Portaband-Table-_p_64.html gets unbelievable use from me.

 

That's pretty neat.

 

X2

 

Oldie but goodie especially if you work alone and sometimes need a third hand. Lots of companies make them in plastic, wood or metal, they fold flat and some can hold 3-400lbs. I like the original work mates.

 

A hanging heater. speeds every project up, because now, i can work on it even in the winter

 

I totaly agree. Here in the north, working through the cold can realy be a bitch, even with space heaters. Having a heated garage makes the winter productivity double or tripple.

 

The rug to lay your tools and self on while you drag around the car fixin' stuff.

 

I agrre except that mine is a 4 post lift. Best purcahse for the garage I ever made .

 

Sure, tools/specific tool for the immediate job, saves time and grief.
Personally my biggest "time saver tool" is the basic legal pad and pen that I use to create my "to do list", which allows me to stay focused/on course.
I use it also for "parts needed" for the build, so I can search them out, and have them at the ready for when I get to that part of the build.
It also keeps me motivated when I cross off the individual tasks once completed.

 

I love my trigger handled litter pick up grapple. Gets the tools and fasteners and stuff I drop that always roll under the car.

 

Not cheap by any stretch of the imagination but the CNC plasma table has been amazing...

 

I have been strongly considering one, but need a few customers to really justify it.

 

^^^^I have one of those Workmate, work benches; my Mother gave it to me one Christmas long ago, and I'll have it until the day it goes with everything else to my nephew. I use it primarily for Powerglide transmission rebuilds. Air tools really speed up just about any disassembly/reassembly tremendously. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I have been looking for one of those for quite a while.

 

Got one from my wife I think the first year we were dating. Thought "what the hell am I going to do with this cheap thing!" Well 35 years later I'm still using it, and have been trying to find one of the old original types for a long time with no success - guess there were a lot of other guys that realized those "cheap things" are extremely useful !!!

Sent from my SM-T560NU using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

There are whole FB groups devoted to this.

 

Don't wear glasses but need readers for up close. It was a pain trying to use readers and safety glasses at the same time , then I found Magnified safety glasses and the world got better.

 

My lift. The plas-cutter was a good decision too.

 

Colt 1911.

 

To add period-correct 'patina' bullet holes?.....

 

Cardboard from the appliance store, the large reefer size are perfect.
Not saying I'm old but I haven't used my Craftsman creeper that I bought in the early 70's since the early 70's.

 

I will second this and add:
If you are a member of wholesale clubs they have these huge sheets of cardboard to separate the levels of toilet paper and paper towels (pallet size). I find myself using these a lot in the workshop.

 

Hello,

Of all of the time saving troublesome factors in auto repair or just building something in the garage, is actually time constraints. Why should any project have time constraints? Home shows and hot rod shows always have a due date or time line countdown. Why? If it gets done on a normal time-spaced build, there are pleasant ways to look at how well it gets done. But, to have a 5 week, 6 weeks timeline or a 6 month project, why should there be a time line?

Check lists are great to get things rolling. My brother had a check list and slowly, we got each one done. When he would say, we need to install the firewall and cut a hole in the floor board, we did not give ourselves a day to complete it. As we were working, everything was simple and functioned well. Tempers did not flare, we were not rushed and the project came out fine. If there was time left over prior to lunch or dinner, then we started something else on the check list.

Everyone has or should have a checklist. But, the way to go on the check list is up to the builder. Each hot rod guy/girl has their own way to do things. So, the check list is to make sure nothing gets missed. Is it easier to put on the valve springs with the head on the bench or on the motor? People have their own ways to get a job done.

Jnaki

So, the time saving tool in the arsenal is NO TIMELINE OR DUE DATE, to get things done in record time. If something or some event is down the line, like the next Mo-Kan drags and you want to finish the new build, well there is always next year or a different event to showcase the finished hot rod. Finishing with a fixed due date is not the best way to feel good about what you are doing. If you know a term paper or research paper is due in February, then the weekly/monthly check list should be followed to keep the paper and work ethic in line. The same goes for anything that needs some completion along the way.

When I fixed the water pump in the El Camino, I gave myself a day and late night to get it done before it was necessary to have it for a road trip. I should have given myself the whole weekend, working at a leisurely pace so as not to get too worked up when things go wrong or have errors pop up. But, I struggled from morning until lunch time and thought it was almost done.

Then something else popped up and now it was getting time to get packing for the trip. Time constraints gave me a big ache and made me anxious. It did get done in time for the long coastal road trip, but I worked into the late night, freezing and fixing several things, not just the water pump.

If an otherwise simple job turns into many little ones, one needs to step back and reassess the situation. You are the one doing the work, you have to have the right state of mind. So…

Remember, it is the carpenter, not the tool(s)...