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

And there is a whole thread on the Garage Journal about them........made me get one, of course an older one .

 

My mother also gave me a Workmate the Christmas before she died in 1978. I think of her fondly each time I use it. Although we seldom got along, we did love each other, and she understood my love of old cars.

 

My time saving tool is a refrigerator in the shop. Now I don't have to walk back to the house to get another beer.

 

Hello,

When we were just starting our 1940 Willys Coupe build, there were no time constraints. The only few things were to get the car torn apart. We were in high school/college and in between the weekends and holidays, the Willys Coupe started to come apart. We had no goals of getting it finished for a big time arena car show or the US Nationals that always happens on Labor Day weekend. It was just doing what we could when time allowed. My brother had college classes that had different classes on different days, so when he had those early classes over, he came home to do some work on the Willys. I had to wait until afterschool to come home to do some car work.

When there was a school holiday or surprise vacation, semester break/winter break, etc, we worked on it all day and night, just because we could. Our goal was to do it right with what we had and then run at Lion’s Dragstrip nearby on any Saturday. If there was an end goal, it was to set a national record in B/Gas. We knew the local competition and it was a hard road to follow, as they were national champions from several years back. But, it was a goal.

Jnaki

It took us a while to get all of the parts built and put together. But, the reward of firing it up for the first time was wonderful and well worth the effort. My brother is/was usually quiet/calm and that had an effect on me. He had a great work ethic and was not in the least bit of a hurry to do anything wrong if it could be helped. He planned and made sure we had the right equipment for the completion of any part of the build check list.

Sure, the racing with the 6 Strombergs on the 283 motor was fun and exciting, but we were not going as fast as the top guys. It was disappointing not winning all of the races. So, my brother decided to upgrade the motor with some new stuff and the rebuild started over. Work between classes or after school and in the spring/summer, we made it an all day thing.

By the time the late summer was upon us, we were a half second off of the E.T. national record for C/Gas. We were happy and now the finishing speed parts were placed on order to hit that national record. Hilborn Injectors, M&H bigger slicks, a C&O Stick Hydro and finishing it to make it a show car as well as a fast hot rod.

When we got close to the record, then we decided to go to the US nationals in September. If we had all of the finishing touches on the Willys Coupe finished. If not, then we would be back at Lion’s Dragstrip, setting different goals for our Willys Coupe. It was a time limit, but if we missed it, the world would not collapse on us. There would be other big events to compete in and perhaps set a record.

 

I use this infrared heat lamp year round, much more in the winter of coarse. It’s a Infratech 110 volt medium wave lamp, they are 150.00 or so dollars this my second one, I used the first one for almost 20 years. I do mostly body and paint work and I use it a lot, I don’t try to bake paint with it I warm panels I’m doing body work to or priming I warm up paint or my cold feet after shoveling. The medium lamp takes longer to heat up than short wave and the heat isn’t as intense and has a wider area it heats up.

Recently I was painting a fair amount of parts in base clear for a customer and some gunk came out of my paint gun in the base coat and I heated them up let the cool sanded them and was able to continue painting pretty quickly. I usually use it 3 or 4 feet away from what I’m doing sometimes closer if I need to but I watch it pretty closely then. Larger gauge extension cords make a difference in heat out put.

 

I notice I even have a piece of my shop floor in the photo.
Welder, air compressor, oxy/acetylene, hose reel, full complement of hand and diagnostic tools, oil recovery system
Radio controlled 10,000 lb crane...my buddy calls it the body snatcher....

 

Would love to have a lift, but don't have a garage big enough to hold one. So, a bigger shop is on the "to get" list. That would be a nice time saver, not having to work on stuff outside. Thankfully you it can be done almost year around in California.

 

The one tool I wish I had was one that I can’t find when I need. Lol!

 

I came to say cordless tools. Game changer.

 

Just thought of another handy thing in my shop that saves me a lot of time...........the backdoor. Makes my bathroom at least a hundred steps closer and I get to give back to Mother Nature.

 

My two post lift.

 

I have trouble finding my tool since I put on some extra weight

 

I hope someday my answer will be a lift. But at the moment it's a tie between the press and the Eastwood flaring tool.

 

My Plasma cutter......

 

Telephone

 

My computer, between here and utube I have found answers to question I did not know I had, and enough courage to take on tasks I otherwise would not, and raised my standards on those I would have.