subject: Garage Essentials for the At-Home Mechanic [print this page] Garage Essentials for the At-Home Mechanic
So you've decided to make your garage into a workspace worthy of regular use for vehicle repair and maintenance, but you don't know where to start? Though there are many tools out there that are highly specialized and can be rented to save you a pricy investment, there are a few essential pieces that must be in place. Here's a rundown of items necessary in making your garage a safe and effective area to focus on all of your at-home projects.
A lift: If you're serious about vehicle repair, you are not going to want to spend hours of your time scrunched in a tight space between the car and floor with poor visibility and mobility. Though hydraulic lifts can be very pricy, they will save you the trouble of navigating beneath the body of the vehicle, and even a set of ramp stands can be a great investment to help give you the space to do your best work.
Ratchets and sockets: In order to perform practically any maintenance on your vehicle, you will require a decent ratchet and socket set to tackle the bolts that keep everything in place. Keep a wide variety of standard and metric sockets, as well as varying sizes of ratchets so that you can get into hard to reach spaces, and remove any bolt you will come across.
Jack: In order to raise a vehicle without having to spend the time putting it on a lift, the jack will become your go-to tool. An easy way to quickly change tires or inspect the undercarriage, a solidly built hydraulic jack with large lifting plates will not only help with the effort of lifting, but also protect the body of the vehicle from damage.
Epoxy floor: Having the right work surface can make all the difference when it comes to setting up your at-home repair area. With a flecked epoxy floor coating you get a professional grade, durable, non-slip surface that will be easy to maintain, and able to withstand the pressure of regular use. In addition, because of an epoxy floor's shiny surface, if you choose a light color you will enjoy up to 300 percent higher than normal reflectivity, making your area brighter and easier to work in.
