104 | IRON & AIR

F R O M T H E

S E T T I N G U P YO U R WO R KS PAC E

GARAGE

WORDS Jason Paul Michaels IMAGES Erick Runyon

Judging by the trail of oil, riddled with aluminum particulate gleaming in the sun, from your no longer pristine driveway, it’s apparent that you didn’t heed my previous warning of “kick once or suffer later” (Iron & Air - Issue Eleven). No worries though, if Zeus himself had told The-seus there was an easy way or a hard way to destroy the Kraken, I’m pretty sure he would have taken the more strenuous path in the end. After all, heroes aren’t made by taking the easy road, nor are cool cus-toms built.

I’m going to assume you’re like most other red-blooded Americans: you’re working on a budget and sharing space in your garage with a giant plastic Santa and his reindeer, dusty old gym equipment that you swore in 2010 you’d use, and countless other x-chromosome items in nature. In addition, I’ll assume you don’t have any other tools than the basic home improvement stuff. That said, let’s set some ground rules:

1. Cash is king. The more you spend on tools the less you can spend on your life-changing, youth-finding, fun-producing bad-ass custom bike build.

2. Space is limited, so organization is key.3. At the end of the day, you need your significant others’ support, so

don’t piss her/him off.

In this segment, we’ll cover hand tools of all types. In future issues, we’ll cover stationary tools, along with welding equipment, and specialized tools. Finally, we’ll talk about the shop space itself.

Now some of you are asking, why on Earth would he cover the space last? It’s a fair assumption that regardless of what it looks like, how it’s set up or where it is, you already have a place where you dropped this P.O.S. That said, tools, and knowledge around acquiring them, in my opinion, are more important than the space. With the right tools you can accomplish any job no matter where you are. Just ask LoLo, she’ll tell you.

Part One: Hand Tools

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Let’s jump into the discussion that’s as prone to argument as discussing which Olsen Twin was responsible for Heath’s death. Hand tools, what brands to buy and why. Tools are expensive and while you can purchase a Harbor Freight wrench vs. a Snap-on, one needs to ask them-selves: does the job that they are doing require the more expensive tool? A Harbor Freight 10mm ratcheting wrench goes for $2, while a Snap-on goes for $22. The Snap-on might be better quality, but are you really going to turn that 10mm ratcheting wrench the 10,000,000 times Snap-on says it will be good for, or will Harbor Freight’s 1,000,000 times be enough?

For my more-than-basic hand tools (pliers, cutters, screwdrivers, pry bars, ratchets, and so on), I go with Kobalt tools, offered by Lowes. Not the best, but a bit higher-end than what Harbor Freight has to offer in the same category. Besides the reduced cost Harbor Freight and Kobalt offer lifetime warranties. Now, I see your hand going up faster than a lighter at a Queen concert right before Freddy Mercury breaks into “We are the Champions.” You’re go-ing to say that Snap-on and Craftsman both have lifetime warranties as well. That’s true, but the Snap-on man isn’t going to be coming by your house every day (unless he’s got his eye on your lady), and some Craftsman stores, rather than exchanging your tools on the spot, require you to leave them to be sent out for exchange. I can personally vouch for both Har-

bor Freight and Lowes exchanging broken tools (which I pushed well beyond their limits) on the spot, with no questions and no problems. That, with the added benefit of saving my dimes, really outweighs the coolness factor of having the nicest stuff in my toolbox. The best isn’t always the most practical. And, Bubba, the world of vintage motorcycles is anything but practical. You’re gonna need all the extra loot you can get your hands on.

In the end, I think I was able to equip my bench, my pegboard, and my box with just about every single tool one would need to perform a basic motorcycle rebuild for less than $1,000. Not bad, and they’ll probably last me until my son takes up the trade and takes all my stuff.

Turn the page for a handy checklist of all the items you’ll need to get started. This should keep you busy until the next issue.

For a very refined guide to setting up everything from a small garage to a full custom shop, I strongly recommend grabbing How To Set Up Your Motorcycle Workshop, by C. G. Masi. It’s available on our website at dimecitycycles.com. n

“Tools are expensive and while you can purchase

a Harbor Freight wrench vs. a Snap-on, one needs to

ask themselves: does the job that they are doing

require the more expensive tool?”

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Here’s a list of the basics you’ll need. First, know that it’s not a question of Metric vs. SAE. There’s always that one bolt that requires the other system because some dude who only had a 1/4" tap jacked your 6mm engine case hole up and converted it to SAE. It happens more often than you’d think. I highly recommend investing in both. Please note, all units in inches refer to either driver size or socket depth.

Sockets• 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" short and deep wall sockets• 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" extensions (wobblers are nice, too, and I’m not

talking about the ones from the local strip joint)• 1/4", 3/8" hand-driver for sockets• 1/4", 3/8" adapters for your electric drill• 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" swivel adapter set• 3/8", 1/2" swivel sockets (sometimes a swivel adapter won’t cut it)• 1/2" spline sockets (these take out damaged as well as star and

other type heads, they’re invaluable in some cases)• 1/2" short and deep wall impact sockets (because sometimes

you might need to get out the thunder-gun to get the job done on the little lady you’re working over)

• 1/2" impact star drive and hex heads (because some factory or rusted large fasteners like these can be torqued very heavy and you’ll need an impact to get them out)

• 1/2" impact swivel sockets (because sometimes not only is a fas-tener at a funny angle, it can also be torqued down like a princess bride’s chastity belt prior to her wedding day)

• 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" Torx bit set (while some require the smaller 1/4" and 3/8" drivers, some are larger and tighter and you need the size of a 1/2" bit to get the job done)

• 3/8" long wobble Allen heads (great for socket head capscrews that are deep in the engine area)

• 3/8" short standard Allen heads (these are a must for torque; you can’t torque the wobble heads, as they will snap at the wobble head)

• 3/8" spline sockets (good for damaged heads, as well as star and other type heads)

Drivers• 1/4", 3/8", 1/2" socket ratchets (flex-head is nice in addition to

stationary)• 3/8", 1/2" breaker bars (put some muscle into it on delicate things

that still require torque rather than using the thunder gun, no matter what she begs for)

• 3/8", 1/2" torque wrenches (on these babies, pay for the high-er-end ones; digitals are nice too, and you can also purchase an adaptor that turns any ratchet into a torque ratchet)

Wrenches• Metric and SAE box-end wrenches• Metric and SAE ratcheting box-end wrenches (it pays to

have duplicates in case you need to hold one side of a bolt and turn the wrench on the other)

• Metric and SAE stubby box-end wrenches• Metric and SAE stubby box-end ratcheting wrenches

(same applies here, and stubbies are good for hard-to-reach places)• Adjustable wrenches (small, medium, and large; these are

great for axle nuts or steering head nuts when you don’t have specific large wrenches or sockets)

Pliers and more• Snap-ring pliers (you’ll need these to get spring clamps and oth-

er items out of master cylinders and such)• Needle nose pliers (from small to large, as well as long head)• Standard pliers• Side cutters (small, medium, and large for whatever you might

be cutting, from zip ties to custom throttle cables)• Vise Grips (no toolbox is complete without a set)

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Part One: Hand Tools

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Screwdrivers• Flat blade and Phillips with bolstered heads (these are

nice so you can put a wrench on or tap them before turning to get maximum grip on the screw you’re removing)

• Long-handle Flat and Phillips in small and large head sizes (so you can adjust carburetors and other items easier)

• ratcheting drive bit head screw driver with multiple tips (this is a like a wild-card in a game of poker; you can change out the bits quickly and get the fastener out of your way without having to invest in a ton of individual drivers)

• Full set of micro-size Flat and Phillips (especially handy on carburetors)

• A set of Torx hand-drivers (when you can’t get a Torx socket into a space these will be your saving grace)

Electric Tools• Drill and impact (get a set that uses the same batteries and grab

an extra, and you’ll want a 1/2" chuck; my choice is Dewalt on these and most other electronic tools)

• 2 angle grinders (leave one set up with a 1/16" cut-off wheel, and use a paddle control so it doesn’t cut off your hand if it gets away from you; set up the other with flap discs ranging from 60-120 grit for feathering welds and metal; never use a stone-grinding disc; only use high-grade wheels from companies like Klingspor or De-walt, as cheap ones will come apart and end up in your eyeballs)

• Reciprocating saw (your best friend for everything from steel for brackets, tubes for frames, to 2'x4's)

• Porta-Band saw (if you can afford this in addition to the recip-rocating saw, it will give you cleaner and more accurate cuts when working on frames and other pieces)

• Jig-Saw (if you’re planning on cutting aluminum, one of these works wonders on flat sheet for making brackets and cutting pieces; just keep the blade lubricated and run it at a low speed)

• Volt Meter (any one will do, but a nicer one will have more fea-tures, like Ohm resistance, and will probably have a tone generator, which is great when you’re trying to chase out a wire in a harness)

• Soldering gun (guns are good when you’re working on larger items and have the harness off the bike)

• Soldering iron (good for tighter spaces and more accurate soldering)

• Crimper (I’m not talking about the cheap one for $2 – get the good one that’s closer to $25 that does bullet and other connectors; these old bikes have tons of them)

• Cutters (get a Klein tool cutter and it’ll be the last you need)• Strippers (get good ones from Klein; there’s nothing like ruining a

wiring harness, or evening, because of cheap strippers)• Battery chargers (spend the money and get a decent one that

does all types including Lithium Ion; you’ll be better in the long-run)• Bullet connectors

Hammers• Steel (for general purpose belting)• Brass (for working axles and other steel components)• Loaded (the loose beads on the inside help with inertia and give

you a little more oomph in areas where you don’t want to damage something and don’t have a lot of swinging room)

• Rubber (a must for tapping freshly-painted or coated compo-nents into place)

• Plastic (when you need a tad more impact than rubber)

Misc• Steel punches (for when you need to push out bearings and other

items)• Steel, aluminum, and brass drifts (for knocking out bearings,

neck braces, and other items)• Spring-loaded punch (for making pilot holes when drilling,

and making brackets and such)• An old valve (hard as a rock and strong as one too; great

for punches)• Steel and aluminum files (for shaping and trimming small

amounts)• Safety glasses (a must; the good ones that contour to your

eye will keep metal and particulate out and you from losing an eyeball)

• Earmuffs (for when you use high-decibel tools like angle grinders and drills, the noise of which will eventually make you go deaf)

• Gloves (thick and leather when using grinders and cutting tools, lightweight and nylon when working with hand-tools)

• T-handle socket head drivers (these come in handy when you can’t get socket head drivers in tight places; you can even get long ones with ball ends that work at funny angles)

Chemicals• Rubbing alcohol (for cleaning painted components without ru-

ining the finish)• Brake cleaner (your best friend for cleaning everything from

brakes to the engine to old parts)• Rightstuff (use this when you’re putting that old heap back

together and don’t have gaskets; on some old bikes, the cases are so badly worn though that you’ll need gaskets and this stuff to keep them from leaking, i.e. most old Harleys)

• Gorilla glue (this stuff works for everything)• Gorilla tape (the replacement for duct tape, perfect for holding

things in place when doing mock-ups and has a million other uses, like shutting up your pals who’re giving you a hard time)

• VHT spray paint (available at almost any automotive store; the closest thing to professional paint we’ve found and it can coat everything, including calipers, wheels, frames, and even tanks if you’re patient enough)

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