Collection Of Tools - Tried And Proven

Another of Oscar's favorites is this Power Probe continuity tester. "If you're wiring a vehicle, you've gotta have one of these!" Oscar told us. "The leads are long, so it can reach from the front to the back most of the time. It also beeps when there's electrical contact, and that helps when you're testing in tight spots or places where you can't have the tool right next to you."

A shop favorite at T&J is this pair of Snap-On ratcheting end wrenches. These are worth their weight in gold when it's time to loosen or tighten tranny-to-engine bolts at the top of a bellhousing.

Sometimes the perfect tool for the job is the one you make yourself. T&J needed an ultra-long socket wrench for working on some full-floater axle assemblies. A socket was cut in half and welded to the ends of a tube. Voila: an ultra-deep socket.

This KD pitman arm puller (left) and this Snap-On two-jaw gear puller live hard lives at T&J. Two-jaw gear pullers are less common than three-jaw adjustable/universal pullers, but Snap-On size-specific two-jaw pullers are more rigid and stronger than adjustable types.

T&J uses this Snap-On socket set to remove rounded-off nuts and bolt heads. It's also used when a customer has lost a wheel key.

Seth Blumer has to be selective about where he spends his tool budget. "I don't have a lot of fancy tools from the tool trucks," Seth said. "But the ones I do have I've been really happy with." This set of Cornwell impact sockets has seen a lot of use. The sockets have a swivel joint, which makes access easier when it's impossible to get a straight shot with the impact gun.

Seth's tool collection includes this set of metric impact sockets that he picked up at Harbor Freight Tools. "They weren't from the tool truck, but they've held up well anyway." Sizes range from 10mm to 32mm, and they fit a 1/2-inch impact gun.

Steve Wilson and Seth Blumer both use Streamlight flashlights. The Streamlight comes with a charger that charges both the battery in the flashlight and the spare on the side. The light is bright, and the housing is tough. Steve has carried his along for the ride during a desert race, and has dropped it onto the concrete from a ladder. It's survived the hits and come back for more.

One of Seth's first big purchases was this set of Blackhawk locking flex-head ratcheting combination wrenches, made by Proto Tools. The head angle locks into position at the touch of a button, securely holding the angle for easier fastener access and manipulation. He's used the metric set more often than the SAE standard set, but is happy with the performance and durability of both sets.