Vehicle Specific Tool Setup

[PaintRock]

I recently splurged and bought some new Craftsman tools. With coupons, sales, and "reward" points I managed to get about $200.00 worth of tools for about $100.00. I've been getting by with the tools I have but since Craftsman is starting to make even their hand tools in China, I decided to get the USA made ones while they are still around. My problem is, I now have more tools than I really want to be carrying around with me all the time. Do I really need 21 SAE combination wrenches when I drive a metric Toyota? So, I've been thinking about putting together a vehicle specific tool bag with just the metric tools and automotive hand tools in as compact a space as possible. I like the looks of the CruzTools tool rolls, but about the only tool rolls I can find to build my own kit are the CLC ones online. Does anyone have any experience with this brand? I can't find them locally to check them out. Also, if you have found or made a reasonably sized kit that you feel has everything you'll need, post them up!

 

[mogwildRW1]

I looked for "good" tool rolls everywhere. Coudn't find anything exactly what I wanted.

So, my wife made me some, this way, they are fitted, only hold the wrench's I need, and are waxed canvas and oil tanned leather, so water just beads off, but they breath so your tools will dry out if wet. She doesn't sell them, but I'd suggest finding a local leather worker and seeing what you can come up with.

This is the only one I took pictures of, but I have one for Regular Metric wrench's, one for snubbies, one for screwdrivers, etc. really handy.

 

[4xdog]

I have an absolutely-essential-tool roll for my Tacoma that's contained in the small vinyl/fabric roll that came with my 1975 Audi Fox station wagon decades ago. It's smaller than a Pringles can and is with me always. It's definitely not fancy (unlike --wow -- those great-looking leather ones) but it's done the job for going on forty years now and shows no signs of stopping. I adapt the tools slightly to whatever vehicle it's part of.

I have a canvas and leather tool roll from the Goodwood Company (of Festival of Speed fame) that lives in my Triumph TR3, mainly for good luck. It seems to be NLA.

If I'm out on the road for a "real" trip I may take my Craftsman mechanics set (a recent Costco acquisition of almost 150 items for 80 bucks and made in USA). I figure that I may have the chance -- or need -- to work on something besides my own vehicle and there's about a 50/50 need for either metric/SAE in that event.

Don

 

[mogwildRW1]

From my toyota owning days (1983), didn't all you need was an 11mm, 13mm, philips, and lug wrench, and you could basically strip the whole truck? Kidding of course, but, I remember, not many tools needed for those old guys.

 

[PaintRock]

Yea, those home-made custom ones are nice, but without a wife who knows how to sew, I'm thinking I would have to spend a considerable amount of money for custom ones. I think I like the 20 pocket and 32 pocket rolls from the attached website, but it's hard to tell the quality from an Internet photo. If the back pockets on the 20 pocket roll would actually fit a 24mm wrench on down, I'm thinking that and the 32 pocket roll together might fit everything I need.

http://www.wylaco.com/tool-storage-carts/tool-bags

And mogwild, I'd love to have a truck as simple as that. Why can't somebody make a truck that's put together like, say, a Glock? I can completely take those apart with just one pin punch.

 

[dms1]

I have both an 85 and 99 4Runner and I can do 95% of all repairs with the following size wrenches and Sockets, 10mm, 12mm, 14mm, 15mm, 17mm and 19mm.

 

[Jonathan Hanson]

From my toyota owning days (1983), didn't all you need was an 11mm, 13mm, philips, and lug wrench, and you could basically strip the whole truck?

No.

You needed a 17mm too.

 

[PaintRock]

Don't forget about the 24 mike mike socket and 10 mm Allen key just to service the t-case and pumpkins (at least on my Tundra).

 

[BigSwede]

I definitely cut back my wrench and socket metric sizes to those actually used by the manufacturer, plus just a few very common SAE sizes. The tool box is still plenty heavy. Adjustables will have to do for anything else (working on somebody else's rig)

I can post a list of Isuzu sizes if anybody cares to see it.

 

[Richietherocket]

You can get tool rolls from here - http://www.soulrun.com/Our_Products.html

They are hand made in Colorado. They are built for bike tools but would work for all the tools mentioned in the posts above.

 

[bftank]

i got mine from harbor freight. perfect size i labeled one roll metric and one standard with a grease pen. works great for my needs.

i have been trying to talk my wife into make some drawstring toolbags out of jean legs that i have. for misc. stuff like screw drivers, socket bars, ball peen etc. this is a whole lot more compact than the craftsmen red and black cube box i have. now i can fit my espresso machine:bike_rider:

 

[bfdiesel]

i got mine from harbor freight. perfect size i labeled one roll metric and one standard with a grease pen. works great for my needs.

i have been trying to talk my wife into make some drawstring toolbags out of jean legs that i have. for misc. stuff like screw drivers, socket bars, ball peen etc. this is a whole lot more compact than the craftsmen red and black cube box i have. now i can fit my espresso machine:bike_rider:

Those will be some huge toolbags if made from your pants.

 

[bftank]

lol:coffeedrink:

 

[keezer37]

I got a Bucket Boss tool roll from Amazon a couple years after I bought my truck. I filled out the tool roll as I did the regular maintenance.

Other roll is a breaker bar, extension and deep well for the lugs.

Clipped at the right end are three pockets for sockets.

 

[PaintRock]

This is what I came up with. It all fits into a 16" tool bag. I was able to fit a full set of metric wrenches from 6 to 24mm, 10 strategically chosen sockets, all kinds of screwdriver bits, and some specialty tools. I'm going to leave the SAE tools in the garage. If I need to work on other people's stuff, the adjustables will have to do. I'm going to try this setup and just note if there is anything I really need to add.[/ATTACH]

By the way, if anybody knows why my iPhone posts pics sideways, feel free to let me know.