So, you want to restore a car yourself. DIY automotive work is hard work, but for the brave, it can be very rewarding and fulfilling to do it yourself. While it might seem like an impossible task for some, you’d be surprised what you can do with a handful of tools and a garage to work in!
However, before you get started, you need to make sure you have all the tools you need. It’s a big task, and it’s not an easy one at that. But what tools DO you need? Maybe we can help with that…
1) Socket Set
The first thing you’ll need is a good socket set. It’s a good idea to get a versatile set that’ll fit any ratchet or impact wrench, and that has a multitude of sizes – you don’t want to get started on your car and then realise that you don’t have the size you need. Getting both Imperial and Metric is a good idea too.
2) Impact wrench
Call it an air gun, rattle gun, torque gun or whatever else you want; a solid impact wrench can relieve a lot of the stress and pain from restoring your car. There’ll be a lot of nuts and bolts you’ll need to loosen and fasten, having an impact wrench instead of doing it by hand will save a lot of time and effort!
3) Grinder
A grinder is an important tool to keep around when restoring your car. Older cars, especially those acquired in less-than-ideal condition, often have a lot of rust. A grinder can clean that up with ease. A grinder can also be extremely useful for cutting and trimming metal, as well as smoothing rough and pointy edges to get that smooth surface for your car.
4) Spray gun
A spray gun is essential to the finish of your car. If you’re doing the restoration yourself, you’ll probably end up having to do the finish yourself too. Of course, you can always take your car to get professionally done – but if you’re wanting to do the entire restoration by yourself, you’ll have to learn the art of the spray gun.
5) Welder
A good welder is crucial to a restoration that requires serious body work. If your project doesn’t need one, great! But it’s still good to have one at your disposal, so you may want to learn to weld if you don’t already know how. A standard MIG welder is the best option for home use.
6) Air compressor
With all the above tools we mentioned, it’s important to have a good quality air compressor at your disposal. Your air compressor is the key to everything, as your impact wrench, grinder, spray gun and welder will all run off of this. Besides that, you can also use it to pump your tires!
7) Hammers and Dollies
No matter what sort of restoration you’re doing, you’ll end up needing a hammer for something. Sometimes you just REALLY need something to move. We recommend making sure you have a dead blow hammer, as well as some sort of rubber mallet. For bodywork, a hammer and dolly set is a worthwhile investment as well.
8) Screwdriver Set
A solid screwdriver set is recommended for any garage, but especially so if you’re doing a restoration. In a full resto, it’ll feel like you’re unscrewing about a million different screws, and they’ll be a bunch of different sizes just to make life hard for you! Having a screwdriver set full of different sizes and head types will make this a lot less painful.
9) Pliers/Vice Grips
A set of pliers is something you don’t want to go without. Versatile tools, these are worth keeping around in different forms. Grab a normal pair, some needle-nose pliers, and especially locking pliers. These locking pliers (or vice grips) can act as almost a second pair of hands, and can make your solo adventure into DIY restoration much easier!
10) Floor Jack
Last but definitely not least, a jack is extremely necessary for doing a restoration – or pretty much anything else requiring access to the lower parts of your car. There are a ton of different jack types; trolley jacks, hydraulic jacks, bottle jacks, scissor jacks… but which one is better? Personally, we recommend a simple hydraulic trolley jack if you’re just looking for a one-size-fits-all solution.
Honourable mentions:
- Gloves – keep your hands clean and safe! There’s a lot of dangers to your hands while doing a restoration, and you’ve only got two!
- Kneepads – you’ll be on your hands and knees. A lot. Kneepads, or at least some sort of rubber pad to kneel on, will make this a lot less painful for prolonged work.
- Head light – not much light gets underneath a car. This helps when you’re deep in the guts of whatever car you’re working on, and don’t have a hand to hold a light.
- Rags – these will never not be useful, whether to clean up a mess or cover something that really shouldn’t be open.
- Pry Bar – you won’t always be able to lift or pry everything with just your hands. A pry bar, along with good usage of leverage, can help with even the most stubborn of parts.
- Tin Snips – sometimes, you just need to snip something. Metal, rubber, plastic; a good pair of tin snips can cut almost anything thin enough!