RX7GT

http://www.harborfreight.com/

The power and air tools are pretty good for a homeowner or weekend mechanic. The larger items such as engine hoists, stands, bench vises, floor jacks, etc. are generally very good quality and right on par with anything you'd find from Northern Tools, Sears, or Ace Hardware. Sign up for their mailing list and they'll send you a sale paper about every other week. They always have great deals on something. I have a garage full of all kinds of cool **** just because they built a store close to me.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Can you do the job without an air compressor? Yes. Can you do the job quicker with an air compressor? Well, using air tools really helps on the disassembly as you can just blast off the bolts and remove components from the engine in chunks. It's not really going to add much benefit during the assembly as you need to properly torque the bolts. For the larger bolts which have a good amount of torque to them (like the turbo bolts), I like using an air rachet to put them on. Then I just use a torque wrench to get them to the proper torque spec. As kontakt mentioned, it can reduce the amount of wrenching your arms have to do.

Keep in mind that an air compressor can drive other tools than just an impact, like a cutoff disk, die grinder, etc as well as not having to go to a gas station to inflate your tires.

kontakt

Not to mention bead blasting. You generally want a good sized tank to do any serious bead blasting, but it's pretty much the best way to clean up a lot of the components that come off. Of course you can use solvents on it all, but it's not like you can hot tank alluminum.

If you do, or have done any bead blasting though you want to make sure you get ALL of the material out. I'm going to be pressure washing my housings/irons/parts with soapy water this weekend to do just that. I can't do it until I get the "Bridge holes" drilled on my aux port though... Mmmm partial BP for the win.

BLKTOPTRVL

A compressor sounds like a good deal, but I will wait to see if I actually need one for any reason. For now, I don't even know yet how many/what new engine parts I will need, and they cost far more than a compressor.

Thanks for the suggestion though.

BLKTOPTRVL

Now that ^^^ may be a good reason to consider air. Drying washed parts.

BLKTOPTRVL

OK,

Plans have changed. On the way back from visiting a client, I stopped at a casino and picked up a few dollars. So...

I will indeed build a shed first and get a compressor. Is there any that is reccomended or not - reccomended?

capn

thats why you have a woman to fetch beer, no effort required.

TonyD89

iTrader: (10)

The most common and probably good enough for most home owners are the oil-less type. But they are a cheesy idea. Anyone else ever take one apart? A conventional compressor (piston in cylinder) will last longer and hold up to abuse but cost a bit more.

BLKTOPTRVL

What is the minimum pressure, tank size, etc... needed for a goosd garage?

BLKTOPTRVL

I have finished fixing most of my client's problems now, and can turn my attention back to this.

The shed is now in the yard (12'x16') and is already coming in handy. It can store my lawn mowers, garden tools, extra chairs, lawn and house chemicals, spare parts, wheels and tires, and all the other crap I have let pile into my garage over the last few years.

So, this afternoon I will go compressor hunting. I guess this is a decent unit...

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...seBVCookie=Yes

TonyD89

iTrader: (10)

I'm jealous!. I want a shed so bad! I still have the mower and some other yard tools in my garage.

KeloidJonesJr.

iTrader: (8)

I've never seen a garage layout like that. The cars are usually parked parallel.

BLKTOPTRVL

I bought this house plan because of the garage. I can get 4 cars.

Or if needed, because it is so deep, I can also put a long (but low) boat on one side and two cars on the other.

BLKTOPTRVL

For anyone looking for a compressor...

They are on sale today.

I picked up the above model today with this tool kit...

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...cemldffidflk.0

...for $319 including tax. I am told by the saleskid that if I come in tomorrow with the receipt, I should be able to get another 10 percent off of what I paid.

I won't know if this turns out to be a good deal until I start using it. One of the most constant negatives I read in the revies is that the compressor is really loud. I will have to build a sound muffling enclosure for it.

MaczPayne

iTrader: (5)

Ideally you should get a >20 gallon compressor. A 30 gallon should do you well.

I have a 10 and it sucks ***.

wackaloo13

iTrader: (3)

i dont know if you have bought your hoist/stand yet but definitely spend the extra money to get one that is colapsable. it makes storing the hoist 10000x times easier. You can just lift the legs up and stick it in a corner until you need it

BLKTOPTRVL

Yes, I bought that a couple of months ago. It is collapseable, and will go into the shed with the engine stand when I am finished.

BLKTOPTRVL

So, I picked up a set of dollies to move the car around the garage...

Nice, but it takes quite a bit of effort to get the car rolling in a new direction if any of the casters are aligned in the wrong direction - especially since you can't really push hard on the windshield frame or on the body. The only safe place to push is on the wheels themselves.

I would have preferred to have the hydrolic type that squeezes a tire to lift it up, but they are very expensive for a set of four. With these, you have to jack up the car quarter to put it onto each dollie.

Tanjo

If it were me, Id pull the rodeo outside, put the vert where that was, and put the fd as close to the wall as possible. It says you have 4 feet between the wall and the fd? thats alot, Id put it at a foot and give me a lot of room to put things like the tranny, radiator, any other big heavy oily parts, on the ground. And, itll give you more room to maneuver the hoist, the jack, engine stand, whatever. The 6 feet between the vert and the bench is gonna shrink a lot when you get the hoist in front of the car. I dunno, maybe I just like to have a lot of room.

BLKTOPTRVL

Always an option... That is why the vert is on wheels so I can move it if I want.

If you check the date of the first post, you'll see that I am in no hurry to get this completed. Because of that, I want to always be able to put the Rodeo back in the garage when desired.

Tanjo

No hurry.... Man your lucky. haha I dont think Ive ever been able to pull my motor at my leisure. Its always. I have to get to work on monday, I have an autox in the morning, I need to get this **** fixed before the parents get back from vacation... Man I look forward to when I have my own house/garage. Damn military dorms.

BLKTOPTRVL

Lucky? No.

Just a matter of time and planning. In my day, I had to pull engines or change clutches with the car on ramps parked in the street - with traffic wizzing by as close to 12 inches from the car while I was under it.

Having a nice garage to do the work in is a matter of planning out your life. I see so many people now who will spend a fortune (that they don't have) just to have the car that they want, Instead of buying a car they can afford.

Then they spend all their money repairing that money pit. Of course they can't afford a decent house and garage now - or later when they should be albe to afford it. The savings are all gone.

BLKTOPTRVL

So, it begins...

For those of you who might choose to follow the progress, I plan to document every step to to the smallest detail level. I know it will be boring for most of you, but for someone who has never done it, maybe this will be helpful.

Speaking of the smallest detail.

I have removed the hood.

I washed all the accumulated dust off first so that it will not scratch, then had a friend help lift it. First mistake already. I forgot to unplug the windshield washer hose.

For twenty years of accumulated road grime, it looks pretty fresh.

BLKTOPTRVL

It was suggested that a compressor will make the job much easier.. especially for zipping up or down loose nuts and bolts.

Although I am sure there will be other uses for the compressor, I have found that using a cordless drill is much easier and faster. All you need is a drill to socket adaptor...

BLKTOPTRVL

Three bolts [red squares pic 1] hold the air box in place.

Remove it with the intake pipe attached.

Don't forget to unclip the connector to the harness [pic 2 blue square][pic 3 red rectangle].

I have decided that wherever possible, I will put the nuts and bolts back the places I removed them so that I do not lose or mix them up.