A race car is born in a garage through ingenuity, sweat, time, and of course, tools. Tools are as much a part of racing garages as the mechanics who use them. Though every garage has its own uniqueness, they all have the same goal of creating and maintaining a winning racing program. To accomplish this, you need the right tools.
The right tools in your garage are as necessary as the right tires on your car. Your garage needs a basic lineup of tools in order to complete even the most rudimentary jobs a race car requires, but with all the interesting and shiny new tools that are on the market today, selecting the basics can be difficult. The best way to know what tools you must have in your garage is to talk with a successful garage owner--that is what we did.
We visited with Robby Hamke, owner of RHR Race Cars in Concord, North Carolina, to tell us the top 10 tools he needs to keep a race car going. Among the tools listed, he also mentioned that proper note-taking is one of the most important tools a garage owner can use. So as you browse through the following list, remember that a pen and paper may be the most vital set of tools in your garage.
A 110-volt welder is fairly...
A 110-volt welder is fairly sufficient to weld just about everything on a race car. You wouldn't want to build a race car from the ground up with one, but for smaller jobs, such as welding bumpers and other light welding, you will not find anything better.
Hamke uses a hole-saw notcher...
Hamke uses a hole-saw notcher for notching holes in bumpers and similar applications. The tool can be mounted in your drill press and is adjustable, so getting the right angle for any kind of tubing to be notched is a breeze. When used with a little cutting oil, a notcher should last a long time.
A tubing bender is used, well,...
A tubing bender is used, well, to bend tubing for your car. When you want to copy the bend of an existing pipe or need to make accurate, repeatable bends, this tool is invaluable. The degree indicator makes it real easy to copy a pipe off your car. An adjustable V-block is placed on the pipe. You set the degree you want the bend to be, then bend the pipe until it sits down on both ends. Simple.
Get a 10-ton "port-a-power,"...
Get a 10-ton "port-a-power," as racers call them. A lot of people use a 4-ton to take to the racetrack, and it is a little bit cheaper, but it's not as strong or as durable and can't do as much as a 10-ton. Simply put, a 10-ton port-a-power is a hydraulic ram that, with attachments, can help push bent pieces back straight. When or if you bend your car, the port-a-power can be used to straighten out your chassis.
You are going to need a portable...
You are going to need a portable chop saw for your garage and one that you can take to the race track. A chop saw, like the one shown above, makes nice straight cuts and is perfect for trimming parts off your car or for cutting tubing.
Buy a good 2-ton floor jack...
Buy a good 2-ton floor jack with 4 inches of ground clearance and a steady seat for the car to rest on when it is lifted. Hamke has been around and he has seen plenty of cars fall off of those cheap floor jacks. The need for a floor jack is obvious, but make sure you play it safe and get a good one--if you look in the Winston Cup garages, that's what you'll see.
If you do any kind of racing,...
If you do any kind of racing, you are definitely going to need snips to cut sheetmetal out or trim a wheelwell. Offset aviation snips, like the ones shown above, work very well, and if you take care of them, they will last forever.
It's racing, parts are going...
It's racing, parts are going to get banged up, and a hydraulic press comes in real handy if you get into a little wreck. If you have a centerpiece that is no longer center, or if you need to knock a ball joint out, just place the offending part in the press and it will straighten it up or knock that right out.
How many times have you wished...
How many times have you wished for a few more hands to hold parts, sheetmetal, or whatever in place while you work? Your wish is granted in the form of clamps. Duck-bill clamps, needle-nose clamps, and almost any clamps you can imagine are good to have in your shop for those times when an extra set of hands isn't available.
Hamke recommends you buy electric...
Hamke recommends you buy electric tools whenever possible because they are powerful and much more portable. A lot of people buy air tools for their garage, but then they can't use them at the racetrack because of the need for an air compressor. Electric tools to get include an impact gun, shears, grinders, and drills. Buying electric can also save you money by not having to stock your garage and your race-bound toolbox with separate equipment.