Racing Tools - Toys In The Shop

This quite possibly could be the coolest thing about this toolbox, a combination AM/FM radio/CD/MP3 player. It even has a remote control which you can see next to the work gloves. Two speakers will keep the tunes cranking while you pull those all-nighters before that big race.

The 154-piece Kobalt Mechanics Tool Set from Lowe's has just about everything any racer-from four-cylinder to Sprint Cup-would need to get the car prepped for the race. It has 1/4-, 3/8-, and 1/2-inch drive sockets, three quick-change ratchets, 22 deep sockets, 23 Torx and hex bit sockets, and more for only $149.

Ingersoll Rand makes the Garage Mate portable air compressor and we think it's perfectly suited for the racer's shop. Granted, air can be a luxury for some racers, particularly those on a budget. However at less than $500, the Garage Mate puts air in reach. It features a cast-iron, oil-lubricated pump and is belt-driven for quiet operation (75-80dBA). With pneumatic tires, it can easily be wheeled around the shop and onto the race trailer to take to the track. It's equipped with a pressure switch, pressure gauge, regulator, safety valve, manual drain and six-foot power cord.

Our Hammerhead Impactool from IR gets some good use removing a rusted nut from the upper control arm on this future Street Stock. Check out page 92 of the Nov. '10 issue for a closer look at the Hammerhead.

Our Garage Mate runs our air rivet gun without a hiccup. If you race any car that uses sheetmetal panels held on by rivets, you owe it to yourself to have an air-powered rivet gun in your shop.

Ingersoll Rand also manufactures an air die grinder that makes super fast work of any prep work you might need to tackle in the shop. You may not think that this is a necessary tool for a racer but we're going to put it to the acid test on that Street Stock we're currently disassembling with the Hammerhead.

Portable air tank. Need we say more? If you don't have one, invest in one. You'll be glad you did. Ours is from Longacre.

We ran across Race Ramps some time ago, but this is one of its newer products. The all-composite, ultra-light weight scale ramps are specifically designed to work with race car scales such as these from Longacre. Heavy-duty construction along with a super grippy surface make it a piece of cake to load a car onto the scales. Best of all, their lack of weight means even the kids can help position them when scaling your car. What better way to get the youth involved in racing?

Cordless impact wrenches are invaluable in the shop and at the track, whether you choose the one from Longacre (shown here), Ingersoll Rand, or another brand, they truly make changing tires, shocks, and other components a snap.

This is still one of our favorite pieces of race shop equipment, the AllStar Performance Tire Prep Stand is shear design genius. When it's time to groove and sipe those tires, you simply mount the wheel onto the stand horizontally, securing it with lugnuts. Then rotate it to the vertical position, using just one hand.

Within a minute, the tire is ready for siping, grooving and grinding.

Depending upon what you run, you may need a set of these babies as well. Our AN wrenches from Earls rest comfortably in the padded non-skid drawer of the Kobalt Tool Chest.

No self-respecting racer would be caught dead without one of these oil filter cutters from Longacre. You can tell a lot about how your engine is performing by cutting open your oil filter and investigating its contents. This specially designed tool virtually eliminates metal shavings resulting from cutting the casing from contaminating the contents of the filter.

The air-powered Ingersoll-Rand Model 4429 Heavy Duty Reciprocating Saw can handle all sorts of demanding cutting jobs around the shop.

Ingersoll-Rand's IQ Series of cordless tools offers the convenience of interchangable batteries. Pictured here are the Cordless Cut-Off Tool, which is part of a kit, and the Cordless Task Light which is the brightest cordless we've seen and the Cordless Impact Wrench.

The 1/2-inch Drive, 19.2 Volt Cordless Impact Wrench comes complete with a spare battery and a charging stand.