Cyber Sec Guy with 0 Tool Experience, Starting my 2020 EcoBoost Journey!

[robvas]

The reviews say otherwise, and it was only $80 so I don't mind giving it a shot

You gotta understand the reviews are made by people that put the part on, think it does something, and then leave a review saying "yea!"

Seriously one of the oldest scams in the book. The only time you use a spacer like that is if you change your intake/throttle body and need some clearance or a different angle. They don't work like a carburetor spacer does.

Only takes a second to think about it to realize why it doesn't do anything. Once you open your throttle up, the throttle body is just a tube. So your entire intake pipe is just a tube. Adding 1/4" inch of it (especially with the worthless 'swirl' part, go look up the old Tornado intake...) doesn't change a single thing. If they gained 2mpg Ford would have installed one from the factory. Or made the throttle body longer.

Next you'll be buying special spark plugs or coil packs!

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[MAGS1]

Agree with robvas, put that $80 towards something else instead.

 

[detamble13]

I'd recommend getting started with a set of metric and imperial sockets and accompanying ratchet. Note that common ratchets come in 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 drives. A set will usually have the ratchet to match the sockets and the metric sockets have an imperial drive size so you don't need to buy a metric ratchet. Make sure your socket set has one large enough to fit your lugnuts (nuts holding your wheels on). Covering 1/4" - 1" will get most jobs done.

Floor jack and jack stands.

Buy the oil filter tool specific to your car so you can do your own oil changes. This fits on your ratchet and works as the socket for removing the oil filter. Also buy an oil pan for catching the oil. Keep old t-shirts for rags.

An electric torque wrench is handy for taking off wheels. Pneumatic if you have a compressor.

Breaker bar.

Clicker type torque wrench.

If you dive into this you'll find your tool set expands with each new job and a good way to build your toolbox. Don't be discouraged if you mess up as it's a good way to teach yourself not to do that again. As someone above mentioned start bolts by hand to avoid cross threading. And always have cold beer in the garage as there's nothing better than finishing a job and drinking a well deserved beer.

 

[MAGS1]

Floor jack and jack stands.

This. A set of Race Ramps is nice for oil changes too. But a good set of jack stands and a good jack is key. Jacking rails are nice too, especially if you’re jacking up the car fairly frequently

 

[Sparky1337]

Yea sometimes you needed a spacer to promote better AF mix in an intake depending on if it had dividing walls that went up to the carb or were just under. Lots of 750/850 carbs ran better with a 1” spacer because you could have the wrong intake. Spacer was cheap and effective if you had the room.

On efi it does nothing but confuse the sensors if it’s not tuned for it.

 

[robvas]

Yea sometimes you needed a spacer to promote better AF mix in an intake depending on if it had dividing walls that went up to the carb or were just under. Lots of 750/850 carbs ran better with a 1” spacer because you could have the wrong intake. Spacer was cheap and effective if you had the room.

On efi it does nothing but confuse the sensors if it’s not tuned for it.

Big difference here:

Carbs put the fuel and the air BEFORE the spacer

Throttle bodies don't put the fuel in until AFTER the spacer

Plus there are so many designs of those things, some work better than others depending on the engine...

https://www.hotrod.com/how-to/pit-stop-carburetor-spacers-affect-performance

 

[Sparky1337]

True.

 

[SBR70.3]

Regarding tools......if your life does not depend on it, you can buy it at Harbor Freight or Amazon. If your life does depend on it, like jack stands, buy a reputable brand.

Side note......I sometimes use HF jack stands when swapping wheels/tires/brake pads, but I'm not under my car. QuickJacks for that.

 

[BullittBoy]

CVF Street Intercooler
JLT Cold Air Intake

1. What basic tool sets should I buy first ?
2. What are the best, safest "beginner" maintenance jobs I can do myself to build confidence?
3. How can I practice without stripping anything or cross threading anything else.

Looking forward to learning from you guys and documenting the build!

Good on you for wanting to learn-Good on you for having thick skin and asking people in public forums honest questions as you will always get some "salty" folks who want to give you crap-screw them-

IRT the CAL and the better intercooler you are adding, I would spend some money on a GOOD TUNE from one of the usual suspects, Wengerd, 5Star, Palm Beach Dyno and there are quite a few others. That will do more for the car than just make it run good, it will tighten up the trans/shifting, will take advantage of the increase in intake and Intercooling volume/IAT etc. You spend some coin, but your car will run at peak capability given your build plans. You're a computer guy, so doing a remote tune should be pretty easy for you to handle. If not, plenty of people here can walk you through it.

IRT #1, any decent set of Metric/SAE socket/sets from Harbor freight is a good start. IKON brand is not top of the totem pole, but it is a decent starter kit that won't break the bank. Get a set of good pliers and screw drivers. A good torque wrench that is good up to 200ft lbs. That will cover almost all if not all of the torque specs on your car. Always look up and KNOW what the torque specs are for the job you are doing. Write them down and have them with you as you work. Over torquing can cause you a lot of issues. Loctite is your friend! You'll find you will be constantly adding tools and specialty sockets to your collection over the years as your experience grows. I still buy new sockets and stuff all the time and I have over 50 years of wrenching and tools in my garage.

#2. Fluid changes. Do your own oil changes. Since you are new, maybe not the trans service as you have to get that right IRT level and how to check it, on an auto anyway. Manual trans service is a piece of cake. Very similar to a diff service. Add fluid till it pukes. Auto Trans service can be a messy job if not done carefully. But engine oil and diff changes are easy. Learn how to do those. Spark plugs is another one. Buy a magnetic spark plug socket, makes it easy to get them out. Read up on proper torque and tightening of plugs. Learn how to GAP them. They should come "gapped" but I always find 1 or 2 that are out of spec. Again, many video's on spark plug and gapping on YT.

#3. ALWAYS start bolts or nuts by HAND. Screw them on a few turns that ensures you won't cross thread. If you start a bolt or a nut and it doesn't feel right, STOP and undo it and try again. You'll see guys, especially on wheels, use a air gun like they are a nascar tire changer, bad habit. Simply thread the lugs on by hand, then hit them with your tool or gun etc.

Like anything, practice gets you experience. Talk to some guys at work that are "car guys" and ask them for help or go over and watch them when they do maint and learn from eyes on.

There are a crap load of good instructional videos on YT you can watch for damn near ANY job out there. Before you do a job, especially a new part install, go to YT and search for "JLT CAI install" etc. You'll find multiple video's on it. If possible, I would watch and use video input from places like American Muscle or CJ Pony parts and Steeda as their video's are done right and from the vendors as opposed to some Joe Blow with a IPhone. I watch alot of video's that should be "How not to do something"!

Always take your time and don't rush and you'll have more fun and do a better job. You can always PM folks here on the board and ask for help too. Don't feel like you have to post your questions, use PM's., that will weed out a lot of crap givers or nay sayers. It's your car, enjoy it!

 

[Joe Gonsalves]

Don't cheap out on tools. Just remember a good tool will last a lifetime. So cry only once. As far as Harbor Freight goes, they have gotten better over the years. Yes, you can still get dirt cheap junk there, but they do offer higher quality tools now. Just look at them really well. If it looks flimsy then it's junk. Their Pittsburg line of tools is a decent quality DYI brand. There is much better in the store of course, for twice the price, if you so choose. I use some of them and Kobalt tools from Lowes and have had good luck so far with them. If I was still a working mechanic then no, I would opt for the good stuff. Before anyone chimes in, my mechanic tool chests were stolen and I don't have the budget to replace all that I once had. Plus I don't need all that now. Also I have used Craftsman in the past, and let me tell you, I broke plenty of their sockets and screwdrivers before learning what to look for in a quality tool.

 

[robvas]

I'll go through and make a recommendation/link for each item at some point.

Toolbox:

Buy either:

US General 5 drawer cart

PreviousLoading...Loading...Loading... NextU.S. GENERAL 30 in., 5 Drawer Mechanics CartThis item has an average rating of 4.8 stars from 2424 reviews (2424)289 dollars and 99 cents$289.99


US General 6 drawer service cart

PreviousLoading...Loading... NextU.S. GENERAL 34 in. x 23 in., 6-Drawer Full-Bank Service CartThis item has an average rating of 4.8 stars from 2089 reviews (2089)599 dollars and 99 cents$599.99

Or the 27, 42, or 56 inch roller cabinet

https://www.harborfreight.com/tool-...u-s-general-tool-storage/roller-cabinets.html

Things you need:

Jack(s) (buy two. a 'regular' one, and a low profile or aluminum one)
Jackstands
Race Ramps (expensive but useful for some stuff)

Sockets
Impact sockets
Stubby Sockets
Astro Sockets/Handle
Extensions/adapters
Universal sockets
Lugnut Sockets
Spark Plug sockets
Adjustable wrenches
Wire cutters/crimpers

Ratchets
breaker bars
screwdrivers
nutdrivers
pry bars
ratcheting wrenches
combination wrenches
stubby wrenches

Feeler gauges
air pressure gague
magnet pickup tools
lights
knives
hex allen sockets, keys, t-handles
torx bits
filter wrench
torque wrench

Trim tools
magnetic trays
rubber trays
pistol grip pliers
needle nose
long needle nose
hose clamp pliers
micro pliers
cutters
calipers
angle gauge
obd 2 scan tool
exhuast hanger pliers
crowfoot wrenches
pick set


# BRANDS

There's no brand that has good EVERYTHING. They all make some junk in their lines.

Tool truck - Matco, Snapon, MAC, expensive and usually not worth it. They have some really good stuff, so picking up a couple things here and there might be worth it for you. They will come to you for repairs/exchanges/sales if you work at a shop.

Big box stores (Lowe's/Home Depot) - Mostly garbage IMO. Low end toolboxes but are getting some better stuff, but can be expensive. Hand tools are mostly junk, they used to be better. Return policies often suck. Selection sucks. They carry some good brands (Milwaukee, Klein, etc) but Husky/Kobalt are generally junk. Were better in the old days. They do carry decent brands of cordless tools and you can order brands like Tekton/Gearwrench and have them shipped to the store.

My Lowe's/Kobalt return story:



Harbor Freight - can be good. The cheapest stuff is still junk. ICON isn't quite as good as Snap-on but a lot of the stuff is pretty good. US General makes a great toolbox. I'd start there for a new tool collection. Most stuff is good/better/best, so Pittsburgh, then Quinn/Doyle, and then ICON. But there are still some Pittsburgh Pro items that are good, and other things like the Pittsburgh impact sockets are hard to beat for the price as well.

Amazon - can be hit or miss. A lot of junk. Can find deals on some brand-named stuff.

Online tool sellers - some good ones out there. Tekton, Capri. Some stuff is better than others.

Craftsman - 90% of the current stuf is crap. Wasn't that great in the old days either, but it wasn't Chinese junk so it was 'good'. Didn't have many options today.

A good rule to follow is things that are made in the USA or Taiwan are great. China is getting better, but a lot of junk still. Vietnam/India are the bottom of the barrel these days. So look at where a tool is made before you buy. A lot of stuff is the same across 10 different brands...

# YOUTUBE CHANNELS

https://www.youtube.com/@denoftools

Used to do decent deals but it's mostly Amazon trash now. Decent videos on toolboxes.

https://www.youtube.com/@toolsandtwisties

Does a lot of good buy this/avoid this videos, especially for Harbor Freight

https://www.youtube.com/@TonyTheTechnician

Older videos were decent, seems to do a lot of sponsored crap now

https://www.youtube.com/@TorqueTestChannel

Lots of great videos comparing hand tools and power tools

 

[MAGS1]

Also I have used Craftsman in the past, and let me tell you, I broke plenty of their sockets and screwdrivers before learning what to look for in a quality tool.

I have a bunch of Craftsman sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers back from when it was the real Craftsman. They are solid and knock on wood I haven’t broken any of them. The newer Craftsman stuff I’m more leery about, I’ve not bought any of their tools since Black & Decker bought them.

 

[RocketGuy3]

I have a bunch of Craftsman sockets, wrenches and screwdrivers back from when it was the real Craftsman. They are solid and knock on wood I haven’t broken any of them. The newer Craftsman stuff I’m more leery about, I’ve not bought any of their tools since Black & Decker bought them.

Yes, this is the problem. Craftsmen used to be pretty much THE brand... but their quality was one of the first casualties in Sears' fall from grace to gutter.

 

[LCK22GT]

So many good recommendations already. Some other things I can think of are a good assortment of lubes and cleaners: penetrating fluid, silicone spray, spray lube, multi purpose grease, silicone grease, brake cleaner, MAF sensor cleaner, etc.
Long nose tweezers
Mirror on telescoping wand
Magnet on telescoping wand
Grabber tool for little dropped parts
Flashlight on a headband
Good portable lighting

Another oddball thing that’s gotten me out of some jams is a socket cap set. It enables to use a socket where there’s not room for a regular socket wrench. It’s low profile so you can turn a socket with a combination wrench.

 

[G.T.]

To add to the already excellent info so far,

-You can start with doing the maintenance stuff, easy to do and gets you acquainted with using your tools.

-Youtube has everything these days, go watch a few vids of the job you want to tackle to get an idea of how it will go and what to watch out for. And/or, ask here. Lots of helpful people with a ton of experience.

-Look up the jacking points and jack stand points of your car. Stuff will break if you use the wrong points. Car can fall and break you too.

-Chock wheels when you use your jack.

-Make your ratchet last longer. Use the breaker bar to loosen fasteners before switching to a ratchet.

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