Indispensable Garage Supplies

[JC220]

Thought some might find it useful to have a thread to share your Garage or "Shop" supplies you couldn't do without and recommend to others!

One example to kick off I have is moving away from brake cleaner cans which run out quickly and are more expensive compared to buying by the gallon and using a good quality solvent sprayer:



This combined with rolls of paper towels makes for quick cleanup. I also keep bags of rags for wiping up around engines etc and wet rags for more specific cleaning tasks like workbenches and the likes.

 

[JC220]

Another one I have recently got on to is moving away from small work foam pads to lay on to getting packs of the modular foam garage flooring tiles which are chemical resistant and very comfortable to work on top of over larger areas.

I will get another set and put under the front of this car also so its easy to work in comfort under there without moving mats around:

 

[LWB250]

Along the same lines relative to solvents, I've always had a can of 3M 08984 General Purpose Adhesive Cleaner on the shelf for degreasing. It's especially handy for removing any sort of nastiness from paint finishes without damaging the finish. Extremely flammable and likely contains a fair amount of acetone or something close to it, but it really, really does the job. Great for removing stickers and the adhesives that hold badges on, too.



Dan

 

[nocfn]

Dan - I will check but I think that part number is also used for resetting (or installing) rubber seals that are secured with 3m adhesive. It will loosen existing adhesive, and works with new adhesive if the old came loose. It softens the stuff to gum, and as it evaporates slowly, the glue will again harden. It will not harm painted surfaces when used for this application. I have also used it to remove some bug residue or tar as it will not harm the paint. The wax may dull in the area but rubs off with a microfiber buff rather easily.

 

[LWB250]

Dan - I will check but I think that part number is also used for resetting (or installing) rubber seals that are secured with 3m adhesive. It will loosen existing adhesive, and works with new adhesive if the old came loose. It softens the stuff to gum, and as it evaporates slowly, the glue will again harden. It will not harm painted surfaces when used for this application. I have also used it to remove some bug residue or tar as it will not harm the paint. The wax may dull in the area but rubs off with a microfiber buff rather easily.

It definitely strips wax. That's one of the reasons I like it, as I'll often use it to clean areas hidden behind trim before I wax them when I'm doing a major "Martha" detailing. But it really shines when you need to remove a sticker or trim that's attached using adhesive or that foamy double-sided tape. I'll soak a shop rag with it and just lay it over the sticker or trim and keep soaking it for a while. It flashes off quickly, so it can often take several applications.

Once the adhesive is soft, I use dental floss to "cut" the offending badge off. If it's a sticker I'll use a plastic putty knife or scraper to gently remove it from the surface.

If I want to strip wax from a larger area, I use a spray bottle with a 50/50 concentration of isopropyl alcohol. I keep a spray bottle of that and a spray bottle of plain water hanging on a wire shelf in the garage. Always handy to have around.

Dan

 

[JC220]

Buying boxes of cheap disposable paint brushes from flebay etc is very convenient when applying POR15 or chassis, caliper paints etc.

Some of these paints are impossible to clean off the brush anyway but what's the point in even trying when they are about £1 per brush or less and are actualy surprisingly good to work with and lose little to no bristles.

 

[LWB250]

Buying boxes of cheap disposable paint brushes from flebay etc is very convenient when applying POR15 or chassis, caliper paints etc.

Some of these paints are impossible to clean off the brush anyway but what's the point in even trying when they are about £1 per brush or less and are actualy surprisingly good to work with and lose little to no bristles.

View attachment 148507

I buy "chip brushes" at Walmart for very little $$ and keep one in each car. They're great for dusting off instrument clusters, dashboards and around switches and buttons on the dash. I'll often pull one out whilst sitting at a traffic light and give the dash or console a quick
"once over". It's amazing how much dust accumulates around buttons or the radio.

Dan

 

[JC220]

Another one is keeping kits of copper and aluminium crush washers around. And when you find the most common size you need for MB fuel lines etc buy bags of them cheap on ebay. This way you are never in a situation where you can't complete a job because of a low life crush washer!!

 

[gsxr]

Another one is keeping kits of copper and aluminium crush washers around. And when you find the most common size you need for MB fuel lines etc buy bags of them cheap on ebay. This way you are never in a situation where you can't complete a job because of a low life crush washer!!

View attachment 148613

+eleventybillion. ^^^

I do the same thing but with MB part numbered seal rings, along with a cross-reference sheet to identify the locations each are used. Some aftermarket vendors (like RM European) sell the aftermarket seal rings for pennies, making it worth buying 50 or 100 of each to have a lifetime supply. There's a dozen or so common sizes and it doesn't cost much to invest in the assortment. Add the oddball stuff as needed in smaller quantities.

 

[JC220]

+eleventybillion. ^^^

I do the same thing but with MB part numbered seal rings, along with a cross-reference sheet to identify the locations each are used. Some aftermarket vendors (like RM European) sell the aftermarket seal rings for pennies, making it worth buying 50 or 100 of each to have a lifetime supply. There's a dozen or so common sizes and it doesn't cost much to invest in the assortment. Add the oddball stuff as needed in smaller quantities.

I haven't planned it that well Dave but great idea. Perchance would you have a reference with the typical sizes available? Maybe could be an idea for a resource on here too.

 

[LWB250]

Another one is keeping kits of copper and aluminium crush washers around. And when you find the most common size you need for MB fuel lines etc buy bags of them cheap on ebay. This way you are never in a situation where you can't complete a job because of a low life crush washer!!

View attachment 148613

Absolutely. This and O-rings. I have an assortment set of metric O-rings that has gotten me out of trouble on more than one occasion, easily paying for the total cost of the set. If you do any AC work, you can get sets of common AC (green) O-rings as well.

Dan

 

[emerydc8]

I did this with Mercedes hose clamps about ten years ago, but I never cross-referenced them with a seller like @gsxr did with RM European's washers, assuming they would carry Gemi, Norma or equivalent quality hose clamps.

Assorted Hose Clamps | Heating and Cooling (Interior HVAC systems)

I am looking to stock up on my supply of hose clamps. Does anyone know which part numbers correspond to the sizes for these so I can order from Parts.com? Thanks. Update: I found eight different clamps on parts.com using part numbers from the EPC, but then I found a dozen clamps by doing a...

www.500eboard.co

 

[JC220]

Another entry for me is keeping an assorted sizes of automotive fuel hose on the shelf. And kits of the clamps.

This way when changing a filter etc it is easy to also replace the hose and clamps at the same time for literally about £2 extra. Clamps also easier undone in future than some OEM click types.

 

[LWB250]

Another entry for me is keeping an assorted sizes of automotive fuel hose on the shelf. And kits of the clamps.

This way when changing a filter etc it is easy to also replace the hose and clamps at the same time for literally about £2 extra. Clamps also easier undone in future than some OEM click types.

View attachment 148835

Agree with this, even more so being the States where metric hoses/fuel lines/clamps are not commonplace in retail parts stores. For those in the U.S., I buy my metric hose and other goodies from Belmetric, who has a great assortment of metric hardware, fittings, hoses and clamps, and seems to be pretty competitive on pricing.

Dan