Tools for your Mini

Introduction.
Many people are coming into the joy of Mini ownership or are just deciding to try to do some of the work on their cars themselves. With this in mind, I thought I'd discuss getting a toolkit together.
Over the years I've managed to accumulate a fairly well stocked tool box. Working on old English, Japanese, European, and Australian cars has necessitated some of this. Each of these vehicles uses different sizes of nuts and bolts. The older English use Whitworth, the Japanese and European use metric, and the Australian use Imperial (A/F) and metric depending on the age of the car.
I started with the bare necessities and as I became more adventurous, my tool kit grew.
Most people have some tools around the house usually a couple of screwdrivers, an adjustable spanner, a pair of pliers and a hammer. To maintain or restore a car takes a little more than that, but you'd be surprised what you can do with a good set of hand tools. You don't need a lot of expensive or specialist tools. Instead of sending your car to a mechanic to have it worked on, you can save a lot of money by doing most of the work yourself and purchase the tools as the jobs require them. But you say you don't know how to work on a car. The knowledge can be gained by reading a workshop manual, by talking with car club members who do their own work, and by getting friends to teach you what you need to know. Just like acquiring the knowledge, you can build your tool kit up gradually. If you need the tool for a particular job, buy it, but there is an old adage "You get what you pay for". This is especially true with tools. As a rule it doesn't pay to buy cheap tools, however, you don't have to spend a fortune on tools either it pays to shop around and compare quality and prices. To get started, the first thing you will need, is some basic hand tools, Mini's are predominantly A/F. Most people start with some combination spanners and sockets.
Spanners.
Combination Spanners have one open end (like a U) and the other end is circular (a ring) one spanner being one size, Ring spanners have a ring at each end in different sizes. Why so many different sets of spanners? For starters, many times you'll need 2 spanners, one to hold the bolt and one for the nut. Some people (but not us Mini" people) use an adjustable spanner for undoing just about everything. However, for undoing old, rusted nuts and bolts, you want to grip the entire head of the nut and bolt to prevent rounding the flats off of either the nut or bolt. Therefore, you should use either a ring spanner or a socket. For a nut that is loose, an open end spanner is easier to get on and off the nut as you need to reposition the spanner in tight places.
Pliers.
In the general category of pliers, there are several different types ordinary, long or needle nose and wire cutters These can be sold individually or in sets. The sets will include several different types and sizes. It should be obvious that the smaller the pliers, the smaller the job they were meant to work on. Circlip pliers these are used to compress or expand circlips to remove them, available in different sizes, internal and external depending on the application . Locking pliers like "Vise Grips" are a useful tool. They have a hundred uses from holding something in place, undoing a nut or bolt after the head has been rounded, to helping keep things together while welding. These also come in various sizes and styles including long nose.

Socket Set.
A socket set consist of a collection of sockets and accessaries like extensions and wobble joints so that you can get in to confined spaces and different handles for more leverage etc. the sizes and number vary depending on the size and cost of the socket set. Sockets are tubular each being one size with one end covering and griping the nut or bolt and the other has a recessed square that the ratchet (a handle that attaches to the sockets and allows you to turn the socket a bit, then back up and turn some more. These are very useful in tight spaces where you cannot turn the handle a complete turn) Normally these referred to in there drive size eg. 1/4, 3/8 and 1/2 this being in fractions of an inch the size of the square. In Australia 1/2 drive being the most common with 3/8 drive rapidly gaining popularity due to every thing being more compact and lighter, with 1/4 drive being used for the fiddly jobs.

Screwdrivers.

A set will consist of different size screwdrivers and different types. There are 2 basic types. The flat blade screwdriver for the usual slotted screws, and Phillips & Pozidrive head for screws with the X slots in them. There is also a manual impact driver. This is used to loosen very tight screws, by hitting the top of the impact handle with a hammer. The shock from the hammer blow and the twisting motion help undo the screw, a favourite on Mini brake drums.
Adjustable Spanner.
Now for those tools that no mechanic should ever use, but always does, the adjustable spanner. these are designated 6", 8" ,10"and a 12". The size here means the length of the spanner. As the length increases so does the width of the jaws - meaning they will fit a larger nut or bolt.

Here are a few more general tools to help fill that tool box.

A Scribe.

A sharp metal rod with a handle. These are used to scratch metal to mark where something was positioned.

A center punch.

A short, sharp metal rod used to make a dimple in a piece of metal. This dimple will help hold a drill bit in place when starting to drill a hole in a piece of metal or wood. (Note: the center punches come in manual - you hit the with a hammer, or automatic you simply push on them, they have an internal hammer.)

An Inspection mirror.

A mirror on a stick, used for seeing in tight places.

A Ballpein Hammer

Instead of having the normal claws for pulling nails on one end, it has a 1/2 a ball.

Measuring equipment.

As a Minimum a 300mm steel rule. A 150mm vernier caliper is a step up if you can afford it, but for precision measurement you will need 0-1", 1"-2" and 2"-3" micrometers, these look like little G clamps with a graduated shaft on one end, these have the required precision to measure taper out off round etc on engine parts and the 3 sizes should cover every thing you need to measure on a Mini.
Tap's and Die's
Something that is handy to have but initially not essential is a tap and die set. A tap is a rod or shaft used for cutting or cleaning threads in a nut. A die is a disc with a hole in it and is used for cutting or cleaning threads on a bolt. A good set of taps and dies are quite expensive and a cheap set can be more expensive if the tap breaks off in an engine block or other part. I suggest purchasing quality taps and dies one at a time, when needed Every time I need a new tap or die, I purchase both the tap and the die. Their cost varies with their size.

A Thread Pitch Gauge.

This looks like a collection of tiny saws. Each metal blade has a different number of teeth per inch. Simply lay each blade on the nut or bolt until the teeth mate. EZ Outs or Screw Extractors.
Along with the tap and die set, I'll include a set of EZ outs or screw extractors. These items are used to help remove a bolt or stud after the head has been broken off. The extractor has a very course reversed thread. To use them, you drill a hole in what is left of the bolt or screw, and push the extractor into the hole. Then put a spanner on the end and try to unscrew the bolt. (This doesn't always work) Be very careful using an extractor, if it breaks off in the bolt, it is much harder to drill out. Miscellaneous Tools.
A few more items should also be in the tool box, a pair of scissors, a Stanley knife , a hack saw and blades. A set of Allen keys, a couple of chisels, some punches,(drifts) a battery terminal cleaner, and a pair of dividers will all come in handy. This is a very good start on the general hand tools for working on a car.

Trolley Jack.

A trolley jack makes life easier in lifting the Mini to work on, I also lift the car to work on it ,for the extra time it takes is well worth while. All ways put jackstands under the car when working on it or under it, on ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, I don’t know of to many Doctors who can fix your head after it has been squashed under a car, Mini's being especially bad due to there low ride height.

Miscellaneous Items.

Here are a couple more items for your workshop a lead light, fluorescent. type, you get fed up quite quickly replacing incandescent type bulbs. An extension cord, and a garage vacuum are useful.

Now lets move on to some more specialised tools that will come in very handy but once again purchased as needed.

Multimeter.

First in my book is an multimeter. This tool is a must for trouble shooting any electrical problem. I know some people just use the little screwdriver looking thing with a light bulb in it. but the multimeter is far more versatile.

A Vacuum Gauge.

A vacuum gauge is used to measure the vacuum in the car's engine and they are great diagnostic tools. I would suggest getting a MityVAC if your budget can handle it. This has a hand pump to allow you to create a vacuum for testing all kinds of diaphragms, etc as well as one person brake bleeding.

A Compression Gauge.

A compression gauge is used to checkhow much pressure is created in a cylinder. This is a way of locating a blown head gasket, bad valves and rings. I prefer the ones that have a long flex hose and actually screw into the spark plug holes instead of the ones you have to push on and hold.
Timing Light.
For tuning up a car you will need a timing light. I prefer the type of timing light that clips onto the cars battery to power its spark sensor and trigger its high intensity light which can be seen even on a sunny day. A mirror is also needed to see the timing marks on a Mini flywheel. The sky is the limit here as to what you will pay for timing lights.

Pullers.

Inevitably, you will need a hub puller (2 and or 3 leg) for removing pulleys from things, and if you need to do a clutch on a Mini you will need a flywheel puller this is a special tool just for this job. There are some other specialised tools for doing Mini gearboxes ask aboutm them at a club meeting as some can be made, others begged, borrowed or stolen.

Now that's a comprehensive tool Kit.

Unfortunately, we have an expensive hobby and now we start filling our garage, not just the tool box, with tools. These tools will also be a little more expensive.

Air Compressor.

A compressor is use full not only for pumping up tyres but blowing of parts you have cleaned, but a way of powring those nice air tools you've been looking at, like a 1/2"drive impact gun This really makes changing tires easy and helps to undo really rusted bolts. Those that have a 1/2 drive air ratchet wont know how they have lived with out one, No more hand cranking on the ratchet, just press the trigger and it does all the work! A 1/4" die grinder with carbide Burrs if you wish to port and polish cylinder heads, an arbor and a cutting wheel (Death Wheel) is an easy way of cutting off bolts and such. Spray Guns and orbital sanders if you wish to paint your Mini the air compressor will power these.

Bench Grinder.

A bench grinder with a wire wheel is an absolute gem for cleaning rust of small parts and also for preparing parts to paint, But be warned these are messy so put it away from any were you may want to do clean work. Always use your safety glasses with a wire wheel as grit etc from what you are cleaning bits of wire could end up in your eyes. In addition to the bench grinder, a 3/8" electric drill can be use to clean partsby putting a smaller wire wheel in the chuck and is portable, you can use it on the car rather than take the parts off. Electric Drills.
While we are talking about drills, a 3/8" Variable Speed Reversible electric drill is handy These have many uses and with the variable speed can be used as a screwdriver. A drill index with a range of drill bits, the more you pay the more you get in quality and quantity. Ultimately, a drill press is nice to have, but they are relatively expensive.

Lifting Equipment.

If you plan on doing any work like lifting out an engine, a gantry with some lifting device or an engine crane will be needed . If you plan to use a beam in your shed and are not sure about it, ask some one, if it goes wrong not only could you damage your shed but also your car Hydraulic Press.
A hydraulic press is a useful item although expensive. However, it's nice to be able to press bearings on and off when you need to.

Welder.

Another item is a welder. There are 3 basic types of welders: arc, MIG and oxy-acetylene, While the MIG welder is the most expensive of the three , I would suggest a MIG welder as it is the easiest to learn to use. Most welding on a car is replacing thin sheet metal panels. A MIG is good for this as well as heavy steel and Ally. MIG welders use gas in a cylinder or can be gas less, speak to some of the club members that have one for recommendations Oxy-acetylene is used when I need a lot of heat to bend something or to cut up something, fusion welding and brazing is also performed using this equipment. The smaller sets have the advantage of portability. The only drawback is that you are paying rent on the bottles whether you are using the set or not. Inevitably you run out of gas when you need it the most and not be able to use the equipment until the gas suppliers opened. Arc welders good for heavy work eg. making trailers etc but unless you are a very skilled welder difficult to use on light gauge steel. Be careful when welding on a car with any form of electric welding disconnect the battery to protect the alternator if you don’t have an alternator do it any way as a good practice. Be aware of wiring fuel and brake lines even hydrolastic lines when cutting or welding as all of these are inflammable and there is nothing worse than to watch your pride and joy go up in smoke. Safety.
Safety is an often overlooked in the home garage but is as critical here as any were else, as mention above always use jackstands when working under cars and no, bricks etc are not a suitable substitute. use hearing protectors, safety glasses and dust masks as appropriate, a little bit of common sense goes along way. Treat petrol with proper respect as it is quite inflammable and in a confined space its fumes wont do you any good.

In closing, having all the tools just mentioned represent quite a sizeable investment and will set up a very nice workshop and you can work on things around the house as well as your Mini. Remember, you don't have to go out and purchase all the tools at once. Garage sales and swapmeets can be a source for tools, it pays to look around. Enjoy your Mini, and work safely,