Mechanics Tool Supply

When it comes to looking around in tight spots, the people at Tracer Products have come up with an answer that serves automotive air conditioning needs as well as general diagnostics. It can be used to see into difficult to see places as well as inside of cylinders and so on. BUT, in addition to bright white LED lighting, it has UV lighting so it’s value is multiplied many times over.

This multi-purpose borescope (part number TP-9350) features a long 24″ flexible shaft that stays positioned where you put it - no drooping so there’s no constant repositioning neccary in order to get a good look at a difficult to see area. It belongs in every professional technicians selection of mechanics tools. It has a high resolution of 7400 pixels that assures a clear view; it runs on four AA batteries; comes with a clip on mirror for even more visibility and it comes in a protective carrying case with foam insert to protect your tool.

There’s all kinds of things that speed up a mechanics job because after all, time is money and the quicker you can get a job done the better; better for the customer and better for the bank account. Some time savers are a little more difficult to clearly identify how they save time and money but when it comes to moving cars around in a crowded shop the Gojak 5000 Vehicle Dolly is one of the easiest to justify. Not only do you have the mechanic working on the car that has to be moved, you have other mechanics that have to be interupted to make room to move a car. Just imagine wasting 10 minutes of each mechanics time only once a week and compare that to the cost of a good dolly and imagine further that each of five or six mechanics use ten minutes a week. That’s an hour a week times 52 weeks - about a week and a half is wasted just positioning cars.  These dollies are mechanics tools that belongs in the arsenal of shop equipment of practically every shop that doesn’t have as much room as North Dakota. The problem is resolved by this vehicle dolly from Gojak.

Just slide it’s two arms around the tire and crank it up a few inches. Do that again on the other wheels (yes, it’s best to have two pairs - 4 dollies) and that SUV slides around easier than Mom’s shopping cart at the grocery store.  If you don’t have dollies, or adequate numbers of dollys, give the matter some thought.

It’s certainly time to take a look at the new Duo Sockets from Grey Pneumatic. They’re a single socket that performs like impact sockets and chrome sockets - that’s right use the same sockets for both applications.  Put these sockets on your impact wrench and on your hand ratchet. You just don’t need to buy an impact AND a chrome socket ever again. Just replace lost or broken sockets with Duo Sockets. Each one costs a bit more than an impact socket but far less than an impact socket AND a chrome socket. That’s the point. You can cut back on the volume of mechanics tools (sockets) that fill up tool boxes while at the same time saving a significant few hard-earned dollars.

They’re available in 1/4″, 3/8″ and 3/4″ drive sizes individually as well as a number of cost-cutting sets to get you started. Take a little time and check these out. The links are just above.

A top seller among scan tools is the Innova 3130 from Equus Products (Innova) and for good reason. It covers all foreign and domestic OBD II compliant cars, SUVs, light trucks and mini vans all the way back to 1996. Frankly, it’s a top notch professional scan tool without the cost and trouble that most professional scanners have. It’s as simple to use as entry level diagnostics mechanics tools and as complete as units costing six or seven times as much.

It delivers 25 primary on-screen diagnostics in English and Spanish (French too) all at one time so you’re likely to have everything you need right there the very first time. No scrolling, no trying to remember as you go from screen to screen. It’s a simply plug-n-play setup will play back live data on command and an automatic relink for drive cycles to verify repair completion. 

It comes with all the software and cables you’re likely to ever need and it’s all in a protective pouch. If you think you might need to hook up to an older OBD I computer; just move up to the Innova 3120 and your in business all the way back to 1982 models.

No wonder a lot of people are buying these.

So you have a dent in the door. Somebody down the street got macho and kicked it in. Cute! You can spend hundreds down at the body shop or you can fix it yourself with one of these mechanics tools that not too many at-home mechanics actually have but all of them should have.

If you’ve ever gone to a fast food restaurant and bought a meal for two or three people, you’ve spend more than a small slide hammer and we all know the lasting value of a meal vs a slide hammer.

These handy tools work for practically anything that needs a controlled nudge or a pull. Slide hammers are far better than a hammer in cases where “just the right” amount of impact is needed and of course, try to pound that dent out of the door with a hammer.  Have fun removing all the upholstry and hoping you can get to the dent even than.

S & G Tool Aid has a slide hammer they call the Junior Slugger Slide Hammer (part number S&G Tool Aid 81500) and it belongs in every handy-mans garage.

True story. I was watching a do-it-yourselfer working on a friends mini van just a couple weeks ago. He managed to get all the usual stuff taken care of but didn’t get the transmission fluid changed. Couldn’t manage to get under the van in such a way that he could get the transmission drained so that part just didn’t get done.

As I was watching him crawl under that van with wrenches and a drain pan to deal with the oil, it occurred to me that all that crawling around on the ground wasn’t necessary and the Mity Vac 7400 Fluid Evacuator would have made life so much easier on him. He was competent, he knew exactly what he was doing - he just didn’t have the tools he needed to do the job the easier way.

With the fluid evacuator from Mity Vac he could simply have sucked out the oil and then the transmission fluid from the dipstick hose and been done with it. Yeah, it’s still another item to add to the collection of mechanics tools but DIYers change oil all the time so a marginal investment in this valuable piece of inexpensive shop equipment could pay for itself really fast. It’s almost as valuable as a basic wrench if you really think about how much crawling around it saves and how many time’s it’s going to be used in the lifetime of a car - especially if DIY people inherit some work from friends that need an engine or transmission oil change. In this case the transmission wasn’t serviced but with a work saving evacuator it would have been done with ease.

Simply the most effective compressor for virtually any straight, conical, or offset spring is the way the people at OTC describe their OTC 6585 Strut Tamer HD model made specifically for SUVs and light trucks.

These springs are obviously a bit more heavy duty and therefore it’s wise to use something a little more serious than a simple set of compressor bars. The bigger they are the less you want to even think about letting one get away.

The OTC 6585 features four point locking jaws that hold the spring in place - no maybes involved and the open-end design lets you take the strut in or out quickly and easily and you don’t need to change shoes for different size springs - the arms adjust up and down and in and out to meet practically any need.

It also comes with a bridge accessory that can be used on springs that can’t be compressed enough to remove the retaining nut.

This heavier duty strut tamer is a must for inclusion in the mechanics tools and shop equipment stock for anybody working on SUV suspension

The people at Mity Vac have updated their Vacuum and Pressure Tester (formerly part number MV4000) with the new MV8500 Silverline Elite Automotive Test Kit and MV8510 (formerly part number MV4010) for those looking for the Tester only without kit accessories and case.
They tell us that the new dual capability of the new Mityvac hand pump combines two pumps into one and will streamline your mechanics tools inventory while greatly extending vehicle service applications.

The new MV8500 performs engine performance diagnostics, brake bleeding, fluid transfer, evacuation, sampling, windshield repair and more while providing either vacuum or pressure with equal precision and convenience in an ergonomic design for comfortable long-term use.

The new Mityvac Silverline Elite hand pump combines 35 years of automotive diagnostic experience with advanced performance and comfort to meet the requirements of the latest automotive technologies all reading out on a large easy-to-read gauge that displays both vacuum and pressure.

If you’re a serious pro and are looking for a code scanner that fits into the professional class of mechanics tools, something a few steps above the Actron CP9125 Pocket Scanner, take a good look at the 9190 from Actron. It of course, does everything the Pocket Scanner does but the Actron 9190 Elite Auto Scanner Pro adds all the good stuff that takes you beyond the basics.

Right out front you get OBD II of course, but you also get OBD I technology in these scan tools. You can scan that hobby Chevy that’s fast approaching classic status. Additonal upgraded features include the ability to read enhanced codes, graph engine data, record and playback stored vehicle information, and you can print all these automotive diagnostics through your PC.

For the Do-It-Yourselfer, a good top quality, yet, entery level code scanner can be the best investment to come along since pliers and the Actron 9125 PocketScan Code Reader from can be one of the best buys of the bunch. I delivers enough information to identify the problem in most cases on practically any OBD II equipped vehicle (1996 and newer) while not pouring on too much information that simply means confusion.

It’s not unusual to have a check engine light come on and without a code scanner it’s tough for the typical at home repairman to identify the problem. Take the car to a dealer and you’re likely to spend more money on one scan than you’re going to spend on the Actron 9125 itself. Even the very first time you use it, it’s paid for itself. Just fix the designated problem, use it to turn off the check engine light and you’re back on the road.

These compact diagnostics tools fit in the palm of your hand, quickly connects to your vehicle, reads and erases trouble codes and gets that check engine light off so your car can make it through inspection most local inspection facilities.

It’s more though than just a means of getting that light off. It comes with a CD that has over 3000 trouble codes along with comprehensible descriptions so you can keep that car running right and avoid creating larger problems down the road. It’s also updatable so you can use it for future cars that you’re likely to buy too.  It comes with a full year warranty and it’s made in the USA. 

If you’re looking to pick up a scanner for your collection of mechanics tools without having to get a second mortgage on the house, this is one to take a closer look at.