Charles Lattimer wrote:
>
> Greetings,
> I am planning to buy a set of basic body tools and was wondering
> if it's really worth paying $30 for a dolly from Eastwood when you
> can buy a complete set from JC Whitney for less than $20. I know
> that you usually get what you pay for, but is a machined chunk of
> steel really worth $30?
I suppose this depends upon what sort of body work you intend to do, and
how much you have done in the past, Chuck. If you plan to do a lot of
it, and have the skills, good tools are a help. What you'll find with
the JC Whitney tools is that the hammers are useless--soft wood in the
handles and brads to hold the heads on--and the finish on the dollies
will be rough. If you take the time to do a little sanding and polishing
on the cheap dollies, you'll minimize transferring scratches to the body
metal. The one tool I would strongly recommend that you buy the best you
can is a shrinking hammer. Get a really good rawhide hammer for that.
There are cheaper ones with a rubber head with a bonded-on patterned
head, and they work, but make a mess of the surface of the metal (been
there, done that <g>).
If you want a really good dissertation on metalworking tools, get Ron
Fourtier's "Metal Fabrication Handbook." I think it's published by HP.
Very good book, with a good section on body and fabrication tools.
Cheers.
--
My other Triumph doesn't run, either....
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